Parental vacation plans / Being left out of the loop / Asian Chicken Salad

I called my mom earlier to see about their vacation plans: apparently, they're going to Yellowstone Park and Mount Rushmore, and will be gone a week in total. She wanted to get me some crosswords or word searches, but I already have a huge book of word searches. Even if I didn't, I think that type of gift from a trip is kinda lame. :P So then she said she'd get me a book on murders since I like that stuff: that's better. Then she brought up some "Sunday Dinner" thing that my brother's organizing, and that I didn't know about. ("But he told me your name when I asked who'd be there!") So then I called my sister: Apparently, the potluck at Jen's this past Sunday made such an impression on my brother that he decided that it would be good to do one every week at someone's place. According to my sister (who told Eric about the email I'd sent her involving death in the shower :P), the inaugural one is at Jeremy's this Sunday. (I'll talk to him tomorrow night, I guess) Then the next one is slated for his place since our parents won't be there.

How nice of my brother to say this when I called him to ask how he dared not to tell me anything: "I know you're free and not doing anything, so I don't need to bother you. I know you're coming anyhow. Besides, I don't have your up-to-date email address, only your Graffiti one... not sure if it's .com or .ca" Whatever! I like being in the loop, no matter what! (BS excuse, since he's been emailing me at that address for years now!) Then I said that if anyone surprised me for my birthday (which is on a Sunday), I'd kill them! Nobody can surprise him since he'd find out about it. Then I hung up on him before he could do the same to me because of my weird mishearing of "you're turning the big 3-0" as something about tartar sauce. (It's editing these recipes, I tell you! Should be done tonight before I go to bed, however...)

Eh, I think I'll talk to Jeremy tomorrow... then see how much of the six bottles of liquor Jon bought is for that thing. Stupid excuse... I should just not go (citing that as the reason why) and see how he reacts, haha. This is not good... I need my downtime! However, friend time is good too in a way. Eh, I guess I'll figure it out... brothers! *grumble*

Edit at 2:50 AM - I *finally* finished this MAJOR DAYS-LONG edit of a bunch of recipes! (I managed to shrink the 362-page document down to 218 pages! YAY, ME!)


Applebee's Low-Fat Asian Chicken Salad

As the seasons change, so does the menu at this popular 1064-unit casual restaurant chain. You'll find this item in the "Low-Fat and Fabulous" column during the summer months where it's been a favorite since 1997. As with any salad, the waistline violator is the traditionally fat-filled dressing that's drizzled in gobs over the top of very healthy greens (a tablespoon of dressing is usually around 10-12 grams of fat each).

So if we can just figure out a cool way to make the dressing fat-free, we're well on our way to making huge salads - four of them to be exact - with only 12 grams of fat on the entire plate. Most of those grams come from the chicken breast, while the crunchy chow mein noodles pick up the rest. Just be sure to plan ahead when you make this one. The chicken should marinate for a few hours if you want it to taste like the original. Get ready for some big, meal-size salads.

1 cup teriyaki marinade
4 chicken breast fillets

Fat-Free Asian Dressing
2 cups water
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons dry pectin
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika

8 cups chopped romaine lettuce
8 cups chopped iceberg lettuce
3 cups shredded red cabbage
3 cups shredded green cabbage
2 cups shredded carrots
1 cup chopped green onion
1 1/3 cups crispy chow mein noodles

1. Combine teriyaki marinade and chicken breasts in a medium bowl or resealable plastic bag. Marinate chicken for 3-4 hours.
2. Prepare the dressing by combining all of the ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring mixture to a rolling boil while stirring often with a whisk, then remove the pan from the heat to cool. When dressing has cooled, pour it into a covered container and chill.
3. When chicken breasts have marinated, preheat barbecue grill to high heat. Grill chicken for 3-4 minutes per side, or until done.
4. Combine the romaine and iceberg lettuce, red and green cabbage and 1 cup of shredded carrots in a large bowl with the dressing. Toss well.
5. Divide the tossed greens among four plates. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of green onions over each salad, followed by 1/3 cup of crispy chow mein noodles.
6. When the chicken breasts are done, slice each one, widthwise, into bite-size pieces. Sprinkle the sliced chicken breasts over each salad.
7. Place a 1/4 cup pile of shredded carrots in the center of each salad.

Nutrition Facts
Serving size - 1 salad
Total servings - 4
Fat (per serving) - 12g
Calories (per serving) - 575