the recipes

Since I have been threatened with bodily harm, here are the recipes I have promised to give to several different people after breaking bread at races. Good food only becomes great when it is shared with others.
Note: all of these recipes are adaptations of recipes that I have found over the years I have tried to list the actual source where I adapted my recipe from.

Boiled Chicken Salad: This recipe came from watching Brit Saylor make staff dinner at Roaring Gap. I always hated any type of “salad” growing up cuz it was mushy and had a sweet relish taste to it. This has lots texture to stand up to the flavor of the horseradish and lemon. Slap it on some whole wheat bread and you have the makings of a sandwich that will change your life.
2lbs Chicken Breast (I like the stuff that has not been boned, cuz its is a lot cheaper and you will be deboning it after it is cooked)
3 Stalks of Celery (chopped coarsely)
1 crisp apple, chopped finely (I like Pink lady, York, Honeycrisp, or Granny Smith apples)
½ a Vidalia onion (chopped finely)
Toss the whole breasts into a pot of boiling water. Boil for at least 10 minutes or until the internal temp is at least 160 degrees. (Note: I actually like to make this at the same time that I am making chicken stock so sometimes I end up overcooking it as part of the stock, but it makes no difference) then take it out of the water and let it cool. After the chicken has cooled, debone it and coarsely chop it with a sharp knife into ½ - ¾ inch cubes. Combine with your other chopped veggies in a large bowl and toss lightly.
The Dressing: This is what can make or break your salad.
½ cup sour cream
½ cup Mayo (I prefer Dukes mayonnaise, a North Carolina product), however other brands will suffice NEVER USE SALAD DRESSING
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish (more or less according to who is going to be joining you)
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard (pardon me, do you have any Grey poupon?)
The juice of at least ½ lemon
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.



Tortellini Asparagus salad: this is an adaptation of a Better Homes and Gardens recipe.
2 packages (9 oz each) of frozen tortellini
1 lb of asparagus chopped into 1 inch pieces, discarding the bottom pieces of the stalks that have a hard woody texture.
1 large yellow (or red) sweet bell pepper chopped coursely
Cook the tortellini according to directions, then drain and rinse. Combine with asparagus and chopped pepper in a large bowl.
In a screw top (or otherwise sealable) container combine the following ingredients
1 ½ teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel
1/3 cup lemon juice
¼ cup EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
1 teaspoon sugar (honey would also make a good substitute)
Pinch of salt
2 cloves of garlic finely minced
Now take the aforementioned screw top container put the lid on and shake the crap out of it for about 30 seconds then pour it over the top of the pasta and veggies. Then refrigerate until you are ready to serve. Just before serving garnish with :
½ cup parmesan cheese finely grated (I prefer pecorino Romano though)
¼ cup chopped dry roasted almonds
Enjoy!