Sandwich Fixings!

In the hot summertime.....it's just too hot to cook sometimes! C'mon now, admit it.....if if can't be grilled outside....it's going to have to be slapped between two pieces of bread....or roll....or croissants as it was today)) This was sandwich Sunday at our house.....homemade chicken salad and pimento and cheese. I'm going to share my two easy recipes. Make extra and keep in the frig for a few days. The chicken will keep safely for a couple of days, but the pimento and cheese much longer. Now as you know as with most cooks from the south, we don't do a lot of scientific measuring. Or I don't anyway))) So I'm giving you my guess-timates as to the amounts.....you're free to add/subtract depending on your taste. We'll start with the chicken salad. Chicken Salad Chicken from one whole chicken (Roasted chicken is better, has more flavor, but boiled chicken is okay. Using only the chicken breast is okay too and actually makes prettier salad.) 3/4 cup finely chopped celery 1/2 to 3/4 cup chopped pickle (I use bread and butter style, but dill works fine too) 1 crisp, tart apple - peeled and chopped (needs to be a Granny Smith, Fuji or anything that is very crisp, not a Delicious apple) Dill flakes to taste Salt/Pepper to taste 3/4 cup to 1 cup of Kraft Mayo (start with the lesser amount or even 1/2 cup and gradually increase to the desired taste and appearance) Chop the chicken, put in the rest of the ingredients adding the Mayo last. Chill. Adding some toasted pecans is an option and some people like a little chopped onion in theirs. Serve on your favorite bread, stuff a tomato or serve on a lettuce leaf with crackers. Pimento and Cheese In my family, we usually make pimento and cheese two different ways. One is may with Velvetta Cheese and melted, the other is shredded sharp cheddar. Both have the usual Kraft Mayo and pimento. The melted Velvetta kind has a great taste, even a smidgen of sugar in it and both are favorites among our household. Today's pimento and cheese was the shredded kind. It mainly depends on what kind of cheese I have in the frig when I make my decision, because it's always an afterthought......we just usually keep stocked up on cheese and the other ingredients. 3-4 cups of shredded sharp cheddar cheese (today I combined sharp cheddar/colby jack) 1 large jar of chopped pimento (drain juice, but reserve just in case you need to thin a little) 3/4 to 1 cup of Kraft Mayo (start with 1/2 cup and gradually increase depending on your taste and consistency....more Mayo, the thinner and easier to spread) Mix everything together and store in the frig. I like to serve on toasted bread or croissants.