Mediterranean Chicken Salad (Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse) 4 entree salads 1/2 cup dry white wine 1 slice yellow onion 1 slice lemon 1 bay leaf 6 black peppercorns 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 3 halves) 1 (10 to 12-ounce) medium eggplant, ends trimmed and cut into 3/4-inch rounds 2 tablespoons olive oil 12 ounces plum tomatoes, ends trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch dice 1 cup crumbled feta cheese 1/2 cup chopped pitted brine-cured olives, such as kalamata 3 tablespoons pine nuts, lightly toasted 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano leaves 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh mint leaves 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 4 large Bibb or romaine lettuce leaves 1 tablespoon chiffonade fresh basil, for garnish In a medium skillet, combine the wine, onion, lemon, bay leaf, peppercorns, salt, and enough water to cover the chicken by 1/2-inch and bring to a boil for 2 minutes. Add the chicken, cover, reduce the heat, and simmer until the chicken is no longer pink and just cooked through, about 10 to 15 minutes, depending upon the size of the chicken. Remove from the heat, uncover, and let the chicken cool in the liquid for 30 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate, cover, and refrigerate until well chilled, about 2 hours, or refrigerate overnight. Cut the chicken into 1-inch cubes and set aside. Preheat the grill to medium-high. Place the eggplant slices on a large plate and lightly brush on both sides with olive oil, and then season with salt and pepper. Grill until just golden and slightly soft, about 2 minutes on each side. (Alternatively, the eggplant can be broiled, 1 to 2 minutes per side, carefully watching so that it does not burn.) Place the eggplant on a cutting board to cool, and then dice. In a large bowl, combine the diced chicken, eggplant, tomatoes, cheese, olives, and pine nuts. In a small bowl, whisk together the extra-virgin olive oil, vinegar, oregano, mint, salt, red pepper, and black pepper. Pour the dressing over the chicken mixture and toss to lightly coat. Arrange lettuce leaves in the center of 4 large plates and divide the salad among the leaves. Serve immediately.

Glenda, I posted that recipe on my blog. Thanks for the reminder - I need to make that again soon. I love oatmeal cookies and this chocolate version is great. Double Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies 1 ½ cups sugar 1 cup margarine or butter, softened 1 egg ¼ cup water 1 tsp. vanilla 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour 1/3 cup cocoa ½ tsp. baking soda ½ tsp. salt 3 cups quick-cooking oats 1 6-oz. package semi-sweet chocolate chips Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix sugar, margarine, egg, water and vanilla. Stir in remaining ingredients. Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake until almost no indentation remains when touched, 10 to 12 minutes. Immediately remove from cookie sheet. Makes about 5 ½ dozen cookies

I made this yesterday. It was so good! And really easy. STRAWBERRY PIE (Cast Sugar Blog) 1 (9-in.) deep-dish pie shell, baked and cooled 1 1/2 c. granulated sugar 4 1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch 2 c. cold water 1 (3 oz.) pkg. strawberry gelatin 1 quart strawberries, washed, hulled, and sliced Combine sugar, cornstarch, and water in a medium saucepan. Stir and bring to a boil while stirring. Boil off until mixture is clear and thick. Add gelatin and stir to dissolve. Set aside to cool about 15-20 minutes. After cooling for a bit, add sliced strawberries to gelatin mixture. Pour into pie shell and chill in refrigerator, at least 4 hours. Serve pie with whipped cream.

I shared this recipe with Jasdip already but decided some of you might like to try it. Chickadee NC posted it on another board and said it is delish. It doesn't require all the bread baking and kneading skills and it sounds so good...It's almost like a batter bread but it does have yeast. English Muffin Bread Makes two loaves Just wait until you bake up a recipe and toast a slice. Nooks and Crannies inside Crusty outside. This is great un-toasted too. 5 1/2-6 cups all purpose flour.....measure by spooning flour lightly into cup. 2 pkgs dry yeast 1 Tablespoon sugar 2 teaspoons salt 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 2 cups milk 1/2 cup water cornmeal Combine 3 cups flour, yeast, sugar, salt, and soda. Heat liquids until very warm (120-130) (just so your finger doesn't get burned when you put it into the liquid) Add to dry mixture; beat well. Stir in enough more flour to make a stiff batter. (I usually end up using about 5 1/2 cups flour) Spoon into two bread pans (sprayed with Pam or other spray oil...then sprinkle all sides with cornmeal). Then sprinkle tops of bread with cornmeal....let rise for 45 minutes...or until bread raises to the top of the pans..or just a little over. Handle very carefully so it doesn't lose it's puffiness. It's rather fragile at this point. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove from pans immediately and cool. 16 slices per loaf.