PIGEON RIVER CHICKEN ~ BLOG 365.222

This is a modified southern (North Carolina) recipe for fried chicken. The original recipe called for bone-in chicken, but I converted it to boneless. It’s still great warm OR cold, but you might want a knife and fork.

PIGEON RIVER CHICKEN
2 cups plain yogurt
2-3 tablespoons Frank’s original hot sauce
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper
1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts or chicken tenders

  • In a large ziploc bag combine the yogurt and hot sauce.
  • Generously season the chicken pieces on both sides.
  • Add chicken pieces to the yogurt mixture, turning to coat all the pieces.
  • Marinate for at least 8 hours, but overnight is best.

COATING
2 cups flour
4 tablespoons QUALITY paprika
3-4 teaspoons cayenne pepper
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper
Oil for frying

  • Drain chicken and discard marinade.
  • Whisk together the flour, paprika, cayenne, FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper.
  • Dredge chicken pieces, tossing to coat extremely well, shaking off excess.
  • Lay pieces on a baking tray and let stand 20 minutes.
  • In a deep skillet heat 1/2 inch of oil over medium heat.
  • Fry chicken pieces 5-6 minutes per side until golden brown and cooked through.
  • Serve warm or cold, with or without your favorite sauce or gravy!

CRUNCHY FRUIT CRISP ~ BLOG 365.220

This is one of those go to granny recipes that every southern lady has made for eons. Always reliable and works with any fruit or fruit combination.

CRUNCHY FRUIT CRISP
2 cups Bisquick baking mix
2/3 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon QUALITY cinnamon
1 JUMBO egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup butter, melted
2 cups chopped or sliced FRESH fruit

  • Preheat oven to 400°.
  • Grease 9 inch baking dish.
  • Whisk together the bisquick baking mix, sugar and cinnamon.
  • Add melted butter and egg, stirring JUST until incorporated.
  • Spread two-thirds of dough into baking dish.
  • Arrange fruit pieces over dough.

1/3 cup PACKED brown sugar

  • Add brown sugar to remaining dough until crumbly.
  • Crumble Over fruit.
  • Bake 30 minutes or until fruit is tender and top is crispy and golden.

HAPPY HOMEMAKER MONDAY with MENUS & RECIPE LINKS week 32 of 2023 ~ BLOG 365.219

GOOD MORNING dear friends.This will be quick this morning 😀

Be sure to join us for Happy Homemaker Monday and link up with our host, Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

Today is supposed to be triple digits and I’ll be working indoors doing dirty work so I have on paint clothes and old POPs. Fortunately, the triple digits for us are supposed to be short lived. It really hasn’t been too bad here so I won’t complain.

Early morning meeting regarding the water main break so just some coffee.

THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS & APPOINTMENTS
  • LAUNDRY & CLEANING / GROCERIES & ERRANDS / PAPERWORK, PHONE CALLS, PROJECTS & TRAVELS / RECIPE RESEARCH & MENU PLANNING I had cleared the week for all the work at the Eagles, but we may be at a standstill after today’s meeting so my girlfriend and I will be doing just a couple inventory items and a paint project and then will be making an unplanned trip out of town for some shopping.

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV
  • We watched a few movies this past week that were all pretty good – Hidden Strike, Thunder Force, NON-Stop, and a kind of weird one, but interesting concept called Paradise.

That said, who has had time or energy to read?
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
BREAKFAST
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
LUNCH
SALAMI & CHEESE
GRILLED CHICKEN
SOUP & SANDWICHES
MAC & CHEESE
SALAD & FRUIT
PASTRAMI SANDWICHES
APPETIZER PLATES
DINNER
PANSEARED PORK CHOPS with PARMESAN BUTTER 
CROSS CHICKEN with MUSHROOM GRAVY
CHICKEN GUMBO and SALAD
YOYO or CORN You’re on YOUR own
KICKING MEATLOAF with PARMESAN POTATOES
BUNLESS BURGERS CRY BABY BURGERS
SEAFOOD SALAD with PARMESAN CRUSTED ROLLS
DESSERT
RUM RAISIN NOODLE BAKE
 SNICKER DOODLES

I can’t say these were favorites, but they were some of the only ones I took this week. They were all for insurance reasons. All the work we’ve been doing for the Eagles was almost for naught. Friday night there was a water main break in front of the building that came close to flooding the building. Instead it flooded the crawl space UNDER the building.

