Parmesan Crusted Chicken
Ok, we all know I’m obsessed with Pinterest. Actually, I have a small social media addiction… I blame it on my job. One of the many facets of my job is managing all marketing, advertising and communications for my office… so all of our many social media accounts. So I blame work. I pinned this recipe ages ago (I’m talking years here, one of the first things I pinned) and just now got around to making it. You can find the original on this blog.
I’ve made this dish several times now and made a few tweaks.
Parmesan Encrusted Chicken
Ingredients
- 3-4 chicken breasts
- 1/2 Cup Mayo (or sour cream… I’ve used both)
- 1/2 Cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 2-3 teaspoons of garlic powder (you can add more if you like)
- 4-5 Tablespoons of Italian Bread Crumbs (I estimate this… I just cover the chicken with bread crumbs.
Steps
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees and spray a baking dish with Pam. Place chicken in dish.
- Mix mayo, cheese and garlic powder together in bowl.
- Spread mix on all sides of chicken, flipping chicken as needed
- Coat top and sides of chicken with breadcrumbs… I like a lot of breadcrumbs, but it is up to you!
- Bake on 425 for 30 minutes or so
Mayo Mix
I’ve done this a couple of ways now… I served it with a big salad, had it cut up cold on top of salad, I’ve had it with steam green veggies on the side, or served with a side of angel hair and marinara sauce and it became chicken Parmesan. This one was mainly because I had marinara sauce from my favorite hometown Italian joint back in the Fort that I needed to use up. I’m sure there are other ways to serve it… regardless, it is pretty damn yummy!
Throwback Thursday: San Fran, 2008
In February 2008 I headed to the west coast for a conference. I had a great time reuniting with lots of wonderful friends from across the country at a great conference. I built in time to explore the city of San Francisco and this is one of the many photos snapped on that trip.
San Fransisco Bay and the Golden Gate Bridge from near fisherman’s wharf.
That famous San Fran fog surrounding the Golden Gate Bridge over the bay. I shot this from near Ghirardelli Square. Lovely place.
Full of Things That Have Never Been…
via elkayem.tumblr.com
I’m so excited that 2014 is here! I hope you all had a wonderful New Years Eve (I rang it in with dear friends, cards and Malibu rum… don’t worry, I was still cold and complaining about the weather). I made my way back down South today and am looking forward to a few days of relaxation before heading back to work on Monday. The year is already off to a great start with my team winning their bowl game today! Woot!
This year is going to be great… full of time with family and friends, travel to new and old places, and plenty of new adventures! Hope your year has started off well!
The Belly Laugh
I know I’ve mentioned it before, but I have amazing friends. I love them all and value their friendship and the relationships I have with each of them so much… grad school friends, college friends, former students who became friends, work friends, and so forth. As I’m home in the frozen great white north for a few days (which would be Ohio, where I am totally freezing my converted southern ass off), I am especially thankful for my friends from high school.
Senior Homecoming. October 1999.
L to R top row- Erin, Me, Val, the Bestie, TT, Megs, Cam.
L to R bottom- DJ, Sean, Josh and Chris… various high school boyfriends
There were nine of us who were really good friends in high school. Me, the Bestie, TT, Lisa, Megs, Erin, Val, Kel, and Cam. We were so different and yet we managed to be friends. We went through a lot even in high school… deaths, break-ups, teenage pregnancy (which was at a time when it was not glamorous and mainstream like it is today), and general high school drama. I learned a lot from them, even at such a young age. Next fall I will have been friends with some of these ladies for twenty years. TWENTY YEARS. That means we have been a part of each others lives for the majority of our lives. We all left for college nearly 14 years ago, and as is natural, some of us are closer than others, but we all do still keep in touch and know what is happening with one another in some way shape or form.
The Bestie and TT’s bday dinner. March 2000, Senior year of high school.
Left- Cam, Megs, Me, Val.
Right- Kel and baby Taylor, Erin, the Bestie and TT
A small group of us got together for an afternoon a few days ago while I was in town. Times have changed from when we were young little things who spent long days by the pool making plans for the night, and now has shifted to a group of women snacking around the kitchen island while six kids under the age of five ran around playing. It was chaos, it was entertainment, it was life changing and growing like it is supposed to.
December 31, 2000. New Years Eve freshmen year of college.
L to R- Erin, Val, TT, Lisa, me (very blonde).
