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!

******

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!