Tips from my kitchen 2

I've been entertaining for the past few nights, and I thought I'd share two of my menus for those who are wondering what to make for supper this week. The first is from a girl's night I hosted Friday, and it turned out really well (see the above pic).

Rosemary-Garlic Baked chicken (I used thighs, because they were on sale, and they are more flavorful)
Rice cooked with Bulgar wheat (seasoned w/a bit of salt and margarine)
Sauteed veggies (carrots, summer squash and fresh green beans)
A wonderful spinach salad made by one of my lovely friends + a lemon pepper vinaigrette I made up
Lemon bundt cake w/lemon icing.

We drank some yummy Riesling with the meal, and it really complimented the citrusy sort of theme we had going. The meal was light enough not to dull your senses afterwards, but of course very filling. It looked great on the plate, a nice balance of colors. The sauteed veggies were particularly pretty.

Tonight I had friends over, and I'm so proud of the deal I found, it's not even funny. After church, I had a million things going on...I'd actually forgotten about the dinner until a friend reminded me. Anyway, I went to Wal Mart near my church, seeking inspiration for the supper. That's when I found chicken quarters on sale for .74 cents a pound!!! I was able to get a family pack for $3.03!! I opted to do another baked chicken meal. Growing up, baked chicken was always so boring, so now I'm trying to make it exciting and do variations on it. Depending on how you make it, it's so much healthier than frying it.

Anyway, tonight's menu was:

Baked orange chicken (oranges were on sale)
Steamed fresh broccoli
Crescent rolls (on sale as well)
homemade brownies

Everything turned out well. I think the orange chicken is my new favorite baked chicken recipe. Here is is:

3/4 cups fresh squeezed orange juice (about the juice of 5 small oranges)
1/4 cup molasses (I used full flavored, but mild works just as well...or use 1/4 cup dark brown sugar for a sweeter flavor)
2 heaping tsp. cornstarch
a pinch or two of salt to taste
1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper
1 Tbs of sugar (if you just used molasses)
The zest of one orange

Whisk ingredients together in small bowl, then pour into a small sauce pan. Cook over medium heat until it begins to thicken. If you're making Chinese style orange chicken, this sauce should be poured over the fried chicken pieces. If you're making baked orange chicken, you should baked the chicken until it's done, then pour/brush the sauce over it and bake another 5-7 minutes at 375.

I love bargain shopping, and feeding my friends without breaking the bank. It pays to pay attention to sales ads and make notes of things when you're in the store. Also, try looking online for printable coupons for sales items that are being advertised in the weekly ad, you can save a ton! A lot of times, you can get away with using coupons (sometimes multiple coupons) on things that are already on sale.

Random thought

I am always surprised at how people perceive me. I realize everyone makes an impact/impression on the world in some shape, form or fashion, but I guess I minimize my own. With some regularity, I get asked, "How many children do you have?" Not, "Do you have kids?", though that does pop up every once in a while, and not "Are you married?", although in today's society...marriage seems to mean nothing anyway- especially with regards to having children or not. I hope this isn't a comment on the stereotype of young women (especially minority women) in America today. That's pretty depressing to think that when people see a minority female who's in her mid 20s, they automatically assume she has multiple children...likely by multiple baby-daddies and all on welfare. I seriously doubt most people ask that particular question for that reason.

I really hope the question doesn't pop up because of my physical appearance. Please don't tell me I LOOK like I've had a ton of babies! That's actually more depressing than the previous reason. Though I will admit, I've been known to eat enough for two. :-)

Occasionally I do actually ask why people think I have children, and they'll comment on some competency I've exhibited (also makes me wonder just exactly how incompetent are my fellow 20somethings?). Sunday afternoon, I was making strawberry milk for the kids at the shelter among 10 million other things that were occurring simultaneously, and one of the women that was helping me in the kitchen asked me about my kids. When I told her I wasn't married, had no babies, and no prospects (much to my annoyance), her mouth popped open and she said, "Really?!" as if, surely, I was lying. I then asked, "Why did you think I had kids?" She said, "Well I figured that was the case since you're so good at doing a million things at once." I've heard that answer before, though I don't totally agree with it. Women just seem to be naturally better at multi-tasking, babies or none. I don't know that I'm any better at it than anyone else. Other answers I've gotten are, "With your personality, it just seems like you'd have a few kids," (Not sure I totally get that...having a certain personality = having babies?), or "The way you are with kids made me think you were a mom, yourself."

