Potato Crisp Chicken Tenders

When our local Grocery Store has boneless skinless chicken breasts on sale for 1.79 lb. I always stock up. Sometimes I think I buy to much but the price is so cheap that I just can't resist. I package them up into smaller portions, freeze them and always have chicken in the freezer.

This week I had a major craving for fried chicken. I've tried making oven fried chicken as a healthier alternative but every one knows fried chicken just isn't fried chicken if it doesn't have that great crispy skin.



Thanks to my friends Tony and Maria for this great recipe that will satisfy any fried chicken craving. The potato buds that they use in the crust is really crispy and I used olive oil to fry it in so it is a least fried in a good for you fat.

It's not as healthy as oven fried chicken, but really do we have to be healthy all the time?

Potato Crisp Chicken Tenders

Or

TFC (Tony's Fried Chicken)

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 cups flour
2 cups Betty Crocker Potato Buds
1/2 tablespoon salt
1/2 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper
3 tablespoons hot paprika
Olive oil for frying
Kosher Salt

Slice chicken breasts into strips, set aside

In a large bowl mix together all dry ingriedients. Remove half of the mixture to a large plastic bag.

Stir water into the bowl, a little at a time, until it has the consistency of thin oatmeal.

Dip the chicken strips into the wet mixture one at a time, add to the bag of dry mix and shake to coat. Place in a single layer onto a clean plate and repeat the process until all chicken pieces are coated. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Pour olive oil into a large heavy frying pan to a depth of 1/2 inch. Heat to 365 degrees. Fry the chicken in batches 5 to 6 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to paper towels to drain and season with kosher salt.

Serve hot with a honey mustard dipping sauce if desired.

Messy-dillia's

I had what I thought was a great idea for a tasty football snack, so I whipped up some quesadilla's for Saturday's college football games. We don't watch Pro ball that much but The Fly Rod Gawd is glued to the t.v. on Saturday's during college football season.

I always try to make snack food so that we can eat in front of the t.v. and watch every game we can find.

Quesadilla's always seem to make it on to the scene on Saturday's, but I was getting tired of making the same old thing so I decided to jazz them up a little.

Well--------they were really good, and I do mean really good, but not the sort of thing that you could eat while cheering on Penn State!

I'm not sure how I could change them to make them suitable for a football snack, but I would definetly make them for a knife and fork dinner sometime.

WE ARE-----PENN STATE!!!

Messy Dilla's

1 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 (small can) green chilles

1 cup black beans, rinsed and drained

2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernals

1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper

1 or 2 chipotle peppers, chopped

6 10 inch flour tortilla's

2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 rotiserre chicken, skined, boned and shredded

1 cup prepared smokey bbq sauce

1 box frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

1/2 cup prepared buttermilk ranch dressing

Heat a the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the chilles, beans, corn, red bell pepper and chipotle peppers. Cook over medium heat until corn begins to brown, about 4 minutes. Remove from the skillet.

Reduce the heat to medium low, add a tortilla then layer with some of the cheese, corn mixture, chicken, bbq sauce, spinach, ranch dressing and a little more cheese. Top with another tortilla. Cook about 3 minutes until bottom tortilla is browned then flip and cook until browned.

Slide from the pan, let cool 2 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve with salsa.

Red Beans and Rice Soup

Fall in the mountains is such a beautiful time, especially if your from Florida. I love the fall and look forward to our September trip to Blue Ridge. It's an early taste of the fall colors and the cool crisp air of the blue ridge mountains. The Fly Rod Gawd loves the fall fishing, it reminds him of his childhood in Pennsylvania.

This year we took one of our best friends and her really cute dog. Her puppy is only 12 weeks old and she is soooo cute.

Here she is with The Fly Rod Gawd ready to go fishing.

We loved her so much that we are going to get one of her puppies. So meet Splash the mother of my dog!

Another thing that I love about fall is the great soups that seem to just hit the spot. We always make a big pot of soup when we go to the mountains. It's always ready to heat up for a quick lunch and what is better on a cool crisp day than a bowl of hot soup and a piece of crusty bread?

