National Popcorn Day

So today is National Popcorn Day. What better way then a Popcorn Tutorial? Sprouts Farmers Market has yellow popping corn on sale for $0.99 a pound. The only other thing that you'll need is a brown paper lunch bag.

Each oz cost about $0.06

Take 1/4 cup of corn and put it in your bag. I folded the bag over twice then taped it close. Lay it in the microwave and set your timer for about 3 min. If your corn is done popping before 3 min (mine was) take it out when it slows down the popping or you'll end up with burned popcorn. Season and enjoy.

The great thing about this is that you determine what kind of seasoning or butter you want on it. Oh and it is waaayyy cheaper!

Yummy Desert

I also made this really yummy desert. Kind of strawberry shortcake. It involves ladyfingers, strawberries, and honey whipped cream. Do I have your attention. Maybe this pic will.

What I did was this...

Add 1 tbsp of sugar to washed and cut strawberries, set in the fridge for a few hours till nice and juicy. (3-4 hours)

 Get your whip cream ready to go, heavy whipping cream in a stand mixer (or what ever you have). Once it is formed add your honey (I use buckwheat honey), then re-mix till stiff peaks.

Add all together, and you get the first pic. Delish!

Buttermilk Chicken Strips

I had some good friends over today who have a little boy so I wanted to make something that everyone would eat. I had chicken breast in the fridge so I thought chicken strips. I love, love, love chicken strips and this is my favorite recipe.  I don't know where I found it, I do my own thing and don't follow a set recipe but it is good!

What you'll need three pie pans, a heavy bottomed pan, and some tongs.
Chicken breast (I use boneless, skinless), Panko (and if you run out breadcrumbs will work), eggs, and flour (add salt and pepper for seasoning)

1) Cut up the the chicken in strips 4 per breast, put them in a bag, and pour in the buttermilk with salt and pepper. Put in the fridge for at least 1 hour up to 8 hours.

2) When ready to cook heat up oil in heavy bottomed pan very hot.

 3) Get your buttermilk chicken drained, coat it in flour and dust off extra, dredge in eggs, then cover with panko crumbs. Out in oil and cook till golden brown and beautiful. 

Persimmon Fruit Salad

My kids just love fruit, I mean LOVE fruit. I have, in the past just chopped up some apples and mixed it with berries and grapes and they are fine with that. But for me it is kind of boring. I like fruit too but there is only so much I can have plain before I am done.

I was excited to see a new kind of fruit in our CSA box for the last few weeks. Persimmons! I had never had one before and was baffled on how to eat/prepare it. I asked at the Farmers Market the next week and they said "Just eat it like an apple". I thought that was nice and easy and rushed home to try my new fruit. Oh my I did not care for it at all. The sin felt weird (I was told that the skin was eatable), the taste kind a funky, and the feel of it was just odd like a really fine mushy sandpaper. No way was I going to feed this to my kids. I was dismayed that the next few weeks our boxes always contained more persimmons.

I didn't want to keep throwing them out so I set out on a mission. Find a way to eat this and like it because it seemed like for the winter we were stuck with 4-5 of them. I tried a persimmon flan...way to sweet and kinda strange. And then I happened on a Persimmon fruit salad. BINGO! It was good. Just the right amount of sweet and tart. Oh and the kids devoured it! Winner!! Here is the recipe plus a little of my own because I love berries.

Persimmon Fruit Salad

1 persimmon (I peel it)
1 apple (any kind will work)
1 tsp honey ( I use buckwheat but any will do)
1-2 tsp fresh lemon juice ( I love the tart and use up to half a lemon)

Cut the apples and persimmon up small. Mix in the honey and lemon juice and there you go.

If you want to add some strawberries and blueberries. Add a little extra honey and lemon juice and that's it! Enjoy