Hummingbird moths and how I accidentally made chicken schnitzel

Good morning Crushers!

On Tuesday night, Steve and I spent some time cleaning up our garden. We cut down plants that needed to be trimmed back and emptied flower pots. Along our garage is a small patch of purple flowers, commonly known as obedient plants, that are a favorite among bees and butterflies. While we were working, we noticed some new creatures over there. At first I thought they were small hummingbirds.

I ran inside to get my camera, and when I came back out, Steve pointed out that our hummingbird visitors had horns! I looked them up online, and they are Sphinx moths or Hummingbird moths. Can you spot them? They're small and striped.

How cool is that?

Before we went out to the garden, I was in charge of making dinner. We had thawed out some chicken, so I figured I'd try and fry it like I saw a person do on "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" with Guy Fieri. It looked simple enough. Pound chicken flat, dredge in flour, coat in whisked eggs, dredge in flour/spice mix and then place in the frying pan. Let cool on a plate lined with paper towels to soak up the oil. Serve with veggies and a salad. Easy peasy.

They turned out delicious! When I started to tell Steve how I did it, I realized this was basically like the chicken schnitzel I ate while in Australia (although I used more spices). After a super easy Google search, I realized that I totally made it on accident. Steve liked it so much, he said that this would be a go-to meal for us when having company over. I agreed!

Since I made it on accident, there were no photos taken before we gobbled it all up. Instead, here are a few great links to other people who made chicken schnitzel on purpose and took photos.

The Shiksa in the Kitchen: Chicken Schnitzel

Rachel Ray's Smokey Chicken Schnitzel

Panko-Coated Chicken Schnitzel

Martha Stewart Chicken Schnitzel

Really, you can just do a Google search and it pops up everywhere. Chances are that it's in one of the cookbooks sitting on your shelf too. So easy and really delicious! Enjoy!

Never Forget

Today is the anniversary of the attacks Americans suffered at the hands of terrorists on September 11, 2001. I feel like every generation has that "I'll always remember where I was when..." For my grandparents, that moment was when Pearl Harbor was bombed. For my parents, it was when JFK was shot. For some of my older friends, it was when the Space Shuttle Challenger blew up. For me and people my age, it was when the towers were hit. I don't even want to think about what the next generation will deal with.

I know I'll never forget hearing the news and seeing the second plane. Many people say how they thought that they were watching a movie. Some people couldn't bear to watch the news and some people couldn't break away. Living in Wisconsin, we're removed from New York, Pennsylvania and Washington D.C. in miles, but not in our hearts. Everyone knew someone who lived there, who worked there or who just visited.

I was walking into my second hour AP Literature class when a fellow student, Carl, walked right past the teacher saying that he had to turn on the TV. Just as he turned it on, much to her dismay, the second tower was hit. The whole class fell silent. The teacher stopped scolding Carl, and instead she laid a hand on his shoulder in comfort and disbelief. Not everyone was sure of what they were seeing. However, we quickly learned.

There's no recipe today. There's no kitchen crush to talk about. Yes, regular life goes on, and I will be cooking and preparing a post for tomorrow, but just for today, there's nothing by a day of remembrance, prayer, and thankfulness to all who have gone before and who serve our country today.

Virtual Running Date No. 24: Small victories and dessert

Good morning, Crushers!

Do you ever have a day where you feel like you didn't do much? If we were on a virtual running date today, I would tell you how it's important to count all the small victories when you're having a blah day. For instance, since I'm teaching a class this semester, I have to get to work really early on the non-class days to carpool with Steve and make up my hours. On these days, I want to give myself a high five if my clothes all match and I get makeup on my face before 8 a.m. Never mind that I was putting mascara on at my desk...

This weekend wasn't a terribly busy weekend, and I'm glad. We needed some time to just mellow out. Friday night we stayed home (didn't have to tape a game/scout), ate dinner, and watched TV. I'm pretty sure I didn't move very far from the couch except to do the dishes. High five - the dishes got done!

Saturday we got up and ran part of the Ice Age Trail in the Holy Hill segment to find a boardwalk/bridge that Steve wanted to check out. We didn't realize what treacherous hills and overgrowth would hinder us. High five - I didn't totally wipe out after hitting that rock.

We also got to do a few things around the house, Steve helped my parents take some stuff to the dump and I celebrated the bride-to-be, Jenny, with some friends at her low-key bachelorette party. We went to this Arte Wine and Painting Studio where you can either take classes, use instructions or paint freestyle. High five - I didn't get any paint on my clothes!

It's supposed to be "The Wisdom Tree", but ended up looking more like a candy tree.

Sunday, we went to church where we had the most beautiful Unity Sunday (where we only have one service for everyone in the school gym). The bell choir played (high five - I didn't miss a note except the one I purposely skip), the choirs sang, the Chinese outreach choir sang in Chinese, no one fainted from heat, the microphones worked and over 500 people praised God. HIGH FIVE!

