Shopping Around the World

Hello Friends!! ❤  It’s that time for Shopping Around the World for March.  For March, we are highlighting ‘go to’ meals that you always prepare when you have nothing else to do.

This one is right up mom’s alley for sure.  Her ‘go to’ meal will always be some sort of chicken dish for sure.

In fact, she made her favorite ‘go to’ meal this weekend for all of us – and we all enjoyed it.

So without further ado, take it away mom!

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You will need the following:  four chicken thighs ($4.38); a pack of english peas ($0.88); salad mix ($1.00); salad dressing of your choice ($0.25); flour/spices/oil ($0.50) = Total cost $7.01 – Could possibly be a bit more 🙂

We all know how to fix your salad mix and peas so I will start with my ‘go to’ spice mix for my chicken.  And although I’ve been using my air fryer a lot these days, I decided to go old school and do this chicken the old southern traditionally way.  First thing – an iron skillet.  Every good southern cook here in the south will have different sizes of iron skillets in the cabinets.  Yes it makes a difference.  Put that skillet on the stove to medium heat and pour some oil in it to heat.  While it is heating, prepare your spice mix.  In a mixing bowl, put two cups of flour.  To that add:  salt, pepper and cayenne pepper to taste (make it as hot or leave it out altogether).  Mix it together.  In another mixing bowl, add a touch of milk, two eggs, and again season well with salt, pepper and a touch of cayenne pepper.  Mix it together.

Now clean your chicken.  Then they are going to get all seasoned.  Make sure your oil is hot.  How do  you do that?  Take just a pinch of flour and sprinkle it in your hot oil.  Does it bubble?  Yes, it’s ready.  No, give it some more time.

Take a chicken thigh and put it in the flour mixture, then to the ‘bath’ egg mixture, then (this is what a lot people forget) back to the flour mixture.  Yes your fingers will be messy.  Get over it.  After the flour mixture, then the chicken goes into the hot oil.  You should be able to put all four thighs in your pan.  Then wash up those fingers.  I usually do mine chicken around 10 minutes on one side and then flip to the other side for another 10 minutes.

Then serve with peas and a salad – there you go.  Southern fried chicken at its best!

 

Journal of Healthier Living – Week 6

Welcome my friends.  I’m tweaking my weekly journey with my healthier living.  It’s a step in the right direction for sure.  I hope you come along for the ride.  Instead of day-to-day comments, I’m going to post something from my personal journal to share.  Hope you enjoy.  Remember all of us go down this path and we are all in it together ❤

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Week of 02/11-02/17/2018 – Week 6

“Dear Journal – Sometimes I think we beat ourselves up too much.  There is a line between challenging yourself to do better and pushing yourself over the edge.  If I push myself too much, it becomes something I *have* to do, a chore if you will, and my OCD gets tested.  If I leave it at the pace I’m going, I can fit it into my life where it becomes a habit in the end and not so much as a chore.  Shaking my head.  Life is full of complications – LOL.  But so far, I think I have this right now.  I do want to pick up the pace a bit more.  Now I’m trying to turn a 24 hour day into 36 hours.  Do I really need sleep?  Just joking – I love my sleep.  It’s hard to believe how things these days in the form of moving around is so much easier.  I’m so grateful that I had breast surgery.  I think I need to send the doctor a thank you note.”

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This week walked: 9.12

TOTAL 2018 Miles:  53.30

TOTAL 2017 Miles:  541.06

 ❤ small goals turn into big accomplishments ❤

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Okay my friends – another week with using the air fryer at the Hotel Thompson.  One of my biggest weaknesses foodwise is fried chicken.  It might be a southern thing.  It’s a huge comfort food here in the south.  And it’s something I was never able to work around with trying to lose weight but yet keeping my favorite food in the mix.  Who needs all of that grease that it’s deep fried in, right?

