FRIED CHICKEN TENDERS

INGREDIENTS

1 package of Trimmed and Ready chicken tenderloins

Salt and pepper to taste

1 teaspoon of cajun seasoning

1 teaspoon of paprika

1 teaspoon of garlic powder

1 teaspoon of thyme

Hot sauce to taste

For dredging, each item below should be in a separate dish or pie plate:

1 cup of flour seasoned with salt and pepper

2 eggs with a couple dashes of hot sauce

1 cup of Panko bread crumbs, 1/4 cup of italian breadcrumbs and 1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese.

METHOD

Wash chicken well and drain.  Season with the spices listed above.  For best results let the chicken marinate for a few hours or overnight in the fridge.

Line up dredging plates in the order listed above; flour, eggs, Panko.  Dredge the tenders one at a time in order and place on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper for easy cleanup.  Once all pieces are coated, set in refrigerator for 10 minutes to set. This allows the breading to stick better and not fall off too much during frying.

Heat a large deep skillet with about 1 to 1½ inches of Canola oil until it starts shimmering and you can see tiny bubbles forming at the bottom or toss in a piece of bread and if it fries quickly, it is ready.

Remove tenders from refrigerator and fry each piece for about 2 minutes per side or until golden brown.

Drain on a paper towel lined cookie sheet or a cookie rack over paper towels.  Serve hot.

Please see video below:

Fried chicken tenders

A day in the life of Nicholas...

6:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m.

He wakes up and has his bottle and plays with us for a bit and then in his play pen with his toys.

8:30 a.m.

He has 2 jars of solid foods, one veggie and one fruit.  Then we head outside for some fun in the sun or if it is raining we hang out on the porch.

9:30 a.m.

Bath time, bottle or nursing and then a 1- to 2-hour nap.

11:00 a.m. or so

He has a bottle and then hangs out with mommy watching the Young and the Restless :)  Then he plays in his play pen or we read a book together.

1:00 p.m.

He watches me do stuff around the house and kitchen from his high chair and he is surrounded by his favorite teething toys.  No toys while eating, only after so he enjoys this!

2:00 p.m.

He has sweet potatoes or another jar of food that is a 2-veggie blend.

3:00 p.m.

He takes a nap for about 30 minutes to an hour.  After nap, another bottle and then we head back outside.

4:00 p.m.

His favorite meal of the day, oatmeal :) and then he watches me prepare dinner.  We have our dinner while he hangs out in the high chair or play pen.

5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Wind down time, no TV or toys with sounds.  Just us hanging out outside.  Clothes free time, which he loves!  Diaper on of course haha!

6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Bath time, bottle and then off daddy goes to put him to bed.

He wakes up maybe once during the night but sleeps well.

Good night buddy, see you in the morning :)

BAKED POTATO WEDGES

INGREDIENTS

1 bag of Yukon Gold potatoes (choose a bag that has large sized potatoes)

Enough Olive Oil to coat (I use the light olive oil for cooking)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Rosemary and Garlic seasoning blend

A few dashes of paprika

A couple pinches of ground red pepper

2 tbsp of Parmesan cheese.

METHOD

Preheat oven to 375 to 400.

Rinse and dry unpeeled potatoes. Cut in half diagonally and then cut into wedges. Place all wedges in a Ziploc bag and toss with above ingredients, except the Parmesan cheese.

Take 2 cookie sheets and brush with olive oil. Place the wedges cut side down and spread in an even layer over both sheets. Bake for 30 mins and then turn on the other cut side and bake for another 25 mins or until tender. I usually swap the sheets (so that the one on top goes on the bottom and vice versa) so that during half the cooking time they get evenly cooked but that is just a habit.  End result should be slightly golden.

Using a spatula, carefully remove the wedges and place in a dish and while they are still hot sprinkle the Parmesan cheese.

