Despite my love of making banners and submitting them, i don't click on many of the other banners. every now and again i will follow one and see what there is to see, though, and today i found thiserator. it cracked me right the hell up! i was so overwhelmed that, in response, i made a banner and sent it to him because the one he had even said he "sucked at art" so i thought maybe a "travellator" banner would tickle him.

so, today is St. Patrick's day . . . i raise a green beer and toast to you! (actually it is a Mt. Dew and it's not diet and i don't care. it was a gift! anyways, it's green, too.)

a quick note on image hosting - i just found out that our DSL blows and doesn't have any. i have to say, i'm now with Angel on the Comcast Cable vs. DSL debate. at least with Comcast, i'd have had backup image hosting. SBC DSL blows monkeys.

on the home front, things are slow and lazy today, as well they should be, considering all the work that went into yesterday! i cleaned the kitchen and spot cleaned the apartment then baked the oatmeal bars that came out more like a marginally dry cake (YUM!), the dark bread which we ate most of, and the gingerbread muffins that i threw together in a bowl too soon and they got all stuck together so i need to eat all these and make more for other people to see . . . yeah! after that, Rachel and i made spiced chicken with sauce. the recipe is super-simple and seriously versatile. the basics are:

1. Ingredients
   
   
   
   • boneless/skinless chicken breasts (or whatever type of meat)
     
   • butter + oil
     
   • seasoned breading made from equal parts flour and potato flakes with Paprika, pepper, and parsley (+ whatever you want to add to it.)
     
   
   
2. Directions
   
   
   
   • pound on the chicken with a meat mallet until it is a uniform thickness. i suggest using a bit of plastic wrap around your chicken and a cutting board with a dry washrag under it. this cuts down on the mess and noise.
     
   • mix the breading and add whatever spices you like to it. the only caution is salt - cooking with salt is tricky, use a little if you like, but too much will make your meat tough. it is best added as late as possible. like, say, on the table.
     
   • drag the chicken through the breading but don't pick up too much. you should still see some meat - this is NOT chicken fried whatever.
     
   • put it in a skillet on medium where the melted butter and oil is warm and ready. i love using wok oil as it has been infused with spices and herbs already and adds a little "layer" to your food that would be missing from someone else's. clarified butter is excellent for pan cooking and has fewer milk fats, too. i sometimes throw in some minced garlic and/or onion in this step.
     
   • be patient - don't flip the chicken until the white has crept up the sides all the way to the top. then, when you do turn it, it should be nicely browned and done on the other side.
     
   • throw the remaining breading in the pan after you are done cooking all the chicken. if there is not enough make more. an easy rule of thumb is that you want about one � two tablespoons of breading for every piece of chicken. you need just enough oil in the pan to make the breading "wet" and bubbly. this is called a roux (pronounced "roo" as in "kangaroo"). stir it constantly until it is completely mixed and as dark as you want it.
     
   • add your liquid slowing while stirring quickly. A whisk is good for this part. you can make it creamy with milk or sour cream or thinner with water or stock. beer is a fun addition as is a nice wine. hell, depending on your spices, you can add some sweet-n-sour and tequila! the alcohol will cook out and leave only the flavor so you can still feed it to the kids. you can add some salt now but again, exercise caution. it's so easy to add too much. smokers won't taste it but non-smokers can be overwhelmed. i'd say from experience, no more than 1/2 of a teaspoon. Basically, nowadays, put your salt on the table. so many people have differing health concerns.
     
   
   

i used black and cayenne peppers, garlic and a dash of poultry seasoning with the basics. the sauce was 1/2 cup milk and 1 1/2 cups water and i added a little garlic salt. it was heaven! we also had a great salad that Rachel brought - spinach with shredded carrot, walnut, gorgonzola crumbles and the preferred dressing. she brought a raspberry vinaigrette but i chose Caesar after trying the raspberry. i have just never liked vinaigrette dressing.

after dinner we talked, caught up and she imparted a few learnings from culinary arts school that put things in perspective for me and showed me that in the kitchen, i was basically a kid playing with firecrackers compared to a real chef. on the other hand, most people are still playing with matches . . . some small consolation.

oohhh! speaking of matches! i built a lovely fire today and the cats and i sat there near it, all warm and happy for a while . . . they are still over there, keeping warm. San, the black cat, it super-skinny and she gets cold easily so usually we find her snuggled down IN things. she especially loves blanket caves making my bed a haven for kitty nap times. her other favorite place to nap is on The Ronica's top bunk. she has a million stuffed animals all jumbled up there so San will get all snuggled down in there and crash, warm and happy. Eboshi prefers the basket on my desk but she is also too active to stay anywhere long. it seems that she must keep up with her half-hourly patrol of the apartment or the killer ninja bunnies my attack and steal all her food and litter. they may even get . . . *gasp! sob!* her toys! but then, who would really want and empty shoebox lid and some milk lid tabs?

damn, the fire is dying out. i guess i'll go play with it some more. have a great day, peoples!

1 people actually had a great day

confessed on Thursday, Mar. 17, 2005