Captain Crunch Chicken

New recipe that is being tried tonight.  I feel safe posting it prior to making it since I've had it before.

2 cups Captain Crunch cereal


1 1/2 cup corn flakes

1 egg

1 cup milk

1 cup all purpose flour

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

2 pounds chicken breast cut in 1 ounce tenders

vegetable oil for frying


PREPARATION:

Coarsely grind or crush the two cereals and set aside. Beat the egg with milk and set aside. Stir together the flour, onion and garlic powders and black pepper. Set this aside also.



Dip the chicken pieces into the seasoned flour. Move around to coat well, then shake off the excess flour. Dip into the egg wash, coating well, then dip into the cereal mixture, coating well.



Heat oil in a large heavy skillet to 325 degrees F.



Drop coated chicken tenders carefully into the hot oil and cook until golden brown and fully cooked, 3 to 5 minutes depending on size. Drain and serve immediately with Creole mustard sauce.

Orange Beef & Broccoli

Revving up to cooking and in and no takeout until after our Florida vacation.  Looked through some old magazines and ripped out a few recipes before ditching the magazines to eliminate clutter....doing souble duty adding to the recipe file and cleaning the house.  Look at me go. 

So this one has been cooked before but I forgot about it, and we all enjoy it which is a bonus.  It's going on the weekly menu for either this week or next.

Ingredients

1 bunch broccoli
1 & 1/4 cups beef broth
3 T hoisin sauce
2 T soy sauce
2 T plum sauce
1/2 cup cornstarch
grated peel of 1 orange & juice of 1/2 orange
1 & 3/4 lb. boneless sirloin steak
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 jalapeno thinly sliced

Directions

Cook broccoli until tender crisp and put aside.  In a small bowl mil broth, hoisin, soy, plum sauce & 1 T cornstarch.  Stir in orange peel.  Slice steam 1/4 inch thick, and then cross wise.  Toss steak with remaining corstach.  Heat skillet over medium/high and add oil.  Add steak & jalapeno cooking until meat in barely pink.  Remove meat from skillet.  Discard any remaining oil.  Add broth/sauce mixture cook, stirring, until thickened.  Add meat, broccoli & orange juice to skillet.  Cook about 2 minutes.  Serve with your choice of rice.

Merry Christmas 2011

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Corn Casserole

Every Thanksgiving I try and make a couple new recipes to try out.  Allen could care less, actually everyone else who eats with us could care less.  As long as there is turkey, mashed potatoes, squash & gravy I don't think they really notice any of the other stuff.  Sometimes they eat the new stuff sometimes they don't.  Either way I keep making other things to go with the turkey.  This year I made corn casserole from Pioneer Woman website.  Technically she has it listed as a summer recipe since it's made from corn on the cob, but it worked great for Thanksgiving.  Close to a homemade cream corn.

Ingredients


■8 ears Of Corn (Still In The Husk)

■2/3 cups Heavy Cream

■3 Tablespoons Butter (salted)

■1/2 teaspoon Salt To Taste

■Ground Pepper To Taste

Preparation Instructions

Remove the corn from the husks. In a large, deep bowl, slice off the kernels of corn. With the dull side of the knife (or a regular dinner knife), press and scrape the cob all the way down to remove all the bits of kernel and creamy milk inside.



Add heavy cream, salt to taste, a generous amount of ground pepper and butter; mix well. Pour mixture into a baking dish. Bake at 350Fº for 30 to 45 minutes or until thoroughly warmed through.



This was good.  I even ate the leftovers.  Only issue was I was the only one eating it so that's a lot of corn casserole for one person.  But I will make it again, it was that good.

What I'm Watching These Days

I'm a tv addict, anyone who knows me knows my love of television shows.
I watched alot of comedies as a kid, Laverne & Shirley, Happy Days, Family Ties, Golden Girls, so forth and so on.  Then on to crime dramas like Law & Order, CSI, Criminal Minds.  And we can't forget my love of reality tv, Survivor, the Amazing Race, Top Chef.  These days I find myself watching less and less of regular tv, and more on cable.  These are my current addicitons.

7 Survivor.  Some says it's jumped the shark, it is in it's 23 season, and I will say a few of the previous seasons have not been as good, but last season raised the bar (it does help that my favorite player, Boston Rob, won) but this season has been very good.  They just renewed it for 2 more seasons and seeing Jeff Probst on a weekly basis helps.  This is the only show I picked out of standard telelvision channels.  Says a lot of whats out there these days.

6  Game of Thrones, this could easily jump up the list once I watch the next season.  So unpredictable (unless you read the books, which I don't), where else do they kill the main character about half way through the first season.  Then they kill off multiple other lead characters, but even though you miss them the show is still really good.  I will miss Sean Bean, one of the main reasons I originally watched this show, but Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister is enough to keep me watching.