STEWED CHICKEN

INGREDIENTS

1 package of chicken breast strips OR

1 package of boneless, skinless chicken thighs

2 tablespoons of oil (Canola or Light olive oil)

2 tablespoons of brown or white sugar

3 tablespoons of ketchup

1/4 cup of coconut milk

3 green onions chopped

Enough water or chicken broth to cover meat

Hot sauce to your taste

1 teaspoon of garlic

1 teaspoon of Worchestshire sauce

1 teaspoon of dried thyme

1 teaspoon of Sazon

1 teaspoon of paprika

Salt and pepper to taste

METHOD

Wash, cut and season chicken with salt and pepper to taste, a couple dashes of Worchestshire sauce, hot sauce to taste and other dried spices.

In a large saucepan (I prefer to use a cast iron skillet), put a couple tablespoons of oil and once it is hot, add sugar. Once the sugar starts to brown and bubble, carefully add the chicken and try not to move it around too much, just enough to brown them. It may splash so be careful. Add enough water or broth to cover, ketchup, crushed garlic, coconut milk and green onions. Stir and then bring to a boil, put a lid on and turn heat down to med-low and let simmer for about 20 mins or until chicken is cooked through. For chicken thighs it will take closer to 35 minutes for it to be tender.

I usually serve this with white basmati rice or egg noodles.

A little twist to make it Chinese-style:

Instead of water or broth I use a combo of 3 tablespoons of ketchup, 3 tablespoons of honey, 3 tablespoons of House of Tsang Szechuan spicy stir fry sauce (you can get this at in the asian aisle) and add some hot water to make it into a runny consistency.


You can also use cut up pieces of chicken on the bone but it will require a longer cooking time.  


Enjoy!

Photo is of the stewed chicken with red beans and homemade macaroni and cheese or what I grew up calling it in Trinidad, macaroni pie...because it is baked in the oven...recipe soon :)

A note about my recipes

My original recipes are inspired from childhood and adulthood as you read in my previous post about cooking.  If I used recipes from the Food Network, I will give credit by saying "inspired by." The reason being that I do change it up sometimes to suit my taste but I am always inspired by those amazing chefs and cooks on the Food Network and now too, the Cooking Channel.

When I cook I do not usually use measurements so you will notice that I mention dashes, pinches or to taste a lot.  I tried to insert some measurements depending on the recipes.

I have found that a lot of the seasonings or spice blends have quite a bit of sodium already included so I don’t use a lot of added salt.

I do use Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper (the red, black, green and pink whole peppercorns), as a main ingredient to all my dishes.

So, I suggest that you experiment with your spices and find the taste that suits you best.  I like things spicy and I add crushed red pepper flakes for that kick and also some habanero pepper sauce when I want added heat.

Play with your food and the flavors; there is a whole world of them to discover making your own repertoire delicious!

My spices that I use in just about everything I cook:

Salt and pepper to taste

Cajun seasoning blend

Sazon by Goya (found in the hispanic aisle)

Paprika

Garlic powder

Dried thyme

I hope you have fun experimenting and trying my recipes.  I will try to post one every day!  Let me know if you have any questions :)

Milestones

NICHOLAS STORM MITCHELL

My dearest son, 

Here is a list of the little milestones along the way...to be continued!

Born: June 21, 2011.  Weight: 8 pounds, 1 ounce.  Length: 21-1/2 inches.

Home for the first time:  June 23, 2011.

Moved to nursery: 8 weeks old.

Said "Hi": 8 weeks old.

Slept through the night: 2-1/2 months old.

Smile: One month old.

Laugh: One month old.

Oatmeal cereal: 4 months old.

Solids:  Sweet potatoes, squash, carrots, apples, pears, peas, bananas, corn.

Food aversions:  Turkey (gagged) and Avocado (spit it out).

Sat up on: 5 months old.

Transitioned from bassinet to crib: 8 months old.

Said "mama": 6 months old.

Said "dada": 7 months old.

Haircut:  8-1/2 months old.

Pulling up and getting on his hands and knees:  9 months old.

Crawling: 9-1/2 months old.

Pulling up all the way: 9-1/2 months old (the very next day after crawling).

Walking the first few steps:  11-1/2 months old.