On Saturday morning we found that evidently when they turned the water back on late Friday night there was mud in the line and it clogged the new ice machine filter which blew out the line spewing water EVERYWHERE for hours. Once again we were lucky that it spewed towards a basically unfinished area of the storeroom draining into the crawl space.

Then on Sunday morning, it was the water line in the kitchen that blew. Turns out this old building had no water turn off to the building and the fire department had to come to our rescue turning off all the water. This morning we will be installing a new and separate internal water turn off in the kitchen area so that the fire department can come back and turn our water to the building back on.

While were going to be doing some upgrades with new cabinets and such, we now have a HUGE mess on our hands. The city and insurance are about to be involved and things just got crazy.

The building is over a hundred years old and had its issues, but the drawbacks are becoming more and more noticeable.

CARNITAS in HOT PINEAPPLE SAUCE BLOG 365.216

CARNITAS in HOT PINEAPPLE SAUCE

3 cups FRESH FINELY chopped pineapple (or 2 LARGE cans crushed pineapple)
2/3 cup Frank’s Original Hot Sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon Pampered Chef South West seasoning
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper, to taste
3 pound pork shoulder cut into large chunks
1 LARGE Vidalia onion, cut into wedges
2 jalapeños, stem, ribs and seeds removed and then diced
3-4 garlic cloves, FINELY minced
Tortillas
Garnishes: chopped onion, FRESH chopped cilantro, Lime wedges and cheese if desired

  • Spray the crock with non-stick spray.
  • Combine the granulated sugar, southwest seasoning, FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper.
  • Coat pork pieces with seasoning.
  • Arrange pork pieces along bottom of crock.
  • Combine pineapple pieces, brown sugar and hot sauce until well mixed.
  • Pour hot sauce mixture over pork pieces.
  • Cook on low 6-8 hours until meat is tender.
  • Stir combine.
  • Serve with tortillas and garnishes.

STRAWBERRY CHICKEN SALAD ~ BLOG 365.213

This recipe has 2 choices for dressing depending on your mood 😀 One is creamy and the other more citrusy and tart.

STRAWBERRY CHICKEN SALAD
SALAD
2-3 cups rotisserie chicken pieces**
2 cups torn Napa cabbage
2-3 cups torn romaine lettuce
2 cups chopped and sliced strawberries
1 LARGE orange, peeled and chopped large
1 LARGE bunch green onions, sliced
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper, to taste

  • Place lettuce on a platter and top with the chicken pieces, strawberries, onions and orange pieces OR toss all together based on your preference.

YOGURT DRESSING
1/3 cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoons Duke’s mayonnaise
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon QUALITY honey
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper

  • Whisk together the yogurt, mayonnaise, vinegar, honey, FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper.
  • Drizzle dressing over salad and serve immediately.

VINAIGRETTE DRESSING
1 tablespoon unseasoned rice wine vinegar
1/2 – 3/4 cup avocado oil
3 tablespoons FRESH lemon juice (2 medium lemons)
3 tablespoons FRESH orange juice (1 LARGE orange, mandarin orange juice from above or a combination of both)
1 tablespoon QUALITY honey
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper, to taste
1 clove garlic, FINELY minced

  • Whisk together all ingredients until well-combined and emulsified.
  • Store in the refrigerator no longer than 3 days since it contains fresh garlic.

NOTES: During the summer it’s tasty to change up the rotisserie chicken pieces for grilled chicken breast pieces.

