Wordless Wednesday

Roasted Sticky Chicken

I got this recipe year ago from the Frozen Assets Yahoo Group (all about OAMC). It was originally created by Mimi Hiller and has since been posted all over the internet. The chicken is slow-roasted to falling off the bone and gets a nice, crispy skin. It is the BEST roasted chicken. Ever.

Roasted Sticky Chicken

2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon paprika
3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 whole roasting chicken, about 3 pounds
1 cup chopped onions

1. Combine all spices (first 8 ingredients) in small bowl.
2. Rinse chicken, inside and out. Drain well.
3. Rub spice mixture over skin and the inside of chicken.
4. Place in a resealable plastic bag, seal and refrigerate overnight.
5. When ready to roast, stuff cavity with onions.
6. Place chicken breast side down in roasting pan.
7. Roast uncovered at 250ºF (that's not a typo...it's really 250º! Anything over 225º is safe as long as the chicken reaches an internal temperature of at least 155º, which this does, and more) for about 5 hours. Baste occasionally with pan juices or until pan juices start to caramelize on bottom of pan and chicken is golden brown.

My notes: It's best, but not necessary to let it "marinate" overnight. I've skipped that step and it still comes out great. I've never used white pepper in my life, not necessary if you don't have it. I've also skipped basting a few times and it still turns out well. Basically, you can't mess this on up!

What's your favorite chicken recipe?

This post is linked to Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam

Weekend Recap

I'd been wanting to meet up with my dad for his birthday (beginning of March), and we were finally able to work it out this weekend. We didn't want to just go out to eat, we wanted to "do" something too. I remembered my friend Hillary's post on the Strasburg Railroad, so I knew they would be open.

We met up in Lancaster, and went to a diner-type place for breakfast. It was ok, but not great. Definitely better places around town, like my favorite, Shady Maple.

Then, we headed over to the Strasburg Railroad to take Dash on a train ride. The ride was great. He actually remembered when I brought him to see the Day Out with Thomas a few months ago. He asked if the engine had a face on it:) It's a fairly short ride, but the conductor makes it fun by giving the passengers some history of the railroad and the area. Cherry Crest Farm is not open yet. That place is SO much fun for kids. We'll probably go back this summer.

Then, we went traipsing around Lancaster looking for a new camera. By the way, the Ritz Camera in Boscov's at the Park City Mall is no longer there. Saving YOU the trip. We ended up driving home and going to the mall. And, we bought this.

Hopefully you will notice a big improvement in my blog photos. If Mr. Incredible lets me use it that is...

There is No Such Thing as Minor Surgery

Last week I sent out a tweet asking for prayer for surgery. (Thanks for praying!!) I didn't really offer any explanation, so here it is.

I've had sinus and allergy problems my whole life. I've done allergy shots (still do), medications, nasel sprays, Breathe Right strips, and more. But, no matter what I tried, I still felt like I could never breathe though my nose. And, I still snored. Not only was I uncomfortable, my husband was ready to divorce me. For snoring, not breathing. Heh.

So, I recently went to see yet another ENT doctor. I felt like he was the first one to take me seriously. I had a severely deviated septum and turbinate issues. We decided to do surgery to correct my problems.

I convinced myself that it was "just minor surgery", so I didn't really think about it. Then, the day before, I started to get nervous (hence the tweet). I was nervous about going under, and I was nervous about the pain. I had absolutely no idea what to expect.

What I learned this week is that there is no such thing as minor surgery. Unless we're talking removing a splinter with tweezers. I'll give you that. Anytime you get a general anesthetic, it's a big deal. Anytime you go under the knife, it's a big deal. And, if you're a big wuss like me, it's a really big deal!

The nurses and doctors were as nice as could be. My nurses were so comforting and caring. They gave me warmed blankets (like fresh out of the dryer feeling!), which I know they probably give to everyone. But, that made me feel special:) Everything went smoothly, and I was back home later that day.

Mr. Incredible totally lived up to his name and stayed with me the entire time. He even picked up my prescriptions and went to the grocery store (for like the 5th time since we got married), so this was a big deal too! Thanks, hon!

Our friends and family are taking such good care of us. Even though I'm in pain, I'm feeling so incredibly blessed.

So, what's going on with you this week?

This post is linked to What I Learned This Week at Musings of a Housewife

Great Harvest Bread Co.

