Mandy and Jace

We spent our Thanksgiving here in Midland and it was wonderful. We didn’t do anything and it was everything I hoped for. We made the turkey again this year and it was delicious. We brined it in apple juice and oranges overnight, rubbed it with spices the next morning before we put it in the oven to roast. It was so juicy and flavorful. I think this one is our best yet.

On Friday we again did nothing. I know, everyone expected me to go shopping but I just don’t think it is worth fighting the crowds. I also don’t like to dig through piles and piles of things just to find something that is on sale. Not my thing. I did do a little shopping online from the comfort of my recliner. Now, that’s my idea of shopping. We just sat around and we also put up our Christmas tree but that will be in a later post.

Our Thanksgiving was great and very relaxing. We just wished it was longer.
Here are the recipes for the brine and the rub:

Brine:
2 quarts apple juice
1 lb brown sugar
1 cup kosher salt
3 oranges (quartered)
6 bay leaves
1 tsp ground clove
1 tsp black peppercorns

Rub:
2 tbs garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp smoked sweet paprika
1/2 tsp freshly ground nutmeg

Last year I went on business to Detroit where I happened to have one of the strangest combinations of food I can remember having: Waffles and fried chicken. It felt wrong but, at the same time, so good. I’ve told Mandy about it several times since then, and, after seeing it on Food Network recently, we decided to try it on Monday night.

The waffles were the out-of-the-jug shake and pour kind. Yes, we know they’re supposed to be for pancakes: The wife and I happen to like cakey waffles.

For the chicken, we had a few chicken breasts that we double breaded in egg and flour, seasoning both with salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika.

Then we pan-fried them until they were golden brown and delicious then ground some salt over them just after pulling them out of the pan.

We put the chicken on the syrup’ed waffle, grabbed knife and fork and ate.

And it was good. For next time: Try a raspberry or strawberry syrup for that extra weird yumminess.

It is officially fall around our house. I love to decorate for the seasons and I finally have a house I can decorate. When I was little I remember my mom decorating for the seasons and I loved it. Even then I couldn’t wait to have a house that I could decorate myself. I’ve just done a couple of little things so far and they have already put me in the mood for fall. I did a centerpiece with apples and pine cones and it turned out very cute.

I also put a wreath on our door and a little man hanging from our number that says “Happy Harvest!” I couldn’t resist it when I saw it at Hobby Lobby.

It all turned out very cute. I am thinking that I will put some halloween stuff out on halloween too. This is the first year I am going to be able to give out candy so I will probably go all out.

Need a dinner idea? I have one for you. It’s baked chicken and sweet potato fries. We made this Monday night and it took about 25 minutes. First you marinate your chicken breasts in Italian dressing for about thirty minutes. Then get them out of the marinade and coat them in Italian bread crumbs.

Next cut your sweet potato into strips to resemble fries. Put them on a greased baking sheet and be sure to salt and pepper them well.
Put both baking sheets in the oven for 20 minutes. The sweet potatoes may need a couple more minutes depending on your oven.
Next put them on a plate and enjoy!

Every year since I was born we have attended an antique car show called the Grand Ole Tour. We go and drive all of our classic cars and show off vintage clothes in a fashion show. I am 23 now and I have attended 20 tours. Crazy huh? This one was held here in Midland/Odessa and was so much fun. Thursday our Bible study class, Quarterlife, cooked burgers for everyone.

Friday evening we had our style show. I wore a beautiful ball gown from the 1930s with original “Doris Debb” heals. I also had a beautiful beaded bag with a compact in it that still had the powder in it from the 1930s.

Saturday we had the car games. If you ask me, this is the best part of the tour. You see how close you can stop on the line, or how well you can parallel park in your classic car. I didn’t do that one though, I would have taken everyone out within a mile radius.

Go to our Flickr page to see more photos of our weekend.