Fried Chicken Salad

Good Tuesday morning!

I am "picture poor" this week, so I decided to go back to January, 2010 and post Things That Make Me Smile in the Gallery. You've seen some of them over the last four months, but as I was going through them, if a smile crossed my face, I copied it one more time. I'll be posting these today and tomorrow.

DON'T FORGET - Enter the Mystery Bag Party Contest via e-mail, Facebook or the Comment Section. I will draw six names from The Bowl, and those ladies will enjoy an afternoon of fun, food and fellowship as we travel around town in the Big Gold Van.

More Weekend Review

I have found the trick to entertaining men (ages 10 to death) revolves around food. It doesn't necessarily have to be good food... or hot food... or even fresh food purchased by the expiration date on the package. It just has to be FOOD.

However, I have discovered serving JUST FOOD does not reap the same benefits as serving GOOD, HOT, FRESH FOOD. And if you've known me five minutes, you know I'm all about reaping the benefits.

When asked, Nick's only specific food request was "fried pork chops and macaroni and cheese... please."

I can honestly say I haven't fried anything in months... maybe a couple of years, but for our guest, I was going to fry like I've never fried before.

Friday night's meal was just a huge pot of soup because I thought they might go out and explore the city. I knew they would sleep late the next day, so I bought a large bag of frozen biscuits and an even larger bag of Tennessee Pride sausage gravy for their breakfast/lunch the next day. Easy, breezy!

And then I cooked... homemade macaroni and cheese, fried pork chops, fresh black-eyed peas, rolls, sweet tea (with real sugar), cake, etc., etc., etc. I was pleased with the effort because I knew Monday and Tuesday of the next week, we were going to have some good leftovers. YES!

The table was set, the men (and Roxie) sat down... the food was gone. All gone. Totally gone. No leftovers. Hmmm. Well, maybe there would be some leftovers from Sunday's meal.

I did the easy slow cooker meal for Sunday lunch... pot roast with gravy, mushrooms, carrots and a huge whole onion cooked with the roast, oven fried potatoes (five pound bag), rolls, sweet tea (with real sugar), cake, etc., etc., etc. I was once again pleased with the effort because I knew Monday of the next week, we were going to have some good leftovers. YES!

The table was set, the men (and Roxie) sat down... the food was gone. ALL gone. Totally gone. No leftovers. Hmmm.

But as I looked around the table and we sat and talked awhile, I realized it was worth the effort... the time and the mess. The guys were happy, full, rested and ready for a week of finals. Conversation and laughter flowed easily as we drained the last of the sweet tea. It had been a nice weekend.

I, of course, had been "anxious" about everything. Just because I'm reading Calm My Anxious Heart doesn't mean I'm applying it every minute of every day. It takes time, and a lot of old habit breaking.

I took a moment to breathe and look around the table like Steve Martin does at the end of Cheaper By the Dozen. Just that tiny moment when he looks at his family and takes it all in... the chaos, the people talking over one another, the spills (I have a HUGE problem letting this one go)... Well, that's my favorite part of the whole movie. And I try to do it more often. I really do. But more times than not, I fail.

But that's how I'll remember this past weekend. I was able to take it all in.

Fried Chicken Salad

This may fall under the category "Too Easy to Even Bother Posting," but while I was trying to come up with some recipes for ten year-olds (and older), it did follow the criteria. (1) No mixers. (2) Five (or less) ingredients. (3) Limited use of oven... no stove-top. (4) With ingredients already purchased, parents can sit back and wait for dinner!

You will need the following:

Salad in a bag (pre-cleaned)
Tyson Chicken Tenders
Shredded Cheese
Dried Cranberries
Bag of slivered almonds (toasted)
Salad dressing of choice

1. Pour salad in a colander and rinse with very cold water. (I like to clean the lettuce even though it says it has been done.)

2. Cook the Tyson Chicken Tenders according to the instructions on the bag.

3. Spread nuts in one layer on ungreased shallow baking pan.

4. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden. (The almonds can be cooking in a pan beside the chicken.)

5. Once chicken and almonds are out of the oven (and chicken has been cut into bite-size pieces), toss salad, cranberries, toasted almonds and 3/4 cup shredded cheese together.

6. Serve salad on individual plates. Add chicken pieces to top of the salad.

And there you have, my friends, a meal which can be prepared by a child. (If your child hasn't had much "oven time," you may need to prepare this dish with them the first time... but after the initial prep, they can add it to their list of "Things I Can Do On My Own!")

Oh, and be sure and let them make the Refreshing Cake either the day before or earlier in the day. Sit down nearby, read a magazine and sip on a hot cup of tea. You deserve it!

Have a beautiful Tuesday. Thankfully, the rain has washed some of the pollen away, so for all the allergy sufferers out there, I hope you'll be able to tell a difference. Tomorrow, I have another fun Seasonal Tradition for you and your kiddos to try. It's time to get outside, so most of April and May will be centered on outdoor activities. I'll also have some Wednesday Wisdom and a few more "Pictures That Make Me Smile" to share.

Take care, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Sincerely,

The Enchanting Belinda