Chicken and Wild Rice Salad

Delicious summer salad I almost forgot about this year . . . no!! We originally got this recipe from a Dr's wife during Dad's residency, I believe. So tasty with the homemade french bread.

Dressing
1/2 cup salad dressing (Miracle Whip, mayonaise, etc.)
1/3 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. crushed marjoram leaves
1/8 tsp white pepper (really just for looks)

Salad
3 cups cooked wild rice, chilled (usually use half white rice and half wild rice)
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
1/2 cup diagonally sliced celery
1/2 cup red bell pepper, cut into pieces
1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1/4 cup diagonally sliced green onion
Lettuce
Tomato wedges
1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds

In small bowl combine all dressing ingredients and set aside. In large bowl combine cooked rice, chicken, celery, red pepper, mushrooms, and onions. Add dressing to salad mixture; toss gently.

Cover; refrigerate 2-3 hours to blend flavors. Serve with lettuce leaves and tomato wedges. Garnish with toasted almonds. 6 one cup servings.

Spanish Tortilla

Last week I learned how to make Spanish tortilla, which is a traditional Spanish food. It's sort of like a potato omelet, if you're trying to catch a vision for what this is. It's delicious and very easy, although it's a bit time-consuming by the time you peel and chop all of the potatoes. Anyway, it's super yummy and I recommend you give it a try. We had it for dinner along with a salad and something else that I can't remember. Sometimes Spaniards will slice it up and serve it on baguettes as a sandwich, and that's very good too. Dave says the tortilla is even better left over.

Oh, I got this recipe from allrecipes.com, but I altered it based on a Spanish reviewer, so I'm just writing what I actually did.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup olive oil
  
• 2 pounds baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch slices
  
• salt and pepper to taste
  
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
  
• 2 onions, sliced into rings
  
• 6 eggs

Directions

1. Heat 1/2 cup olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add half of the potato slices, and cook, stirring occasionally, until just tender, 15 to 20 minutes. When done, remove potatoes to a large bowl, leaving oil in the skillet. Cook the remaining potatoes in the oil until tender, then add to the bowl, leaving oil in the skillet. Gently toss potatoes with salt and pepper to taste. (Doing this again, I would only add half the olive oil the first time because I didn't have enough left in the pan for the second batch.)
2. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in onion rings, and gently cook until soft and golden brown, about 15 minutes. Spoon onions onto a plate, and allow to cool while the potatoes finish cooking. (I added the onions to the second batch of potatoes partway through.)
3. Whisk eggs in a large bowl until smooth. Stir in cooled onions and gently fold in cooked potatoes.
4. Heat the skillet with the reserved oil over low heat. Pour in the egg mixture, and gently cook until the sides have started to set and the bottom has turned golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Loosen the tortilla with a spatula if needed, then place a large plate on top of skillet and flip so the tortilla is on the plate. Slide the uncooked side of the tortilla onto the skillet. Return the skillet to the stove, and continue cooking until the tortilla has set in the center, about 4 minutes.
5. Slide the tortilla onto a serving plate and allow to cool to room temperature. Cut into six wedges and sprinkle with parsley to serve.