HONEY GLAZED CHCKEN, LITTLE MISS THING AND SOME BULLET POINTS!

Gadzooks! Tomorrow is the first day of August--summer is just flying by. Sixteen days until our Little Miss Thing hits the "friendly" skies, once again, on her way back to Berkeley, California,  for fall semester, junior year. Just thinking about taking her back to the airport makes me all verklempt and teary eyed. Didn't she just get home for summer? I suppose it's the three jobs she's been holding down that have made the weeks go by like that  (well, for ME, anyways!).

So I've been thinking about all the reasons why I love this child so much more than all of my other children: SHHH....don't tell the rest! Just kidding...she's our one and only. But still, she'll always be my favorite...let me tell you why, in this nifty bullet point format!

***She makes me want to be a better person, each and every day, just to be worthy of being  her mom. Abbie cares about the future of this planet so very much, she even washes out and re-uses baggies and plastic forks day after day for her lunches, rather than just dispose of them. She is kind, and believes in the power of good manners. There is not a prejudiced bone in her body, which is more than I can say of so many in my generation (and truthfully, hers).

***She loves and is kind to animals, like these beasts who lounge around our home.....

And other beasts, as well. I mean seriously, she has to take about 50 kids fishing tomorrow morning for a local playschool program (Job # 1), and doesn't know how on earth she's going to manage this, as she can't stomach the thought of putting a worm on a hook OR catching  and releasing a fish!

***She's an accomplished and artistic young woman, who is soooo excited about her very first apartment this year......LOVE that she's creating her own art for her apartment walls, LOVE that her new favorite store is Hobby Lobby (just like mama's!).............

Check out these amazing silhouettes she crafted....she's promised to tell us all how to make these in an upcoming post!.....

Even her Mac Book screams creativity and, most importantly, peace.....

****She has a wicked funny sense of humor, and makes us laugh each and every day. Which is such a blessing; life is waaaay too short to be around people who take themselves waaaaay too seriously!

****My girl even loves to cook! She just loves getting into our kitchen and whipping up some funky omelette creations. And get this--she even cleans up after herself--priceless!............

Mama loves you, Little Miss Thing, up to Heaven and beyond!

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This summer has been a little different for me, because I can't drink my beloved wine due to some pretty hefty medications that I'm on that are not necessarily liver-friendly. But that's okay--it's been long enough now that I've lost that 5p.m. craving, and am loving the way my head feels super clear AND my scale shows a 23 pound weight loss. We've also been eating pretty much vegetarian all summer long, but last week Abbie had dinner with her girlfriends, so Big Daddy and I RAN to the grocery store like kids running to the candy shop and grabbed us up some chicken! As we live in a tourist town, our grocery store runs out of things often, and such was the case last week. We wanted chicken thighs and bone-in breasts, but had to settle for just the thighs. Which I totally love, being the dark meat fan that I am. Anyways, this recipe for Honey Glazed Chicken can be prepared with any chicken pieces you prefer....even a whole cut-up chicken would be terrific. And I am here to tell you that this recipe is my husband's very favorite chicken of ALL TIME--it's lip smackin' delicous! Start by washing and patting dry your chicken pieces. In a small bowl, combine flour, salt and cayenne pepper, then dredge chicken pieces in the mixture.....

Bake the chicken for 30 minutes in a buttered baking dish. In the meantime, combine brown sugar, honey, lemon juice, soy sauce, curry powder and some melted butter--pour over chicken.....

Bake for 45 minutes more, basting several times. Cover chicken with foil and let rest for 10 minutes before serving. Super juicey and sweet and tangy--I hope this will be your new favorite chicken recipe, also!...........

I served ours with some Farmer's Market corn and Farmer's Market green beans...

Here's the recipe....

HONEY GLAZED CHICKEN

Serves 4-6

1 / 2 cup flour

1 tsp. salt

1 / 2 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 cut up chicken, aprox. 3-4 lbs.

1 / 2 cup butter, melted, divided

1 / 4 cup packed brown sugar

1 / 4 cup honey

1 / 4 cup lemon juice

1 tblsp. soy sauce

1 and 1 / 2 tsp. to 2 tsp. curry powder, depending how much you like this spice

In a bowl or resealable plastic bag, combine flour, salt and cayenne; add chicken pieces and dredge or shake to coat. Pour 4 tablespoons melted butter into a 13x9x2 inch baking dish; place chicken in pan, turning pieces once to coat. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Combine brown sugar, honey, lemon juice, soy sauce, curry powder and remaining butter; pour over chicken. Bake for 45 minutes longer or until chicken is tender, basting several times. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

TODAY I'M SO THANKFUL FOR...