The Bestie and Cam
I obviously spend a ton of time with the Bestie, even living far apart we are on the phone or Skyping with one another a couple times a week. After that I’ve kept up fairly regularly with TT, Val and Lisa. Erin lives in Seattle, Megs in Utah and Cam in Rhode Island… so that is harder and less frequent. And that’s okay.
Still though, I love that these women that I am close to know so much about me. They know my history, my family’s history- even the things I don’t like to share. And I know theirs. I know I can tell some of these women things and they won’t judge me… well, they may have an opinion, but regardless, they will support me. And I do the same in return- without hesitation. There is an inherent trust that emerges with all of that history and time. Even when we are mad at each other (which I’m not going to lie, it happens) we still love one another. And isn’t that how it is supposed to be? Why would you waste your time being mad at someone if you didn’t care about them? I love that I have been to or in each of these ladies weddings (minus Cam who isn’t married yet and Megs who is Mormon and got married in the Temple). I love that no matter the years or distance that these ladies have my back, and I’ll have theirs. I’ll leave those examples for other entries.
Aside from all the history, the inside jokes, the shared tears, the trust, and so on… one of the things that I love the most is the laughter. And I don’t just mean the giggles and the bubbly laughs… those are great. What I really love is that every time I am around these women we all experience the belly laugh at some point. By belly laugh, I mean those giant, laugh so loud your whole body shakes, there are tears coming out of your eyes and you struggle to catch your breath laughs. I love those, and I always have them with these ladies. I can’t even tell you the number of times over the last almost 20 years we have been THAT TABLE in the restaurant ( or high school cafeteria) that everyone is glancing at, wondering what is so funny. The sit there for hours talking and laughing, making sure we leave a really good tip because we took so long table. I love that. The Bestie, TT and I were hanging out last night and we had one of those moments… I couldn’t breath I was laughing so hard and I had to fix my makeup before we went out to dinner from the tears.
The Bestie, TT, Lisa, me and Val. One of those long dinners. January 2001.
I’m so thankful for those moments, these friendships that have given me an extra family in many ways and for having another new years eve to ring in with them.
December 31, 2003. Senior Year of college… still one of my most fave new years ever.
And the weddings….
Summer 2004. Kelly’s bridal shower.
L to R- Erin, Lisa, Me, Kel, Val, TT and the. Bestie
Above, Kelly’s bridal shower.
Erin’s wedding reception. August 2009.
L to R- TT, the Bestie, Erin, a very preggers Kel, me and Val
Above, Erin’s wedding
The Bestie’s wedding. June 2010.
L to R- Val, Lisa, the Bestie, Me and TT.
I have this one from the Bestie’s wedding framed on my desk at work.
TT’s wedding, January 2011.
Front- Lisa and Erin
Back- Kel, Val, TT, the Bestie and me.
This one from TT’s wedding is blurry, but it is the best I have of all of us on the dance floor… in the middle of a snow storm outside!
The last wedding. October 2012- Lisa’s wedding.
TT, the Bestie, Lisa, Val, Cam and Me.
Throwback Thursday: Christmas Day, 2000
Christmas Day in December 2000 was during my first year of college. I had survived a semester of being 500+ miles away from home. I made it through fall in the deep south and went back to life above the Mason-Dixon line for a long holiday break. My first holiday giving constant complaints about how I’d “adapted to the weather in the South and I was freezing my converted southern ass off.” I still say this every time I am up there in cold weather.
This is a picture of me (I was so blonde, what was I thinking?!) with my Grandma and my four cousins- from left to right… Sean, Ryan, Zak, Tyler.
Christmas Day 2000… Me with my Grandma and cousins.
Christmas was always a happy time for me as a kid. Its bittersweet to see this photo… such great memories, but it makes me miss all the people in it. My Grandmother passed away in 2004 and since I made the decision to live in the South, I don’t keep in touch with my cousins or their mom and dad all that much, which is rather sad. Such is life. Still, lots of great memories with these people and this was definitely a fun day! But seriously, what was I thinking with that dye job? And the eyebrows too?! Too funny.
Christmas Cards
Happy Christmas Eve! It’s a holiday, so no Translation Tuesday today! As I’ve made my way through the holiday season, I realize I actually left something off the holiday bucket list I made a few weeks ago: Christmas cards!
