How has your day been and what's for dinner...................

Thanks gals, it was a rough evening, he had several episodes of vomiting. Some ginger ale and small bits of saltine crackers settled his stomach enough for him to fall asleep.

MM, if you do the tea bags you have to soak them to get them soft then squeeze them pretty dry. Also wrap them in a little gauze so if there are stitches they don't get snagged on the tea bag material.

Exactly right.  Tea bags really helped my MIL.   It works on any kind of mouth or gum wound.

Thank you Patrice and Farmfresh.

We have had a beautiful day here today. The sun was shining and the sky so blue you could see forever. Yesterday it rained most of the day and was very overcast. We didn't get a lot done because the temps were down and the ground is too wet to work. I'm hoping to work in the garden at least by Monday. I want to plant my radishes and some lettuces so we don't have to buy them.

We had the usual bacon, eggs, toast and coffee for breakfast and I made a big pot of spaghetti with meat sauce for supper. I have enough left to put a couple of bags in the freezer.

We have had another nice day. DH got two beds ready for planting so I can get them planted tomorrow I hope.

We got some great news last night. Our grandson called us and told us we're going to be great grandparents. This is our first great grandchild and needless to say we are happy, happy, happy.

Today I made a pot of chicken and rice soup from the leftover chicken from lunch yesterday. We ate some of it at lunch and then we had more for supper.

Congratulations Mississippi Momma!!! A great grand baby on the way, oh how exciting for all of you. When is the little bundle of joy due?

I went and purchased a wireless home security system yesterday and have a friend coming out this morning to install the camera. He's got to drill a hole in the wall to run the power cord for the camera and then mount the camera up on the front of the house. The installation instructions advise to mount it high up out of anyone's reach. I'm going to have him place it near the peak of the roof so we get a greater area of coverage. Once that's installed I'll sleep much better.

I made mini meatloaves and mashed potatoes for dinner yesterday. There was enough leftover for lunch or dinner today so I may not have to cook tonight. Of course that all depends on the teenage eating machine that resides here. LOL

I have been wanting some fried chicken wings but haven't been able to find any gluten free ones so I made my own this afternoon. I used white rice flour and tapioca starch with my fried chicken seasoning blend for coating the wings after brining them in seasoned buttermilk. I then fried them in peanut oil until light golden brown and finished them in the oven until completely cooked through. My son loved them too. I can even make them into buffalo wings by giving them a bath in buffalo sauce. Yummy and much better tasting than the Tyson chicken tenders I tried last month, they were okay but I liked the flavor and crispy crust that mine had better.

sounds like you are a fine cook, Patrice...but then Tyson isn't much competition

Thanks Keith

I just miss good tasting crispy crunchy coatings on chicken and pork chops. I have used crushed Chex rice and corn cereal for breading chicken and pork chops but the texture just wasn't right. Hopefully when I make the breaded pork chops again the rice flour dredge will give them a better texture and flavor like I used to get with breadcrumbs.

a trick I learned a few years back was to double dredge the meat. Buttermilk and egg followed by flour, back into the buttermilk and egg and back into the flour...might work with the rice flour too. Also mix in some onion powder and chili or cayenne pepper (powdered) along with salt and black pepper with the rice flour. The last trick I know for a really crispy coating is super hot grease / oil. (but I'm betting you know that one already)

Oh yeah, definitely got to be hot or you just get a greasy end product. I like to season the meat and the flour and also the crumbs if I'm using them.

My chicken seasoning recipe is:
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp ground dried rosemary
1/2 tsp dried sage
1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp chipotle rub
2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp dry mustard powder
1 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp dried thyme

I mix it all up well and add a TBS or 2 to the flour that I'm using to dredge my chicken in.  I also add a TBS of the seasoning blend to the buttermilk along with a few TBS of red pepper hot sauce to brine my chicken in. The brining ensures moist flavorful chicken. This seasoning also makes a yummy roasted or grilled chicken. I store the excess seasoning in a spice jar with the rest of my seasoning.

O.K.  now here it is almost 12:30 a.m. and you folks have made me hungry for fried chicken.  LOL  

I'm going to have to write your chicken seasoning recipe down, Patrice.

Sorry 'bout that MM

MM, now I  know what's on your dinner menu today, glad I could help pick what y'all will be eating. LOL

On a side note, if you like spicier chicken try adding other ground chiles to the recipe. I usually add 1/4-1/2 tsp of several other ground chiles such as those found in the Hispanic section of the grocery store. I like to add some Guajillo, Ancho and Arbol peppers for some bite but due to my ds's recent oral surgery I kept the heat to a minimum.

You can also add fresh chiles to your buttermilk brine to get a good punch of flavor into the meat not just the crust. Another trick I used when I made fried chicken with flour from wheat was to add several TBS of the buttermilk to the seasoned flour to get clumps of breading that would stick to the chicken pieces make them extra crispy.

Now I think I'm going to have to make more wings and perhaps some boneless bite size pieces for Super Bowl Sunday while I watch my PBS shows, The Great British Baking Show and Downton Abbey.

Our day started out dreary and cold but about lunch time the sun starting shining.  It's still cold and a little windy but the sunshine helps.

