Tonight was Red Lobster

Paul and I have been dreaming of seafood for a while now but waiting for the right opportunity to come up. Our busy anniversary came and went with a lot of wonderful things (and heavenly malts) but it wasn't the right time for a sit-down meal so we saved that for another time. Today was it.

Paul worked a loooooong shift today and came home starving. I, as usual, forgot to eat and hadn't had anything since breakfast when we headed out at 4 o'clock. Mercy, I was hungry! As usual when your tummy overtakes your brain, our conversations kept turning to food which made the wait for our table less endurable than usual. Hannah, however, was happy looking at the lobsters behind the glass and making friends with the man who sat beside me. I was shocked to find out that this youngish looking father was also a GRANDFATHER and a GREAT-GRANDFATHER!! I wanted to know his secret... He was really playful with Hannah and she loved the attention. Around the time that Paul told me his stomach was eating itself (as was mine...) our table was finally called.

Our cute waitress (five months pregnant though you really couldn't tell) seated us right next to a huge aquarium. That was very helpful for Hannah although she seemed more interested with the plastic fish on either side. It was funny watching her go crazy for those. I, however, really liked watching the beautiful bright blue fish as they swam back and forth. Fish have such a calming effect and are very soothing to watch. I think Red Lobster has created a great atmosphere and was impressed again with their decor. What a fun place.

Hannah was ready for a nap (this week was Education Week at BYU, so our routine is completely off) but as we were thinking with our stomachs when we left, we thought this would be a quick trip. Right. Saturday night at a popular restaurant = long wait. long wait. long wait. Really though, it wasn't that bad. It wasn't until our food came that she really started getting antsy. We kept her happy with french fries and soda crackers until I finally slipped out the the car to feed her. This baby really loves to nurse. But she was mostly tired and that wasn't the fix. So we asked for boxes and got ready to go. I was able to clean off the coconut shrimp & pina colada sauce that Paul couldn't finish (yes, I totally out-ate my husband) and still ordered dessert to go. I couldn't get over how heavenly the shrimp was. Mmmmm. I can still taste it. And that, was eating out with a busy 9-month old baby. Not easy, not bad, entertaining and exhausting, but so fun. I love being a mama. And I love that being a mama can still include dates with a hot guy & yummy seafood.

Happy Weekend!!!

Eat your vegetables.....

So, there's an unwritten rule (well I'm sure it's written somewhere...) that good cooks prepare a meal that includes a variety of colors and textures. Well, I improvised much of our meal tonight and this is how it turned out -


brown & crunchy!!!

Even the milk is chocolate, if you didn't notice... I told Paul about the rule and teased him that I should open up my own place. He agreed and named it for me, "Mary's Brown Crunchy Stuff." So despite the fact that it lacked color...variety...(except for the plates) etc, it was a very yummy meal! Since everyone knows how to heat up tater tots and smear peanut butter on celery sticks I'm including the recipe for my "brown crunchy" chicken only. It's from my friend Crystal Weber and is quite delicious! It's actually called "Crispy-honey Chicken Fingers."
Thanks Crystal!

CRISPY-HONEY CHICKEN FINGERS

Ingredients:

3 tbsp. honey
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
1/4 tsp. chili powder
1/8 tsp. pepper
pinch ground cinnamon
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1" x 2" strips
3 cups corn flakes, coarsely crushed

-Heat oven to 375°F.

-Lightly coat broiler pan with cooking spray. In a bowl, stir together honey, salt, chili powder, pepper, cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon warm water. Add chicken strips, stir to coat. Place corn flakes in separate bowl. Transfer chicken strips to corn flake bowl. Coat well.

-Place chicken on pan.

-Bake 15-20 minutes or until no longer pink in the center. Serve with BBQ sauce.

***Special Note: As I already mentioned, I improvised much of this meal, including the chicken...I couldn't find my chili powder and substituted red pepper instead - really good but (warning!) a little spicy...I also used Honey Bunches of Oats cereal in place of corn flakes and we dipped the chicken fingers in honey mustard instead of barbecue sauce. Again, all very delicious. So needless to say, this recipe has a little bit of wiggle room. Hope you enjoy it!