I’ve been a little anti-Christmas cards for the past couple of years. I have a really large, large, LARGE extended family and a lot of friends, so I was sending between 80-90 Christmas cards a few years ago. I write a personal note in each one and it just takes time. So for the last couple years I have sent, maybe 10, but people were awesome and kept sending me cards. And lets be honest, its nice to get mail… especially non-bill related mail. And I do like to send cards, I figure I’m doing my little part to help keep the US Postal Service in business. Then, I’ve had at least four separate people ask me if I was going to send cards this year, because they like mine so much. Isn’t that a nice compliment? My friend Claire told me that I always send such cute and unique cards and she can’t wait to get them every year. That sealed the deal for me- I was sending cards again this year.
I cut down though- I only sent 45 this year, so every extended cousin around the country didn’t get one. The furthest one went to my awesome cousin Dani who lives in Australia. Granted, it will be 2014 before she gets its it… but I sent one! I buy my cards after Christmas when they are on sale and send them the next year. I buy colorful cards, pretty cards, funny cards, sometimes Santa themed cards and sometimes religious themed cards… it depends on my mood. I tend to stay away from the animals and winter scenes though. Here are some of the cards I sent this year:
Glittery Reindeer Card
The glittery reindeer card was my favorite this year- so festive. It was covered in glitter, so I made sure that I sent this one to Gail and Puff… because she doesn’t like glitter. I swear, we really love each other.
Ho Ho Ho Card
The photo is a little blurry, but the first H and then the second two O’s are raised… very cute!
Believe in Santa
Another blurry and not great photo, but it is a Believe in Santa card… such a sweet message!
Those are a sampling of the cards for this year… and I’m happy I did. So, did you send Christmas cards this year? Am I nuts for cutting down my list? Do you have a place to get the best cards. My most favorite cards ever are from Allport, and I think I may just order them in bulk for next year, I mean who doesn’t love a Southern Christmas card?
Easy Christmas Candy
Seven or eight years ago (or so) I stumbled upon this recipe for easy Christmas candy in Southern Living magazine. At the time I was working at Country Club College and had a student staff with about 30 staff members on it that I worked with everyday and a custodial staff of seven. This candy became an easy, quick and cheap treat for me to give them at the end of the semester as a holiday gift. I still make it each year and give it as gifts, granted the rising cost of pecans doesn’t make it as cheap as it use to be! It does require some overnight time… so be sure to plan ahead if you are going to make it!
Easy Christmas Candy
Ingredients
- 3 cups chopped pecans
- 1.5 lbs vanilla or chocolate candy coating- chopped (I buy mine at Michaels, in the cake section)
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk (14oz)
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- wax paper
Steps
- Be sure you have chopped the pecans and set them aside. You also need to have chopped the candy coating and set it aside.
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Toast pecans on a baking sheet for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven and turn oven OFF. You’re done with the oven at this point.
- Line a jelly roll pan with wax paper. I cannot explain how important it is to use wax paper. I’ve screwed up and not used it before… it was not good. The best sized pan to use is 15×10, but use whatever you have.
- You want to use some Crisco and lightly grease the wax paper. Once again, do NOT overlook this step.
- Using a large microwave safe bowl add: the chopped candy coating, sweetened condensed milk and salt into a bowl. Mix and then microwave for 3-5 minutes. You want to take it out every minute and stir it.
- Once it is mostly melted, stir until smooth.
- Mix in vanilla and toasted pecans
- Spread in an even layer over the wax paper in the pan.
- Cover and chill in the refrigerator. Do this for a minimum of two hours, I recommend overnight.
- Once chilled, flip them onto a cutting board, peel off wax paper and cut into squares.
- I put them in cute little Christmas bags and add a note!!
It is so delicious, it melts in your mouth!
On the first day of winter
Yesterday was the first official day of winter and it was 80 degrees and sunny here in the deep South.
via someecards.com
I ran around finishing my Christmas shopping wearing jeans, a t-shirt and flip flops… this is a heat wave for us, it is normally in the upper 50s/ lower 60s in December. But I’ve been enjoying it still… and it has been this way all week. A cold front with a massive rain storm will push through tonight and we will be back into the 50’s again this week. But let’s be honest, that is is still a lot better that the upper 20’s it is slated to be in Ohio. I so don’t do cold weather.
And yes, I have had the AC and the heat on this weekend… that’s the South!