Running and climbing: 12 to 13 months old.

Vocabulary in context as well to date:  hat, yeah, yep, town, shoe, toe, clock, truck, book, up, mama, dada, bye-bye, night-night, puff, more (also does the sign language for it), cat dog, scout, no, boy, wow, yo, haha, out, bird, ice, hot.

More words at almost 16 months old:

He knows where his nose, ears, mouth, fingers, toes, knees, tummy, head, hair are located by pointing when asked.

He knows what a cup, bowl, spoon, snacks, toys by type, eg. truck, car, book, ball, etc.

He indicates and says food when he is hungry.  He does the 'more' sign for more of something.  He understands to get a drink of water.  He asks for puffs (snack).

Sentences to date:  "what is that", "who is that", "I see you".

He blows kisses, waves at hello and bye and says his version of those words :)  He laughs when we laugh and claps when he is happy.  He mimics the shows he watches when they do exercise or motions and actions for song and play.

2013

18-months old:  "I love you", he 'reads' his books, points to things, says the animals, 'cat', 'dog', 'cow', 'quack, quack' for duck, etc.

He knows where and when we are close to our road to our house, says 'home', knows when we pass 'papaw's' house and says it.  When Paul gets ready for work, he says 'work'.

He is all about the 'moon', 'plane', 'birds', 'leaves', etc.

Kisses and hugs, says 'thank you', 'welcome'.  He knows his 'juice', 'wa-wa' for water, 'ba-ba' for any bottle, he loves playing with water bottles.

He is still on mostly purees of fruits, veggies and chicken, huge oatmeal fan but tolerates puffs, whole grain, fruit filled bars and we are working up to other finger foods.  His doctor says at this stage it doesn't matter if the food is mush or whole, it's nutrition.  We are of the belief and have been from the start that there is no rushing a child to do what we want except when it comes to discipline.  There is plenty of time for him to show readiness and it alleviates problems later on down the road.

His wellness check was excellent and he is now 30 pounds and 34 inches tall, 95th percentile.  All shots are up to date until his 4-year appointment.

He has 90% of his teeth now.

November 2 years and 5 months old (37 pounds and 37-1/2 inches tall):

He is an iPad whiz!

He loves to watch the cooking shows and pretends and plays with my mixer and pots and pans.  He is doing it at this very moment.

Language skills are above par.  He speaks and answers in context.  He can count to above 10.  He knows the alphabet.  He can name and identify lots of fruits and vegetables, on and on.

His eating is still limited to mainly purees but he will drink smoothies with fruit, yogurt and oatmeal, etc.  He loves cake and cookies and pumpkin bread and chocolate pudding.

2014 - January 2015


Wow, how he has grown.  He is now 3 and a half years old.  He is 42 pounds and 41 inches tall.

He counts to almost 200.  He has an excellent memory.  He loves his grandma with all his heart and he skypes with her every morning and throughout the day. 

He loves to watch Paw Patrol, Wallykazam, Team Umizoomi and loves to watch us play Super Mario Bros. 

He has a heart that is so caring and he can speak very well and carry on intelligent conversations.

He is almost potty trained.  He started sleeping with us now.  He doesn't like his room anymore. He says he is scared and has bad dreams.

The story of us...

Thirteen years ago I was sitting in my office at the University of the West Indies, Faculty of Social Sciences and having a chat with my boss.  It was the best job I ever had, I loved being able to help the students and perform administrative and clerical duties for the dean and the professors alike within our faculty.  My boss and I were talking about different internet chat sites and how it was to become the new forum for meeting friends worldwide and that I should join one for fun.  He used one called ICQ and told me, "...people get married on those things..." to which I chuckled and said "yeah, uh huh".

