Loaded

The weather is warming up which means one thing—BBQs! No BBQ is complete without a big bowl of potato salad. It’s just un-American! Whenever we have a BBQ and my friend Casey asks what she can bring I say potato salad. I don’t know what it is that she does, but it is amazing! By far the best ever! While I don’t have her recipe I have tried endlessly to recreate it. I think this batch is my closest ever! It turned out so good. I ended up using equal parts sour cream and mayonnaise and it was just the right balance of creaminess, not overly oily like some of the store bought ones. And I added bacon. Bacon makes everything good. Next time you are looking for a classic American side dish give this recipe a try.

Note: This salad can be made 24 hours in advance and kept in the fridge until ready to serve.

INGREDIENTS
5–6 large potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2” pieces (I like to leave the skin on a couple of potatoes)
3/4 c mayonnaise
3/4 c sour cream
2 tbsp mustard
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp celery seed
4 hardboiled eggs, chopped
red bell pepper, chopped
3 stalks of celery, chopped
3 green onions, chopped
6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
2.25 oz can sliced black olives
paprika

STEPS

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.
Add the diced potatoes and cook for 7–10 minutes or until fork tender.
While the potatoes are boiling mix together the mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard, salt, pepper, and celery seed.
When the potatoes are done cooking drain them in a colander and transfer to a large bowl.
Add the hardboiled eggs, bell pepper, celery, green onions, bacon, and olives. (I like to save some of the green onions, bacon, and olives to add to the top of the salad for garnish.)
Pour the dressing over the veggies and toss to coat.
Sprinkle with some paprika and garnish with the green onions, bacon, and olives if you saved any.
Cover with a lid or saran wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

I am a huge fan of buffalo chicken or anything smothered in buffalo sauce. As a matter of fact the buffalo chicken salad at Chili’s is one of my all time favorite salads. Something about the hot and spicy chicken paired with all the crunchy fresh vegetables in a cool ranch dressing is just darn right tasty. My husband is not nearly a big of fan as I when it comes to buffalo chicken, however he LOVES anything Mexican, especially tacos. So basically these “fusion” tacos were my way to morph one of my favorite dishes into something he would be eager to try. And they were a hit! These loaded tacos are spicy, cheesy, crunchy goodness; all wrapped up in a nice little tortilla. And this is the type of dish that takes me to my happy place. Hmmmm…

INGREDIENTS
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast, chopped into bite size pieces
salt and pepper
3 tbsp butter
1/2 c buffalo sauce (I love Frank’s Red Hot Buffalo Wings Sauce!)
6–10 soft taco sized tortillas

DELICIOUS TOPPINGS
2 c green leaf lettuce, chopped
1 large carrot, grated
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
1 tomato, chopped
1 avocado chopped
1/2–3/4 c blue cheese crumbles
1/4 c ranch dressing
2 green onions, chopped
buffalo sauce for drizzling

STEPS

Season chopped chicken pieces with salt and pepper.
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Add the chicken to the skillet and cook turning occasionally for 6–8 minutes.
Add the buffalo sauce to the skillet and reduce heat to medium-low.
Cook for another 6–8 minutes or until the sauce has cooked into the meat and the chicken is cooked thoroughly.
Place the tortillas on a microwave safe plate and cover with a paper towel.
Warm the tortillas in the microwave for 30 seconds. Flip the tortillas over and heat for an additional 30 seconds.
Fill each tortilla with a spoonful of the cooked meat and then finish off with all those delicious toppings.