Almost Uncle Dan's: Vegetable Dip

D2 left for the east coast on Thursday.  I have no idea how her packing went because I wasn't part of the process.  She assured me that she packed everything she needed.  I sure hope so, and it's too late now anyway.  I know what I forgot to be sure she took, but I'll save the whine for another post.

D2 will be home in a few days, and I'm certain she will want to eat white sticky rice (she stuffed herself with rice the few days she was home between trips).  Once she returns, I will need to go back to cooking food she likes:  beef teriyaki, chicken katsu, beef tomato, edamame rice, and anything made with oyster sauce.  Sigh.

When it's just me and The Help, we eat whatevers.  Maybe that's why we've had Jack In The Box multiple times in the past 2 weeks.  I am addicted to their monster tacos.  The Help cannot understand what the draw is, and I can't explain it either.  But I keep ordering the same thing.  Oh, and I MUST get an order of curly fries with the taco.  With D2, the only fast food establishment she recognizes is McD.  Nothing else, and that's why going to Jack In The Box when she isn't around seems equivalent to sneaking around behind her [her=the parents] back.  Maybe that's why the taco tastes even better.

Another naughty thing we've been doing is not eating "real" food for dinner.  We've eaten sweets and appetizers in the late afternoon and called it dinner.  Luckily, we stocked up on an assortment of chips just before D2 left on her first trip.  I like the kettle chips from Costco or the 40% reduced-fat Cape Cod chips (sometimes found at Costco).  Both go great with dip, and this copycat dip is what we've been having.  

Back in the 80s, I remember having a dip made with a supermarket seasoning packet.  It was called Uncle Dan's Southern Dip Mix, and you mixed the dry packet's contents with sour cream and mayonnaise for a totally awesome cold dip for chips or vegetables.  Its been years since I had that dip, and I haven't seen Uncle Dan's anywhere in the local supermarkets, but this is a dip which comes close to the flavor (at least what I remember about the flavor).

click on recipe title for printable recipe

Almost Uncle Dan's Southern Dip

     2/3 c sour cream

     2/3 c mayonnaise

     1/2 tsp dry dill

     1/2 tsp Beau Monde seasoning (Spice Islands)

     1 tbsp chopped green onions

     3 tsp minced fresh parsley

Combine all ingredients.  Chill to blend flavors.  Serve with chips or vegetable sticks.

Tarragon Chicken Salad

I think prom season is finally over!  Whew.  I guess I can save my $ for graduation gifts now. . .oh, but wait. . .some school organizations still had their hands out.  I guess the charity season never ends.

Speaking of never ending, it seems like the chilly weather will never end.  Just when I thought it was getting warmer, we had days on end of un-spring-like weather.  We haven't seen past 80 degrees for over a week!  I've been trying to shake a cough, the only lingering sign of my spring break cold.  I've tried anti-biotics, codeine cough meds, a bunch of inhalers and even a homeopathic remedy made with lemon, ginger and honey.  Last night, I attempted herbal tea, but I could not manage to swallow more than a sip.  That stuff tastes like shit.  I'm still not ready to hit the ching bo leung (Chinese cure-all).

While the weather has been nippy (to me, anything below 80 is nippy), it has, mercifully, been dry.  I'm not a fan of the effects of rain.  I hate the clammy feeling in the house, and I hate the proliferation of mold and mildew which seems to follow days of rain.

With the dry weather, I had the opportunity to spend some time in the backyard.  The stephanotis was in bloom (too bad there's no need to give anyone a lei now).  I was able to locate 1 ripe meyer lemon on the tree (to make the lemon-ginger-honey concoction).  And on my way back inside, I noticed that the tarragon had magically come back to life!

A few years ago, I bought a sad-looking tarragon plant.  I planted it, and it perked up and gave me all the tarragon I needed for hunter style chicken.  I thought it had gone bye-bye, so I was happy to see it coming back.  I decided to make tarragon chicken salad...hoping the "salad" would will the warm weather here.

 click on recipe title for printable recipe

Tarragon Chicken Salad

     2 c cooked chicken, diced
     1 c watercress leaves
     1/2 c chopped celery
     1/4 c chopped green onions
     1/2 c salted marcona almonds, chopped
     3/4 c wild rice, rinsed
     2 1/4 c chicken stock
     1 tsp beau monde or celery salt
     1/4 c vegetable oil
     1/4 c EVOO
     1/4 c white wine vinegar
     1 tsp tarragon leaves, chopped
     1 tsp rock salt
     1/4 tsp ground black pepper

For dressing, combine vegetable oil, EVOO, white wine vinegar, tarragon, rock salt, and pepper in a bottle.  Set aside.  Bring chicken stock to a boil.  Add wild rice.  Lower heat to simmer, add beau monde or celery salt, and cook for 45 minutes (can be as little as 35 minutes or as long as 55 minutes) or until wild rice "pops" open.  Rinse and drain.  When cool, combine with chicken, watercress, celery, green onions, and almonds.  Shake dressing ingredients.  Pour over salad mixture and toss gently to coat.

The Help celebrated his birthday this past week.  We had dinner at Miyo's (courtesy of Kikukat Dad) and then we came home and had giant spoonfuls of gelato (sub for cake).  The Ds gave The Help his birthday gift and received a huge thank you in return. 

The Help is THE hardest person when it comes to buying gifts.  If he wants something, he'll normally just buy it himself.  Or, what he wants (read:  automobile or photography) has more zeros in the price than I can afford on my paltry salary.  Last year we gave him Shaka.  I thought about a Solomon Islands eclectus parrot this year, but we have been so blessed that Shaka and Aki get along well that I'm not willing to chance it with yet another bird.

And as I mentioned at the beginning of this week's post, I believe prom season has finally come to an end.  The last prom (St. Joseph School) took place this past Saturday at the Wainaku Executive Center.  I haven't been able to get a straight answer, but supposedly, D1 went as the date of senior EB (she got him a maile lei and a boutonniere so I sure hope she was his date).  I did not get to meet EB because D1 went with a group of her girl friends. . .each of them being the date of a SJ senior.   I dropped D1 and her friends off at the park for a photo session and then took them to the prom venue.

On the way there, I almost choked when I heard the pre-prom conversation: "We can't twerk, you know.", "How do we dance to Catholic music?", "Are they gonna play songs like 'Hallelujah'?".  Gasp!!!  Apparently, D1 ended up having a lot of fun, declaring the experience to be the "best prom ever".