Chicken Maryland Salad and Red Velvet Cupcakes

This post brought to you from Burke, VA, where I am visiting my sister and her fiance in their new house!

Before going to see fireworks last night, we had a cooking extravaganza all day. Erica had Maryland salad at my parents and loved it, so we set about recreating it. I have to say, some of the ingredients caught me off guard, but it all works amazingly well together! The red velvet cupcake recipe we found at Smitten Kitchen: Smitten Kitchen's Red Velvet Cake. The frosting to die for. One important note: When you adapt this recipe to make cupcakes, as Deb has at the bottom of the recipe, it makes about 30 cupcakes!!! I think you could safely cut it in half.

Chicken Maryland Salad
Adapted from (Eeek, not sure. Will post later!)
Serves 4

Ingredients - Salad
4 boneless chicken breasts
Vegetable oil for brushing
Herbs de Provence, S&P to taste for chicken
8 oz bacon
1/2 of a small bag of frozen corn (Original recipe calls for 4 ears of corn, grilled)
3 tbsp butter, melted
4 ripe bananas, peeled and halved
4 firm tomatoes, each cut in half (We used cocktail tomatoes, but I bet plum or roma would be good too)
2 hearts of romaine lettuce, washed and torn

Ingredients - Dressing
5 tbsp walnut oil (Original recipe calls for peanut oil, but the walnut was lovely)
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
2 tsp maple syrup
2 tsp smooth Dijon mustard (We thought the Grey Poupon mixed very well)

Season chicken on both sides with herbs and S&P to taste, brush with oil and broil for 7 minutes. On a separate pan, place bananas and tomatoes and brush with melted butter. When the first 7 minute timer for the chicken has gone off, take the chicken out and flip it, and place back in the oven along with the tomato pan. Set the timer for another 7 mins of broiling.

In the meantime, wash, spin dry and tear your lettuce into your salad bowl. Crisp the bacon to taste and set aside. Microwave corn with a little butter until warmed through. In a small jar or container, mix your dressing ingredients and 1 tbsp of water and shake vigorously until combined. Toss the salad with the dressing right before serving.

When everything has finished cooking, distribute salad leaves evenly on 4 plates. Arrange chicken on each salad, along with bananas, tomatoes, bacon and corn. Enjoy!

Love from the Maryland/VA/DC corridor!