Yesterday I mentioned The Contrast Podcast. Well, the current episode is The Best Music From 2011, So Far. You can listen to that episode here.

There is no doubt that I was very enthusiastic about my choice. You can hear the song I chose on The Contrast Podcast. The video is posted below.

Speaking of best ofs. This dinner was, by far, the favorite that I have made this month. Everyone loved it.

The spicy chicken topped with cool avocado-blue cheese sauce and dill pickles was such a fantastic combination. YUM.

Sliders are so cute, too.

The slaw was delicious. The original recipe called for just coleslaw mix, but I thought some broccoli slaw would be a great addition. And it was.

I love the crunch of the almonds. The Green Goddess Dressing was terrific, too.

I want to have this for dinner again tonight.

Buffalo Chicken Sliders

Ingredients:

2 lbs thin sliced boneless chicken breasts
2 Tbs olive oil
1 cup hot sauce
1/2 cup butter, melted
Slider buns
Avocado-Blue Cheese Sauce (recipe below)
Toppings: lettuce leaves and dill pickle slices

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine hot sauce and butter. Reserve one fourth of mixture for basting. Add chicken to bowl, turn to coat. Cover and let stand for 30 minutes.

2. Prepare grill or grease grill pan. Remove chicken from marinade. Grill about 4 minutes per side or until done. Brush with reserved basting sauce.

3. Cut chicken to fit buns. Serve on slider buns with avocado sauce and toppings.

Avocado-Blue Cheese Sauce

Ingredients:

1 avocado
1 Tbs lemon juice
3/4 cup refrigerated blue cheese dressing

Directions:

1. Stir ingredients together in a bowl.

Ramen Noodle Slaw

Ingredients:

1 (16 oz) bag coleslaw mix
1 (12 oz) bag broccoli slaw
3/4 cup chopped roasted, salted almonds
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
1/3 cup roasted sunflower seeds
2 (3 oz) packages of ramen noodle soup mix
Green Goddess Dressing (recipe below)

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, stir together slaw mixes, almonds, cilantro and sunflower seeds.

2. Crumble noodles over coleslaw mixture, reserving seasoning packet for another use. Drizzle with dressing and toss to coat.

Green Goddess Dressing

Ingredients:

1 avocado
Juice of two limes
1 cup sliced European cucumber
3/4 cup prepared ranch salad dressing
1/3 cup cilantro
1 Tbs pickled ginger

Directions:

1. Place peeled and pitted avocado in food processor with remaining ingredients. Process until smooth.

Recipes from Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade Magazine


You could also serve the chicken on a full sized bun.

So, can you guess what I think to be the best music of 2011, so far?

The new Britney Spears? Vanilla Ice? Kidz Bop Kids?

I think you know what my pick is. It was just hard to choose which song.

This video was taken just 4 days before I saw Okkervil River play in Burlington. They truly make me happy.

Trust me. You really want ‘I am Very Far’. You will also love Okkervil River’s 5 previous albums. You can buy the band’s music on their Website.

Cheers!