MARRIAGE & COOK-A-THONS

Well an early and cold morning Hi there and hello! Hope this day finds you all toasty warm and safe and happy! It’s an insane 36 degrees here this Saturday, and its marathon cooking day! I’m very excited even though I know by the end of the day I will be very swollen and in a lot of pain… but its worth it LOL! Oh let me tell ya… remember the girl diaper cake just made for the band director and his wife? Well it couldn’t have been made at a better time! LOL glad it wasn’t put off until THIS weekend LOL! She had the baby Friday (yesterday) morning at 6:04am! Congrads to Mr. & Mrs. B!!

Ok, so I was sitting at my desk last night looking through my emails and I thought about the fact that my BFF of over 10 years is getting married in March and I don’t have a great gift to give the happy couple. I was quite ashamed of myself… for a few moments at least LMAO! Then, in kicks my craftiness LOL! I got all kinds of ideas pop into my head. I could make them a scrapbook with photos of the 2 of them since they have been together that I have, or just 1 scrapbook page and frame it.



I could make a dish towel cake. It’s very similar to the diaper cake, except, you guessed (the obvious LOL) it, made with dish towels.



Then you adorn it with kitchen utensils, etc. Not feeling real groovy about this idea yet… but its “under advisement” LOL!



Or I could make them a “Romantic Dinner for Two” in a basket. I know that when I make the Italian dinner basket, it is very popular. And as much as I love my BFF… LOL… even SHE admits that she’s not the best cook in the world… which leads me to another idea for a gift.



Print up all my recipes and make a very nice binder and she can have a cookbook that she knows she’s eaten the stuff and is yummy! Get a real pretty fabric and cover a ring binder… hmmm another good thought I suppose.



I also thought about the wrapping of whatever gift I give them. I think I am gonna either make my own gift bag (from a plain one) or use a large card board box and decorate both sides. On one side it will be made to look like a tuxedo and the other will look like a bride’s dress… I found a tux bag (the picture) but not a homemade bag or even a bride bag, so my crafty mind says why not combine them?? I think it would be cool! I mean after all, it IS supposed to be for the happy COUPLE right?

Then of course they need a card with their gift right? Okie dokie… well I was searching for cute friendship poems and I ran across this one! I’m gonna use it in the homemade card I make them!

The REAL FRIEND !!
A simple friend, when visiting, acts like a guest.
A real friend opens your refrigerator and helps himself.
A simple friend has never seen you cry.
A real friend has shoulders soggy from your tears.
A simple friend doesn't know your parents' first names.
A real friend has their phone numbers in his address book.
A simple friend brings a bottle of wine to your party.
A real friend comes early to help you cook and stays late to help you clean.
A simple friend hates it when you call after he has gone to bed.
A real friend asks you why you took so long to call.
A simple friend seeks to talk with you about your problems.
A real friend seeks to help you with your problems.
A simple friend wonders about your romantic history.
A real friend could blackmail you with it.
A simple friend thinks the friendship is over when you have an argument.
A real friend calls you after you had a fight.
A simple friend expects you to always be there for them.
A real friend expects to always be there for you!
When you get into trouble you can call a simple friend for help. When you get into trouble your real friend is sitting in the cell with you saying, "Man, that was fun!"

I think she’ll get a kick out of that! I’m gonna do some research on more homemade wedding themed gifts and see if I can mesh with anything I am thinking about. Hopefully I can have a rockin’ idea by the end of the coming week… I need time to work ya know LOL!

Ok, well it’s time to restock the freezer with delicious homemade TV dinners and soups. I have been prepping things each day to hopefully reduce the amount of work tomorrow- such as chopping veggies, etc. I cut up 2 ziplocs with stir fry veggies and froze them, as well as dicing and slicing and shredding for this glorious day LOL. Today I will be making things with diced broccoli stalks, celery, onion, carrots, leeks, broccoli crowns, diced asparagus stalks- the asparagus spears will be made into more rollups, steaks, chickens, sausage, etc. I plan on some Chicken Fried Steak TV dinners as well with the cutlets I have in the fridge. I will be making a lot of things I have posted in previous entries as well as some new things. An oldy but goodie around here that everyone goes crazy over is my buttermilk fried chicken. Maybe there will be enough to make a couple of TV dinners out of… but probably not LMAO! So I’m gonna share a couple of surefire recipes with you and then tomorrow, we’ll talk about what was brought to life and what was kindly laid to rest LMAO!



Buttermilk Fried Chicken

Ingredients

1 (4 pound) chicken, cut into pieces
1-2 cup buttermilk
2 cups all-purpose flour for coating
1 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons Emeril Essence
1 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
2 quarts vegetable oil for frying

Directions

1. Take your cut up chicken pieces and skin them if you prefer. Place in a bowl or ziploc bag along with the buttermilk and coat the chicken. Place in the fridge and let sit for at least 2 hours… but overnight is better!

2. Put the flour in a large plastic bag (let the amount of chicken you are cooking dictate the amount of flour you use). Season the flour with paprika, essence, garlic, salt and pepper to taste (paprika helps to brown the chicken).

3. Take the pre-dipped chicken pieces in buttermilk then, a few at a time, put them in the bag with the flour, seal the bag and shake to coat well. Place the coated chicken on a cookie sheet or tray, and cover with a clean dish towel or waxed paper. LET SIT UNTIL THE FLOUR IS OF A PASTE-LIKE CONSISTENCY. THIS IS CRUCIAL!

4. PAN: Fill a large skillet (cast iron is best) about 1/3 to 1/2 full with vegetable oil. Heat until VERY hot. Put in as many chicken pieces as the skillet can hold. Brown the chicken in HOT oil on both sides. When browned, reduce heat and cover skillet; let cook for 30 minutes (the chicken will be cooked through but not crispy). Remove cover, raise heat again and continue to fry until crispy. Chicken can also be cooked in a deep fryer as well.

5. Drain the fried chicken on paper towels. Depending on how much chicken you have, you may have to fry in a few shifts. Keep the finished chicken in a slightly warm oven while preparing the rest.



Cream of Broccoli Soup

Ingredients

1 head fresh broccoli (stems too), chopped
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons minced onion
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 pinches paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

Place broccoli in a medium saucepan with chicken stock to cover, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until tender, 15 minutes. Remove broccoli and reserve broth.

In the same pan, melt butter over medium heat. Cook onions in butter until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in flour, milk and cream. Stir broth into soup. Season with Worcestershire, paprika and salt. Stir in cheese and cook 10 minutes more. Puree soup in batches until all is smooth and creamy. Return to pan and warm through.

Ok guys and gals, its time for me to get off my backside and get to work. Maybe if I get the blood flowing and the oven warming, I can knock the chill off the air in here. So my crock pots and I bid you a healthy hearty Saturday! Until tomorrow… HUGS!