Well, I think I found my heaven.  Let me present to you Exhibit A – fried chicken (skinless and boneless) that was prepared in air fryer.  I put it on on the white napkins straight from the air fryer so that you could see – absolutely NO GREASE.  Look at the crispy outside and the inside was so juicy.  Better yet, I’ve found with the air fryer that you actually taste your food and not the grease that it is cooked in.  I seasoned my chicken before hand with salt/pepper and some pepper flakes.  I then dipped it in a seasoned egg mixture and then dipped it in a seasoned flour mix.  I then put the chicken in my air fryer.  The basket held five chicken thighs at one time.  I set the timer for 20 minutes on chicken at 380 degrees.  At 10 minutes, I stopped the timer and turned the chicken.  It came out this beautiful.  It was a HUGE hit here at the Hotel Thompson.

 

Oh No He Didn’t!

There I was this morning just like any other morning in my bedroom warm and tucked into bed.  I woke up because I knew through my internal alarm that it was time to get mommy up for her worky place.

I went to get mommy up but her bedroom door was shut.  That’s when I heard someone in the kitchen.  I got kind of excited then because I thought mommy beat me out of bed and was cooking my breakfast.  I yawned and softly walked down the hall with my hooves tapping against the wood floors.

I get to the kitchen and guess what? The piggy gate is open.  That’s odd but then again mommy is up, right?  So I walk into the kitchen.  That’s when I started shivering.  I saw that evil Don Juan on the stove cooking.  He motioned for me to come on over cause he had my breakfast ready.  That six inch tall rat is going down for this!

 

Travels in the South

Have you ever tasted something that was so wrong but yet so rightfully delicious?  Mom was just so glad that she got daddy to eat his vegetables.  What vegetables you ask?  Well, we are here in the south where if you stay in one place for too long, they will deep fry you.  Okay maybe not you personally but anything food wise.

At this particular restaurant, they have breaded deep fried crispy green beans.  You heard that right.  Deep fried green beans.  They serve these magnificent veggies with a cucumber wasabi ranch sauce.  You get a little spice with a little veggie with a little breaded goodness.  Have you ever tried fried green beans?

 

 

Shopping Around the World

Hello sweet friends ❤  For the month of June we are focusing on something that you have cooked lately that you absolutely went bonkers for and everyone enjoyed.  This could be anything – even a cheese cracker.  Just make it the best cheese cracker you ever had and post prices… and pictures are awesome.  That gives us something to drool on while we read your recipe.

Today, I’m handing our recipe over to mom.  Can you believe that me and dad actually got her to cook dinner for us one night?  Now don’t get me wrong.  She cooks for us but she’s been watching her diet lately so we have to say she went overboard with this dinner.  And *we* all appreciated that – trust me.

So without further ado, take it away mom!

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Hello friends.  If you know me really well, then you know here in the south I just can’t get enough of fried chicken – ever.  I’ll admit it.  Usually instead of taking the time to fix it, I will usually just buy it from the store or a local restaurant.  Every once in a while, I will bring out my southern experience and fry some for the family.  Of course when I do, everyone wonders what they’ve done to deserve it – HA!  It just keeps them on their toes I say.  What you will need:

♦ A package of chicken.  We enjoy thighs.  You get whatever pieces your family likes – mixed or whatever.  This date, we bought a package of thighs.  There was 8 of them for $3.23

♦ You should have some of these ingredients on hand:  flour (3 cups – $0.75); buttermilk (2 cups – $0.50); eggs (3 – $0.50); frying oil (4 cups $2.50); salt/pepper/cayenne pepper

Now this is a pretty basic recipe that we have used in our family for years.  You can also use the same ingredients with different types of  meat – fried fish, shrimp and you know that other white meat that we can’t mention on Bacon’s blog.  You can also use different spices that you like.  Be creative and have fun.

Now is the time to get your assembly line going.  It gets a little messy.  You will need two bowls.  One bowl you will put your ‘dry’ ingredients in – the flour, salt, pepper and shake cayenne pepper to your taste.  Now test your taste.  Remember you can add more, you can’t take out.  In the other bowl, put your 3 eggs and beat them.  Add your milk, salt, pepper and more cayenne pepper.  As that is sitting, put your grease in a frying pan (we like to use an iron skillet) and let that start to get hot somewhere around medium/high.  Now while that is getting hot, put about 4 pieces of raw chicken (that you have already washed) into the wet ingredients.  Let the oil get hot.