So, I ventured onto ICQ and looked at the categories for a friend search, I chose someone who likes to travel, spoke french and other hobbies that were similar to mine.  At first, I came up some pretty freaky people haha but the second time I clicked "Random" I came across, Paul Mitchell.  I instant messaged him and he replied thinking I was a guy harassing him and he said "not interested" and then he replied "for the last time, I am not gay".  I said "that is good to know but I am Trudy..." So, we had a virtual laugh about it and from then on we started messaging each other back and forth for 6 months.  We called each other and sent photos and care packages once we got closer.  We never had the intention of having a long distance relationship but it happened anyway.

He came to meet my family in Trinidad and then I came to Arkansas to meet his.  He proposed to me on that trip and I said "yes!."  Another few months went by and then he came back to Trinidad and we had our wedding, that was the best feeling in the world.  Of course, I invited my boss and he gave a speech about our very first conversation before I met Paul. My boss was sorry because he was losing me haha! They even threw me a huge going away party at work and that was so sweet.   Paul came alone for the wedding since no one in his family was able to travel or even had a passport and he wanted me to be surrounded by my family since I would be leaving after the wedding and move to Arkansas.  Of course, when I moved here we had a private ceremony to make it "official" for legal purposes but that gave us 2 anniversaries haha!

We went for our honeymoon to Barbados and it was awesome!  I missed my family already and we cut it short by a day so I would have that extra time with them before moving.

Moving was bittersweet.  I lived at home and was very close to my parents, brother and my faithful little dog, Cuddles (RIP).

So, now here I am still happily married to my best friend and soul mate 12 years later and we are raising our precious son, Nicholas.

I thank God everyday for bringing us together.  Paul's family and parents are so warm and loving and have wrapped me into their hearts and they are in mine.

My mom and dad visited a few times but my dad is not a fan of travel anymore.  Especially since his first trip to see me, the very next day 9/11 happened :(  My mom still makes trips at least once a year to see me and we have not gone back to Trinidad in almost 6 years.  I hope to take Nicholas soon to meet my side of the family.  Thanks to staying connected through Face book they have gotten to know him and see him grow up.  We chat on Skype with my parents as much as we can.

That is the story in a nutshell and we learned a lot about each other with the distance between us.  We learned patience, understanding and commitment and that has held us even stronger now than ever before.

I love you, Paul... "I seek you...03-23-1999" until eternity <3

Nicholas Storm Mitchell

My husband Paul and I have been married for 12 years now and throughout those years we did a lot of things.  We travelled and went on vacations.  I also got to see my family several times within the first few years of moving to Arkansas.  We moved and built a home together.  We were blessed with a lot of things along the way but most of all our love for each other helped us through the tough times as well.

It was on Halloween of the year 2010 that I decided to take a pregnancy test.  I always took them and was always given the same result: negative.  So, after being married for 11 years at the time, we gave up and said, if it is meant to be, fantastic.  If not, we will survive.  Well, to our amazement, it was positive on that morning at 4:30 a.m.  We were so shocked that we went out and bought 2 more to be sure before sharing the news with our parents.

My mom was here visiting and was going to be here for the birth of her first grandson.

Our parents were thrilled and I was already 7 weeks along.  After weeks of trying to make sure we were insured and that I was taking care of myself until seeing an OB/GYN, we finally got our first appointment at 20 weeks.  Thank God, I was healthy and the pregnancy was going well.  I never experienced any morning, evening or other type of sickness.  I only had bronchitis during the winter due to a prolonged cough that was left behind by a cold.  I could not take any meds and it progressed but it went away on its own.

My doctor, Thomas Wood, is the best OB I could have prayed for.  He was gentle, kind and so understanding and of course, very handsome haha! that helps :)  I always went with questions and he was always willing to answer and never rushed us out the door.

My due date was Sunday June 18, 2011 and it was drawing near and no sign of labor during the last few appointments.  So, I was scheduled to be induced on Wednesday June 22, 2011.

Our best friends Kyle and Tarra were over for dinner on Monday June 20, 2011.  We had a great time and hung out because Kyle was deploying the next day with the navy.  We went to bed late that night and I woke up with cramping and after checking and timing I realized I was in early labor.  So, I showered, dressed and packed the last minute items to my already packed suitcases and then woke Paul.

