Chicken Salad With Spinach and Red Pepper; the update

We leave in an hour to pick up the first lot… Mon mari‘s brother and sister-in-law from Hawaii.  They’ve been travelling since Saturday.

We leave at the crack of dawn on Thursday to drive to Umbria, Italy, where we will spend a week with 13 of mon mari‘s family (which is just about everyone – close, that is).  We rented a large villa that used to be a restaurant with rooms…. Should be fun.  (Wonder who’ll be cooking???)

Then 6 of us will return here for another week – we’re going to put them all to work.

We’ve been a littly crazy getting ready…..

I’ll be back to spending a pleasant hour in the morning, drinking coffee, reading blogs and tweeting (none of which I’ve had time to do this past month) in June. Oh… and that’s when we get our puppy (fingers crossed).

Here’s our current status and last update ’til we get back to work (house painting is on the schedule for the guests).

The bathroom – almost finished….

How can I look through the lens so carefully…. And only see the fact that I didn’t close the drawers tightly when it’s on my computer?

Mon mari is having a bit of trouble with the tub surround, as well – not quite fitting right.  It’s waiting until our return.

In my search for bedding I managed to find the stuff that goes on the bathroom sinks – tissue box, soap dishes, etc.  That was fun.

The new shower is wonderful!

Except for that first time…. When he realized he had forgotten to calk under the door frame.  All working fine now.

Still need the floor moldings done.

We even cleaned space for our guests…

Naturally, as soon as it was cleaned, mon mari decided it would be a great place to paint some more doors….

I have the bedding…. I’ll make them when we get back.

Chicken Salad with Spinach and Red Pepper

The flavors of orange, sherry and paprika combine to give a taste of Spain to this easy salad. I cut the breasts in half, the short way. They cook a bit faster and it makes a nicer presentation with the salad.

For the chicken
2 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
2 tbs flour
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 tbs olive oil
1/4 cup (2oz, 60ml) white wine
1/4 cup (2oz, 60ml) orange juice
For the salad
6oz (175gr) fresh spinach
1/2 red bell pepper
2 shallots
2oz (60gr) feta cheese
2 tbs sherry vinegar
1 tbs olive oil

The chicken: Mix flour, paprika and cumin. Cut chicken breasts in half. Roll in flour mixture to coat. Heat a large nonstick skillet. When hot, add oil, chicken and brown well on both sides. Add orange juice, white wine, cover, reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes, or until done.
The salad: Slice pepper, shallots. Sauté in olive oil until tender. Add sherry vinegar. Keep warm. Pick through the spinach, discarding any wilted or damaged leaves. Wash, spin dry if necessary and put into a large bowl.
The finish: When chicken is done remove and place on a platter or 2 plates. Turn heat up under the chicken skillet and reduce liquid by half. Remove from heat and add the peppers and shallots. Pour over the spinach. Toss well to coat and wilt spinach slightly. Arrange spinach next to the chicken. Crumble feta on top and serve.

I’ll be back…..

I’ve posted new recipes and old stories for your entertainment while I’m off playing.

Don’t want you to miss me.