Pot luck pool party

Whew! It's been a crazy, and I mean extra crazy, few weeks.  We just got the keys to our new house...very exciting! As you can imagine, we have been tiling, back-splashing, painting, wiring, hanging and so on.  In addition to these many projects, and our 4 jobs, we also had to fly to the Midwest for a birthday extravaganza. 

Somewhere in between clocking in, packing my suitcase, and peeling blue tape of the walls, my good girlfriend planned a pot luck pool party so we could all get together, enjoy the hot weather, and see everyone's kids. 

I offered to bring salad.  This Asian chicken salad is a true crowd pleaser and I knew even the kiddies would like it.  First things first, you need to have some basic Asian ingredients on hand.  They have a plethora of uses, and they may just provide that flavor you were trying to put your finger on in dishes. For this salad, I use rice vinegar and sesame oil.  They can look something like this...

Sesame oil is used solely for flavoring.  As you can see, it comes in a little bottle and is pricey compared to other oils.  You wouldn't want to use it to cook with because it has a low smoke point and is expensive.  It packs a lot of punch so just a bit will add big flavors to noodle dishes, dressings, stir frys and more. 

I use Napa cabbage for this salad.  It looks like this...

One head of Napa cabbage can get pretty big.  I find it's easiest to cut it into quarters, lengthwise, then slice thin strips to create a finely shredded salad.  Then I cut up green onions.  I like to do this with kitchen shears.  I hold the green onions in a bunch over the bowl and snip them into thin cylinders.  You should use both the green and white part of the green onion, also called a scallion.

Next, I slice up an English cucumber into little half moons.  English cucumbers are long and skinny and usually wrapped in plastic.  They have a mild sweeter flavor and a more palatable skin than a regular cucumber.  You can slice them with a chef's knife or on a mandolin.  I usually use canned chicken for this salad.  It comes out finely shredded to mix right in with the textures; plus, it is quick and easy.  You could certainly coked and dice chicken breasts or tenders instead. Or, you could keep it vegetarian and do without.

After the cabbage, cucumbers, and green onions are tossed together, I brown up the crunchy topping.  I squeeze a bag of chicken flavored ramen noodles until they are in little pieces.  I remove the seasoning packet and pour the bag of noodles into a dry saute pan with sliced almonds.  I brown slowly over low heat until toasted golden. 

I also use sesame seeds.  Sesame seeds can be purchased toasted or not toasted. If they are not toasted, you'll need to brown them with these ingredients.  For the dressing, I whisk up the sesame oil, rice vinegar, honey, seasoning packet, olive oil and salt.  Then toss all together and enjoy.  If you are traveling with this salad, keep the dressing separate until ready to serve and toss just before eating so the crunchy bits stay crunchy. 

We had an awesome time at the pool.  I got to see a bunch of my girlfriends and their little ones.  We had pizza, salad, watermelon, chips and salsa, cookies, and mini cupcakes.  It was a great pot luck!  I got lots of compliments on my salad and heard yummy sounds all around.