This coming week is the week before my birthday which just happens to be on Saturday. As always I love to celebrate my birthday for the whole week. We are planning a get away for a couple of days. There is more to this than just birthday however. The week after the birthday is the week that we tear apart the kitchen and go back to living in chaos for a month or more. This week also brings the first birthday of our grand daughter Edie. Last year at this time we were impatiently waiting her arrival. So, Happy 1st Birthday to Edie. We were also in the throes of quarantine after our return from South Carolina. The town was so quiet with very few people around. Libby was attending classes on-line and so was Jack who was living in North Carolina. What a difference a year makes.
Update on Jenny Lane
The last few weeks have been rather quiet here on Jenny Lane. In fact we haven’t seen any workers for almost a month. Two of those weeks we were away. Once back we had the big meeting with the electrician, plumber and contractors but otherwise nothing has happened. We have spent some time working on the gardens and think it looks rather pretty around here. Certainly compared to last year at this time. We were just beginning the vegetable garden and trying to create some outdoor space that was comfortable. We didn’t have any of the new rooms yet. Katie was working from home and using a corner of her bedroom for an office. How things have improved this May. Katie is back at work, Libby and Jack are both about to finish up their respective sophmore years at high school and college. We will enjoy this last peaceful week for a little while.
Last year we were just putting the buried propane tank in the ground. This year the area looks like a graveyard. Over the winter the dirt settled so we have to wait for our friend with the baby digger to come back and fill it in. We were trying to get the old fuel tank removed from the garage so we could begin the transformation to the new Bonus/Family room. It is so good to go back and look at where we were a year ago especially when I feel that not much has happened for awhile. Click Here to see this week last year.
Walking This Week
The dogs and I have had some wonderful warm walks on the Rail Trail this week with lots and lots of swimming. The weather has been spectacular so we looked for swimming spots on the river. Both dogs love to swim. Well Wyke more than Bean but she jumps right in there after sticks. Everything is greening up quickly thanks to the warm sun but it has also been very dry too. The Conqueror Challenges are pushing me to get out as well as to ride my indoor bike. I have 27 miles left to do on the bike but it has been so nice I haven’t wanted to be inside. Much prefer to be out on the trail with the dogs. It was very quiet out there too. No bears even showed up. We did however encounter an unusual traffic cop driving home.
Cooking This Week
I will report back that I tried the recipe from last week’s blog for Pan Fried Brie and it was as delicious as the recipe said it would be. We had two couples come for a visit and I served it for an hors d’oeuvres. Judging by how it disappeared it was a success. My version did not look as pretty as the one from Half Baked Harvest but that did not affect the taste. It is nice to get back to doing a little entertaining with friends who are also fully vaccinated. Funny that now seems to be the second question after “How are you?”, then “are you vaccinated?” Who would have thought that one?
This week’s recipe comes from Cooking Professionally. I share it because I love the name of it. It won’t take long to make and it sounds delicious.
Ingredients
Sauce:
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup sweet chili sauce
• 1 tablespoon hot sauce
• 2 tablespoons honey
• salt and pepper, to taste
Chicken:
• 4 chicken breasts boneless, skinless, cut into strips
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper or to taste
• 1 tablespoon hot sauce
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
• oil for frying
Directions
Step 1
Combine all of the sauce ingredients together in a small mixing bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Step 2
In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. To the same bowl, add hot sauce, egg, and buttermilk. Whisk until a smooth batter forms. Toss the chicken strips in the batter and set them aside.
Step 3
In a separate mixing bowl, add the Panko.
Step 4
Heat about 1/2 inch of oil in a deep skillet over medium-high heat, monitoring the temperature carefully.
Step 5
Place the battered chicken strips in the Panko one at a time until well-coated. Place in the oil and fry on both sides until crispy and cooked through, about 3 minutes. Place fried chicken on a paper towel to absorb the excess moisture. Repeat until you have fried all of the chicken pieces.
Step 6
Drizzle the sauce over the fried chicken and serve with extra sauce for dipping.