5  Boardwalk Empire, you're going to see quite a few HBO series on this list. It's the only reason I really keep any pay channels is because of the original programming.  Boardwalk stars probably my favorite male star, Steve Buscemi, well maybe not favorite but he's in the top 5.  It takes place in prohibition era Atlantic City, features gangsters, alot of up and coming stars, and fantastic writing. The costumes are awesome, it is well acted and overall excellent show.

4  Walking Dead.  My latest and greatest addiction.  Only problem is it gives me nightmares.  It is about a small group of surviviors after a zombie apocalyspe, probably caused by some germ or disease created by man, which to me is believable just read my previous post about I am Legend.  There is not one actor in this I've ever even heard of and I have become a huge fan of so many of them.  This season is a full 13 epsiodes, with a break from late November until mid February.  Enough time to rewatch the first half of the season, just not before bed.

3  Top Chef.  I love Top Chef, it's that simple, I can watch episodes over and over again.  I love Tom Colicchio, Gail Simmons & Padma Lakshmi, they are the best host/judges on reality tv.  The challenges are awesome, and even though it's in it's 9th season, and has spawned off 2 other series it's not stale one bit.

2  True Blood.  What's not to love about Eric, Bill, Jason, Sam, Lafayette, Alcide, Hoyt, etc.  I'll even say Pam, Arlene, Jessica and even though she annoys me there is no show without her, Sookie.  It's the right mix of campy violence & sex.  I mean who doesn't love a show about vampires.

1  Sons of Anarchy.  The best show on tv, period.  It's well written, directed and acted.  In it's 4th season it just keeps getting better.  Some of the stuff that happened this season blew me away and I can't wait to see how it ends within the next few weeks.  The cast, Jax, Gemma, Clay, Opie, Tara, Bobby Elvis, Tig, Juice, so forth and so on are incredible.  Brings me back week after week.  I'd say more but Allen is a full season behind and I don't want to spoil anything for him.  Kurt Sutter, writer & director, has created a phenomenal show and I recommend you netflix it today.

Barbies Nowadays

I had Barbies as a kid.  From your traditional barbies, to the 70's era celebrity barbies, Donnie & Marie and let's not forget Farrah Fawcett.  She had incredible hair even as a barbie.  ANd I had the barbie Vette, barbie Rv, and best of all the barbie townhouse.  I played with them for a solid 5 or 6 years then put them away and never really looked at them again.  This is one of the barbie's I played with until she fell apart, or I lost interest whatever came first.

Rachel never really cared for barbies, except them ones I had in sealed boxes that were worth a lot of money.  Those she was interested in and opened, therefore ruining any hope I had of selling themon Ebay.  Now however, she has discovered a new version of barbie.  Not really a barbie but close enough.  This is Rachel's version of barbie.

I'm beginning to worry about her.

Snack Cabinet

The kids are in charge of the snack cabinet in our house, that means keeping it neat & organized, where as I keep it stocked.  From time to time they need reminding that it is a disaster and if they want me to buy stuff I need to know what we are low on.  This morning they cleaned it out and while they were doing so I snapped this picture.

Halloween 2011

Halloween 2011 is upon us, the kids have a handful of events/parties to attend, which is a good thing since we really get our money out of costumes.  This is what they are dressed as this year.

A Witch & A Ninja

Scary Movies

I don't like scary movies, plain and simple.  I don't feel the need to be startled by things jumping out, or wathcing blood, guts and gore.  If I want to watch a movie it's because I want to be entertained, and this genre just doesn't do it for me.  Not that I haven't seen my share of movies, I've watched all the Friday the 13th, Halloween, slasher movies.  Those were big when I was growing up and as a teenager that's what you watch even if you don't particularly enjoy it.  You won't catch me watching recent ones, no Saw, Hostel, The Faculty or whatever else is out there now.  It's not entertaining to me it's torture.  That said in honor of Halloween there are a few out there that have either scared the absolutely crap out of me to the point they have left a mark or for some bizarre reason I actually enjoy.

5. 

A Nightmare on Elm Street.  Came out in 1984, obviously I didn't see it in the movies I was only 12, but I saw it a few years later on cable, back in the day when we had Preview (not even HBO out in West Methuen).  This movie left it's mark on me.  I didn't sleep well for a few nights and every now and then it would creep back into my brain.  I mean come one, who wasn't freaked out by Freddy.

4.

Aliens.  Another great movie from the 80's, 1986 to be exact.  Another cable seen movie.  I can remember watching this at about 10 at night in the small den off the kitchen.  I was all alone in the house, my parents had gone up north.  Bad idea.  I was totally freaked out.  Now looking back I will watch this for entertainment, I mean come on Sigourney Weaver totally kicks ass in this movie. 

3.