**Our friends Steve and Nancy from Philadelphia, with whom we enjoyed a fabulous evening at the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra concert in nearby Inlet, last Friday night.

Such interesting converstions, and such inspiring music!

**Turning 48 years old this week--I am so grateful for my birthday, each and every year--another year to enjoy my wonderful life!

**The homemade bread we enjoyed for breakfast this morning, topped off with Abbie's homemade blueberry preserves. Delicous!

FRUITED WILD RICE SALAD AND SOME BAD GIRLS ON A ROAD TRIP!

Took off on a fun day out with one of my favorite homies today.....do you remember this girl from earlier posts?.................

She's my former boss, and her name is M. Lisa Monroe (SWEAR on a stack of bibles, the "M" stands for Marilyn!). And no, she doesn't always have a gin and tonic in her hand, but she prolly should, as she has a very high pressure job as the editor in chief of our local newspaper, The New York Times. Not really--The Adirondack Express. That's the paper I used to write a weekly food column for, before Lisa fired me. Not really--I "retired", and she does everything in her power on a daily basis to get me to return, but alas, her efforts are, tragically, always in vain. ANYWAYS, I love this woman--she is one of the wittiest, prettiest and snittiest chicks I know. Just perfect to have an adventure with--like today's. We took in a fabulous wedding gown exhibit at the Munson Williams Proctor museum in Utica, had lunch at my favorite cafe in Clinton called Nola's (Here comes that stack o' bibles again- RIGHT before a small reported tornado touched down!), and then went deep into the Amish New York countryside, hunting  charming old farmhouses and barns. Because I soooooo wanna be a farmer chick, but I digress......

At lunch, Lisa and I had an interesting conversation about people who LIVE to EAT (like me!), and people who EAT to LIVE, like my dear old dad. Don't know what I mean? Well see, most of my family just adores food--it's so much more than sustainence to us. It's art. It's joy. It's IT, on a STICK! And then there's my dad, who seriously never thinks about food, ever, until he's really hungry. And then he's content with maybe a banana or a sliver of cheese. Just enough to silence his growling stomach. And that's probably why he has never weighed more than about 170 in his entire life (he's 6 feet tall). Anyways, sometimes I'm envious of that lack of foodie desire, and well, other times I kinda pity people like that. People who don't even salivate a little looking at a piece of peanut butter pie slathered in chocolate ganache, like Lisa and I did today at lunch. Ah well, the grass is always greener, I guess.

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I have a recipe for you today that is just gonna knock your socks off--my Fruited Wild Rice Salad. The perfect summertime side salad (or you can add grilled chicken to it and call it a meal). We love this recipe at my house--it's very pretty and super nutritious. Start by preparing a box of a wild rice mix. Set the cooked rice aside to cool a little....this is my favorite brand.....

I add the seasonings that come in the box, but you don't have to--just add your own to suit your taste. While the rice is cooking, peel and chop up 2 Golden Delicious apples, and toss with lemon juice to keep from browning......

To the apples, add golden raisins............

halved red grapes..............

fresh parsley (I have this growing on my patio)........

Then add the cooked wild rice and stir to mix...............

For the dressing, whisk together olive oil, orange juice and honey..............

Add dressing to rice mixture and toss. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and chill for several hours. Right before serving, add roughly chopped pecans and lightly toss......

I hope you love this salad as much as we do!..........

Here's the recipe......

FRUITED WILD RICE SALAD

1 cup uncooked wild rice (or, 1 box wild rice mix with seasonings)
2 Golden Delicious apples, peeled and chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
1 cup golden raisins
1 cup seedless red grapes, halved
2 tblsp. ea. chopped parsley (you can also add fresh mint and/or chives to this)
salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup pecan halves, roughly chopped

Dressing:
1 / 4 cup olive oil
1 / 3 cup orange juice
2 tblsp. honey

Cook rice according to package directions; let cool slightly. Combine dressing ingredients; set aside. In a large bowl, toss apples with lemon juice. Add raisins, grapes, parsley and rice. Add dressing and toss. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Cover and chill for several hours or overnight. Just before serving, add pecans and lightly toss.

