Easy Peasy Homemade Chicken Strips

This is my mother's recipe and I LOVE these chicken strips.  I decided to make them last night for the first time.  It was a quick, easy dinner and something my husband would actually eat.

In the bustle of getting everyone fed, I forgot to take a picture of my final product, so I stole one off of google images, but it very closely represents what mine looked like.

What you need:
Chicken strips, thawed (I use Giant Eagle boneless, skinless chicken tenderloins from the freezer section.  I get these because I use them in a variety of dishes and they are the easiest to work with and you can cook them frozen and they still come out delicious!)
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup flour (approximately)
1/2 cup bread crumbs (approximately)
vegetable oil
frying pan skillet

1. Pour enough vegetable oil in the frying pan to cover the bottom.
2. Heat to medium-high heat. (My stove knob goes to 8 then High so I set it at 7.)
3. Mix the egg and milk together, it should be thin.
4. Mix the flour and bread crumbs in a separate bowl.  I used Market District bread crumbs and they worked great!
5. Dip chicken strips, one at a time, into the egg mixture, then the bread crumb mixture, and place in hot oil in the pan.
6. Fry until brown, flip over, fry until brown. (This took about 5-7 minutes on each side about 8 strips fit in my pan at once.   I cut open a few to make sure they were cooked through before pulling them out.)
7. Pull out of pan when done and place on plate covered with paper towel, to absorb the extra oil.

With the above recipe, I made 10 chicken strips and with a "starving" husband and 2 small children it fed all of us.  I made Bob Evans Family Size Macaroni and Cheese as a side.  It is about $7 at Giant Eagle, but we don't get it often and to us is well worth it.  It is delicious and super easy, just pop it in the microwave for 7 minutes and you have a quick dinner side.  The flour and bread crumbs are approximate, just use about a 50/50 mixture.  I put in a little more bread crumbs because I like my strips crunchy.

 

 

Let me know what you think of them!

Happy Blogging and Happy Pinning!

Gypsy owners

All gypsy owners....check your cricut.com account! You have a free $20 credit to use and it must be used by May 18. I happened upon a post saying this and checked my account and there it was. Cricut did not notify me. So go use your $20!

 

Happy blogging and pinning :).

Carrabba's Sogno Di Cioccolata (Chocolate Dream)

Hello blog followers :)

This is my all-time FAVORITE dessert.....ever.  I live where there used to be no Carrabba's
:(.  The closest used to be 2 hours away.  Luckily my sister lived near by that one.  Every birthday through middle school and high school she would ask what I wanted and my response was always the same "Chocolate Dream, please!"  The great sister she was, she ALWAYS got it for me.  Well, she moved and I no longer had my chocolate dream connection.  So, I found this copycat recipe a few years ago.  You would never believe, it tastes just like the real thing and is SUPER easy to make!  It takes a while, but is easy!  It is a HUGE hit at parties and summer barbecues!

Here's what you need:

2-1lb 5.2oz (or close) boxes of Duncan Hines Fudge Brownie mix
         -Use the 2 egg recipe and milk instead of water
4C chocolate mousse (I make my own and included that recipe)
1/8C Kahlua
4C whipped cream, whipped (from 2C heavy cream)
2oz. semi-sweet chocolate, shaved

1. Preheat oven to 325*.

2. Mix brownies using 2 eggs recipe and milk not water.

3. Line 2- 13x9" pans with wax paper.  Grease bottom with oil or spray.

4. Pour batter into pans and bake for 24-26 minutes.

5. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean. **DO NOT OVER COOK**

6. Allow to cool completely.  Remove one brownie, in one piece, from one pan.

7. Turn the brownie upside down and return to pan.  Brush the brownie with Kahlua.

8. Spread 2 cups of the mousse (approximately) evenly over the brownie, then spread 2 cups (approximately) whipped cream over the mousse.

9. Shave chocolate, then sprinkle top evenly with shavings.

10. Remove second brownie from the other pan, brush with remaining Kahlua, and place on top of the first brownie. (This will cause a layer of the mousse and whipped cream to be in the middle of the two brownie slices).

11. Repeat layers, first spreading the remaining mousse, then the remaining whipped cream and shavings.  (Shavings can be replaced with chocolate drizzle as shown in the picture)

12. Eat to your hearts content! Refrigerate to store, if there is any left.



To make the whipped cream:

I use 1-2 pints heavy whipping cream (depending on how much you want).  I beat according to directions on container adding 2 TBSP sugar while beating to sweeten.  Beat until peaks form, this sometimes takes awhile.



To make EASY chocolate mousse:

1-3.9oz package instant chocolate pudding mix
1 1/2C milk
1-16oz COOL WHIP

1. Prepare pudding using 1 1/2C milk not 2.
2. Fold into cool whip until blended. Refrigerate.


This dessert is extremely rich, but DELICIOUS!!  Please let me know how you like it!

Thanks-Happy Blogging and Happy Pinning!

Going viral

I was sitting here wondering "how can I get my items to go viral" while pinning on no other than Pinterest :). Lucky me I had just the pin to solve the problem. Beth from unskinnyboppy.com posted an article on 2012 titled "HOW TO GO VIRAL ON PINTEREST (AND OTHER PINNABLE TIPS)". http://unskinnyboppy.com/2012/08/how-to-go-viral-on-pinterest-and-other-pinnable-tips.  She lists some great tips on her blog, not just on how to make your pins viral. Although, that was my main concern.

 

I am trying to draw more traffic in to my Facebook page (WWW.Facebook.com/CrystalsCraftyCreations) where I sell hand painted and etched glass, paint parties, party planning, graphic design, bulletin boards, and much more. I am a walking job with many talents :). Unfortunately in this day and age, it is almost impossible to find a steady job. I just graduated with my Master of Science degree in Biology, I am a stay-at-home mom of 2 beautiful babies and we are struggling.

 

Pinterest has really helped me out in giving me so many helpful ideas for cheap recipes and crafts as well as birthday parties on a budget! It helps that I took 2 cake decorating classes and am certified to be a cake decorator :). That does not necessarily mean I decorate like a professional yet, but I am getting there.

 

Being my first real post I wanted to give you some insight into my life and let you know that I will be posting many more helpful hints and tips I find along the way to help others that are in the same or similar positions. Or those that just want to live frugally.

 

Speaking of being frugal....one of my favorite blogs and a group I follow on pinterest is thefrugalgirls.com. Check them out-i swear they made their website just for me! They have Sooo many good tips and tricks to living with a budget.

 

I hope you have stuck around this far and choose to continue :) I will have much more information to come!!