Chicken & Rice Salad or Don't Throw Off The Recipe

One of the first times I cooked with my in-laws to be, Jim's dad admonished me by saying, "Don't throw off the recipe," when I tried to "tweek" his chili. Really, it was thoughtless of me to suggest that his recipe needed a pinch of brown sugar or a dash of hot sauce. I have to chuckle because I'm still "tweeking" recipes. . . all recipes.

This lovely salad recipe was written by Jim's mom (I'll call her Mom T from now on). An offering from both my mothers, the one who gave birth to me and the one who welcomed me when I fell in love with her son. What a perfect choice for my first food blog.

Here's where it gets tricky. This is perfectly lovely recipe on its own. Jim declared it to be something our mothers would serve at a ladies lunch. I agree, but I couldn't leave it alone. I added a handful of sliced kalamata olives and some sliced almonds and a bit of black pepper. I think it punched the salad up a bit. Next time, I'll skip the olives and add dried cranberries or fresh sliced green grapes. I believe cooking is where our artistic selves have a chance to shine. With quality ingredients and a bit of love and faith, how can you go wrong!

Dad T finally accepted that I was not a "follow the recipe" kind of cook (neither was my mother). I have many fond memories with my father in law in the kitchen and around his generous table. After all, a bit of brown sugar in the chili sweetens the entire meal.
Love to you all,
Patti