Chicken salad served in oranges

For the week leading to Easter, I had toothache. The mild discomfort started when I had warm food or drink. I thought nothing of it. I must say I have a pretty high pain tolerance. Maybe I found a new way to numb my toothache, that is, to immerse myself to work. 

The last time I had severe throbbing pain in my tooth one night, I pestered my long time dentist, Dr Lee, for an immediate appointment. She pronounced the death of one of the teeth. She alleviated the pain and referred me to another specialist, Dr Ian. 

Both of them have a confident and reassuring demeanor, which is able to assuage some of my fears and make me feel and comfortable in the dentist chair. 

They have a set of good interpersonal skills. They not comfort and distract me while they are working, but also explain the oral problems that I may be experiencing, what procedures he/she is performing to correct the problems, and what techniques I can use to avoid the problems in the future. 

I find that a good dentist should also possess a good sense of coordination and manual dexterity. This is definitely one of the most important qualities because a dentist is constantly required to make incredibly precise movements to remove and/or correct the detected issues; a single slip may cause permanent damage to the patient's mouth or teeth. 

Ever since Dr Ian's migration to Australia, I have been dentist hopping for my regular dental care. Thankful to Sheena's recommendation to a dentist who possesses the above qualities. 

The chicken salad served in orange cups is actually a really perfect salad for a toothache season. I will be making this a lot when the evenings become too hot to cook. It's cool, sweet and refreshing. And best of all, it comes together quick!

Chicken Salad Served in Orange Cups

(Adapted from monstart)

2 cups chicken breast meat

3/4 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup fresh celery, diced

1/4 fresh onion, diced

1/2 cup chopped green apples

1/2 cup halved red seedless grapes

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

1/4 cup cranberries

salt and pepper to taste

Four oranges cut on half and fruit removed

Mix together ingredients. Cover and refrigerate until read to serve. 

This post is linked to the event, Little Thumbs Up April 2014 Event: Orange organised by Bake For Happy Kids and My Little Favourite DIY, hosted by Ann of Anncoo Journal. 

 

Donna Hay's Garlic Prawn Pasta

Warm, delicious homecooked foods are often served on our dining table by our terrific mum. She would read cookbooks like novels and watch cooking shows. Then came along my sister-in-law who would indulge us in authentic northern Thai cuisine. A blessing and a curse for me. My cooking skills is nowhere near as good as them. 

On weekends, I would try to cook a dish. Pasta. I was told it is pretty easy to cook pasta. I  love it when I succeeded at this dish on my second attempt. Even though I'll curse myself for hours when I fail, I still love it. 

Garlic Prawn Pasta
(Adapted from Donna Hay)
Serves 2

200 grams angel hair pasta. If you are using spaghetti or other pasta, adjust cooking time accordingly.
45 grams butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cloves garlic, sliced
2 teaspoons dried chilli flakes
1 tablespoon shredded lemon zest
12 (raw) prawns (shrimp), peeled, and halved lengthways
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, roughly torn
sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste

Cook the pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salted water for 3-4 minutes or until al dente. 

Meanwhile, heat a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the butter and oil and cook until the butter has melted. Add the garlic, chilli and zest and cook for about 2 minutes.

Add the prawns and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until the prawns are tender. Turn off heat. Drain and add the pasta, lemon juice, parsley, salt and pepper to the pan and toss to combine. Serve warm.

I'm submitting this to Cook Like a Star ALL Stars Anniversary organised by Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids, Joyce of bakingflavours and Mich of Piece of Cake. 

Orange Broccoli Salad

You've probably had to listen to a lot of people telling you how busy they are. This  becomes the default response when you ask anyone how they're doing: "Busy!", "So busy!!", "Crazy busy!!!". I have been hearing myself saying these words lately! 

At the end of a busy day, I thought I should have something light(er) and health(ier). This salad has a tasty and tangy dressing. I used fresh oranges, instead of canned mandarins. Colourful and full of crunch, orange broccoli salad will please even the non-veggie people. 

Orange Broccoli Salad

(adapted from Kitchen Simplicity)
serves 4

1 head of broccoli florets, chopped into small pieces
4 fresh oranges
1/4 cup dried cherries
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 tablespoon dijon mustard
1/2 cup walnuts
salt and pepper

Steam broccoli flowerets in covered saucepan till tender. Set aside and leave to cool.
In a medium-sized bowl, combine broccoli, oranges and cranberries. Set aside.
Mix mayo, sugar, vinegar, oil and mustard together. Season with salt and pepper.
Toss about half the dressing with salad ingredients, if sufficient, the remaining of the dressing can be kept in the fridge. Serve salad. 

This post is linked to the event, Little Thumbs Up April 2014 Event: Orange organised by Bake For Happy Kids and My Little Favourite DIY, hosted by Ann of Anncoo Journal.