We left my mom a note since it was after midnight and we didn't know how long it would take and went on our way.

*  *  *  *  *  * 

At 2 a.m. we were checked into observation at the labor/delivery dept of the hospital.  At this point, contractions were strong and about 5 to 6 minutes apart and I breathed through them.  Turns out my doc was on call that night so he gave the okay to move to the labor room and by 4 a.m. I was hooked up to my epidural and it took effect pretty quickly.  I progressed well throughout the day and there was no need for the administration of the pitocin (induction) until closer to the pushing stage.  I slept through the contractions the rest of the morning and with the exception of them checking me ever so often it went smoothly.  They allowed me to just start pushing when my body was ready so I would not get worn out.  I just went with when they told me the contractions were occurring.  It took almost 2 hours during the pushing stage.   He was born at 1:22 p.m weighing 8 pounds, 1 ounce and 21-1/2 inches long.

Nicholas was laid upon my chest and Paul and I had the best moment of our lives.  He was perfect and beautiful and we were blown away by his magnificence and his eyes were wide open and stayed that way for 5 hours straight until we went down for his first nap.

Thank God for such a great team of nurses, supportive doc and of course coach Paul.  He watched the entire miracle come to life :) He was speechless and choked up :)  

Our time spent at the hospital was like being in our own bubble and it was an experience we will never forget.

We brought him home and we were welcomed with balloons and flowers from our moms.  He was a joy from the start.  He woke up like every newborn every couple hours to be fed and changed but we took turns and let my mom just be grandma.

When she went back home it was sad for all of us.  

Nicholas had his first few appointments with his pediatrician, Joshua Wilkinson and he was perfectly healthy and growing well.  We moved him into his nursery when he was 8 weeks old and he has slept in there ever since.  The best purchase was a rock and play sleeper by Fisher Price which he slept in until just a month ago.  Now, he sleeps in his crib.  He is now 9 months old.

His daily adventures and milestones will be covered in other posts but this is the first chapter to how it all began...

My love for cooking blossoms...how it all got started.

I was born and raised on the island of Trinidad and Tobago.  I grew up in a very diverse culture with a medley of different cuisines.  My mom was always cooking delicious things at home as far back as I can remember.  My dad also experimented in the kitchen and came up with his own spin on things.

I travelled a lot and learned a few things here and there about different types of food and have always been a fan of cooking shows.  Starting with Great Chefs of the World on the Travel Channel, which I watched every day after school and work.

When I got married and moved to Arkansas, I fell in love with my new family and their love for home cooking and great gatherings.  Those times coupled with my new found passion for cooking and the discovery of the Food Network led me to become a curious cook with a unique spin on the recipes. 

My husband Paul is my faithful, loyal and never failing companion.  He is my chief taste tester (now sous chef, he just got promoted) supports me in everything I do!  I love you babe!

Queenie is my beloved German shepherd and without her companionship our lives would be empty.  We love you Queen!

The best part of my cooking story is now I have an amazing son, who since he was a newborn sits in his high chair watching me cook everyday.  He is also a great eater and just started solids and is a curious little boy.  I cannot wait until he is also in the kitchen with me but behind the counter cooking along beside me :)

One girl from Trinidad, meets the Food Network and a love for all things foodie equals….me!

Day one...newbie blogger...Hello!

Today, I decided to eliminate the usage of Face book and start a blog that one day my son, Nicholas, can read at his leisure and see the story of his life unfold.  

My story really begins with how I first met my soul mate and husband, Paul but that will be another post :)

I am also an avid food lover and also absolutely love watching cooking shows and then spinning my own creations to everyone's delight :)

I see life as an adventure but also some order and organization must be maintained for me to function well.  I am all about spontaneity and doing what you desire but I have routines instilled in me that get me through the days.  More of that later on as well.

I hope that this allows my true friends and close family to capture an insight into my world based on words, experiences and photos because it is the only way to fully express what goes on in my day to day life besides seeing it directly through my eyes!

Happy reading!

My beloved protector...Queenie (German Shepherd)