Not your Mother's Fried Chicken

I was recently talking with some co-workers about cooking fried chicken. We all agreed we just love the taste of deep fried and skillet fried chicken - but we hate all the mess. I shared with them how I like to make oven fried chicken. It is so much simpler and cleaner than the traditional version. When I mix up the breading - I make a lot and put the extra in Tupperware for the next batch.

Oven Fried Chicken

1 stick butter
1 chicken - cut into pieces (using "bone-in" chicken gives it the best flavor)


Breading:
1 cup Bisquick
1/2 cup corn meal or seasoned bread crumbs - which ever I have in stock in the pantry
2 Tablespoons - dried parsley flakes
1 Tablespoon - paprika - lately I've been using the smoked paprika - but if you do not have the smoked - regular will work fine.
Salt and Pepper to taste
Other spices are fun to use here too - such as rosemary - use your imagination.

Note - if you are using fresh herbs - you will not be able to keep any left over breading - and any breading left in the dipping plate needs to be dumped since it was in contact with raw chicken.

Mix together.

Set the oven at 350 degrees. Melt one stick of butter in a 9x13 pan in the oven.

While the butter is melting, sprinkle some of the breading in a light layer on a plate. Dip the chicken pieces into the breading, making sure the chicken has a nice coating. Once the butter is melted and your pan is hot, remove the pan from the oven and arrange the chicken in a single layer. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and bake for 45 minutes. Remove covering, turn chicken and return to the oven uncovered for another 15 minutes or until the chicken reaches 180 degrees on a meat thermometer.

Your chicken will have a nice crunchy coating while still being moist in the middle - and you do not have all the grease splatters to clean up.

Where did time go?

Wow - I can not believe that summer is almost over and it's been a while since my last post. Time has simply flew by me. I've had a very interesting summer! We hosted a fun surprise birthday party for Bill's mom - she turns 80 this fall and we really wanted to surprise her - so on July 3rd - over 50 of our friends and relatives joined us in our back yard. Mom was truly suprised and everyone had a marvelous time! Check out the pictures. I started a new job at Hope Network, continued working part-time at Stepping Stones Montessori School until they hired a new business manager and went to Dallas for a week of celebration and learning with Mary Kay.

This weekend my very best friend Vanessa came up from Ohio for a little R&R from her working and studying. We had a fantastic time shopping, eating, saw a movie and went to a theatre performance - what more could a girl ask for. One of our stops during shopping was Fustini's oils and vinegars in Holland, MI - I must say I was so supervised at how delicious flavored vinegars and oils can taste. I purchased their Asian Blackberry Balsamic Vinegar and can not wait to try it out - I will keep you posted on my results.


We also went to see the "The Marvelous Wonderettes" at the Mason Street Warehouse in Saugatuck, Michigan. If you have not visited the playhouse before - I highly recommend you put it on your list. I just discovered this fun theatre this summer - and am looking forward to seeing them again next year. They offered 4 different shows this past summer - I made it to the next to last one. Vanessa and I could not have been happier with the performance.

Well, time to get back in the groove - the heat seems to have finally broken - at least for today.

Enjoy the day!!

Mary Kay Saphire Seminar

Dallas Texas in July! You could not think it could get any hotter! But get 10,000 of your closes friends together - and you have one HOT party!!

I enjoyed almost a week in Dallas for the Mary Kay Seminar - went a day early for shopping - spent a day touring -- you will see below pics of the MK headquarters and I stayed over one extra day to save on my flight home. What a fun time! It's like going to the Academy Awards! We start out with training and end with an evening of show stopping entertainment and awards for the top achievements.

Opening Session

Awards Night!

Linda and I at the Mary Kay headquaters.

Outside of the convension hall.

Dinner out our first night in Dallas.

It's a Super Secret Birthday Suprise

The gods were definitely smiling on us this day...during one of the hottest summers, we lucked out finding a perfect day to celebrate Mom's 80th birthday surprise. Her birthday is not actually until September - but we wanted to surprise her - in a BIG way! And we did it! On July 3rd over 50 family and friends gathered at our home for a back-yard celebration.

The weather was perfect - comfortable with a slight breeze. We grilled hamburgers, hot dogs and brats - the brats were the hit of the meat dishes. We asked everyone to bring a dish to share - which brought in wonderful salads, relishes and deserts - I am working to gather some of the recipes - and will share them when I do.

And the best part was enjoying the laughter of those we love -- I know, that sounds pretty corny - but it's true. :-)

At the Garden Gate

A garden gate can be a very magical entrance - calling for garden fairies and magical creatures to dance around encouraging the garden to grow. The gate leads into a new world of plants and flowers, where bunnies are not welcome.

