Welcome to summer!

Since summer decided to finally kick in (although the cool weather and rain was a nice break for me), I thought I would post my chicken salad recipe. The way I understand it, this recipe is a hybrid of several. I received this one in its finished form from a co-worker's wife when I worked at the bank. I've only tweaked it once or twice, I swear. I usually do it with the pasta as a side dish, but it also works out great without the pasta for sandwiches. With two separate barbeques on Father's Day, it didn't last long enough to take a picture (sorry!).

Chicken Salad
4 C. cooked and shredded chicken
1 C. grapes
1 C. crushed pineapple
1 C. mandarin oranges (optional)
1 C. celery, chopped
1 C. mayonnaise
1 C. sour cream
1 Tbsp. minced onion
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
slivered almonds to taste
2 C. bowtie (farfalle) pasta (optional)


Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and chill overnight. Serves eight.

*notes: I'm pretty liberal with the grapes. If I add the oranges, I'm also fairly liberal with the salt and I am not too picky about draining the pineapple. I do it some, but not really well. I use just less than one small package of almonds. My mother-in-law has added cashews as well with good results. If I'm feeling like I need an "A" for presentation, I sprinkle paprika over the top before serving. On the most recent outing, I used light mayonnaise and fat free sour cream, and it tasted no different, so I'm sure I will continue with these variations so I can eat it without so much guilt.