A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away

or

I'm going back, back , back to my roots.

Neil and his Iris Society pals Jim and Betty went some where south of Syracuse to see some Louisiana Irises. When they got back I had a little luncheon waiting for them

 RICH'S MAGNOLIA ROOM CHICKEN WITH FROZEN FRUIT SALAD

Yes, I went old school on them.

Almost shockingly easy, and really - surprisingly good.

I never had lunch in the real downtown Magnolia room, but did at Lenox several times. ( back then I was more of fan of the Zodiac Room at NM, for the pop overs! )

 I got this recipe from the AJC archives, so I guess it is the best we have to the real deal :

Rich's Chicken Salad

• 3 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 6 ribs of celery, diced
• 1/2 cup sweet pickle relish
• 1 1/2 tsp pepper
• 2 cups mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup sliced toasted almonds

Boil chicken breasts in salted water until meat is tender. Reserve stock for future use.Let chicken cool. Chop chicken into small pieces. Fold celery, relish and pepper into mayonnaise. Fold chicken into mayonnaise mixture. Cover and refrigerate until serving. Garnish with almonds.
THAT is it. Now, I could not boil my chicken... because its flavorless, so I did grill mine with a little bit of s/p and old bay, and I had no almonds so I used pecans. Other than that - by the book, and really it was most tasty. Sort of whats not to like I know...

 This next one was much more of a leap of faith.

Rich's Frozen Fruit Salad

• 8oz Cream Cheese - room temperature
• 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 2tsp vanilla extract
• 1 8oz can of sliced peaches, well drained ( which I could not find, so I just got a normal sized can and did not use all of them, and I cut up the slices )
• 1/2 cup maraschino cherry halves, well drained
• 1 30oz can fruit cocktail, well drained
• 1 6 1/2 oz can crushed pineapple well drained
• 2 cups miniature marshmallows
• 1/2 cup whipped whipping cream
• A few drops of red food coloring ( to tint salad pink )

Put cream cheese in mixer.  Add confectioners’ sugar and blend in mayonnaise, Add vanilla extract, mix well. Fold in drained fruit and marshmallows.  Whip cream and gently fold into fruit mixture.  Add food coloring, if desired. 
 Ladle into large paper muffin liners.  Freeze immediately.  Defrost 15 minutes before serving.  Do not allow to get soft.  Remove muffin liners before serving.

 Very important to drain that canned fruit VERY well .You have to whip the cream before you do the rest, and I did not have any food coloring, or I would have made the darn thing pink. Make the night before.. or days before. I didn't have a big muffin pan either, or else they would have been prettier, but still ,  I was shockingly surprised how good this was for a warm day lunch.

Freta told me that Rich's served theirs with either a cinnamon/sugar roll or date nut bread. It was hot out today, so I just served crackers. Iced tea....

Our guests LOVES THIS  - crazy loved it. Yall know Yankees never ever go all out for anyone, so just a little bit of effort pays off well up here.