Fini-Dini Chicken - 3 Points, Music Friday on Saturday

"Is it okay to eat tuna on Ash Wednesday?"

I don't purposefully try to get traffic from Google, but it is fun to see exactly what people Googled in order to find my blog. Would you believe that 10 people found me by Googling the above question? True.

Most of the hits I get through Google come from people searching for "fini dini" or "fini dini sauce". The fact that my little blog is getting so many hits for my post on fini dini pork  tells me that there are not a lot of people cooking fini dini. That challenges me to share another version - this time with chicken - because I think that most cooks would be thrilled with this easy, unique sauce.

Fini Dini Chicken
8 chicken thighs
1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced

1. Combine vinegar, soy sauce, onion, and garlic to create a marinade. Place the marinade in a gallon size Ziploc bag. Add chicken thighs to bag. Place in the fridge to marinate for at least eight hours.
2. Removed chicken thighs from the bag. Place in an oven safe dish. Cook at 375 for 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, place the marinade in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until chicken is ready to be removed from the oven. Serve chicken topped with sauce.
4. Yields 8, 3 point servings

I served my fini dini chicken with roasted Brussels sprouts and veggie rotini. The fini dini sauce on the pasta was a new dish for us; we usually have rice with fini dini. The rotini turned out to be the perfect shape to catch the sauce and the subtle veggie flavor of the pasta was an excellent compliment to the strong flavors of the fini dini.

It is not Friday, but I did forget to add my song for Music Friday last night. I am back to random for you tonight. I don't generally think of fini dini as romantic, but my DJ has chosen a very romantic song for you. Here is "You're the One" by The Carpenters.

Fat Mo's, The Perfect Burger

Hello, again, blogging world! I have been taking a bit of a break because I had family staying with me from out of town. We enjoyed a lovely visit (even despite the tornadoes that ripped through town on Wednesday), much laughter, some good card games, and some excellent food. 

I don't have a recipe for you tonight: I have a restaurant recommendation and some pictures for you to drool over.

I love hamburgers. A lot of people do, I know, but my love for hamburgers is on a deeper, more meaningful level than most. I crave, desire, and esteem a good hamburger the way some people think of prime rib or an expensive wine. I am a hamburger connoisseur.

Here is what I need in a hamburger. Size matters. It needs to be big. If I can comfortably hold it in one hand, it is too small. It also needs to drip. A good drip is everything. It means that the juice from the thick tomato slices, the perfectly round pickles, the creamy mayo, the spicy mustard, and the juicy meat are too much for one burger to contain. When I pick up my burger and take that first bite, the juice must drip down over my fingers and onto my plate.

See this burger...it is perfect.

That is a Fat Mo's burger. In my opinion, Fat Mo's is the home of the best hamburger in the United States. It meets my burger loving expectations every time. (If you are - for some strange reason- not in the mood for a burger, their chicken is just ridiculously good.)

Fat Mo's is a franchise in Middle Tennessee, and lucky for me there is one not far from my home in Murfreesboro. Mo and his wife actually run one of the Smyrna locations, and they are super nice to talk with. They are very proud to provide quality food and want every customer to be 100% satisfied.

In addition to the perfect burger, Fat Mo's offers my favorite fried side - the fried mushroom. If the burger is all about the drip, the fried mushroom is all about the pop. The beauty of the fried mushroom is all of the moisture held inside the subtly spiced, crunchy coating. When you break through the golden brown breading on the mushroom, all of that moisture should burst out and feel like a pop in your mouth. A pop full of the earthy taste of mushroom, the spice of the breading, and the satisfying crunch that says "deep fried" .

I know that the mushroom on the side of this plate appears diminutive. It is a very large mushroom. It just happens to be sitting next to a Fat Mo's Super Deluxe burger - a monster burger which has 27oz of beef on it.

Now, before you chastise me for posting a burger ode on a website that provides you with Weight Watchers points for my recipes, let me give you my three points on the wisdom of this post.