I had some time to kill after my dentist* appointment last week, so I headed down the street to find some coffee.

If you know Wayne, then you know that there are at least five or six coffee shops within a half mile area. I wanted to sit down for a bit, so I headed to Cream & Sugar. It's a cute litte cafe with yummy lattes. I've only been there once or twice, so I forgot that they require a $10 credit card purchase. Is this even allowed anymore? I never carry cash, so I said "bye bye!"

I've been to places where they charge you a 3% fee or so if you don't meet the minimum requirement. I'm not sure if that's legal or not, but I really don't even mind. It's worth the convenience to me. I much rather would have paid a tiny fee, got my latte, and been able to sit down and enjoy my self for a few minutes than had to truck back out into the monsoon rain to find another shop. Ok, end rant. On to the "Things I Love" part of this post!

On to one of my favorite places--Great Harvest Bread Co. If you are local, please check out their shops in Wayne and Ardmore.

First off, they offer FREE slices of their amazing bread to everyone who walks in the door. My favorites are cinnamon swirl, apple crumb, s'more, savannah pecan swirl, and good old honey whole wheat. Yes, I have a lot of favorites. They also have amazing morning glory muffins and cinnamon chip scones. And, please try one of their pigs in a blanket. Yum all around!

The other wonderful thing about Great Harvest is that it's about 85 heavenly degrees in there, since they have all those ovens going. It was so nice to stand there for a few minutes, just soaking up the heat on a cold, rainy day. And, the smell. Oh my, who doesn't love the smell of freshly baked bread?

I got myself a cinnamon chip scone and a large Peet's coffee. It was a great start to my day!

Have you ever been to a Great Harvest Bread Co.? Do you have a favorite bakery or coffee shop?

*If you are looking for a dentist in the area, I highly recommend Dr. Spina in Wayne!

This post is linked to:
Things I Love Thursday at The Diaper Diaries
Friday Favorites at The Other Mama

I Am a Winn-ah!

My good pal PK posted this about her recent winning streak, and it got me thinking about the things I've won since I became a blog-aholic. Then, I remembered this post by Amy at The Finer Things in Life (love this blog!). So, I thought I'd put my own little list together.

I love entering blog contests--and I love winning even more:) It just goes to show that someone IS winning all those blog contests out there, so why not enter?

$10 Tupperware gift card - Bargain Hunting Moms (Love me some Tupperware, but haven't had a chance to order anything yet.)

20 piece set of Rubbermaid containers - Rubbermaid blog (LOVE the Premier containers!)

$50 Safeway gift card - The ¢entsible Life (By far one of my favorites, I stretched this far at Genaurdi's.)

Yoplait gift pack - Domestic Debacle (Free yogurt [the chocolate raspberry whips are SO good] and a fun popsicle mold)

Night at the Museum 2 gift pack - Genesis Moments (Still haven't watched this yet, in the stack to watch.)

Sun & Earth gift pack - For the Mommas (Love the all-purpose cleaner and they are a local company)

TastyKake coupons (2 free boxes) - Twitter giveaway @TastyBakingCo (Kandy Kakes, 'nuf said)

Quaker Tortillaz (free bag) - Twitter giveaway @QuakerTalk (Not crazy about this product, weird texture. I like the mini rice cakes better.)

Success Rice coupon (1 free box) - Twitter giveaway @Success_Rice (Can't remember what I made with this, but, yay free rice!)

$25 Dress Barn gift card - Domestic Debacle (Used this to buy a new black bag, it is fabulous.)

How to Be the Family CFO by Kim Snider - The ¢entsible Life (Have not gotten a chance to read this yet, but it's on my to-read list.)

The Sickies: Daycare vs. Home

We attended a parent meeting at Dash's daycare last week. Several issues were discussed, including some child health issues. The director said that there is a study (or several) out there disputing the myth that daycare kids get sick more often than kids that are home. I'm sure there are studies that favor both sides, but it got me thinking...

I used to think that Dash got sick more often than his friends since going into daycare. I'm not sure if I believe that anymore. Especially since joining Twitter last year and seeing the tweets of at-home moms. I really think that we're even. Actually, we have been enjoying a nice healthy run. Great, now that I say that, I'm sure we'll pick something up!

So, what do you think? Do you think your kids have gotten sick more often from daycare? Or, do you think it's even with kids at home?

This post is linked to What I Learned This Week at Musings of a Housewife