Talk of The Villages Florida

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- The Village Kitchen (https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/village-kitchen-121/)

- - Chicken Salad (https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/village-kitchen-121/chicken-salad-308163/)

Unaddressed concern

What is the time period for safe eating from original preparation?

Bless you for caring for your wife. This is such a difficult journey and Alzheimer’s is such a cruel disease. My husband is the cook in our home but he makes a delicious chicken salad. Chop the chicken very small making it much easier to eat. Cut dark red seedless grapes in half and add those along with some chopped smoked almonds. Mix with some mayo and there you go. Delicious. She will love it.

Thanks for responding everyone with helpful suggestions and encouragement....life is still 'glass half full' for us both

Definitely fine chopped with mustard, mayo and pickle relish. Celery if you want, I never put it in mine.

I chop the chicken into small pieces (about 1/8”) and cut the celery super-fine (cut stalk into 6 strips and slice into smallest pieces possible, adds more flavor). Add chopped walnuts or pecans and chopped up dried cranberries. Add mayo as you like. Serve in sandwiches or on Romain lettuce. You also can substitute yogurt for mayo. Salt and pepper as needed.

I cut into 1/4 inch dice, may also be easier for wife to eat as well. I add celery, mayo and sometimes dried cranberries and grapes.

Another really easy recipe is to add 1/4 inch dice chicken to white sauce, add some frozen peas and you've got a quick ala king you can just serve over buttered toast for a quick lunch. Ask away for your questions, we're all bored and would love to help!

Quote:

Originally Posted by davem4616 (Post 1790550)

okay, totally not sure if this is the right subset of this forum to post this in...but I can't seem to find another appropriate one...so here goes and the moderators will reassign it if needed

my wife has Alzheimer's... so I'm doing all of the meal prep, cooking, menu planning and buying, etc...no big deal, I signed on for life, she's the love of my life. We both liked to cook and we took many cooking classes together over the years...so I know how to cook

however...now I'm faced with taking care of 'the left overs'....lol... in the past that was always way above my pay grade thankfully....lol

so, a meal that we make often is 'Basil Chicken'...chicken breasts with skin on and bone in, and we stuff about 8 basil leaves under the skin of each breast....fantastic taste

anyway...there's always a lot of chicken left over....which in the past my wife made into chicken salad for sandwiches.

so here's my question....should I just rough chop the left over chicken and leave it in big chunks, or should I fine chop the chicken for the sandwiches....yes I'm going to add celery and mayo

hey...what can I say...I was always the chef or the sous chef and never had to bother with the leftovers (I'd always help with the drying of the dishes though)

thanks for any advice you may share...

it's tougher than I ever thought it would be being 'the care taker'...and I just want to be able to please my wife with a great chicken salad sandwich. We go on picnics a lot now that covid-19 is here...it gets us out.

I am so grateful that we are in TV...there are so many folks that will help....and it truly does make a huge difference. We are blessed that our church family is so great...and that we have 1st cousins living in TV

And this forum gives me a lot of joy...and a break from being "on" 24x 7

please, just tell me how you chop the left over chicken for sandwiches...it's really just that darn simple of a question...and I feel silly reaching out on this, but I am :)

I do mine on the small side so it can be used either way. Then mayo, S&P, celery, onion, cut up grapes and pineapple.

I agree to make the size appropriate to her ability to chew. I personally like adding chopped walnuts and craisins for a little sweetness. P

I'd say no bigger than your thumbnail for the size of the chopped chicken. What size does your wife like?
You're not alone. There are tons of us out there who are now the caretakers. I'm now the jack of all trades, cleaning garages, paying bills, putting salt in the water softener, changing out the propane tanks on the grill, buying and spreading the fertilizer on the lawn, automobile minder, nurse, and then the daily usual, cooking more than I ever imagined (and cleanup), laundry, more laundry, pill dispenser, answering the same questions over and over, wishing you could roll back the clock 20 years....well, you know the list goes on. I remind myself, that I would be doing all these things if I were alone, but I'm not. Missing the feeling of having an equal partner. Now I know why couples die within days of each other, the caregiver goes first.
Wishing you good health, strength, and mental fortitude. Again, chop the chicken no bigger than your thumbnail.

Aldi's sells a chicken salad that I really enjoy, they have one with Cranberries. You might try adding Cranberries or Craisins for a change. I like fruit and nuts with my Chicken salad.

You are an Alzheimer care giver to the love of your life .... you must be a very special man. I cannot think of anything more difficult. Unfortunately I have first hand knowledge of this dreadful disease. There are no words for what it does to your soul.

Quote:

Originally Posted by davem4616 (Post 1790597)

ahh...tarragon...now that's different. thank you

Tarragon and chicken go really well together. For my crew growing up, I used to combine chunked (1/3 inch) boneless skinless cooked chicken, toasted pecans, grapes sliced in half, chunks of cheddar cheese, Hellmans (before discovering Dukes), sliced black olives, sometimes celery, and a small amount of curry powder, salt, and pepper. Mix together, stuff in croissants, wrap them in tin foil and heat in a 350 oven for about 20 minutes.

Add chopped walnuts and raisins also. You’ll love it.

It is easier to eat as.a sandwich if it is chopped less chunky. It is better as as a salad plate if chunky. Only my opinion.

The smaller the better is our opinion.

Aloha...from DeSoto

You are a doll for all you do.
I love chunks, but I would suggest to you and your wife's preference. I love hard boiled eggs in it, too.