1. Food is always there. Burgers are not going to go away just because you are on a diet. Accept that the world is full of temptation and that you have to learn how to deal with it in a way that keeps you healthy.

2. It  is okay to be indulgent every once in awhile. Fat Mo's every day is bad for me. Fat Mo's never, ever is like punishing myself. I don't want to live telling myself I can't ever, ever have what I want because it isn't "on my diet".

3. Make your calories worth it. A stale donut from the teachers lounge is not a temptation to me anymore because those calories just aren't worth it. If I start to eat something and I don't like it; I don't make myself finish. It isn't worth it. I know which indulgent foods I truly love and those are the every-once-in-awhile splurges that are worth it.

Chocolate Chip-Cinnamon Easter Bread - 7 points

I finally did it! After bemoaning my lack of planning and time, I did sit down on Saturday morning to make my weekly menu and managed to find some easy recipes for today. But...when to shop? Well, I have the best husband in the world. Between the Happy First Birthday party and the quinceneara yesterday, Stone ran to store for me while I took a quick bath and got all dolled up. What a great guy!

As our day yesterday was rather a blur, it is appropriate that my first picture for you is a rather blurry shot of myself attempting to keep my nephew from getting a head start on the Easter egg hunt that was our first event of the day. 

I decided that I may as well make something ridiculously indulgent for Easter. Easters is supposed to be a joyous celebration, so it is a good day to share to special occasion food. Thus, I decided to go back to a pre-Weight Watchers treat that I haven't in a very long time. It is full of prepackaged food (which I do not shun on special occasions or busy days - growing up with absolutely no convenience foods makes you quite thankful for the woman who first put spaghetti sauce in a jar and the man who decided to box up some cake mix).

Second photo break...look at this little cake covered hand at the Happy First Birthday Party!

You will have to excuse me for using a little bit of slang in my description of this breakfast treat. My students  - and thus I, by exposure to them - often describe something that is extreme as being "on crack". So, for example, fried green tomatoes from Miller's Grocery are like tomatoes on crack.  Chocolate Chip-Cinnamon Easter Bread is like the middle of a cinnamon roll on crack. You know...the part of the cinnamon roll that you eat the whole rest of the roll just to get to? The gooey, sweet, cinnamon center. That is what this is, except it is even better.

Chocolate Chip-Cinnamon Easter Bread - from Pillsbury Annual Recipes 2008
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cans refrigerated cinnamon rolls with icing
1 box vanilla pudding and pie filling mix (not instant according to the recipe - I used instant and it was fine)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

1. Use 1 tbsp butter to grease a bundt pan. Melt remaining butter in microwave (or over the stove if you are trying not to wake your sleeping spouse).
2. Separate roll dough into 16 rolls. Cut each roll in half crosswise. Place half of the roll pieces in the pan. (If you are like me, this will not look like enough to constitute a bottom layer. Trust me, it is.)
3. Over the rolls in the pan pour half of the pudding mix, half of the brown sugar, and half of the melted butter. Repeat layers; top with chocolate chips.
4. Bake 25 minutes at 375F. Cool for 2 minutes before inverting the pan to remove the ring to a plate. Top immediately with icing. (The recipe says to wait 15 minutes. The recipe is wrong). Serve immediately.
5. Yields 16, 7 point servings

With that much sugar and that much fat, how could it not taste delicious?

I would love to end with a picture from the event that ended our blur of a Saturday - the quinceneara. Alas, I have no pictures that do not show multiple faces of other peoples' children. As I did not ask their permission to post those pictures, I will leave it up to you to imagine a girl in a beautiful pink dress celebrating young womanhood...tier upon tier of chocolate cake...smiling faces...and me, in a pale blue dress, dancing with my handsome husband.

Creamy Cabbage Soup - 1 Point

Yes, this soup is one point. I know, I know, you are thinking, "That must mean it tastes bland and boring." Not so, not so? First of all - cabbage and onions are always a good combo. Add in some broth, some sausage, and black pepper - ah, perfection. One point of oh-so-good!