Throwback Thursday, December 2003
It is crazy to imagine, but it has been a decade since my dear friend Biner graduated from college (which means this May it will be my 10 year mark, nuts). Biner graduated from our great university in December 2003 and a few of us managed to get off work/ be done with finals/ arrange our crazy schedules to be at the ceremony.
December 2003 graduation. Melton, me, Biner, Pinkster and Anna
This is a quick snapshot of some of us who made it to the ceremony. I’m actually still friends with all of these ladies, which is pretty amazing to think about a decade later.
Later, a bunch of us gathered in my apartment to have a small Christmas gathering… where we made this out of some of our drinks…
Bud Light beer can Christmas tree, with a mini bottle as a topper
The funny part…. I don’t even like beer. Oh, to be young and in college again. Of course we had a Christmas tree made out of beer cans!
So that is my throwback to a decade ago this week! Do you remember what you were doing a decade ago this week?
Hindu Wedding Adventure- Part III (Henna)
Once I started telling people that I was going to be a bridesmaid in a Hindu wedding celebration, the one common thing EVERYONE asked about or commented on was henna.
Pinkster’s palms with her bridal henna
I learned a lot about a lot of new things through this experience… including a lot about henna. For example, henna is actually a plant. It is also the dye that is created from the plant. It is this dye that is used in the body art of what everyone calls henna. The use of henna in body art goes back thousands of years and is a really cool part of the development of human culture.
Apparently, bridal henna is popular in a number of cultures throughout Asia, it is very intricate, and indicates blessings or good luck. Or, so I am told. I’m clearly not the expert on this, but the person sitting there in awe of it all and trying to absorb everything. I actually missed the henna party for this wedding… they did it on Thursday and I didn’t get there until Friday. Pinkster, her mom, Aunt and cousins all had it done and it looked so cool. Pinkster’s was done all over her feet and up past her ankles, as well on her hands and palms all the way up to her elbows. Her henna alone took six hours. SIX HOURS. It looked amazing, it was a work of art, but I don’t think I could sit still and not fidget for that long. It is a dye, so the ink stays on for awhile and fades after a few weeks… so it is probably a good thing I didn’t have it done otherwise I would have had to tell the wedding story at one meeting after another for weeks on end.
Bridal henna on hands, and you can see it going up to her elbows.
As with many things in this culture, lots of images are symbolic and represent something or another. Also, somewhere in this work of art are Pinkster and JD’s names hidden in the work.
henna on the feet
Ok, I know I’m taking my time with these wedding recaps. This was in the fall and it is almost Christmas! But I’ve got lots more to come still! Check back soon!
Translation Tuesday: Please?
I’m heading back to the Great White North in a couple weeks for New Years… and by the Great White North, I mean Ohio. So in honor of my upcoming travel, the translation this week is a Cincinnati phrase.
Please?
When someone from Cincinnati needs you to repeat something, or say it louder… they say please. Another word for, huh? When I say it, which I still do even though I’ve been moved for well over a decade, I tend to lean in… so I can hear better.
Cincinnati was settled by a lot of European immigrants, with a heavy emphasis on German… hence the reason they have the largest Oktoberfest outside of Germany, is a sister city to Munich and has one of the handful of Hofbräuhaus’s outside Deutschland. It is common in German culture to say “bitte” when you need someone to repeat something, and bitte means “please” in German.
Just another reason why German has had such a big influence on my life… my great-grandparents immigrated from there (to NYC, not Cincy), I studied abroad there, studied the language AND was surrounded by so many German tendencies growing up in Cincy!
So, there you have it… a Yankee Translation Tuesday!
Throwback Thursday: 1994
So, I was scrolling through my news feed the other day and I came across this video of a pop culture montage from 1994 and I was immediately pushed down memory.
The music (oh, Ace of Base). The clothes (the bulkiness). The TV (FRIENDS, ER). The movie (Lion King). This was an instant flashback. If you have 13 minutes to spare, watch the clip…. love the music, laugh at the clothes.
I turned 13 in the spring of 1994. I moved to the Fort that summer. My Aunt and Uncle’s house burnt down that summer. I got glasses that year. Started middle school… which was tragic. Vacationed in the South and in the Midwest. Wore really bad clothes that I thought were cool. I was obsessed with Sweet Valley High and Nancy Drew books. I spent as much time by the pool as I could. It was the last year I ever played with Barbie dolls and it was the first time I remember actually paying attention to the songs on the radio and hoping they played a song (Ace of Base, The Sign…. so spring break 1994 or some Boys II Men).
