Oven fried chicken

This recipe is for me, since I combined a few different ones to come up with this one--it was really good and moist and the crust on the chicken was wonderful. Here are the ingredients:

chicken (I used boneless skinless chicken breast, but you can use whatever type you like. I might try chicken legs next time.)
flour
buttermilk
corn flakes
2 eggs
milk
panko bread crumbs
paprika
salt
pepper
crisco (enough to brown chicken in)

1. Rinse chicken and sprinkle each side generously with salt, pepper, and paprika.
2. Place chicken in ziploc bag and pour buttermilk over chicken until covered.
3. Put bag in fridge for at least 24 hours to make moist. I actually left mine in for 2 days because I didn't get to cook it the day I had originally wanted to.
4. After marinating chicken, set up your assembly line--eggs mixed with milk, flour mixed with salt/pepper/paprika, and a ziploc bag with equal parts crushed corn flakes and panko. I don't give any measurements because it just depends on your tastes and how much chicken you have to cook.
5. Heat crisco in large skillet.
6. Take your chicken from the buttermilk mixture. Dip it in the flour, then the egg, and then your cornflake mixture. Place chicken in skillet and brown on each side.
7. After chicken is browned, place in pyrex dish and bake in oven at 400 until chicken is done. I baked mine for 50 minutes because the chicken breasts I used were huge.
8. I served this with mashed potatoes and milk gravy and green beans.
If anything isn't clear please comment and I will try to clear things up. I don't have a picture yet but will try to take one of the leftovers:-)

Will dancing :-)

Will was really hyper today after we got home from Bible study--he had apparently spilled water down the front of his onesie and after I got everything off and changed his diaper, he took of. Here is some of what he was doing:

No pain, no gain

It has been unseasonably warm here the last few days-my kids wore shorts to school today and Will had his physical therapy appointment outside yesterday. I bought a deal on our local add sheet for 10 Jazzercise classes for $18. I decided today would be the first day I would try to go. It was fun but I am so sore this evening--I can't imagine how I am going to feel tomorrow:-) We haven't had a lot going on the past few days--Jake had his 100th day of school celebration yesterday and we had to send a 100 ct snack to school--we picked M&M's. He had a good day Monday and an even better day today--we have been having a few issues with him not wanting to do his work and this week he has done a great job of doing everything he is supposed to--I am very proud of him. This is another random post but that seems to be how our life is lately:-)

Another relaxing weekend

We have had a relaxing weekend with nothing on the schedule for the kids, which I really appreciate. On Friday night I went to a thirty-one bags party that one of the girls from my bible study invited me too. It was a lot of fun and I was able to meet more ladies that go to Woodcrest. When it was time to leave, we discovered it was snowing outside--a very wet snow, but not too cold and not bad to drive in. We probably received a 1/2 inch. We didn't do anything on Saturday--I really like those days. I am re-reading all of the Left Behind series and am now on the final book, so I got a good portion of that read yesterday in between meals and naps and baths. Will is really enjoying the big bathtub ( another confession--I bathed him in the kitchen sink as long as possible to avoid having another kid bathing in the upstairs bathroom). He likes being able to move around and splash and lie down, although he covers both ears with his hands anytime he goes underwater. Today we got up and headed to church, and I sat with my friend Melissa, who took me to the thirty-one party Friday night. After church we came home and had lunch, and Shon graciously agreed to go to WalMart for me--and took Caleb with him. The middle two are outside playing with friends, and Will is about to go down for a nap. I am headed out in a little bit to go see a movie with some friends--Shon has been really good about letting me have some "friend" time:-) How was your weekend?

Testing, testing

Caleb had an assessment today at the University to see where we are with his ADHD and ODD. He was tested in 2nd grade and determined to have ADHD and oppositional defiance disorder, and I just wanted him re-tested to figure out if we were on the right track with our treatment. When I made the appointment, they told me to expect it to take from 9:30 until 2:30 pm. I figured that was only for the really troubled kids, and that we would be done by lunch at the latest. I also had to bring Will with me since it was not one of his school days. I ended up having to talk with the person conducting the assessment for about 1 1/2 hours at the beginning. Caleb was a real trooper and took care of Will remarkably well. After my part of the interview Caleb went to the first part of the testing which was an IQ test. We broke for lunch around 12:15pm. I had texted Shon to see if he could come home and stay so that Will could take a nap and not have to be in a small room waiting for Caleb to finish. ( he had had enough by lunch and had fallen off the couch and got a nice bruise while we were there). So, Shon came home and I left Will with him and Caleb and I went back to the campus. We got back about 1pm and didn't finish up until 3:30. I got to sit and read a book without interruption, so that was nice, but the chairs were pretty uncomfortable. Caleb was pretty tired when we were finished. The results/recommendations should be back to me in about a month. So it was a long day but I think it was good.

Random Monday Confessions

My new washer was delivered this morning. I am washing my second load as I type. It is sooooo quiet! Love it.

Small confession: Will doesn't get a bath everyday. He has super-sensitive skin and some eczema so he is an every other day bather--and I really like that I don't have to do a bath everyday.

I don't ever make our bed--ever. If someone comes over, our door gets closed. And stays closed.

On that note, it is rare for the kids beds to be made. Emma is the only one who does it on a somewhat consistent basis.

My Christmas trees are still up, even though it is January 23rd. Every time I look at them, I say to myself that I will put them up tomorrow:-)

I have 2 baskets of folded clothes in my bedroom that we have been getting clean clothes out of because I am too lazy to put them away.

I secretly enjoy watching Teen Mom and Teen Mom 2--if only to realize how much worse my life could be:-)

I love food and hate to exercise, which is where this weight gain tends to come into play--really wishing the reverse were true.

Any secret confessions out there? Or am I the only loser mom? :-)

White cake with strawberries and whipped cream/cream cheese icing

Yes, another food post, but this one is so yummy I had to post it. You know how you can picture something in your head the way you want it to look and taste but it usually (for me) doesn't turn out the way you think/hope it will? This one does! Here is the recipe I used:

1 white cake mix ( I used Duncan Hines)
1 container strawberries, rinsed and chopped into small pieces (I bet you could use frozen as well).
1 8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 16 oz Cool Whip, thawed
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp milk or heavy cream or half and half

1. Follow the directions on the cake mix and bake the cakes. I used my 9 in pans.
2. Allow the cakes to cool completely.
3. Chop up your strawberries and mix into 4-6 oz of Cool Whip (any more and it will run down the sides of the cake--guess how I know that:-)
4. Spread the strawberry/Cool Whip mixture on top of the first cake. Put the second cake on top of the first.
5. Mix together the cream cheese and sugar until all mixed together. ( I used the Kitchen Aid mixer for the frosting).
6. Add in 8 oz of Cool Whip and mix together until fluffy.
7. Add in the vanilla and milk or heavy cream or half and half ( I used half and half).
8. Mix everything together until creamy.
9. Spread icing all over the cake, starting in the center and spreading down the sides. This actually made enough to generously cover the whole cake.
10. Enjoy!
My kids LOVED this--Emma has already requested it for her birthday in April:-) Shon even enjoyed it (which is saying a lot). I will definitely be making this again.