This trip we made Emerils Creole Red Beans and Rice Soup. It's delicious and hit the spot!

Emerils Creole Red Beans and Rice Soup

1/4 cup olive or vegetable oil
1 whole chicken, (about 4 pounds) cut into 8 pieces and skin removed
Emeril's Essence
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup diced carrots
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 bay leaves
Pinch cayenne
1 pound dried red beans, rinsed, picked over, soaked overnight and drained
1 gallon chicken stock
1/4 cup uncooked long grain white rice
1/2 cup finely chopped green onions (green tops only)

In a large heavy stockpot, heat the oil. Season the chicken with Emeril's Essence. When the oil is hot, add the chicken to the pot and sear on each side until light brown, about 3 minutes per side. Add the onions, celery and carrots to the pot and season to taste with Emeril's Essence. Sauté the vegetables until they are soft, about for 3 minutes. Add the garlic, bay leaves, cayenne and red beans and sauté for 1 minute. Add the stock and bring the liquid to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook uncovered until the beans are tender, about 2 hours.

Using tongs or a slotted spoon, carefully remove the chicken pieces from the pot and separate the meat from the bones with two forks, or a knife and fork. Discard the bones and return the meat to the pot, stirring to incorporate the meat into the soup.

Add the rice to the pot and cook until tender, about 15 - 20 minutes. Re-season the soup as needed and ladle into soup bowls, garnishing each serving with green onions. Serve with hot French bread.

Smokey Orange Pork Chops

Well, the storm danger seems to have passed and we are long overdue for a trip to the mountains. My husband (The Fly Rod Gawd) and I have a great little cabin in Blue Ridge, GA.

October is the best time at the cabin. The air is getting crisp and cool and the leaves are just beginning to change color. Fall is my favorite time of year and I am so grateful to be able to spend a little time in the woods.

These pork chops are one of my favorite things to cook when fall is just around the corner. The smell of the burnt orange and the spicy sweetness of the sauce on these chops is the perfect transition from summer to fall.

You can adjust the amount of horseradish in the sauce to suite your family, but don't be surprised if you eventually use the whole amount. Them smokey sweetness of the sauce seems to temper the heat of the horseradish. Serve them over a bed of jasmine rice and dig in!

Smokey Orange Pork Chops

1/3 cup orange marmalade
1/3 cup hickory smoked bbq sauce
1/3 cup prepared horseradish
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil, divided
4 bonless pork loin chops (about 3/4 inch thick)
salt and pepper
1/2 cup chopped shallot
1 clove finely chopped garlic
1/2 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons orange zest

In a small saucepan on medium heat combine the marmalade, bbq sauce and horseradish. Cook over medium heat until thickened slightly. Reduce heat to low.

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large non stick skillet over medium heat. Season the chops with salt and pepper. When the oil is hot add the pork chops. Cook the chops about 4 minutes, or until browned, turn and cook an additional 4 minutes. Remove from the pan and keep warm.

Heat the remaining olive oil in the skillet. Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion is softened, about 3 minutes. Add the orange juice and the zest and deglaze the pan. Return the chops to the deglazed pan. Spoon some of the smokey orange sauce over the chops cook until sauce has reduced about 3 minutes. Serve over jasmine rice and Enjoy!

Yikes!! Ike!!

If you've lived in Florida all of your life you know that the worst time for hurricanes is September. Even though the season starts earlier, it seems like the worst storms come in September. You learn to watch the weather closely, knowing that the tropical updates on the weather channel are at 5 and 11. Even if the storms don't look like they are coming your way, you still make some preparations and keep a close eye, you just never know.



We have been getting gusty winds and rain, first from Gustav and now from Ike, for more than a week. Even though we weren't in any danger the wind gusts knock down tree branches. Good for the trees, bad for my back!

With all the tension from hurricane watching and the sore muscles from yard clean up, I never feel much like cooking. This is the time of year I always keep a few pre-made dishes in the frig. Sometimes they are heat and serve and sometimes they can be served cold.


