Today I received an email from my best friend/college roommate saying she joined Facebook and that I should “get my butt on there, girl!” Apparently, she has recently joined and reunited with all our sorority sisters, her high school graduating class, her first boyfriend in kindergarten – well, maybe not him (yet).
I have other friends who are on it, too, but I just can’t bring myself to put it all out there like that. I know, I know, you can choose who can see your page, and refuse to be “friends”, but this is a Southern girl you’re talking to and we don’t like to hurt anyone’s feelings, you know?
For now I think I’ll just stay incognito while I cook and bake and share my kitchen here on my blog. And this yummy Chinese Chicken Salad, chosen by McKenzie of Kenzie’s Kitchen, is another great recipe from Ina Garten and her Barefoot Contessa Parties! cookbook. I was imagining a chicken salad with lettuce when I saw this choice, and didn’t realize it was actually ‘chicken salad’ until I got ready to buy the ingredients. Instead of using a mayonnaise dressing, however, she makes a peanut sauce dressing for the chicken, which is also combined with red peppers, asparagus, green onions and toasted sesame seeds (yum).
This is similar in flavor to a satay with peanut sauce, which I LOVE, so it was right up my alley. The husband wasn’t crazy about it, but he’s not a big fan of chicken salad anyway. The kids? They aren’t quite ready for their food to be mixed together, but I’m working on them. Needless to say, I only made 1/4 of the recipe, and I did cheat by using a rotisserie chicken. I had planned to cook the chicken as the recipe states – I think it would be tasty – but I was short on time. The only other change I made was to roast the asparagus in the oven with a little olive oil and salt and pepper, so I could feed the rest to my family.
I thought this was a delicious recipe for when you’re in to mood for a little asian chicken with peanut sauce. It would be great for a picnic. So if you’d like to make this, click here for the recipe. You can see what other Barefoot Bloggers thought about the recipe here!
Shortbread 
I thought this was great picnic food, too. And I only made enough for myself. Jeff’s not ready for this.
I am with you on the facebook front. I am more of the “your past is in your past” thing. If someone really wanted to find me, all of my sister, my husband, my mother even are on facebook. Why do I need to be on facebook too? Plus, my blog is enough of an addiction!
You picture looks amazing. I need to try this recipe.
I thought my wife was picky but she liked this one.
I can’t get my wife to go on facebook either – I think 5 of my friends are really her friends that friend me when they can’t find her.
Your salad looks like it was much better than mine.
Oh and I’m a facebook hold out too.
Roasting the asparagus was a good idea. Roasting improves taste so well. Your salad looks yummy.
I loved this recipe as well. I never even thought about taking it to a picnic- that is a great idea!
This looks great! I’m of the same mind about Facebook. Call me crazy but I couldn’t wait to get out of high school and didn’t like hanging out with those people then, why would I want to track them down now?
Amen to that!
I was a Facebook hold out for a long time. Can’t say that I *love* it now, but sometimes it’s fun to see what people are up to.
Your salad looks great!
I’m refusing to join facebook too (thought I was the only one)! The salad looks like it turned out perfectly
i use and like facebook, but i have a lot of people from high school on there that while i enjoyed the initial update on their lives… i don’t need to know every little thing they are thinking are a daily basis now.
this chicken salad was great. yours looks really good. and i’m sorry i’m just now getting over here to comment 10 days after you originally posted this. 🙂