A Meal of Good Intentions

I always plan out my menus for two weeks at a time. And sometimes (or almost every day) it seems like we're not in the mood for what's on the menu. And guess what some people *ahem* are always in the mood for? .... Fried Chicken! So I guess this post is devoted to fried chicken...and all things fried.

On the menu was Indian Fry Bread Tacos from the Pioneer Woman. The meat was defrosting in the fridge and since you have to let the dough rest at least a half hour, that was also in the fridge! But Indian tacos just weren't meant to be....

So since I still had the fry bread dough, I decided just to have a grand old frying time. The fry bread turned out amazing! I think I halved the recipe, which was still too many fry breads for the two of us. But I think it would have been perfect had we actually had the taco part of them. They were a little dense and dry for me, though, so I think I touched the dough too much while flattening them with my thumbs.

As for fried chicken...it's one of the few things I trust myself to make without a recipe. I just grab everything out of the spice rack and throw it all together! 

So here we have some pictures of lovely fry bread and fried chicken. Wow, that plate just looks so......fattening, huh! While my diet is suffering, I am definitely learning about flexibility and having some meals ready to go on the fly.

Bread Pudding

I meant to make this with my mom over Christmas break, but with all of the goodies from our neighbors, we didn't have room for anymore baked treats. So during the first few days back at school, I decided to try making it on my own. And it turned out wonderfully if I do say so myself.

I used a recipe from All Recipes and didn't alter it at all. Well, I couldn't find a mixing bowl so I ended up dumping the eggs, milk, etc. into the dish with the bread and swirling it all around to mix it. It worked! As for the raisins, I completely refused to add them. When I try this recipe again, I might add chocolate chips for more of a dessert, or even nuts. But never ever raisins.

Obviously I couldn't wait to take a picture before I dug in! Here's the recipe:

Ingredients

• 6 slices day-old bread
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/2 cup raisins (optional)
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 2 cups milk
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Break bread into small pieces into an 8 inch square baking pan. Drizzle melted butter or margarine over bread. If desired, sprinkle with raisins.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, combine eggs, milk, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla. Beat until well mixed. Pour over bread, and lightly push down with a fork until bread is covered and soaking up the egg mixture.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until the top springs back when lightly tapped.