On Repeat: The Hobbit Extended Edition

I've been sick this week with a head cold and even though I know it could be worse, it is still no fun. I have had more energy than I normally do with colds, but I have been forced to take it easy which is way less fun than choosing to take it easy.

Keeping me company as I recover on the couch is The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey extended edition. I have seen this movie about twenty times and I just seem to always have it on, especially this week. It is the comfort I need to just be still and feel better. I've also worked my way through all the bonus features/documentaries and I actually love the movie even more now. Which means it might be staying on repeat even after my cold has passed.

Southern Fried Chicken and Wedges

Big jugs of oil were on sale last week, so we got one with the idea that we would plan an elaborate deep fried dinner night. Maybe do onion rings, some vegetable tempura, a heap of french fries, and have a go at southern fried chicken. Well, the oil wasn't in the house 24 hours before John got good and excited about deep fry dinner. We let go of our elaborate plans and just had impromptu southern fried chicken and french fries. We have some oil left, so at some point we'll plan it properly and do "the works".

John worked his magic in the kitchen, first seasoning the chicken thighs and legs.

Then he marinated them in a buttermilk mixture.

And then coated them in flour and various spices.

He deep fried them to get them crispy, then continued cooking them in the oven until done.

He also deep fried a whole bunch of crispy and delicious potato wedges.

Impromptu deep fried dinner was a success! I think I could have eaten ten helpings of the wedges. They were really amazing. Why does deep fry have to taste so good!?!

Sweet Potato Pie: A Guest Post @ Awesomesauce & Other Experiments

I was invited to write a guest post on my friend Tasha's blog, Awesomesauce & Other Experiments.

I've known Tasha for almost 15 years, ever since we had the good fortune of being assigned adjacent rooms in 1st year university.

Tasha and I share many common interests: baking, cooking, reading, knitting, blogging, and generally being awesome. We also share a love of sweet potatoes, so for the guest post I decided to try making a sweet potato pie.

Click on over to Awesomesauce & Other Experiments and check out the full post!

Applebee's Lunch with Mom #FoodPicFriday

I had a lunch date with Mom on Wednesday and we ended up at our usual place: Applebee's. It was really nice to catch up and eat some tasty restaurant food, something I do very rarely these days.

We started with the chicken bites and they were crispy and spicy and really easy to eat.

Mom had fish and onion rings for lunch and I had crunchy shrimp and fries.

It was a very deep fry kind of lunch, but it hit the spot!

Kitchen Tips

I had some fun in the kitchen today making a pie (post to come next week) and I learned a few things I thought I would share with you.

1. When using a corded electric hand mixer to blend ingredients in a pot on the stove, be sure to keep cord away from the burner.

2. When baking a pie that is REALLY FULL of filling on a baking sheet, be sure to use a baking sheet that doesn't warp when heated. A warped baking sheet will cause filling to drip out and make your kitchen smell like burning sugar.

3. Always have fun, even if you burn the cord of your hand mixer or have a bunch of filling drip out of your pie.