Although the Packers didn't win (Steve says there are 6 plays that either make or break a game), we watched the game, ate Greek burgers stuffed in pita pockets (delish!), and made a dessert with just enough ingredients that neither of us had to go to the grocery store for. High five!

Overall it was a pretty great weekend. We got so much done, even if it was just the little things.

Oatmeal Chocolate Raisin Bars:
(adapted from Chocolate Chip Bars from the Entenmann's Big Book of Baking)
Oat mix:
1 cup flour
1 cup quick cooking oats
3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup (one stick) butter, softened to almost melted (about 20 seconds in the microwave)

Filling:
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup raisins
1 cup chocolate chips

Gear you'll need: A big bowl, a 13x9 pan (greased), a big spoon, can opener, measuring cups and spoons

Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the butter in the big bowl and pop it in the microwave for about 20 seconds. Using the butter wrapper, grease your baking pan. Take the bowl out of the microwave and add the flour, sugar and oats. Mix until it has the consistency of wet sand and oats. Press all but 1/2 cup of the oat mix into the bottom of the pan using your hands.

Oat Crust

Rinse out the big bowl (why make another bowl dirty?) and mix all of the filling ingredients together. Pour that on top of the oat crust and spread it out. Sprinkle the saved oat mix over that. Bake in the oven for 25-ish minutes (I think mine turned out to be about 28 minutes because I didn't hear the timer go off right away). Let it cool for at least 20-30 minutes before slicing into bars or it'll stick to the knife and make a mess.

Note: the original recipe called for chopped nuts, but we didn't have any, nor are we chopped nuts kind of people. It also says to spread the sweetened condensed milk out before topping with the chocolate chips, but I misread the directions. It turns out fine if you stir everything together!

Enjoy!

Faith-filled Friday: If you can't say something nice...

Good morning, Crushers!

Sorry I've been quiet this week, but it was a BUSY week of classes, practices, school starting for Steve, work and tons of other things. I have never been a person that has trouble filling her time, but I think my expertise is now just showing off. Need to cut back on a few things, me thinks.

Have you ever heard of the term, "Hangry"? It means that you're angry and irritable because you're hungry. I may or may not have experienced this once in a while. I may have said things to people out of "hanger". I usually apologize right away.

This week, despite falling asleep every night by 9 p.m., I feel like someone needs to come up with the word for tired/worn out and angry. Tiggry? Wongry? I can't think of one, but I'm sure someone out there will be super creative. I may have snapped at someone yesterday on the phone when they asked a really dumb question (yes, there are, on occasion, stupid questions).

While it is totally acceptable to feel overwhelmed, tired, energy-less and a bit snippy, it's NOT ok to act on those feelings. You'll never know when you snap on someone if that breaks their day. Even at your lowest point, I beg you to remember that you do not know what is going on in another person's life. You do not know what kind of battles they are fighting. Please remember to choose to speak with kindness!

Proverbs 15:1 says, "A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger."

It's true. One word or phrase spoken out of anger can hurt another person. Words can hurt. I'm not writing this today because someone hurt me. I'm writing this because I'm afraid I was mean to someone else. I'm not a mean person, but they don't know that. They only met me once, via phone, and I snapped at them.

Ugh.

Let's all take some time today to look at our schedules, check our words and use our ears to listen instead of our mouths to say sharp words.

Virtual Running Date No. 23: Steve cooks

Hello Crushers!

If we were on a virtual running date, I would tell you that I'm so full of potato pancakes that I couldn't possibly eat another. Remember that post where I tried to make them and failed miserably? No? Me either!

Anyway, if we were on a virtual running date, I would tell you that Steve is the potato pancake man of the house! He came up with the recipe himself and it was delicious! My parents invited everyone over for a fish fry to eat up all the fish we caught up north. We tried. Oh how we tried. My parents still have fish in their freezer!

I'm hoping this means there will be another fish fry soon...

Anyway, Steve used his Grandma's secret pancake recipe and added about 4 potatoes (grated), 1 tsp thyme, 1 medium onion (diced), salt and pepper to taste and that's it. Oh, he omitted the sugar from the pancakes. I can't tell you the whole recipe, but I bet if you made some Bisquick batter and added the ingredients I mentioned above, you would come up with something pretty close.

Here are the Steve Cooks photos:

On the griddle

The batter

The first couple of complete pancakes ready to go!

The happy chef!

 Isn't he cute?

Anyway, if we were on a virtual running date, I would tell you that we have a new niece! She is adorable. Our newest family member, Natalie, will get spoiled just like all the other little ones. I can't wait! We have one more little family member to welcome, and that's the nephew we have due in October. One from each side of the family! Does anyone know if Toys R' Us has a rewards program? Just kidding...

