Youngs Farm

Saturday we went to Youngs Farm. It is a farm with some animals and a whole bunch of fun things to do. Our kids will be warped as to what a real farm is!! Anyway, at this 'farm' there is a mini golf course, go carts, driving range, hotel, restaurant, some old tractors to climb on, and some cows and goats. It was so nice to be outside. The weather was beautiful. We managed to sunburn the kids a little :-( We got to see quite a few F16 (F something anyway) take off, too. We ended our trip there with their homemade ice cream!

Later that day we discovered the elementary school playground behind our house. I guess its good to explore. Beats the dinky one we kept taking the kids too!

KTT: Crispy Ranch Chicken - and Ziploc Bags

#3 I really love breaded chicken and pork chops fried in flour, but always dreaded the dipping part...first in the eggs then the crumbs. My bowls never seem to be right to 'coat evenly'. So I started using Ziploc bags...the off brands anyway (I've also used bread bags to cut more costs). If the recipe, like the one below, calls for eggs I'd put the eggs in a gallon sized bag, close it, then smash the bag all up to beat them. Open the bag and put in the raw chicken and shake it all up. In another bag, put the crumbs in (i.e. crushed saltines, Ritz, cornflakes or breadcrumbs) and add the eggy chicken from the last bag. Shake it all up and your chicken is evenly coated! Discard the bags for easy clean-up! Below is a great recipe that I've had floating around for a few years but recently tried (kids loved it). It probably took so long because the cereal got eaten before I got a chance to cook this :-) Enjoy!

Crispy Ranch Chicken
Prep time 10mins
Bake 20-30mins

2 Cups crispy rice chicken
1/2 Cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 envelope (1 oz.) ranch salad dressing mix
2 egg whites beaten
8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs (about 5 oz. each)

You can use individually frozen chicken breast, which means you have to cook longer!

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a large baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Combine the rice cereal, Parmesan and ranch salad dressing mix in a large bowl. (or bag!!)

2. Place beaten egg whites in a medium bowl. (or bag!!) Dip each chicken thigh in the egg whites and then in the cereal mixture to coat evenly.

3. Arrange the coated chicken on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until golden and juices run clear when chicken is pierced with a knife, 20-30 minutes. Serve hot.



I like to dab on a little butter before cooking:

Easter and Our First Visitors

We had a great Easter. We started off by dying eggs during FHE. This was sadly the first time we've done this since Trouble was born. At first Travis thought it would be a good idea to blow out the insides of the egg, then dye them so they'd be good for Easter. But the first thing Dynomite did was break them. So we just decided to do hard boiled eggs. I made them strip, so they didn't get dye on their clothes. They were very proud of their creations.

On Saturday who should show up at our doorstep? Mr. Pat, Ms. Kelly and Raina!! Pat and Kelly spent a fabulous week in Jamaica. They were driving back to ND from NY (where they left Raina with Gramma Donna and flew to and from Jamaica) when they stopped by and saw us for Easter. Come to think of it, we've probably spent the majority of the holidays together in Minot (with our without our husbands!!). So it was so great to have them! Actually they arrived about dinner time when Trouble and I were in the store. While at the store I thought about how Kelly always had or brought us brownies for dessert. So I bought few boxes. Well, after dinner she goes out to her car and comes in a tray full of brownies!! :-) She's always thinking of us! For Easter they brought plastic eggs filled with puzzle pieces. Trouble had camo eggs and Dynomite had pastel eggs. They went and hid them in our yard. So after they found all the eggs we put the puzzles together. Trouble thought that that was so neat that he slept with his puzzle that night. (He sleeps with his favorite toys!)Sunday Morning we had breakfast and the kids found their baskets...Thank you Yaya and Papa for all the great treats, clothes, and toys. We went to church in all our Easter outfits. Don't you love Raina's rosy checks!In order of age:Just the way we like them: We sabotaged Pat and Kelly's efforts to get an early start home by promising them a good Easter Dinner. We had the traditional ham with all the fixing and Kelly made us some candied carrots which I will be adding to the meal repertoire from now on. I made a Easter Egg Nest torte. It was a bit rich, but yummy!

It was a great trip! It was so nice to have Pat and Kelly stop by even though it was a little out of their way. We are grateful to have such great friends!

Kitchen Tip Tuesday

#2 I buy onions in bulk then chop them all up. I put 1/4 cup in Ziploc snack bags and put them in the freezer. So if a recipe calls for onions I have them already to go. From freezer to frying pan to soups to crock pot meals to casserole dishes to whatever. I also do the same with red, green and yellow peppers. It cuts down on prep time and too many episodes of crying :-)

So what do I use to chop? My absolutely favorite things...drum roll please....
Vidalia Chop Wizard. I love this thing!! Its great for chopping up food for little mouths. I do carrots and potatoes for stews, apples and pears for fruit salad, cooked chicken breasts for casseroles and so much more. Its easy to use and just tip it up and you have measurements. Then it comes with a comb to clean the lid. All dishwasher safe. It has really cut down on my prep time.

Pictures of Kiddos!

We had these done at Sears before we left. The kids cooperated amazingly well. We, however, were very tired, therefore there isn't a family portrait. We, including my mom who was in town for visit, pulled an all nighter getting the house ready for the Realtors to come by. She cleaned while we worked. We couldn't have gotten the house ready without her! She worked really hard while we tried to keep our sanity.

The kids like to pull funny faces (don't all!!). So we have cues like "Mean Guy Face" or "Happy Guy Face" or "Sad Guy Face". This is their "Surprise Guy Face".

Kitchen Tips Tuesday

I've decided to try something new: Kitchen Tips Tuesday (Like Nikki's Works For Me Wednesdays). I receive a lot of good advice regarding the kitchen that I'd like to share with you. I do enjoy cooking and baking (it brings me back to my chem lab days in college). So I will be passing on to you what I learn, either from others or by experimentation, on Tuesday. If you have an idea you'd like posted, credit given to you of course, just e-mail me at TubbsTribune@live.com. Stay tuned!!

Today's Kitchen Tip:

#1 I don't mind working with raw meat, but it seems as soon as I start a meal either a child desperately needs something at that exact moment or the phone rings or the husband is running out the door but can't find his keys. In order to quickly be at every one's beckoning call, I wear plastic disposable gloves. I keep a box in the kitchen. So I can just whip off the gloves in a moments notice and toss them. I also use them anytime I find it faster to mix with my hands then a spoon like meatloaf, salads, and some cookie doughs.

Blessed in OH

We've met so many nice people here! For example: We went out to eat at a place called the "Waffle House". Its like the old time diners. The waitresses even had funny names for the food that she would call back to the cooks. All the regulars were out for their Thursday morning waffles. The kids were very well behaved so a good time was had by all. When Travis went to pay the waitress told us that our meal was paid for by the gentleman who just left!! How cool is that!