The Contents Of This Blog Are Copyrighted

Monday, February 4, 2013

Happy Birthday Tommy!

 
 
Today is my brother Tommy's Birthday. He lives on the other side of Houston close to Galveston so I don't get to see him like I would love too.
 
Tommy is a lot younger than me but out of all my brothers I have to say he and I are more a like than the others. He is a sweetheart and I hope he is having a very special day.
 
Tommy loved to ride horses and would ride with us on trail rides.  He not only loved horses he liked riding in rodeos. In his younger days he stressed me out by riding Bulls. I always feared for his life and with good reason. On one ride he was thrown off and landed on his neck. Not knowing that his neck was broken his friends picked him up and took him to the emergency room where we found out he had a broken neck. For months he laid up in one of those huge contraptions where he could not move for over 8 weeks. 
 
Praise God he was healed completely and now celebrating another Birthday. Happy Birthday Dear Tommy!
 
Last Friday I fell on my stairway inside this ole farm house. Thank goodness I did not roll down the stairs because I did enough damage just falling. I am pretty sure I did not break anything but since the fall I have not felt good.  Lot's of headaches and the pain in my back and shoulder are bad but this too shall pass in a day or two. Just wish I could stay on my feet better.
 
Tonight I wanted something different for dinner so I decided to fix the can of Salmon I had in the cabinet. I love salmon croquet's so could not wait to chow down on them. Well I am mixing the croquet's up and I can't figure out why their so mushy.
 
I dip them in flour still wondering why their not right. Well I start laying them in the hot grease to fry and that's when I realize what I had forgotten.  I forgot to crumble up crackers for the recipe. OH Man I was sick that I forgot the main ingredient.  lol
 
Sometimes I wonder seriously about myself and why I do what I do. Needless to say they weren't very good.
 
I did try this delicious dish the other day and managed to not goof it up. Thought you might want to try it for a different way to fix chicken breast.  I found it a while back and just now remembered I had it.
 
 
 

Double Crunch Honey Garlic Chicken Breasts

 
4  large boneless chicken breasts
 
Place the chicken breasts between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and using a meat mallet, pound the meat to an even 1/2 inch thickness. Alternatively, you can slice the breasts by placing them flat on a cutting board and using a very sharp knife to slice them into halves horizontally.

Sift together:


2 cup flour
4 tsp salt
4 tsp black pepper
3 tbsp ground ginger
2 tbsp ground nutmeg
2 tsp ground thyme
2 tsp ground sage
2 tbsp paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper 



NOTE: This flour and spice dredge mix is sufficient for two batches of this chicken recipe. You can store the leftover mix in a Ziploc bag in the freezer for the next time you make this recipe...and there will be a next time.

Make an egg wash by whisking together:

4 eggs
8 tbsp water

Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper, then dip the meat in the flour and spice mixture. Dip the breast into the egg wash and then a final time into the flour and spice mix, pressing the mix into the meat to get good contact. 
Heat a skillet on the stove with about a half inch of canola oil covering the bottom. You will want to carefully regulate the temperature here so that the chicken does not brown too quickly. The thinness of the breast meat practically guarantees that it will be fully cooked by the time the outside is browned. I find just below medium heat works well. I use a burner setting of about 4 1/2 out of 10 on the dial and fry them gently for about 4 or 5 minutes per side until golden brown and crispy.

Drain on a wire rack for a couple of minutes before dipping the cooked breasts into the Honey Garlic Sauce. Serve with noodles or rice.


Honey Garlic Sauce

In a medium saucepan add

2 tbsp olive oil
3 – 4 cloves minced garlic

Cook over medium heat to soften the garlic but do not let it brown. Add:

1 cup honey
¼ cup soy sauce
1 tsp ground black pepper

Simmer together for 5-10 minutes, remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes. Watch this carefully as it simmers because it can foam up over the pot very easily.
 
 
Hope all of you are well and staying warm. We are still having some pretty warms days. Thank goodness for that because I checked emails yesterday and my utility bill was way over four hundred dollars. I of course nearly freaked out.  It's been a while since my electric bill has been this high so something is not right. Tomorrow I will call them and see if they can send a guy out here to check things for me.
 
When I first moved out here my bills were this high so my landlady insulated the house. I think the windows and doors let in too much cold air but have had no luck convincing them to fix this problem.
 
Before I close tonight I wanted to thank you for all your lovely comments about me making the move to Georgetown. I have read and reread your thoughts and I do appreciate each and every one.  Since they have offered me a trail period there I will give it a try. Not sure if I can do it but won't know unless I try it.
 
Do take care of you and know I think of you often and hope to visit your sites soon.
 
Sweet Dreams
Maggie
 
 
 

21 comments:

Julia said...

Happy Birthday to Tommy.
Too funny about the salmon croquettes.
I haven't made croquettes but I've has some disasters making cookies without the eggs,they were awful crummy... and not so long ago I forgot to put the yeast solution in the bread. I couldn't figure why it didn't feel quite like it should and I have made hundreds of batches of bread in my life time.
I added the yeast and it did rise but it was not quite like the bread I used to make. It was eatable, that all.. lol...

Wishing you a great week,
Love, JB

Julia said...

I've got to try that Chicken recipe.
THanks for sharing.
JB

acorn hollow said...

