callie’s favorite – sweet & sour chicken

countyfair_ribbon_zpsd1937d631

Whenever the question comes up (which is quite often) – “What should we have for supper”? – Callie’s quick to say, “Sweet and sour chicken”.  I know it will never compare to some of her favorite Chinese food restaurants but it probably comes in a very close second. It wasn’t until this past summer that I came up with this “keeper”.  And, best of all, it’s not that hard to make. 

This recipe begins with cutting up chicken breasts into one inch chunks. I suppose you’re gonna ask, “how much chicken”? I usually make this by sight more than by recipe. So, I’m going to say three large breasts for the four of us. I put flour, salt, pepper and garlic powder in a large zip lock baggie and shake the chicken pieces until they’re covered.

IMG_3209I add Crisco to my cast iron skillet and preheat. When the oil is good and hot, fry the chicken pieces until golden brown and no pink center.

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callie’s favorite – sweet & sour chicken

countyfair_ribbon_zpsd1937d631

Whenever the question comes up (which is quite often) – “What should we have for supper”? – Callie’s quick to say, “Sweet and sour chicken”.  I know it will never compare to some of her favorite Chinese food restaurants but it probably comes in a very close second. It wasn’t until this past summer that I came up with this “keeper”.  And, best of all, it’s not that hard to make. 

This recipe begins with cutting up chicken breasts into one inch chunks. I suppose you’re gonna ask, “how much chicken”? I usually make this by sight more than by recipe. So, I’m going to say three large breasts for the four of us. I put flour, salt, pepper and garlic powder in a large zip lock baggie and shake the chicken pieces until they’re covered.

IMG_3209I add Crisco to my cast iron skillet and preheat. When the oil is good and hot, fry the chicken pieces until golden brown and no pink center.

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more than just addresses

I reached for my address book this afternoon and thought, “You know, I should share this with my friends”. I wish I knew what year I started filling this with family and friend’s addresses. If I were to guess, I would say 25 years ago. This little book is full of  history!

IMG_3237Last year, while at the NAFB convention, John Deere was handing out green duct tape. I thought it added some nice color to a book that was needing a little TLC.

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use moisturizer every day…and don’t forget your neck

IMG_3206The view from my window today on a dreary, wet Autumn day.

The last month has yielded a few new experiences for me. One of them being asked to participate in the Housewives of Rural America blog which ultimately landed me on the “Freshly Pressed” page of WordPress.com (an exciting moment!). Being involved with this awesome group of gals has also brought back memories of who I was 30 some years ago. You see, I view myself as the “older, wiser woman” in this group. I’m not so sure that I like the hard reality that I’m not as young as my mind has me believing that I am. Jim’s dad once said something  that I now understand a whole lot better, “Sometimes I have to stop and remember that I am 80 years old”. I can honestly say, I understand! My mind wants to trick me into thinking that I’m this 30-year-old person rather than nearly 52. Does this make sense? I honestly don’t feel as old as I am (until there’s a little pain here or there).

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nebraska, corn and eli

IMG_4748 Today was Eli’s 6 month birthday. And how did he celebrate? He went to the soybean field with his mama to ride in the Yellow Beast with his grandpa.

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Wordless Wednesday – Sweet Sixteen

Callie turned 16 yesterday. Hmmm…she was just a baby yesterday – my last baby.  Someone told me a long time ago how fast the years go. I had no clue til they were gone.

IMG_3129The night before, Taylor and I decorated the kitchen (a birthday tradition) and her car.

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nebraska to montana – montana to nebraska

In my previous post, scenes from j & t’s excellent adventure parts 3 & 4 (cont.), I left you with the arrival at “home, home”.  This gets a little confusing with referring back to posts but if you need to be reminded where we are from this point with the pictures I posted, you can refer back to scenes from j & t’s excellent adventure parts 3 & 4. 

After we got home, we TRIED to turn on the water, went through mail and whatnot. The next morning, we packed for a week and headed to Grand Island for Husker Harvest Days. We ran into all kinds of people we knew – including the Miseners.

IMG_4600Entering Husker Harvest Days in Grand Island, NE.

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scenes from j & t’s excellent adventure-parts 3 & 4 (cont.)

I’m not sure where this is going to lead but my intentions are to share with you some of the scenes of our travels from Montana to Nebraska, back to Montana and then, finally, back to Nebraska again.

We’ve been “home, home” for two weeks. ONLY two weeks. Harvest feels like a dream. Callie and I made a trip to Omaha on Saturday in search of the perfect Homecoming dress. We met Jenna very briefly at the mall and had lunch with her but basically the day was just a me-and-Cal-day. This doesn’t happen very often.  Anyways, she and I had some fairly deep discussions that day; one being about harvest. She and I agreed that unless you’re involved with harvest, you just can’t explain the feelings this industry creates deep down in your soul. We discussed how sad we were that there are people out there who haven’t any idea what a wonderful place Jordan, Montana is because it’s not within their 10 mile radius. Did we find the perfect dress? We found “plan B” dress. “Plan A” dress is on it’s way in the mail. Continue reading

scenes from j & t’s excellent adventure-parts 3 & 4 (cont.)

I’m not sure where this is going to lead but my intentions are to share with you some of the scenes of our travels from Montana to Nebraska, back to Montana and then, finally, back to Nebraska again.

We’ve been “home, home” for two weeks. ONLY two weeks. Harvest feels like a dream. Callie and I made a trip to Omaha on Saturday in search of the perfect Homecoming dress. We met Jenna very briefly at the mall and had lunch with her but basically the day was just a me-and-Cal-day. This doesn’t happen very often.  Anyways, she and I had some fairly deep discussions that day; one being about harvest. She and I agreed that unless you’re involved with harvest, you just can’t explain the feelings this industry creates deep down in your soul. We discussed how sad we were that there are people out there who haven’t any idea what a wonderful place Jordan, Montana is because it’s not within their 10 mile radius. Did we find the perfect dress? We found “plan B” dress. “Plan A” dress is on it’s way in the mail.

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laboring on labor day

IMG_4517The view from on top of the combine.

I’m sure there are a large number of individuals involved with agriculture who aren’t taking today off. For this, I say THANK YOU! Agriculture knows nothing but daily work (unless it’s raining). And, even then, there’s always something that can be done. Required maintenance on equipment and animals still need to be cared for regardless of the weather. Picnics, vacations and holidays are taken when there is a window of opportunity – not because it says so on the calendar.

As for this little piece of the Ag world, we’re sort of in limbo right now.

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