Busy Day

I couldn't sleep last night so I ended up making the cupcakes/muffins that I wanted to make. They turned out awesome. My brother and my fiance couldn't stop eating them, and I made a couple dozen and they're almost all gone ALREADY!

Today was payday for the guys, thank goodness. And Andrew treated me to a trip to Lowes to pick up some supplies to start gardening. Right now the dining room table is covered with a pot for herbs. It is this really neat tower pot thing that has chives, oregano, basil, cilantro, and parsley. And then I have these planter things (the type that you can bury for transplanting) where I divided them and have some of the following to grow: Lettuce, Garden Beans, Broccoli, Onion (Scallions?), Radish, Peas, Spinach, and cucumber. I'll be working on making a garden patch over the weekend to plant things once they sprout.

I'm so excited. I get to cook, and now garden. Hopefully this will make stress start to go down in my life as I'll feel like I'm doing something other then just cleaning and school. I'll be doing things that interest me.

Even though I'm now starting to regret not getting the strawberries. Some fresh strawberries would have been wonderful. Maybe I'll talk Andrew into it next paycheck. After we budget our expenses that we'll have to be paying.

I'll do more pictures and such of something tomorrow!

Food Finally!

So, I finally broke down and made some recipes that I had floating around. Some of it turned out really yummy, some of it, well - not so much. Still not really done completely. I plan on making some muffins later. But at the moment, here was dinner!

The chicken - it was incredibly yummy. I don't remember where I found the recipe, I have it written down in a notebook, so I don't know who to give credit to. And it was really easy to prepare (not to mention cheap). Most of the items people might already have in their pantry.

Parmesan Potato Oven Fried Chicken

•  Instant potato flakes for 4 servings
• 2 tablespoons Parmesan Cheese
• 1 tablespoon seasoned salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 egg
• 3 lbs chicken drumsticks or thighs
• 1/4 cup of butter

1. About 1 1/4 hours before serving - preheat oven to 400 degrees. 
2. In a shallow dish mix instant potato with cheese, seasoned salt, and pepper
3. In another shallow dish mix egg, and 1/4 cup of water, beat until mixed.
4. With tongs (I found it easier to use my hands) roll chicken first in egg mix, then coat with flake mix. Set on wire rack to dry for 10 or 15 minutes.
5. melt butter - coat pan
6. Arrange chicken in pan, turning pieces to coat in butter. (I forgot to coat the pieces, and it still turned out fine, just didn't crisp as much as it should have)
7. Bake chicken 40 to 50 minutes until fork tender

It should serve 8.

The potato, I wouldn't make again, so unless I get asked to post the recipe, I wont be. That is just how I roll. The greenbeans, those I just tossed in the microwave with some butter, I didn't do anything special to them but add a little bit of garlic to give it a hint of flavor.

Sickness.

And so the flu season starts early? I've been wanting to do more then I have been. Trying to get some of the blanket I'm making done. Finish up some projects left on the house. I still have to clean, and paint some more walls, that way I can then get the floors put in. Everything takes up so much time, and at the moment I'm finding it hard just to keep something in my stomach.

Ah well, things will get better in a couple of days I'm sure. I can't be sick forever and then it will be bustin' my bum to get everything taken care of. But right now the source of my amusement and what is keeping me at least a little sane is my kitten. He's a tabby, and we call him ReRe ... short for Retard. And it isn't meant to be an insult or anything. Just he isn't the smartest nor most graceful of kittens. Most of the time he runs head first into things, or lands on his head when he's jumping down from something. But his favourite activity of late is playing with a laser pointer that we bought and put on my keychain. Now when he hears the keys jingle he comes running from where ever he might be hiding and expects to play. 

As can be seen from this lovely picture. Don't mind the mess of the floor, this is part of the computer room, and we're going to be putting in new flooring. One of these days maybe I'll put up before and after pictures of all the rooms and explain everything we did.