Once hot, here comes the fun part. You want to take the pieces of chicken out of the wet ingredients and coat them in the dry ingredients.  Get everything coated.  Now repeat that step.  Yep, I believe in double coating for an extra crispy skin on the chicken.  Dip the floured chicken back into your wet ingredients, back into the dry ingredients and then place the chicken in your hot oil skin side down.  Your pan should comfortably hold 4 thighs – don’t overcrowd.  I cook the chicken about 8 minutes and then flip the chicken over to the other side for about 6 more minutes.  Once it is nicely golden brown, put on paper towels to drain and do the remainder of your chicken.

There you go – a classic southern dish from the Hotel Thompson.  Eight wonderful fried chicken thighs for around $7.50 – great for a Sunday meal.  Enjoy ❤

 

Travels in the South

There are some things in life that you can never get too much of – like back rubs and cheese.  Really think about it.  Don’t those two things make you smile and feel good?  Me too!  Well recently mom and dad took nana out to lunch.  Mom saw this on the restaurant menu and they all just *had* to try this wonderment.  What is it you ask?

“Wisconsin cheese bites.  Hand-battered and lightly fried to order.  Served with a side of homemade marinara sauce“

Of course it’s going to be friend.  We are in the south where we fry everything.  But fried cheese bites.  I’m licking my piggy lips now.  See the gooey cheese on the picture coming out of the lightly battered bite?  The cheese was wonderful and hot and so stringy!  I’m not sure who enjoyed these more – mom, dad or Nana!

So the next time you see fried cheese on an appetizer list, try it.  You might just fall in love too!

 

Mom/Dad Went to Court!

The Olde Courthouse Tavern that is – snorts with piggy laughter.  This is Wednesday so welcome to Travels in the South my friends.  Mom/dad heard about this fabulous restaurant that is a couple of towns over from us called the Olde Courthouse Tavern.  They met some friends and visited it a while back and I’ll tell you something, their food porn pictures made my little tummy rumble with excitement.  I’m actually going to have to break up this restaurant in a couple of weeks – there was way too many yum yum’s to share.  So today, we are going to start with some appetizers.

Dad is a sucker for fried cauliflower.  At this point in his life, if this is the only way that mom can get dad to eat his veggies, so be it – snorts with piggy laughter.  The restaurant cuts up cauliflower, batters it (of course here in the south you should learn by now we batter and fry anything and everything) and fry until golden brown.  They serve the fried cauliflower with a creamy horseradish sauce on the side.  Of course, mom/dad asked for extra sauce.  Now again, dad has had his share of fried cauliflower over the years so the question is how did this rank with him?  Between grunts of yum and rumblings of I can’t get enough, dad said that the restaurant scored BIG time on this appetizer.  Dad said it was some of the best fried cauliflower that he has had in some time.  Mom was surprised as well.  The bites were cut small enough for one bite and the horseradish sauce had just enough kick to say hello without setting your mouth on fire.  Both mom/dad loved it!

❤

Anywhere that mom goes and sees pretzels, she has to try them.  This restaurant has traditional salt pretzels served with beer cheese sauce, one of mom’s favorites.  Mom is pretty picky when it comes to her pretzels.  If she is going to indulge in any bread product, it better be good.  What did mom say about these?  She loved them!  The pretzels had just enough salt – they weren’t overpowered like some can be that you immediately need water and they had enough salt where you could taste the salt.  The beer cheese was creamy and really added to the pretzels.  Even dad couldn’t keep his hands off these pretzels.  So score two out of three so far.

❤

Now for the onion rings.  Out of the three appetizers, everyone agreed that the onion rings were the least favorite.  Don’t get them wrong.  They were tasty and crunchy.  They looked as fantastic as they tasted.  However, they just didn’t have the same pizazz that the other two appetizers had.  Yes they would get them again but they wouldn’t be at the top of mom/dad’s list.  Now join us next week to check out some entrees that everyone enjoyed – you don’t want to miss it!