Faith-filled Friday: Gathering of the clans

Good morning, Crushers,



Sorry that I've been away for a while, but this week was crazy! Between teaching, regular work and "extracurricular activities", we're swamped. I'm really looking forward to a quiet weekend!

A quiet weekend? Wait. That never happens. Fortunately, this is at least an easier weekend with maybe filming a high school football game, our niece's 4th birthday party, and a trip to the Wisconsin Highland Games.

My maiden name is a very ethnic sounding name that people think is usually Irish, but really it's Scottish. We do have some Irish mixed in there somewhere, but that's not where the name came from. Anyway, my Dad's side of the family REALLY likes being Scottish. As in, my Dad owns a kilt and tried learning the bagpipes once. We almost had a piper play at our wedding. It's the one thing that I'd go back and change.

The Highland Games is a small "gathering of the clans" where people of Scottish and Irish descent get together to play games, dance, enjoy music and food and each others' company. For all the famed ferocity of the Scottish land and the Irish tempers, generally they're a good bunch (although a bit frugal). Whenever I think of "the clans" it always makes me think of the 12 Tribes of Israel in the Old Testament. Each group had their strengths and weaknesses. They probably didn't all get along all the time, but the tribes were rarely mentioned as anything other than the whole group.

"All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them when he blessed them, giving each the blessing appropriate to him.' Genesis 49:28

 I'm sure many families of other ethnic groups have huge gatherings. Hopefully, the all have the joy of food and family as well as prayer and devotion together.

Can't wait for some good family time this weekend!

Virtual Running Date No. 22: She made it!

If we were on a virtual running date today, I would have to brag about 3 ladies today.

First, is my cousin Caitlin. She turned the big 3-0 yesterday. She is just about 5 months older than I am, so I'm always glad when she hits milestones before I do. It's kind of nice to see someone moving intrepidly ahead. Plus, she's throws epic (her words) parties. This year was no exception. However, I couldn't go to her party this year due to babysitting my two-year-old nephew. He's the cutest schedule conflict ever. Since his mommy and daddy went to the Packer Game, we were happy to watch him (and the game). Plus, we taught him a number of football-related things while babysitting. For instance, he can now do the Clay Matthew's move:

Source

Anyway, Happy 30th Birthday Caitlin! I hope you have a spectacular year!

The second lady I'd like to mention in today's virtual running date is my friend Nicole and her brand new daughter, Lilliana. What a doll! As per usual, Steve and I went over and dropped off dinner and had a nice little visit with the new family. Rich, the proud papa, can be heard chatting with Miss Lilliana about hunting and fishing. Nicole just laughs, but knows that this little girl will probably be sporting some pink camo in the not too distant future.

What did we bring them for dinner? BBQ baked chicken, baked mac n' cheese and zucchini tots. It was delicious, but made our house really hot since it's August and I was crazy enough to use the oven! (Recipe at the bottom of this post.)

Last, but certainly not least, a HUGE virtual running date CONGRATULATIONS goes to Hannah for completing her first 5K. She beat her goal time by 2 whole minutes and she ran the whole way! While we were running, I had to laugh when she told me, "I can't believe I'm doing this. If you told me I'd be running a 5K back in January, I would have laughed in your face!" Laugh it up now, sister! You did such a great job!

All smiles before the race.

Bigger smiles after the race!

I hope you all had an equally wonderful weekend! Now, to enjoy some delicious mac n' cheese, here's my favorite baked mac:

The Lady's Cheesy Mac (variation)
Ingredients:
1/2 cup light sour cream
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (plus 1/2 cup for topping)
4 cups cooked elbow noodles (ziti noodles work in a pinch)
4 Tbsp butter cut into pieces
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp garlic salt (optional)
1/4 cup bread crumbs

Gear you'll need: Pot for boiling noodles, small bowl, 13 x 9 pan (or two smaller ones), spoon or whisk

Directions: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Boil the noodles according to the directions on the box (about 8 minutes in a rolling boil). In a separate bowl, mix the sour cream, eggs and milk. When the noodles are done and drained, pour them back into the pot (why get another bowl dirty?) and add the butter. Stir it up so that the noodles don't get stuck to the pot. Add the shredded cheese and stir until it's all melty. Add the egg mixture and stir until everything is well-coated. If you like, add some garlic salt. I know you don't need any more salt in your diet, but it gives it a little zing. You could also use fresh crushed garlic if you have it on hand. I did not. Sigh...

Anyway, pour all those noodles in your greased baking dish and spread it out. Sprinkle a little more cheese and bread crumbs on top. Bake, uncovered, for 30-45 minutes. Serve hot or bundle it up and take it to your friends' house to enjoy! Makes great leftovers.

Disclaimer: I know that Paula Deen, who is "the lady" of this recipe, has made some poor choices recently. However, mac n' cheese is not one of them.