TODAY I'M SO THANKFUL FOR......

*Great girlfriends. Priceless--and such cheap therapy!

*Tonite's celebration: we just found out that our daughter landed the part-time position at her campus bookstore she really really wanted for next semester. So now she won't have to be the dirt poor American in Paris next spring!

*Our incredibly beautiful New York state countryside--the corn truly IS as high as an elephant's eye!

LEMON JAM DROP COOKIES AND THE SIMPLE THINGS!

Growing up, my all-time favorite author was Laura Ingalls Wilder. I mean, I soooo wanted to BE her! Some of my close friends know that about me, already. Seriously, my interest in her writing and her life became sort of an obsession with me, sort of like how some kids these days are so into Harry Potter. Anyways, the older I get, the more I appreciate Laura's wisdom, and the hardships she and her family faced just trying to survive. Here's one of my favorite Laura Ingalls Wilder quotes:

"It is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones, after all"

Which got me thinking about all of the sweet, simple things in my life that bring me such joy...here's my summertime list.......

***a flower snipped from my garden, displayed in a jelly jar on my kitchen sink

***watering the garden on the morning of a soon to be hot day, and feeling the cool water from the hose refresh my feet and legs

***sitting on my front porch with my family, just enjoying each other's company

***having lunch with girlfriends who make me laugh--priceless. (Amish-Rhubarb mystery SOLVED, Pam!)

***talking to my mom on the phone about movies we've seen, books we've read and recipies we want to try

***driving around town with the air conditioning just CRANKING in my car, just to cool off!

***Friday night movies with Big Daddy

***giving the dog a bath, just to cool off his little hot dog body, and getting a big thank you with his slobbery "kisses"

***our town's sweet little farmer's market, each and every friday! Today I took my camera, so that you can share in the bounty of upstate New York farms.....

Aren't tomatoes and berries works of art?.........

I know, I know, MORE peaches!.................

Farm chicks, working hard...........

My friend Sharon LUSTED after these cookies.....said she wanted one as big as her head!....................

Here's the little sugar addict, herself......

These Mennonite (or Amish? I can never get them straight) folks are here each week with their wonderful baked goods............

I just love the daughter's sweet homemade dress...and the whoopie pies ain't bad, either..........

Okay, think I've died and gone to heaven each and every time I see these herbed goat cheeses, from a local farm in Herkimer.......AND she gives samples!.........

Another favorite simple thing? Why, simple cookie recipies to prepare for when your daughter is bringing friends home for dinner and you want a little sumpin' sumpin' for dessert! These Lemon Jam Drop Cookies just taste like summer to me...lots of lemon juice and zest in the dough.

First thing to do is beat the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, then add almond extract, egg, lemon juice and zest........

Mix in baking powder and flour......

Here's how your dough will look when well mixed......if you sneak a bite, I won't tell.....

 Chill dough in the fridge for about an hour, then shape into balls and place on parchment or silicone lined baking sheets........

Make an indentation in each with your foxy little thumb..........

Fill each indentation with your favorite jam---I had this in the fridge, so strawberry it was!...............(lemon curd or blueberry would also be terrific).............

Bake and cool on a rack. Sprinkle with additional powdered sugar and serve.....

Here's the recipe......

LEMON JAM DROP COOKIES

Makes about 30 cookies

3 / 4 cup butter, softened

2 / 3 cup powdered sugar

1 / 3 cup sugar

1 egg

zest and juice of 1 lemon

1 tsp. almond extract

2 cups flour

1 1 / 4 tsp. baking powder

Additional powdered sugar, for dusting

Your favorite jam

Using a mixer, beat butter and sugars until fluffy. Add egg, lemon zest and juice and almond extract and beat until combined. Mix in baking powder and flour. Cover and chill in refrigerator for 1 hour. Shape dough into balls and place on a parchment or silicone lined baking sheet. Make an indentation in each cookie and fill with jam. Bake at 350 degrees for 17-19 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool on rack, then sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.

TODAY I'M SO THANKFUL FOR.....

*Farmer's markets, everywhere!

*Ceiling fans---they have been lifesavers in this heat wave we're experiencing...especially with no air conditioning in our homes!

*The love of reading that my daughter and I share....we are NEVER bored!