This ditallini pasta salad is one of those "served cold" dishes. I always make a big batch of the basic recipe and when dinner time comes I can add some canned tuna or chicken (hurricane supplies) add a tossed salad and I have a really tasty cold dinner. Perfect for the hot summer and hurricane watching.

Ditallini Pasta Salad with Ginger Garlic Mayo

1 1b box Ditallini Pasta
4 eggs
1 1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
2 cloves peeled garlic
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup diced white onion
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1/2 cup diced yellow squash
1/2 cup diced zuccini
1/2 cup coarsely chopped snow peas
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives

Cook the pasta according to package directions. Add the eggs to cook with the pasta. Drain, rinse and cool.

Meanwhile, add the mayo, ginger, garlic and lemon juice to a food processor and blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

To a large bowl add the onion, bell pepper, squash, zuccini, snow peas, and cooled pasta. Peel the eggs, coarsely chop and add to the bowl. Add the ginger mayo and toss to coat.

Refrigerate for at least one hour. To make this a main course salad add in a drained can of tuna, salmon or chicken. Garnish with copped chive if desired

Kraft Eat Happy Recipe Contest

So, this is the exciting news that I told you about last week. I won my first major contest with these "Cheddar Broccoli Corn Dog Muffin Bites! The prize is $5200 dollars in groceries and $5000 in cash for college scolarships. WooooooHoooooo!!!!!

The contest was sponsored by Kraft Foods and Publix Supermarkets and the challenge was to create a kid friendly recipe using at least one of Krafts Sensible Solutions products. They described "kid friendly" as being a recipe that you enjoyed making with your kids or one that your kids enjoyed eating.

When I looked over the list of Krafts Sensible Solutions products, I saw the Oscar Meyer Hot dogs and thought what kid doesn't like corn dogs? For that matter I don't know too many adults that wouldn't go for a good corn dog now and then. The broccoli in the cornbread is a good way to get a few extra veggies into the kids and it gives the cornbread a really nice creamy texture.

By using the mini muffin pan the result is a great little 2 bite snack that is a perfect after school snack. With the new football season starting, they are also really good to serve at your next football party. These little cuties are really fun to make with your kids and they are so easy that the older kids could make them by themselves!

For obvious reasons these have become my favorite snack!!

Cheddar Broccoli Corn Dog Muffin Bites

Non Stick Cooking Spray
1 (8.5 ounce) package corn bread muffin mix
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and well drained
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup milk
1 cup KRAFT 2% Milk Mild Cheddar Shredded Cheese
4 OSCAR MAYER 98% Fat Free Hot Dogs
Ketchup and mustard if desired

Sensible Solutions:
KRAFT 2% Milk Mild Cheddar Shredded Cheese, OSCAR MAYER 98% Fat Free Hot Dogs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 24 mini muffin cups with cooking spray, set aside.

In large bowl, combine muffin mix, broccoli, eggs and milk. With a tablespoon divide the batter evenly into the 24 mini muffin. Cut each OSCAR MAYER 98% Fat Free Hot Dog into 18 pieces and divide evenly on top of the muffin batter. Sprinkle the KRAFT 2% Milk Mild Cheddar Shredded Cheese evenly on top of the wiener pieces and bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans.

Serve warm with ketchup and mustard if desired.

Makes 24 mini muffin bites.

If you would like smaller muffin bites divide the batter among 48 mini muffin cups, increase the KRAFT 2% Milk Mild Cheddar Shredded Cheese to 2 cups and use 8 OSCAR MAYER 98% Fat Free Hot Dogs.

Featured Blogger Recipe

This is a recipe that I posted some time ago, but I thought that it deserved to be re posted. I recieved an e-mail from Haley at the Key Ingriedient, asking permission to feature my recipe on their web site. Well, of course I said yes and I couldn't be more proud.

These make ahead breakfast cookies are really easy and they are one of my favorite things to keep on hand. They are chock full of good for you things and they are so easy to grab as you are running out the door to start your day. They are great for an after school snack and you can feel good that the kids are eating cookies that may actually have some nutritional value.

Thanks again to the Key Ingriedient, I'll display my featured food blogger badge with pride!