Chick-fil-A Bites At Home - The Best Thing Ever!

I came home to a wonderful surprise Monday after work! My wife had just fried up some of the best tasting Chicken I have ever had! She found the recipe at the Iowa Girl Eats Website. The secret this wonderful dinner is letting the chicken soak in a marinade that includes pickle juice. This is essential because one of the great part of the Chick-fil-A sandwiches is the taste of pickle. So each little chicken bite tastes like sandwich with a pickle! Brilliant! Here's the Recipe, we omitted the dipping sauce used in the original recipes because they are so good that they don't even need any dip!

Ingredients:

2 large chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces and seasoned with salt & pepper
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup pickle juice
1 egg
1 1/4 cups flour
2 Tablespoons powdered sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup peanut oil, divided (or canola or vegetable oil)


Directions:

1. Whisk together egg, milk and pickle juice, and pour into a large ziplock bag or bowl. Add chicken pieces and marinate in the refrigerator for 2-4 hours.

2. Combine flour, powdered sugar, salt and pepper in a large ziplock bag. Shake to combine. Remove chicken from the marinade and add into the bag. Shake to coat the chicken completely.

3. Heat half the oil in a large skillet or dutch oven over medium-high heat (6 or 7 out of 10.) Test the oil by dropping in a bit of the flour mixture. If it sizzles, the oil is ready, if it pops, lower the temperature a bit.

4. Gently place chicken pieces into the oil with tongs. Do this in 2 batches, as you don’t want to overcrowd the pan. Cook the chicken for 3-4 minutes, or until golden brown on one side. Turn the chicken over and allow to cook for 3-4 more minutes. Remove to a paper-towel lined plate. Heat the remaining oil and continue with the other half of the chicken pieces.

ENJOY!

Couples Need Balance - My Guest Commentary

I was given the opportunity a couple of weeks ago to guest write for an article in the Des Moines Register. The title of the article was "Couples Need Balance". Here is my commentary from the article. To read the entire article click here.

“It’s funny how much your relationship changes when you have children. It’s almost as if you become one of the children to your wife, or at best, you are Lieutenant Daddy, just another soldier in the ranks that Major Mommy has to account for in the war we call ‘raising kids.’ One of the more notable changes is just getting some time with my wife. After spending eight hours of her day with a 1- and 3-year-old hanging all over her, the thing she wants most is some personal space. This means ‘Sorry Daddy, you will have to wait.’ Major Mommy also needs a break after a long day with the kids. So when I get home from work, the Major gets a break and the Lieutenant gets a set of orders. If I’m lucky, it was a good day and I open the door to a quiet house and a small set of orders. But, when there is a bad day, it’s like World War III erupting. I can usually hear the screaming and crying as I pull in. Should I just stay in the garage? I walk in, get mobbed by my two kids … and the orders begin. Set the table, pick up toys, put the clothes in the dryer and give me 50 push-ups. Fifty push-ups, maybe I exaggerate, but you get the idea. So, what can you, as a dad, do to combat being pushed aside for the kids and being designated as a common soldier? How can you become a partner again? I suggest two things. First, don’t take your wife’s actions or comments personally. This is no time to be sensitive. Let your ego go and try to be more understanding of the stress she endures. Second thing is to take charge. Don’t just go with the flow. Don’t wait for orders. Start doing things before you are told and watch how you regain your partnership and have a healthier relationship with your wife. You might even get that cuddle time again.”