The Ultimate Back to Basics

I have come to realize that the ultimate event that gets us all back to basics is death. It is never something we want to face, and yet it is something we all have to experience. Part of life, is death.

When we pass away, it is not the material possessions that matter most. It is not how much money we had, the cars, houses, clothes, electronics, or furniture. I am pretty sure none of that passes through a person's mind when death calls your name. 

In the days after someone's passing, those material things are boxed, bagged, thrown away, shipped to family and friends, donated, or sold. The material things mean very little after the person that gave those items meaning and life has passes away.

What lives on are the events, experiences, leasons learned and taught. The people that remain are the legacy of those that have long passed away. With every story, whether it is retold, expressed in a craft that was taught or an old family recipe, that person's memory lives on. We continue their journey with them and for them. 

After a long battle with cancer, my beautiful mom passed away on December 17, 2013. She will be greatly missed but her legacy lives on. It lives in me, my dad, the family and friends that were so greatly touched by her love, support, humor, and compassion. Although she has passed away, the great wave of impact she had on this world lives on. I will tell her story, cook her recipes, continue her passion to learn new crafts, and to reach out and experience the world and its people. 

I leave you until next time with a few lines by ee cumming's "i carry your heart with me":

"here is the deepest secret nobody knows

(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud 

and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows

higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)

and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart (i carry it in my heart)"

Cooking: Baked Fried Chicken Secret

A few months ago, on a trip to Indiana, my grandma and I were talking together at the kitchen table. That is where some of the greatest conversations occur. Cooking tips, family history, family secrets, catch up on the happenings of the family, etc. It is place where ideas are shared, dreams are dreamed, plans are made, games played, puzzles solved. In my family, the kitchen table is where life plays out. 

During my most recent trip to Indiana, while hashing out some cooking conundrums, we started discussing baked breaded chicken. We had both been stumped on how to get crispy chicken from the oven. When we bake it, one side is always soggy. So how do you get all sides crispy? I came up with an idea, but neither of us was sure it would work so we decided to try it out and see what happened.

Today I tried it. I made chicken nuggets from chicken tenderloins that were on sale. Cut them into 2 inch pieces. Dredged the pieces in a beaten egg. Coated in a breading mixture (panko is great, also crushing up some fried onion strings is also great). Place pieces onto a wire rack that is placed on a baking sheet. That's the secret! The wire rack allows air flow below the chicken pieces and allows the excess juices to drip to the baking sheet and leaves the chicken crispy. Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes until cooked through.

This time I did not spray the wire rack, but next time I will. Some of the pieces stuck to the rack a bit, but not much. 

So there is my new discovery! Bake breaded chicken on a wire rack and it should come out crispy all over! Yum yum!

Gardening: Tomato Update

The first ripe tomatoes of the year!

Gardening: Green Beans Update

Today I harvested a bunch of green beans. They look great. Can't wait to saute them tomorrow.

Gardening: Jalapeño update

They are ripe! Went out to check this morning and 4 are ripe with those little texture lines on them! Can't wait to make some white chicken chili or regular chili with them. Unfortunately it makes the whole house smell like soup which is something that the people I live with don't appreciate. We shall see.