i’m fan of chicken strips.  i like that you can eat them with a variety of dips and they always taste good.  i also like that you can get them at just about any restaurant.  chicken strips are always a safety net for me.  anyways, i’ve struggled with finding a really good chicken strip recipe that you can make at home, you know, sans the deep fryer, messy batter and extra fat and calories.  i think i’ve finally found it!

• 12-14 chicken tenderloins
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 c buttermilk
• 1 1/2 c dried bread crumbs
• 1/3 c grated parmesan cheese
• 1 packet hidden valley ranch dressing mix
• salt and pepper to taste

1. preheat oven to 400°.
2. in a small bowl, whisk together eggs and buttermilk.  in a larger bowl, mix together bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, ranch dressing mix, salt and pepper.
3. dip each tenderloin into the buttermilk/egg mixture and then place into bread crumb bowl.  cover each tenderloin well.  place tenderloins in a single layer on a greased 9×13″ baking dish.
4. bake in oven for 15 or until golden brown.
5. try dipping them in bbq, ranch or honey mustard!

enjoy!

pork chops remind me of a cartoon i grew up watching as a kid… i don’t know why, but they just do.  then it’s scat solo theme song gets stuck in my head… and then i want to make this dish.  it has been a while since i have made them.  tom found a video (the link is below) on youtube and was convinced that worms were living in pork chops and magically appeared when coke was present.

worms in pork chops

i proved him wrong and made pork chops for dinner this week.  there were no worms, just pure deliciousness.  i served it with fried apples and leftover cheesy potatoes.

• four pork chops (i prefer the center loin)
• 2 eggs
• 1 sleeve of saltine crackers
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 c butter

1. in bowl, whisk eggs well.
2. crush one sleeve of crackers onto a plate, add garlic, salt and pepper.  mix well.
3. place a large skillet on the oven over medium-low to medium heat.  (you’ll want to cook your chops low and slow.)  melt 4 tbsp butter on skillet.
4. dip a pork chop in egg with one hand and coat with cracker mixture using the other.  (trust me on the hand thing.)  place on skillet.  cook on one side for about 5 minutes and then flip to the other side and cook for five minutes.  while they’re cooking, you will want to add a pat of butter from time to time.  it helps keeps the pork chops moist and the crackers crunchy!  you do not want to flip the pork chops too often, or they will lose their breading.
5. if you are not certain that your meat is cooked throughly, purchase a meat thermometer.  pork needs to cook to 160°.  it should kill off the worms.

enjoy!

i’m going through this stage where i’m missing all of my flint food.  some things just can’t be recreated, like vanilla coke zero, red ox breadsticks and koegel’s hot dogs and bologna.  i’m working on re-creating a few things.  one of which is aida’s chicken salad.  this comes kind of close!  i have served it on a multi-grain with flax flat-out wrap made in no better place than saline, mi!  i love supporting the michigan economy all of the way in nashville.

source

• 2 1/2 – 2 c diced, cooked chicken
• 1/2 c diced celery
• 3-4 tbsp finely chopped onion
• 1/4 – 1/2 c mayo
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• dash pepper
• 2-3 tsp pickle relish
• dash (or more to taste) cajun or creole seasoning
• salt, to taste

1. combine chicken with celery, onion, 1/4 c mayo, lemon juice, pepper, relish, seasoning and salt.
2. add more mayo, as needed.

enjoy!