Happy birthday to Tommy.
maybe you should get checked out if you don't start to feel better.
good luck with your trial run in town it would be great for to be closer to your kids.
Cathy

Buttercup said...

Best wishes to Tommy! That chicken looks delicious. I think that might be yummy for next weekend.
Take good care of yourself. Hope you are feeling a-okay and out of pain. Hugs and good wishes!

yaya said...

Happy Birthday to your brother! I'm glad you're going to try out the move. I think you would always wonder about the job. The chicken sure looks good! Thanks for the recipe! Have a good week and be careful...stairs and ladders are evil! Actually I always thought it was just ladders that were evil, but I'm rethinking my list!

A Tale of Two Cities said...

I'm sure it was a tough decision, but I'm glad you're venturing out to new horizons to give it a try. Good for you!

Jennifer Richardson said...

wishing Tommy lots of happy adventure ahead (sans bullrides)
and sweetness in the times you
do get to share.
And healing hugs to you
after your tumble...may you mend
quickly!
a little giggle over your
gluten free salmon croquettes
and a yummy thanks for that
chicken recipe.
peace as you pack and prepare to move,
Jennifer

gpc said...

I hope you feel better soon. It is amazing how even small tumbles can knock me off base for a long time. Happy birthday to your brother -- brothers are good to have! :) And your chicken looks delicious!

Arkansas Patti said...

Happy Birthday Tommy. Glad he has given up his bull riding and has recovered though that was a rough spell he went through.You can relate.
Now to fuss at you. Please get a check up after that fall sooner than later. You sure don't want to undo any progress you have made.
Glad you are going to try the trial period move. Nothing to lose there and it may be so much better. At least no tractoring on the back forty and being close to family has great perks.
Feel better soon Maggie.

Pat said...

Happy Birthday Brother Tommy...

Please take care of yourself after that fall. I have problems with my neck due to a fall down the stairs that happened years ago.

So glad you're going to give the new place a try. Being closer to your children is certainly a plus.

Olga said...

Best wishes to your baby brother on his birthday!
Mistakes in the kitchen...let's not go there. But the chicken looks scrumptious. Thanks for the recipe.
Take care. It would not hurt to see the doctor especially with the headaches. (But I do hope they are gone by now.)

Debby said...

Happy Birthday to Tommy.
So sorry about your fall. If you bumped your head please see your doctor. Don't be like me and wait. If not, don't wait much longer before going in to see your doctor.
So glad that you are going to try the move. It's good that you have the chance for a trial I'd like to see you closer to your kids.
We all goof up in the kitchen.
Now you feel better, you hear.
XO

~Anchored In Christ~ said...

Hope Tommy had a great birthday. It's always nice to have a close bond with a sibling. I have one bro and I feel we are close. I say this b/c he's wanted to beat a guys butt before b/c of how he treated me. Only my bro can pick on me and mess with me no one else ever. or Else.

Rocky Mountain Woman said...

That chicken recipe looks wonderful! I know what you mean about wondering why I do what I do...

Happy birthday to Tommy...

GerryART said...

Oh, Maggie, let's not make falling down a habit.
Hope your residual effects easy up, real soon.

The utilities are what's killing all our budgets, I'm sure. Especially when one's income is fixed.

Your trial move will be interesting, I'm certain. Am keeping Positive Thoughts for ya.

Yesterday I heard to fix fried chicken that to fry it in bacon drippings is heavenly. Can you imagine some of these wonderful hickory bacons used as "oil" which means GREASE. May not be healthy, but tastes sooooo gooood.

hugs

Sonny G said...

so sorry to be late seeing this..

Happy Birthday Tommy, you handsome thang~!! have a great year and many many more.

Anonymous said...

Hi there, I do believe your website may be having web browser compatibility problems.
Whenever I take a look at your site in Safari, it looks fine however when opening in
Internet Explorer, it has some overlapping issues.
I merely wanted to provide you with a quick heads up!

Besides that, great website!
my website: accent Tables With drawers

Forty Pound Sack said...

Dang, I wish I had read this before we went to the market today - those chicken breasts look AMAZING.
Hope Tommy had a great birthday, and Maggie, now I know you said you'll be fine but honey, if you aren't better by now, please see a doctor. You never know what might have happened in that fall ~

Sally Wessely said...

Happy birthday to your brother are being sent for me. His story is amazing.

I am worried about you. You need to be checked out by a doctor. Those falls down stairs are nothing to take lightly. Please get checked. I had a significant head injury last year from just such a fall.

I am so behind on reading blogs. I will read about your move. I must get caught up on your news.

Libbie said...

Hmmmm....might have to try that recipe! I am always looking for ways to make chicken!

Oh no! Fell down the stairs! well if that back is bugging you you could say it was from bull riding...just like your bro...I can't believe he did that!! Kelly tried it once or twice on his farm (grew up on a dairy farm) Crazy boys! I bet Kel & Tommy would have fun talking about that ! :)

It feels so good to visit your blog it has been too long! Hopefully I'll be on a little more often ...i missed ya!
Love ya always Maggie!

Susan Anderson said...

Happy birthday to your little bro.

And I cringed when I heard that you took a fall. Hope the soreness recedes soon.

Recipe looks yummy!

=)