I totally remember seeing the Lion King and The Jungle Book in the movie theater. Actually, I remember seeing the Jungle Book at the Regal Theater with my friend Kari from 2 parents, 4 kids, 1 Chaotic Wonderful Life at the Cheapie Theater…. that was just seventy-five cents! I remember watching The River Wild that year as well…. and thinking I was NEVER white-water rafting! I was obsessed with ice skating and totally followed the Nancy/ Tanya ice skating drama leading up to the Olympics. I loved the Cranberries and I totally got my first computer that year…. a Packard Bell. I forgot those ever existed!! And the first thing I loaded onto it… “Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?” If you are not at this moment now singing the Carmen Sandiego theme song in your head, I feel bad for you. Loved that! I remember the drama of OJ Simpson and his SUV on the freeway that June after the murder of his wife. I still hate that Tootsie Roll song.
It is totally the year where I really started to leave my childhood behind and I seriously need a play list with some of these songs right now. I mean, while 1994 was definitely an awkward time (for me- hello middle school AND for humanity- those were some questionable fashion trends). It definitely had some good tunes!
Watch the clip!
Translation Tuesday: Plum Tuckered Out
“Plum Tuckered Out” is a cute saying down here that just means “I’m so worn out” or “I’m exhausted.”
It certainly sounds a lot sweeter than “I’m worn out.” That really is one of the things I love about it down here… from the words people use to describe things, to the tone of voice or even the accent… it is just sweeter.
We’ve hit the end of the semester in my world… I’ve got to give a final, complete some grades and finalize a couple of reports and I’ll be on vacation…. because after the end of the craziness of this fall, I am plum tuckered out!
Holiday Season Bucket List
As a kid, I loved the holiday season. I would count down to it and count down to it… singing Christmas carols and wanting to decorate the house from top to bottom and of course, waiting for Santa. Then helping Santa as I got older. I still generally love the Christmas season, it is still magical and the celebration of Christ’s birth is always in my mind. But it has definitely had its highs and lows as I’ve gotten older. There have been some years where I’ve not even wanted to put up the tree. This year though, I’m throwing myself into it. In fairness, it is a bit of a distraction to keep my mind off of my original December plans, but I’m going with it. So, here is my holiday bucket list for the craziness that is December in my life…
The tree! So much for the ease of the pre-lit tree… I had to make a Target run to buy lights to add to it this year!
- Help with an Adopted Family Project (Done)
- See the Nutcracker
- Holiday Shopping Girls Nights
- Hitting up holiday craft fairs and shopping at local boutiques (Done)
- Watch my favorite holiday movies (White Christmas, The Family Stone, The Holiday, The Santa Clause, Little Women, Home Alone)
- Visit Charleston, SC to see it decorated
- Lights at the Zoo!
- Watch my football team win their bowl game 🙂
- Attend a Holiday party or six (Four down…)
- Ice Skating
- Drive around and look at Christmas lights while listening to Christmas music with the Bestie!
- Christmas Baking (so much baking) and cookie decorating!
- Attend a holiday concert
- Drink hot apple cider (Three cups downed already)
- Spend time with my family and friends (this is hands down my favorite, followed by the cider)
- Go to church on Christmas Eve
- Attend a Christmas parade
- Decorate the house and look at all of the favorite family ornaments
- Sing Christmas songs and listen to them all day long
- SLEEP! I’m looking forward to two weeks off of work!
- Walk though campus and see it decorated for the holidays
- Enjoy snow that is blown from a snow machine… because that is the only snow I see here blowing in the air!
So, what am I forgetting? A movie, an event, some tradition I’ve forgotten? I know there is something! What is on your Holiday Bucket list?
Throwback Thursday, Cranberry Beads- 2006
In December 2006 I was wrapping up my first semester of working at Country Club College, my first job out of grad school. I was so excited to have my very own Christmas tree! My mom had given me all of the family Christmas ornaments and cranberry beads. We have had these wooden cranberry beads since way before I was born and they are one of my favorite Christmas tree decorations. So I was heartbroken when we unpacked them and one of the strands broke and went rolling all across the dining room! Gail was helping me decorate that year and snapped this picture of me trying to restring the damn things. It took hours, but they eventually all got restrung and I still use them and hope to for years!
Restringing Cranberry Beads, 2006
convertedsoutherner 