I am soooo excited to have my new gate up on my garden. Cousin Dan (not sure why we refer to him as "Cousin Dan"...it's not like we have any other Dan's in the family...but I continue on the tradition...lol) came over a couple of Fridays ago, and while Bill worked on Dan's computer, my gate was built. We made it wide enough for the wheel barrel to go through. It is now so easy for me to enter into my garden without tripping.

Garden Update

It FINALLY stopped raining long enough for the garden to dry out so I could get into it to plant my green beans without getting up to my ankles in mud. I would wager that there was at least 1 -2 inches of standing water all around my raised beds with all the heavy rains we have had over the last two weeks. It really proved why I was changing the entire garden over to the raised beds.

My onions and beets are growing like crazy and I started to thin the beets today. I have blooms on my squash and peppers. I also have my first pepper - it currently is the size of my small finger - but it is there and earlier than last year. The bugs have been working on my cabbage so I gave them a good spray of some pest control. I know...for you hard core natural gardeners...there are natural ways I could attach the pests...but what can I say...it is so easy to give them a little squirt...lol.

On my "to do" list is to finish the garden fencing around the new area and bring in a ton of mulch to put around all the raised beds. Then I can relax and enjoy the view...watch Bill mow the yard.

Talking about the view reminds me...I was noticing how the boarder around our back yard is just green...not that green is bad...but I'm a girl who likes color. The yard looked lovely this spring with all the spring colors, but now the color is all gone. I have a huge snowball bush that is just exploding with blooms and will bring a big splash of white - but I need to work in other areas around the yard. Making lists for next year planting - I know I can add Day Lillies - they are not my most favorite, but they grow well here and are good bloomers all summer long. Now, I need to do some research to find what else I want.

Happy Gardening!
Theresa

May Flowers

Wild Mustard?

Does anyone know if this is wild mustard? There were larger plants with small yellow flowers, their roots remind me of a turnip. If so, can I harvest the seed after blooming to grind up to make dried mustard?

The Gardening Has Begun

I was beginning to get worried that I would not be able to start the garden. We had such a warm early spring, and then it turned cool and rainy. We just pasted our last chance of frost last week. So, now I'm free to get started.

The addition to the garden was tilled up yesterday. Bill's cousin was great to come over and work up the new section with his tiller. Chuck ran into a great deal of clay - which is why I am changing the entire garden over to raised bed...not to mention...when it's done it will look nice too. Now, I need to get the new section raked and ready for the raised bed. Bill has another cousin who will make me a garden gate so this summer I do not have to try to climb over the fence any more. It was just a pain on my legs.

I invested yesterday in plants for the herb garden. I bought - thyme, sage, dill, rosemary, cilantro, parsley and chives. I do have some herbs that made it through the winter from last year - wide leaf chives, oregano, bee balm and a ton of mint. In fact, I am having trouble with all the mint. I read over the winter you should not plant mint directly into your garden because it is very invasive (don't you just love it when you learn these things after the fact...lol). I think my best plan of action is that I should remove all the mint from the garden, transplanting a little into a container calling it good.

I added to my perennial flower bed - this year I added Aquilegia and Speedwell. I still need to fill in with a few annuals, but soon within a few years it should all be perennials. My plan is to add some each year, since these plants are more expensive then annuals.

Containers are also part of my garden plan. I put one together yesterday. This year I decided to play a little with the one for the back deck (see picture). I planted Tickseed, Candytuft, Meadow Sage and lantana. I am expecting a full color of purples and yellows.

Well, this is my last day of vacation this week - back to work tomorrow - so I should get busy with my gardening before the day has pasted me by.

Happy Gardening!

Sunshine in a Salad

It's the middle of May already and potlucks and summer holidays are just around the corner. No matter if we are enjoying a potluck at the little league ballpark and celebrating Memorial Day with a picnic what brings us most together for family and friends is food. As family cooks, we are all looking for quick and easy dishes that will be a hit of the table without looking like we just made a fast stop at the deli before arriving.

Here is a bright sunny salad sure to liven up your table...and it's good for you too. It needs to made the night before...so plan ahead. I've made this summer salad for many potlucks and holidays and always get great reviews. I hope your family will enjoy it as much as mine.

Carrot Salad

6 or 8 carrots, peeled and sliced

1 sweet onion, sliced

1 green pepper, chopped

Dressing:

1/2 cup salad oil

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup vinegar

1 can tomato soup

1 teaspoon dry mustard

salt and pepper to taste

Steam carrots until tender, but still crunchy. Set aside to cool. Mix dressing and pour over cooled carrots. Allow to marinate in the refrigerator over night. Enjoy!!