Crabs and Bacon Cheddar Chicken Salad

"Guys. I feel like we need to go out and bond or do dinner or something," says Jack.

"Hey - why don't we go see a movie?" asks Engineer John.

Jack looks at John like he has three eyes. "A movie? I don't want to stare at a screen. We can't bond that way. I want us to talk and share our feelings!"

John and I looked at each other and then looked at Jack.

Blink.

"That sounded really weird, didn't it?" Jack says.

John and I just nodded.

You can spend five hours a day with two people in a small, enclosed room (pray for us! ha!) and not have the opportunity to really talk to one another. Considering I'm the female and the one geared towards relationships, Jack's comment made me laugh out loud, but I'm glad he made the suggestion that we do something outside of the studio.

What a better way to "bond and share our feelings" than over some crabs? Since Jack is still new to Baltimore (he's been here 9 months), he hasn't had them yet. So tonight, Engineer John and I are going to introduce Jack to the crab. After we get off the air we're heading over to my place. I've already called in the order - a half bushel of #1 males. I've been saving up the Sun Paper for a week (remember when all you needed was one day's Sun Paper to cover the table?). I've got Coke Zeros getting cold in the fridge, paper towels and mallets on the counter ready to go. My aunt always puts dishes of melted butter and vinegar & onions on the table, so I'll take a cue from her and do the same.

I don't know about your family, but we always have food prepared for after the crabs. The boys are making side dishes (yes, MAKING...and not "making" in the sense of "whatever's at the deli counter"). Jack's making a summer corn salad and John is going to make a caesar salad. I know Jack and John are fans of bacon and cheese, so I came up with a bacon cheddar chicken salad and I figured I'd share it with you. Enjoy!

Bacon Cheddar Chicken Salad

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
15 slices of crisp bacon, crumbled (I used one Oscar Meyer "Ready To Eat" bacon package)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
3/4 cup lite mayo
3/4 cup lite sour cream
2 Tbls finely chopped onion
1 Tbls Hidden Valley Ranch Seasoning Mix (find it in the salad dressing aisle or make your own)

DIRECTIONS:
Place the boneless skinless chicken breasts in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook 20 minutes or until chicken is done. Remove from water and let cool. Once chicken is cool, dice or shred meat into a large bowl.

If using the "Ready To Eat" bacon strips, lay on a paper plate, cover with a towel, and heat in the microwave until bacon strips are crispy. Once cooled, break up the bacon strips into bite sized pieces.

In a bowl, combine the chicken, bacon, and remaining ingredients. Place in the fridge for at least 4 hours before serving so the flavors have a chance to marry.

Serve and enjoy!

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Update! Jack's contribution to tonight's feast is a summer corn salad. Here's the recipe:

Jack's Corn Salad That Was Stolen from Allrecipes.com
Ingredients
* 6 ears corn, husked and cleaned
* 3 large tomatoes, diced
* 1 large onion, diced
* 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
* 1/4 cup olive oil
* 2 tablespoons white vinegar
* salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook corn in boiling water for 7 to 10 minutes, or until desired tenderness. Drain, cool, and cut kernels off the cob with a sharp knife.

2. In a large bowl, toss together the corn, tomatoes, onion, basil, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Chill until serving.