I think the most popular reason people assume I have children is because I spend so much time with kids. It seems to be a foreign concept to have a single person that WANTS to spend at least a little bit of time with children on a daily basis. How could you not want to hang out with a passel of babies?! Kids are the coolest people on the planet, and they're small enough to fit inside stuff. Drop some change between your seat and the middle console in your car? Grab a kid, and have their tiny little hands fish it out for you! Can't reach something on that top shelf? Hoist a kid up on your shoulders, and BAM! those cookies you had hidden in the back of the pantry are now yours to devour secretly (though you'll have to give the child one to keep them quiet).

Anywho, those were just some of my thoughts as I was running errands today. :-) Happy Monday!

Fathers be good to your daughters

When I was much younger...probably 5 or so, I left "love notes" in my daddy's lunch bucket. I'd wake up every morning, and write something like "Have a good day!", "I love you!" or draw a smiley face on small slips of paper. I'd sneak into the kitchen, and stick them in with his lunch before anyone could see me. I think I only did that a couple of years, but I used to love picturing him opening it and smiling. He really didn't ever say anything about it at home, but I knew he liked it. A couple of times my mom found them in his overalls when she did laundry.

Probably until I was around 8, a few times a week right before bedtime, my dad and I would get into my parent's bed, and call my grandfather (dad's dad). We'd take turns talking to him, and when the call was over, we'd talk about our days for a bit. Afterwards, I'd crawl out of their bed and go to my own room where my mother would be waiting to read me a bedtime story. I used to look forward to talking to my Papaw, and daddy before bed. It was our thing.

Sometimes in the evenings, my dad and I would sit and watch TV together. He'd sit on the floor at my feet and hand me a brush, to have me brush his scalp. You see, my father is completely bald...only about 8 hairs on his head...maybe. I've never seen him with hair (other than the afore mentioned 8). He's got a very shiny head...looks like a Milk Dud. :-) Anyway, he said he loved it when I brushed his scalp, and honestly, so did I.

May 2005, I'd finished my first year at Baylor, and my parents had come up to help me move out of the dorm and back home for the summer. They had a UHaul trailer hitched to their truck, and we'd just finished putting everything in. We'd been on the road about an hour or so and my mom was talking to me about something, when from the back I heard a very quiet, "She drives like me" from my dad. It was an unexpectedly, intensely sweet moment. I'm sure he doesn't know I heard him, and I don't think he wanted me to. I looked in the rear view mirror and caught him looking at me, and smiling to himself.

Zooming into the more recent past, a couple of weeks ago when my father was in the hospital, I went back to East TX to be with him. I was there 5 nights, and I spent 4 of those nights in the hospital in a chair right next to his bed (I made my mom sleep on the fold out bed across the room). At night he didn't sleep very well, so neither did I. If he moved even a little bit, I'd wake up. I imagine that's what it's like when you have a newborn.

Don't get me wrong, my father and I had a horrible relationship for the longest time during my pre-teen/teen years, but things have gotten better. As it turns out, we both secretly loved each other very much, but the only one who knew it was my mom. Every once in a while she tells me of comments he made about me when I was younger...things he did for me, sacrifices he's made even now...for his "little dumpling". He's absolutely adored me all my life, and I never would have really known if not for my mom telling me.

This brings me to my point...Fathers: TELL your children (especially your daughters) how much you love them, and back it up with your actions. Be intentional about creating special moments with them, so that they'll have those fond memories to reflect on when they get older. Mothers: Encourage your husbands to be great fathers. Help him understand how important the father-daughter relationship is, and how essential it is that his children see AND hear how much he loves them.

Helpful tips from my kitchen

For those who were wondering, 1/4 cup of applesauce or half a banana can substitute for 1 egg in a baking recipe. 2 tbs of cornstarch will also do the trick. The awesome thing about this is that these substitutions are cheaper than a dozen eggs and are lower in cholesterol! Applesauce is also a good substitute for oil in most baked goods.

1 quart of almond milk is slightly cheaper than cow's milk, and can be stored unopened and unrefrigerated MUCH longer than cow's milk lasts in the fridge. By much longer, I mean...A YEAR (compare expiration dates)! It may also be used in any recipe that calls for cow's milk. Once opened though, it lasts about as long as cow's milk.