I've done household chores today.  Hope I get to work on the quilts for son's children tomorrow.  Every time I think I'm going to get a day in for sewing something seems to come up.

We had oatmeal and coffee for breakfast.  Tonight I baked some turkey cutlets, butterbeans, apples stewed with cinnamon, brown sugar and butter.  We had two slices of cornbread leftover from Saturday night that I heated up.

We got our dry beans and peas supply restocked today.  DH and I both like dry vegetables especially during cold weather.

Patrice, I'm going to have to try your recipe for chicken! I had fried chicken at a restaurant on Friday, and it left much to be desired.

MM, congrats on the new grandbaby!

Dizzy that's why I've come up with that recipe. Plus I couldn't find a good tasting gluten free version.

PATRICE IN IL wrote:Dizzy that's why I've come up with that recipe. Plus I couldn't find a good tasting gluten free version.

Patrice I have discovered that if I use corn flour, like they make tortillas out of, in place of regular flour my fried chicken recipes still turn out almost identical to how they were before.  I usually used a seasoned flour anyway, so any corn taste is covered.

FF, I tried the white rice flour mixed with tapioca starch and my seasoning mix and we REALLY liked how it turned out. I think the corn flavor would be a bit too strong compared to what we are used to eating. My son can be a very picky eater at times.

I've used the masa harina to make crepes with to use in place of corn tortillas as my son isn't crazy about the texture of the corn tortillas. He loved the corn crepes with shredded pork taco filling and a bit of cheese. I thought they'd be good in enchiladas.

It's a beautiful day here today.  Sunny and comfortable temps.  I've been doing household chores.  DH is still not feeling well.  

Our youngest daughter, her husband and daughter ate dinner with us last night.  I made a easy strawberry pie, a corn salad, cooked some lima beans (or butter beans as we call it), Italian green beans,  cheesy chicken, and rice.  
There's plenty of leftovers for tonight if we decide to eat that.  I didn't have room in the baking dish for a couple of thighs so I boiled them and am thinking I will make a chicken salad with them for tonight.  We will have that and some sweet potato fries.  

As you all have probably figured out we eat a lot of chicken in our house.  Not as inexpensive as it used to be but still about the least expensive meat to eat.

We also eat a lot of chicken too, MM. I've been fortunate to find some good deals on beef and pork on clearance so I put a bunch into the freezer. I've found that the hams at Aldi are actually cheaper per pound than white meat chicken has been lately.

I'm glad you have been able to have dinner with your family. It's nice to spend time with your children and grandchildren.

We eat a lot of pork and chicken as well. Beef is just too expensive.

I'm waiting for the results from my blood work but added iron and B complex to my daily meds to see if my exhaustion improves.

I made a one pot cheesy chicken broccoli rice casserole for dinner. It turned out EXACTLY like I remember the boil in bag Green Giant version tasting.

I sauteed diced raw chicken in 2tablespoons of olive oil, I seasoned the chicken with Lawry's brand season salt, garlic powder and paprika. Cook just until no longer pink then transfer just the chicken to a bowl. In the remaining oil add 1 cup of long grain white rice and stir to coat each grain of rice.  Add 8 ounces of frozen chopped broccoli and 2 cups of water. Season with a little salt then cover and cook 20 minutes or until the rice is tender. Next over medium low heat, stir in about a half cup of milk and 2 ounces of softened cream cheese to the rice and broccoli. Stir to melt the cream cheese then add 1 cup of Kraft Triple Cheddar Blend finely shredded cheese and about 2-3 cups of milk. You want a creamy sauce so don't add too much milk, you can always add more if it's too dry. Stir to combine and melt the cheeses then add in the cooked chicken. Season with a bit more salt, if needed and some ground black pepper, simmer just until everything is warm and well combined. I think I started with about 1 1/2 cups of diced chicken breast but you can use either dark or white meat for this recipe.

It makes a tasty and fairly inexpensive meal to feed at least 4 hearty appetites.

Patrice, you made me hungrier. LOL I was already hungry. I make a dish similar to this without the cream cheese. I boil the chicken, then add cooked broccoli, cheese, cream of chicken soup, cooked rice, chicken broth and milk then bake it for 30 minutes. Needless to say it's not a one pot meal. My sister used to make this dish for get togethers and everybody loved it. Her daughter found the recipe and shared it with all of us. Sometimes I make it without the chicken for a side dish.

I had a ham and cheese sandwich for breakfast. Don't know what we'll have for supper. I'm thinking maybe mac and cheese, English peas and green salad. Whatever it's going to be needs to quick and easy because I'm ready to eat now. HA!

It's been pretty cold down here today so we haven't done much outside. DH had a doctor's appointment in Meridian this morning and had to get the car checked out because the right brake was rubbing. Fortunately, we have a SIL who has a shop in Meridian and he checked it out for us. There was bolt loose next to the wheel.

That has been our day. Nothing much going on but that is a good thing.

MM your casserole sounds yummy too! Unfortunately I'm having a hard time finding gluten free condensed soup.

Lucky for you that your SIL could fix your brake issue and that it was a simple fix.