EASIER THAN PIE--A RUSTIC FRUIT TART AND MY SUMMERTIME GARDEN!

I absolutely love my life. I really do. I am such a contented, happy homemaker.....I adore everything having to do with all things domestic--cooking for my family and friends, keeping my house tidy (yes, I really enjoy cleaning--gasp!), decorating and gardening. I especially love gardening when things go my way--no deer chomping on precious flowers and stems and no 40 below temperatures (we get that cold here, really!) to kill even the hardiest of perennials. My husband says we haven't had such a deer "problem" (I know, I know, they were here first) here in the Adirondacks this year because the woods are just chock FULL of berries for them to eat, due to our mild winter and rainy spring-- this theory might explain why we haven't even seen one single black bear yet, either. Hmmmm. Anyways, I'm loving our warm and humid summer this year...and so is our garden. Here are some of the plants that have been doing quite well, thus far.....

Shasta Daisys....love 'em!..............

Yarrow--so great for drying.....

Cheerful Sunflowers......

Lush ferns....mine have doubled in size!............

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Hey, I have an announcement to make today.....the winner of my Margarita Mix giveaway contest from last week is.........MY MOM AND DAD!!! Ta daaaaa........

I mean really, don't they deserve all the margaritas they can drink, after raising MEEEE??? The box is in the mail, folks......

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So last night I made one of my family's favorite summertime desserts, a Rustic Fruit Tart. Still loving up on peaches around here, and I found some gorgeous blackberries on sale, so I threw them in. But really--any fruit will do--I'm thinking apples and cranberries this fall........yumm.

You won't believe how incredibly easy this tart is to prepare.....I had some frozen homemade pie crust left over from last week's Georgia Peach Pie, so all I had to do was thaw it out a little bit and I was in business. My personal philosophy (well, one of hundreds, actually...)? When you're going to the trouble of making any kind of homemade dough, from scratch, you might as well double it and freeze some. Then you're less tempted to buy the pre-made stuff from the grocery store, which can be full of preservatives. Anyways, you can get my awesomely simple and perfect pie crust recipe by clicking HERE. Once I rolled out my crust into about a 14 inch circle......

Preheat the oven and prepare these gorgeous summertime fruits........

Peel and slice the peaches, and rinse the berries...............

Mix together cinnamon, cornstarch and sugar and toss with fruit. Place fruit in center of pie dough, which should be placed on a parchement or silicone liner, on a RIMMED cookie sheet (or fruit juices will ooze all over your oven, causing your smoke detector to go off and annoy the heck out of everyone, not that I would know anything about that).............

Fold up edges of pastry over filling, leaving center uncovered. This should NOT look perfect--key word here: RUSTIC!! When you've completed this step, brush folded pastry with a little milk, then sprinkle on sugar..................

Bake for 35-40 minutes or until crust turns golden brown, and filling is bubbly. Carefully slide to a wire rack to cool................

We like ours served A La Mode, with vanilla Ben and Jerry's.....such a wonderful and impressive summertime dessert!...........

Wanna bite? Here's the recipe.......

RUSTIC FRUIT TART

Serves 6

One prepared pie dough recipe.....click HERE

Aprox. 3 and 1 / 2 cups fruit of your choice (for this recipe, I used 2  ripe peaches and about a cup of fresh blackberries...blueberries would be nice, too)

1 / 4 cup sugar

1 tblsp. cornstarch

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tblsp. milk

additional sugar for dusting on tart crust

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll out pastry into a 14 inch circle. Transfer to a parchment paper or silicone lined rimmed cookie sheet. For filling, combine washed, peeled  and sliced fruit in a large bowl. Combine sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon. Add to fruit, tossing gently to coat. Spoon over pastry to within 2 inches of edge. Fold up edges of pastry over filling, leaving center uncovered. Brush folded pastry with milk, sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 375 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes or until crust is golden and fruit is bubbly. Carefully slide tart onto wire rack to cool. Serve warm or room temperature.

TODAY I'M SO THANKFUL FOR.....

*My wonderful friend and primary care physican, Mark, who is helping me out, once again. He can NEVER, EVER retire!

*Movie night last night with the fam....fun!

*The gorgeous summer rain that is falling as I type this, along with the thunder and lightening. The perfect excuse to not go for a walk and to not have to water the lawn!