 

 

 

 

Shopping Around the World

Shopping Around the World this month is being hosted by our great friends Shoko and Kali with Canadian Cats – thanks ya’ll! ❤

  This month we are highlighting seafood recipes.  Now mom/dad usually go out to eat seafood but there is the rare occasion when mom uses the big box in the kitchen for something more than a paper weight and actually cooks dinner.  Now having this assignment of seafood, mom thought she would fix one of dad’s all time favorite meals in the world.  She fixed it and then dad sat and wondered did he miss an important date?  Was he in trouble for something?  Did mom overspend on a credit card?  What was the special occasion.  That’s when mom told dad that she loved him ❤  So, here it is my friends – mom’s seafood special.

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 Are you hungry yet looking at that picture?  I had to fix the hub unit’s favorite meal – ribeye steaks, french fries and fried shrimp.  Of course you don’t see the salad on the side.  I have to get the hub’s veggies in somewhere with this meal.  I’ll tell you the prices for everything and break down the shrimp for you.

◊ Ribeye Steak – I had some in the freezer.  I usually buy the entire loin and have the butcher cut them for me.  The last time I bought steaks, it cost me around $50 and I got 16 steaks. I then take them home and wrap everything up individually to freeze.  By buying the entire loin like this when it is on sale, the price per steak comes out around $3.15 per steak.  Two steaks $6.30

◊ Two large baking potatoes.  Buying a pack of potatoes at Sam’s Warehouse it costs $8.00 for about 20 potatoes.  That’s around $0.40 each potato.  Two potatoes $0.80

◊ One pound of fresh shrimp (or frozen but make sure they are thawed out).  I got large 31-35 count shrimp this date from the market.  They cost right $8.00 a pound.  And trust me, I fixed them all for dinner and none were left.  My hub will snarf these down like potato chips ❤

So the entire meal will cost less than $17.00 for two people.  And yes we could stretch the meal; but, this was the hubby’s special meal and he likes to pig out on it – and you will too.

How to fix the shrimp:

I like to put all of my shrimp in a colander and run them under cold water for a few minutes.  This makes sure that they are all thawed out.  Shake the colander and make sure all of the excess water is out and pour them in a bowl.  Here’s the fun part – making sure they are all clean and deveined.  Take this kitchen hint, you can buy them cleaned and already deveined.  You may have to pay a little more.  I have been cleaning shrimp all of my life.  It’s something that my dad taught me so it takes no time to fix them right up.  Once they are all cleaned, wash them again to make sure all of the ick is removed.  Once you start cleaning the shrimp, you will know exactly what that ick is that I’m talking about – LOL.  I like to take a mallet and pound my shrimp out a bit.  Don’t whack them too hard.  Just enough to smoosh them a little so they will lay flat.  (Look at mine above for size for flattening).

In a bowl mix together a cup of flour, a cup of cornmeal, salt, pepper and a little cayenne flakes.  In another bowl mix together, milk, 3 eggs, salt, pepper and cayenne.  (We like them a little spicy – you put as much or not at all according to your tastes).  Go ahead and put your grease on the stuff and let it get hot.  Here’s the secret to a really good crust on shrimp or chicken.  You want to dip your shrimp in the flour/cornmeal first, then to your wet mixture and then back to your dry.  After that, the little shrimp go for a swim in the hot oil.  When they turn a pretty brown, they are done.  If it’s like our house, most of the shrimp won’t make it to the dinner table because every one is hanging out in the kitchen eating them as they come up hot from the grease.  They are highly addictive.  Don’t say I didn’t warn you 🙂

 

Travels in the South

Hello friends – welcome to another week of Travels in the South.  Today I bring you one of my dad’s favorite sandwiches.  Doesn’t it look delicious?  This is called a Monte Cristo.  Whenever dad sees it on the menu at a restaurant, he has to try it. Are you asking yourself what exactly is a Monte Cristo?

Well, a Monte Cristo sandwich has smoked ham, smoked turkey and two cheeses in the sandwich.  The sandwich is then lightly battered and fried until golden brown.  See I told you about us before being in the south and frying anything and everything – snorts with piggy laughter.  After the Monte Cristo comes out of the fryer, it’s dusted with powdered sugar, cut into corners and served with an awesome raspberry preserve for dipping.

Be prepared to get messy when you eat this creation.  There will be powdered sugar everywhere.  There will also be groans of OMP this is so good!  So the next time you check out a menu at a restaurant, look for the Monte Cristo.  You won’t be disappointed.

 

Silent Sunday