I am Legend.  This is the latest movie to scare the crap out of me.  Why?  Because to me this could be a reality.  Maybe not the darkseeking man eating hybrid people, but the man made disease that wipes 99% of the population out.  Think about it. 

The Exorsist.  I've seen this movie once.  That was enough and I have absolutely no desire to ever watch it again.  Just the thought gives me shivers.

1.

Jaws.  I watched this, through hazy lines and interference at my aunt JoAnne's house when I was about 7.  I didn't swim in my pool that summer (never mind the ocean), convinced the shadows from the maple trees were a rogue shark behind me.   Now I have probably seen this movie 200 times since then.  I love it, I can recite it, because of it I learned to scuba dive.  I watch shark week fanaticly every year.  To me it is by far one of the best movies ever made, but that music still creeps me out.   

Allen's Birthday!

Great night out Mi Mexico Lindo for Allen's 40th Birthday Bash!  Here are some pics of the evening.

 Dad & Lyn

 Darren & Michelle

 Michelle & Rachel

 Michelle & Allen

Ron & Patty

 Don, Darren & Pam

 Randy & Kristine

 The 4 of us!

 Renee

Dad & Lyn  Rachel took the majority of the pictures this evening, which is why they are from a low perspective.  I think she did a fantastic job!

Bob & Gail

More football pics

Another great morning of flag football.  RB Becotte took off down the field for about a 50 yard TD run!  Played his little butt off and at the end of the game announced he wasn't feeling that well and is now curled up on the couch in footy pj's. 

 This is how Ms. B gets through each Sunday morning, playing her DS and listening to her ipod.

And this is how Mom & Dad get through Sunday mornings!  Playoffs next weekend and then a few weeks off until YBL starts, but that's on Saturday mornings.

Flag Football Pictures

I'm sure most of you know Alex is playing flag football this year.  And he loves it.  And he's really good at it.  The fact that he's an absolute speed demon helps, and believe it or not that he's small.  The other kids can't get him since he's so much lower to the ground than them.  Allen's coaching yet again, I know you are all shocked.  He actually went into this season saying no I'm just going to sit on the sidelines, and on the first day left with a team. 

These pictures may seem random, they didn't want to download so I am getting them directly from the disc, which makes it tough to tell which is which.  Here he is waiting for his assignment from coach Dave.

he made another great play this week, and played some fantastic defense.  They are playing on the turf field at Merrimack College which is fantastic. 

Picture

I was going through some old YMCA files today and I found this picture.  Not sure if I ever posted it before but it made me smile.   Thought I'd share.

Slow Cooker Chicken & Dumplings

Made this tonight for dinner (yes I know it's only 5 pm and I'm already blogging about it-we ate like old people today).  This was very good, I would make some alterations next time which I will write in a bit.

Ingredients

4 boneless chicken breasts
2 T butter
2 cans cream of chicken soup
water
1 onion finely diced
1 can corn
2 packs biscuit dough torn into pieces
herbs & spices of your liking (I used poultry seasoning, thyme & parsley)

place chicken, butter, soup, corn & onion in crock pot, and fill with water to cover.  I used 2 cans of water.  Cook on low 8 hours.  Put biscuit pieces over the top and cook for another 30 minutes.

This was very good but I couldn't get past the slimyness of the dumplings.  I think next time I will just make bisucits and ladle the chicken & gravy over the top.  Botht he kids really liked the chicken this way.  Alex even asked if there were leftovers could he have it for lunch tomorrow.  That my friends is a success.

Frito Pie

I've been checking out Frito pie recipes for about a year.  For some reason they've peaked my interest but I never made it, then this week one of my favorite blogs had it as a feature, then I read Cooking Light and a version was in there, then it showed up on another blog.  This was a sure sign I needed to make it.

Ingredients:

1 lb. group beef
1 cup chopped onion
6 garlic cloves minced
1/2 t cumin
1/2 t ground red pepper
1/8 t salt
1 T tomato paste
1 cup FF low sodium Beef broth
1/2 cup water
1 can diced tomatoes w green chiles undrained
Fritos
shredded cheddar cheese
sour cream
green onion

So cook the ground beef, drain and then use same pan to saute onions.  Add in garlic cook about 1 minute then add beef back in.  Add in cumin, pepper & salt.  Stir in tomato paste cook 1 minute, stir occasionally.  Add broth, water & tomatoes, bring to boil then reduce heat to medium and cook for 15 minutes or until slightly thick.  Serve over Fritos with other items as toppers.

This is the Cooking Light version, obviously the others are probably better tasting but also loaded with fat and calories.  Overall it was good, not anything I would rush to make again but once in a while it's an easy weeknight meal.  It couldn't have been that bad there were no leftovers.

Weekly Menu

So we are trying our best to avoid take out or eating out in general, and overall we did a good job last week.  We did grab a quick lunch when we were out and about yesterday but it was inexpensive.  So here's to another successful week.

