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picnicking with buffalo chicken salad sandwiches & kettle chips

05/20/2013 by Annalise · 43 Comments

Spring is here! Spring is here! Spring is here!!!

What does that mean? Fresh air flowing through open windows, sunshine warming faces and arms… and picnics!

We are blessed to have a beautiful backyard to enjoy, and goodness does food just taste better outside, ya know?

Also, packs of messy kids are much more easily hosed off outside and crumbs are food for the birds, so no clean up for me.

WooHOO! I love picnic weather!!

I don’t love eating the same foods over and over and over again though, so I am always trying to come up with new, fun, ‘outside’ food recipes.

These buffalo chicken salad sandwiches are a perfect blend of spicy, creamy, comforting, and delicious. Much easier to eat outside than a plate full of wings, with all the fiery flavor you love!

Shredded chicken and diced celery are tossed in a creamy blue cheese and buffalo sauce dressing, and piled on a bed of romaine on a chewy ciabatta bun. Hot or cold, this sandwich is heavenly on a springtime picnic!

Feel free to make this salad ahead… it will keep in the fridge for at least a day or so! Sandwiches and chips are always a favorite combo, and they are often on the menu since my family loves them so much.

They love any excuse to eat chips with our meal, really… and we especially love Kettle Brand Chips!

Have you ever tried Kettle Brand Chips before?

Not just any kettle chips, but The Real Kettle Chips? All-natural, batch cooked chips, made with real ingredients by real people?

Kettle Brand Chips is the first brand to be verified by the Non-GMO Project! That right there makes them the best choice for my family.

I especially love their Natural Promise: all natural ingredients, Non-GMO oil and potatoes, and no trans fats, MSG or preservatives. Exactly what I like to hear when I am picking out food for my family!

Oh and don’t worry… these chips taste amazing. Crisp, golden, fresh & flavorful. Everything you’d want in a chip and more!

I am a jalapeño chip girl… across the board that is my favorite flavor with just about everything. My kids love the sea salt flavor, and well… the Buffalo Bleu chips are a must try! Yum!

Buffalo Chicken Salad Sandwich Recipe

Ingredients

2 large chicken breasts, cooked & shredded
2-3 large stalks of celery, chopped
3/4 cup buffalo sauce (+ extra for the rolls)
1/2 cup blue cheese dressing (+ extra for the rolls)
salt & pepper, to taste
4-8 romaine leaves
4 ciabatta buns

Directions

In a large bowl, toss together the shredded chicken, chopped celery, buffalo sauce & blue cheese dressing. Toss to combine and season with salt & fresh ground pepper, to taste.

Spread one half of each of the split rolls with a bit of buffalo sauce, lay a romaine leaf or two on top of that and then a generous pile of the chicken salad. Spread a bit of blue cheese dressing on the top half of the bun and close the sandwich.

If you are packing these on a picnic farther than your backyard, wrap each one individually with parchment or foil and refrigerate until you are ready to leave.

Don't forget to pack your wipes, drinks, and of course, some delicious Kettle Chips to go with those sandwiches!

http://sweetannas.com/2013/05/picnicking-with-buffalo-chicken-salad-sandwiches-kettle-chips.html

www.sweetannas.com

We’re giving away a $100 Visa gift card to one lucky reader! To enter for your chance to win, leave a comment letting me know what you include in your picnic basket!

Rules:
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d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.
This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
The Official Rules are available here.
This sweepstakes runs from 5/20 – 7/3.

Be sure to visit the Kettle Brand Chips brand page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews and find more chances to win!

Filed Under: product reviews - kids, product reviews - mom, recipes, recipes - dinner, recipes - make ahead, reviews - food, Sponsored ·

what makes life easier…

02/15/2013 by Annalise · Leave a Comment

I have so many good things to say about my new Maytag Kitchen. I could really go on and on about all the things I love about my new appliances… but the bottom line is, my life is that much easier now than it was 6 months ago, and I am so grateful to Maytag for that! As a busy, overwhelmed mom, I am all about making life easier. But do you want to know what I have loved the most about Maytag? The amazing customer service I have received! We have had a few very minor issues, and they were handled so well and so quickly I could hardly believe it! I was seriously in shock at how fast and well our glitches were resolved. 10 gold starts Maytag!! There is not one of our new appliances that is not used every single day. I bake or cook something on our range every day. I reheat my coffee in the microwave multiple times a day. :o) We run the dishwasher at least once a day! And obviously… the fridge is well loved and used! I have never been much of a microwave user, but I have to say, it is so nice to be able to reheat two plates at once in this gigantic beautiful microwave. When I do need it, I am so grateful that it’s there… if you have little kids close in age, you know how hard it is for one of them to wait there turn for the other. Two plates of mac & cheese heated up at once = happy kids and happy mama! The fridge has still not worn off its novelty… the littles love opening the middle drawer and getting their own apples/carrots/string cheeses out for a snack. I love that they can grab something healthy, without me having to do it for them! And I have yet to run out of room in the fridge, even after major Costco-stockup trips! The dishwasher is… well… a dream. I barely ever remember to rinse any dishes and have yet to have one dish come out less than perfectly clean. My kids think it’s the funnest game to load and unload the dishwasher, and you know what? After not having a working dishwasher at all for about 6+ months… I think it’s a pretty fun game too!! (My other favorite feature of our dishwasher? The “extra dry” function! No more drippy dishes or leaving the door open for an hour before you can put stuff away!)

Check out Maytag’s website, Twitter and/or Facebookfor more information and reviews from other moms in the Maytag Moms program!

“I wrote this post participating in an Maytag Moms Dependable Kitchen Ambassador program by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Maytag. I was provided with a Maytag kitchen appliances set, including a refrigerator, microwave, dishwasher, and range to facilitate my post”

Filed Under: maytag kitchen moms, product reviews - home, product reviews - maytag, ramblings, Sponsored ·

holiday baking extravaganza

12/20/2012 by Annalise · Leave a Comment

I have been baking like crazy this last week! Have you? Does your oven put in some serious overtime in December, like mine does?

Caramel corn, peanut butter swirled dark chocolate fudge brownies, sandebakkelse, hawaiian oatmeal cookies… all sorts of treats for parties and gifts for family and friends.

This winter we have kep the heat in our house down at 67º all the time. I decided that I would rather spend that electricity money on running the oven and all the twinkle lights we have up for the holidays!

So I have been baking almost every day so that our house is warm and cozy. The delicious smells don’t hurt anything either!

I had a little wall oven before I got this new Maytag range and I am absolutely in love with my new big, huge oven. 6.2 cubic feet, to be exact!

I used to have to cut off the edges of Costco pizzas in order to fit them into my old oven.

Now I am in heaven… the other day I cooked a huge turkey and a pan of stuffing all the the same time with ease. And today I cooked two 9×13” pans of brownies right next to each other!

Have I told you I love this new Maytag oven? Because I do! :o) I am looking forward to the next time I bake pies, being able to fit 3 or 4 in there at the same time.

Oh and the huge front window is so much fun for my boys. They watch the oven like a tv half the time!

What are your favorite holiday treats to bake?

Disclaimer – I wrote this post participating in an Maytag Moms Dependable Kitchen Ambassador program by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Maytag. I was provided with a Maytag kitchen appliances set, including a refrigerator, microwave, dishwasher, and range to facilitate my post.

Check out Maytag’s facebook and twitter pages to see what other mom’s think!