Mother's Day

This day is hard for so many.  Some who have been a mother and have had to say goodbye to her child, some who desperately long for a child and are unable to have one.  And those who long for a husband with which to raise children but sadly have neither.
It is on this premise that I try very hard to be thankful and prayerful of my children.  I try not to get caught up in the idea that you should be waited on and served. You should not lift a finger to have to do any of your normal dailies.  You should do whatever you want to do.  But that my friend is rubbish.  Please take it from me - Don't get bogged down in the mire that says any of this hogwash.
I am blessed whether my children call me blessed or not.  I am blessed because I have a Heavenly Father who loves me for me.  For where I am in my life at this moment (and where you are too).  Yes, I am a mother with 3 children.  But, I am also a daughter.  A daughter who enjoys to spend time with her mother, a daughter who is grateful to have a Mom who remembers me, laughs with me, cries with me, and goes deep with me too.  For all those reasons (and too many more to list), I AM BLESSED.
With that I say:

Oven Fried Chicken on the Food Network

For Mother's Day I asked for a cook book from Food Network. Here is the first (of many) recipe I used. It was a hit.

Ingredients

• 1 1/3 cups rice-crispy cereal,
• 2 1/4 cups broken bagel chips or melba toast
• 1 tablespoon olive oil cooking spray
• 1 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 1/2 cup of Greek yogurt (plain)
• 5 thin boneless, skinless chicken pieces
• 1 bunch of scallions placed on top of chicken before cooking

• Directions

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F. Set a rack on a foil lined baking sheet. Spray the rack generously with cooking spray. (Forgot to do the rack part. This is a must as the underside will get mushy!!)

Finely grind the cereal and toasts together in a food processor. Transfer crumbs to a large gallon size plastic bag. Add the oil, salt, paprika, and ground pepper and toss to mix thoroughly. Whisk the yogurt and Dijon mustard together in a medium shallow bowl. Add chicken to mixture and turn to coat all the pieces evenly. Drop the chicken into the plastic bag, seal and shake until each piece is evenly coated. Place coated pieces on the prepared rack. Spray the chicken pieces evenly with cooking spray, and bake until the coating crisps and browns and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the pieces registers 160 degrees F, 10 to 15 minutes.

Transfer to a platter and serve hot or at room temperature.

Sorry about lack of photo!! It looked so good we were almost done when I remembered.

Happy Mother's Day

It is a great day!  Being a Mom is unlike anything else.  I remember after having Stephen that a feeling of completeness came over me.  Many years, and 2 more kids, later I can honestly say that being a mom is a very rewarding exhilarating trying challenging exciting experience.  I have had the pleasure of homeschooling my kiddos and that has really made me appreciate and love them each more than I thought possible.  I love being with my family and enjoy our moments of laughter and life.  I know it is just mere years before they start to leave the nest and I look forward to those times with a happy sadness.

I am proud to be the mom to Stephen, Abigail, and Joshua.  God has blessed me abundantly.  I need to be reminded of that occasionally for I can allow the dailies to take over my devotions and steer me away from the abundant blessings in my life.

I only hope and pray those that read this are also comforted with the knowledge that God is ever-present in your life and while you may not live a life like me, you live a life He wants you to have.  There is no doubt in my mind that a mom of some sort has impacted your life in an amazing and powerful way.  Thank the Lord for such a blessing this Mother's Day!!!  I know I do!!!