oh the chicken!

 Here in central New York, beef has gotten expensive.  I prefer it, actually love a good steak, who doesn't? Ground beef is still affordable, as is chicken breast, and I buy the occasional package of pork chops.  The question is always what to make with the chicken (or ground beef.). 

Lately I've been on a street taco kick, just grill or pan fry or oven roast that chicken breast, slice it up, and serve it on warm corn tortillas with chopped white onion, cilantro, and fresh salsa.  I like lime juice on it too, and lots of salt and pepper.

We make chicken soups too, and stir fry, and chicken and rice bowls.  But tonight, I wanted something different.  I marinated the chicken breasts in lime juice, salt and pepper after trimming them and slicing them in half, and left them in this for a few hours.  Then I made up a mixture of:  two eggs, three tablespoons of flour, some water, and some seasonings...garlic, onion, salt, pepper, cajun spices.  I dried off the chicken pieces, sprinkled them with baking powder, just a pinch, then dipped them in the egg...then into a mix of seasoned bread crumbs with some cayenne, and onion, garlic, ect.  Onto the parchment covered baking sheet, with avocado oil....I flipped them and added more oil...then into the 425 degree oven to get nice an crispy...it smells heavenly in here.

I'll let you know how they are!  Okay, dinner is over, they were good!  But I suggest you just look up a recipe if you want more exactness, because I am anything but.  

Yesterday, Sonja and Charlotte Claire and Camille and I worked on the house across from Sam.  I painted trim and the bathroom door, the girls cut in and painted two bedrooms.  On those home makeover shows, it all gets done so fast.  In real life, you have to find the paint can opener and mix it up and wipe up the drips and drops and wash the brushes afterwards.  The hours fly by with not much to show for it.  We did, however, have fun.  I let them choose something to eat after, they decided on a few Domino's pizzas, something we rarely have.  I did have two small slices, felt I had worked hard, and did not want to ride all the way home in that car with three girls eating pizza and not have any, it smelled so wonderful.  It wasn't the greatest, but I enjoyed it.

Camille and I went to Activity Club, and only had a few girls there, then a few of the younger kids who came over to play a bit too.  We brought Little Things, which are Calico Critters and Lil Woodzees...houses and markets and a food truck and tons of critters and bunnies and accessories.  We put roll out paper taped to the table, so they could make sidewalks and roads...I made a pond and a park.  

This fine morning, after the pool, it was out and about.  Miss Char found a dress in TJ Maxx for Evelyn's wedding.  We also went into Old Navy, where I got a little pair of overall shorts for Rhys' upcoming fourth birthday.  My knee was screaming by the time I got into Sonja's car...so hard to bend it to get in...dang.

Then to the little Mennonite store.  The girls go subs there, and I got raspberry jam, bacon, hot dogs, and butter ($3.29 a pound!).

Home....ahh, home.  I did laundry, vacuumed, and mopped the floors.  I made the dinner and cleaned it all up.  Paul went to work on the house and I did not accompany this time, so I was here by my lonesome.

It's cold here, I went out on the deck in bare feet to bring in my hanging begonias, and my feet were so cold!  It's going down to 35 tonight!

Tomorrow Jonathan Robert is coming over for a visit, we're going to take some things to the thrift store.  Then Suze is coming on Friday...

My house is quiet.  Paul is back, the doggies are here, and Old Kitty is washing her paws on the arm of my chair.  Suri went to the vet last night and had her stitches removed from her tumor removal surgery.  She's turning 13 in May, that is old for a Labrador retriever.  If her cancer has spread, we won't be testing to find out.  No lung X-rays or scans, she's too old and wobbly for those things.  She is a happy, waggy girl though, so I hope the vet got all the cancer out and it didn't spread and that she can at least have a nice long summer with us.  

Today is Jonny's birthday.  He is married and doesn't live here anymore, so it was like a normal day.  I do have some presents for him for tomorrow though, and am thinking to take him to lunch.  

One thing is, when you get older you see more clearly how unimportant those huge-0 crises really are.  I'm almost 60 years old, and yes, at one time I had a bed wetter and I worried...and a thumb sucker, and one who didn't want to give up the pacifier, and a late potty trainer, and one who learned to read at four, then one who struggled at seven.  I had a child who cut all the tags out of her clothes because they were "itchy", and one who could not go out and get on the bus if her socks were crooked in her shoes.  

You think you have to figure everything out.  But you don't.  Sometimes you just have to go through the days.  You have to be patient, and gentle, because children are gifts!  But you don't always have to have answers, you just need to persevere...the long days and the long nights, but they're really speeding by and you don't realize it until woooooosh, where did the years go?  Now, I CAN find the hairbrush, and there's no hair to brush...the hampers are empty, and I look around for something to throw in the wash...the sink is empty, and there's no one here to finish up the cookies...

Ah well.  Have a good night.  :)