Fried Chicken and the Fireside

I am very excited to tell you about a new contest that will begin next Monday, July 12th and run through Friday, July 16th right here on my blog page. Note the "Ring of Fire" logo on the right side of my page. Every day next week, you'll find a photo of Johnny Cash with part of a "phrase". Collect the phrases, unscramble the words in the correct order and submit your entry to www.win@wbev.com. Deadline is Monday, July 19th.

GOOD LUCK!

I will select one winner from all qualifying entries to win (2) tickets to see the Fireside's production of "Ring of Fire".

Today is "Fried Chicken Day"- with temperatures and humidity levels being what they are, you could almost fry chicken without an oven. IT IS HOT!

But fried chicken is oh so good! My grandma used to make the best oven fried chicken. She would always make up a huge batch for spring and summer family gatherings as well as for each of my siblings graduation parties. (I'll have to check with my Mom, to see if she still has the recipe).

Meanwhile, I did find a good oven baked fried chicken recipe that I shared today (see below). It's less messy than pan frying and features Italian seasoning for extra taste.

Oven Fried Chicken
12 chicken thighs
3 eggs
1 c. all purpose flour
1 c. Italian seasoned bread crumbs
Salt & pepper to taste
1 tsp. paprika
½ c. vegetable oil
Preheat oven to 350°. Place flour in shallow plate or bowl & season with salt & pepper to taste. Place bread crumbs in another shallow plate or bowl & beat eggs in a third bowl. Dredge chicken pieces in flour, then egg, then bread crumbs, until all pieces are coated. Pour oil into 9x13” baking dish. Add chicken and sprinkle with paprika to taste. Bake for 30 minutes; turn chicken pieces and bake for another 30 minutes. Remove from oven; drain on paper towels.

Hot Dogs and Head Colds!

First Day of Summer arrived today and it looks like we are going to have summer like weather for most of the week. And just as summer arrives, so does my "summer cold". Stuffy nose, watery eyes, scratchy throat and deep cough. Not the kind of symptoms to have if I'm "on the air". I did manage to get through the show today and hopefully will feel better tomorrow.

We also talked about the different ways to dress up a hot dog. Do you like yours with all the "fixins" or just a good old PLAIN dog? You can easily "fancy up" the hot dogs at your next BBQ.

Rueben Dog: 2 Tbsp. sauerkraut + 2 Tbsp. grated Swiss cheese +

1 Tbsp.Thousand Island Dressing

Salty Dog: 2 tsp. yellow mustard + 3-4 bread & butter pickles +

1 slice cooked bacon, crumbled

Tropical Dog: 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh pineapple + 1 Tbsp. chopped sweet red

cherry pepper + 2 Tbsp. fresh cilantro leaves

You might know of someone who is a very hard worker and deserves recognition.

Sears and "Dickies" are sponsoring the 2010 American Worker of America contest. You only need to answer 2 easy questions on their website and you could win the one of 6 regional prizes of $5,000 each and one grand prize of $100,000. We spoke with Michael McGee of Broken Bow, Oklahoma. At 23, he purchased a 41 acre horse training farm. Today, two years later, he is an agricultural teacher and advisor for the Future Farmers of America at his high school. He credits his early achievements in life to being a normal guy with a dream and good, old-fashioned hard work. So check out the website: http://www.workeroftheyear.com/