Sunday-Frito Pie (new recipe)
Monday-Slow Cooker Chicken & Dumplings (new recipe)
Tuesday-Ham & Scalloped Potato casserole
Wednesday-Thai Coconut Chicken
Thursday-Work for Me, & Hot Dogs & Mac & Cheese for Allen & the kiddos
Friday-Slow Cooker Salsa & Chicken

We have seen a trend in me getting home later and later so Allen has been making the majority of weeknight meals.  I'm throwing in 2 crock pot meals to make it a bit easier, plus 2 new recipes that I will recap later.

Loudon September 2011

5 Favorite Coen Brothers Movies

I love movies by the Coen brothers.  For those of you who are not in the know, that would be Joel & Ethan Coen.  Their movies are different, quirky, make you think.  I usually have to see them more than once to truly get everything about them.  The more times I watch them the more subtle little things I notice.  They are fantastic film directors.  Now I have not seen all of their movies, but I would say a good 80%.  For the true fans you could argue I've missed a couple of the best, Millers Crossing, Barton Fink & The Hudsucker Proxy.  They are on my to do list, and when I see them on HBO or maybe Retro I will Tivo (Yes I still have TiVo and not DVR) and watch it at my leisure, until then the list is......

5.

First off the music.  It's phenomenal.  George Clooney, John Turturro, John Goodman, Holly Hunter and Coen brothers staple Stephen Root.  The story line, escaping the chain gang, corrupt politicians, the Soggy Bottom Boys, and my favorite part when they think Pete has been transformed into a toad.  It's awesome.

4.

Raising Arizona, I saw it at the Salem Tri Cinema with my Mom.  Another family walked out about 20 minutes into it, apparently they thought it was inappropriate for their kids.  I thought it was hyseterical even then.  Should have been a sign that something was wrong with me.  Nicholas Cage (Best role ever!), Holly Hunter (again), John Goodman (do you see a trend here with the Coen's?), Frances MacDormand (Phenomenal actress!!!).  Cage & Hunter kidnap a baby from a couple who recently had quintuplets or something like that, since they have not been able to have one of their own.  A Bounty Hunter is on the trail of the baby, while Cage's former jail cellmates are looking to cash in on the reward as well.  One of the best lines ever "I'll be taking these Huggies and whatever cash you got in the register_/

3.

The Big Lebowski.  This could be #1, depends on my mood.  The first time I saw it, I hated it.  Then I watched it again, and again, and again.  And it more than grew on me.  Now I love it.  How can you not love The Dude.  Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, John Turturro, Julianne Moore and many more people.  It's mistaken identity, a missing rug, a faked kidnapping, German nihilists, bowling, Caucasians (white Russians) and The Jesus.  It's just about perfect.

2.

No Country for Old Men.  Another one that could be #1, depends on my day, and today says it's #2.  Josh Brolin, Javier Bardem (perfect villian), Woody Harrelson, Steven Root, Tommy Lee Jones (magnificent).  Brolin stumbles upon the aftermath of a drug deal gone bad, discovers the loot and tries to keep it.  Persuded and then shot with buckshot by another set of drugdealers, he gets away.  A hitman is on his heals, to track down the money and get it back to the druglords.  The hitman, Bardem sporting the best Dorothy Hamel haircut I've seen since my youth, is a killing machine, touting around this captive bolt pistol (yes I had to look up what it was actually called), killing everyone (almost) he comes in contact with.  See with him it's chance, fate, on whether you live or die.  If you've seen the movie think of the scene in the gas station where he has the clerk call heads or tails.  That's what it all boils down to.  Harrelson is another person hired to retrieve the cash, but he offers protection and a cut to Brolin, knowing that Bardem will kill him eventually.  There's a shoot out, followed by a scene where Bardem takes a bullet out of his own leg, yuck, not much bothers me but even I flinced on that one.  By the end nearly everyone is dead, leaving only Bardem & Jones who never even share the screen.  It's an awesome movie.

1.

Fargo.  I think I've seen this movie 100+ times, or at least parts of it.  It's one of those that as I am flipping the channels I have to stop and watch, even for a couple of minutes.  Frances MacDormand, Steve Buscemi, William H Macy, Peter Stormare.  Not a huge cast, doesn't need it.  The starring roles are just perfect.  Frances MacDormand is awesome as Marge, the pregnant police chief (she won the best actress Oscar for this role), Macy as Lundergaard who arranges to have his wife kidnapped so he can steal the ransome from his wealthy father in law.  Buscemi & Stormare are the kidnappers and they make the movie.  I can't think of a cast that was better than this.  From the way the characters are written, to the actors who play them, and the phenomenal story line.  Top it off with Steve Buscemi going through a woodchipper and you have a pretty much perfect movie.