HAPPY HOMEMAKER & MENUS week 31 of 2023 ~ BLOG 365.212

Be sure to join us for Happy Homemaker Monday and link up with our host, Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

We don’t have any fires in our area (yet and pray we don’t), but the way the wind has been blowing off the coast the ones around us (there are 2 – one southwest and one southeast, but both 100 miles away) feel and smell like they are in our backyard.

All in all our weather hasn’t been bad this summer with the exception of a couple days in the 90’s with HIGH humidity. Today is supposed to be in the high 80’s. So far our mornings have been absolutely gorgeous because our evenings are still getting a cool coastal breeze and cooling off quite well overnight. I’ll be working at the eagles today so have on my “paint” clothes and an old pair of POPs.

The Fraternal Order of Eagles, a 125 year old international non-profit organization, unites fraternally in the spirit of liberty, truth, justice, and equality, to make human life more desirable by lessening its ills, and by promoting peace, prosperity, gladness and hope or more simply put has a motto of People Helping People.

That said, as with all things made of human components, there are dissenters and critics. While we aren’t supposed to speak ill of one another, I will voice my opinion in generalities and not use specific names.

Hubby and I along with a VERY SMALL (6? people) handful of others have been working EXTREMELY hard for weeks now to overhaul our AERIE nest which is a building that is over 100 years old and shows its age in many, MANY places.

Obviously this work is NOT happening overnight and the work is being done when we are closed for business which can be limiting with people’s schedules. We have bands every Saturday night and are open to public guests.

There have been several critics who have voiced a few opinions, but on this past Saturday one particular woman who spends the majority of her time doing nothing BUT complaining about EVERYTHING was found to be moving things like chairs and decorations as well as removing things to her liking which prompted me to make this sign to post. 🙁

Breakfast is still not my favorite meal so some yogurt and kiwi lime strawberry Celcius water is all I’m having.

THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS & APPOINTMENTS
  • LAUNDRY & CLEANING mostly up to date.
  • GROCERIES & ERRANDS I am taking some time this week to get a pedicure, do some shopping and take some time for myself. I also need to take hubby to an eye doctor appointment because he won’t be able to drive afterwards. I have to pick up some trophies that we were having repaired for the Lodge as well as ingredients for the Tuesday special meal.
  • PAPERWORK, PHONE CALLS, PROJECTS & TRAVELS I’m waiting for some calls back regarding a few things that need to get handled.
  • RECIPE RESEARCH & MENU PLANNING My menu is made through August, but as always at this time of year is subject to change based on farmer’s market available produce.

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV
  • NETFLIX We watched a movie that was fun (though I could have lived without the subtitles), HIDDEN STRIKE with John Cenna and Jackie Chan and one in particular that was quite good and a bit surprising as the star was Allison Janney who I’d only ever seen in the comedy, MOM, but this was a serious drama. The hidden gem was Tom Hanks as A MAN CALLED OTTO.

MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
 SATURDAY
SUNDAY
BREAKFAST
YOGURT & COFFEE
YOGURT & COFFEE
YOGURT & COFFEE
YOGURT & COFFEE
YOGURT & COFFEE
 OUT
 OUT
LUNCH
SAMMIE WRAPS
GRILLED CHICKEN
SOUP & SANDWICHES
MAC & CHEESE
SALAD & FRUIT
PASTRAMI SANDWICHES
APPETIZER PLATES
DINNER
PIGEON RIVER CHICKEN & POTATO SALAD
GASPACHO & CORN BREAD
CARNITAS with PINEAPPLE SAUCE & BUTTER ROASTED POTATOES
YOYO or CORN You’re on YOUR own or Clean Out the Refrigerator
TEXAS RANCH CHICKEN & COPPER PENNIES
SALISBURY STEAKS & SALAD
SALAD with AVOCADO LIME DRESSING & BUTTER SWIM BISCUITS
DESSERT
 
COOKIES OF SOME SORT
 

Once again I have failed to take any pictures this week. I’m only working 2 days this week and will take some time for myself AND take some pictures!