Creamy Cabbage Soup - 1 point

1 small head of cabbage, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

6 oz low fat chicken sausage, sliced

4 cups fat free chicken broth

3/4 cup sugar free almond milk (fat free milk could be substituted)

1 tsp ground black pepper

1. Combine cabbage, onion, sausage, and broth in a large pot. Simmer until vegetables are tender.

2. Stir milk and pepper into soup. Heat until bubbly.

3. Yields 8, 1 point servings

I have missed a few Fridays of music Friday, but I do have a song for you tonight. This one is not chosen randomly by my MP3 player as per usual. Last night at Maundy Thursday services and this morning at Good Friday service, there were beautiful performances of the African American spiritual "Were you There?" Listening to the sounds of this sad song with its African harmonies took me back to childhood; I grew up listening to "Where you There" on an old Mahalia Jackson LP. Now, if you do not know the voice of Mahalia Jackson, you are missing out on one of the most beautiful and powerful voices of all time. The emotion she can convey in a single note is unprecedented. Whatever your spiritual beliefs, I don't think you can resist being touched when you hear her sing.

Since I have missed a few Fridays, I hope you will indulge me with one more song from Mahalia Jackson. This is my favorite of her songs, another African American spiritual entitled "Sweet Little Jesus Boy". Now, there is one person in the world who I think outdoes her on this song, but since my dad's ethereal tenor cannot be found on You Tube, here is Mahalia's stirring rendition.

Easter Bunnies

"If you do not tell me how adorable the bunny is, you do not get to eat him!"

Those were my instructions today to a class of hard working teenagers who were the recipients of my second Easter bunny cake today. They all giggled and told me that my ridiculously goofy looking cake was cute; and they were all very gracious when they were served and while they were eating. I love my job...I have the best students.

I haven't planned my Easter dinner yet and, apart from the wonderful recipes I have seen on some of your blogs, I haven't even done much looking through ideas.  I did, however, need to make something for Simon to take to school for his Easter party. Since my schedule is insane at the moment, I went to the Betty Crocker website and chose something that looked fast and easy.

Even though they were not elegant and they wouldn't wow anyone with the intricacy of their structure, these cakes were fun to make! They were very, very easy and I think they would perfectly suit if you are looking for something with which your kids can help. You can find the directions here if you are interested.

Here is a flashback to the cake I made for Simon at Christmas.

And even further back to Halloween.

Now for the rest of Easter... I am at a loss. I have let my plate get overloaded and have left the planning to the last minute. Now I am feeling extremely guilty for not having designed an elaborate menu. I love Easter - Lent is my favorite season - the tenebrae service tonight brought me to tears. I don't want to disrespect this holiday by failing to give proper planning to our Easter meal. I must come up with something between now and Sunday!  I just have to figure out when that will happen between the church services, the egg decorating, the Easter egg hunt, the birthday cooking, the present wrapping, the birthday party, the Aunty craft project, the quinceneara, the paper grading, the lesson planning... and, well, that is probably enough stressing for one night.

Funny, after all of that, I actually feel better. Easter will work out and through it all, I will remain very blessed. And, in my blessings, I count the opportunity to share through this blog and to get to know all of you.

Twice Cooked Pork - 5 points

Thank you all so much for your sweet comments on yesterday's post. I was really humbled and overwhelmed by your support and am grateful to be part of this lovely, affirming blogging community. It was not easy for me to post something so emotional, which is part of why it took me so far into the month to participate in the challenge. You made me feel very comfortable sharing my feelings.  Much love to you all. 

Here is a fantastic pork recipe that I hope you will love. It takes planning, time, and a bit of work but it is worth it. The combination of boiling and stir frying yields moist, tender pork that soaks up the sweet and spice of the sauce.

This recipe is adapted from the fabulous book Yan-Kit's Classic Chinese Cook Book.

Twice Cooked Pork

32 oz lean pork loin

2 medium onions, cut in strips

3 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced

1 tsp chili oil

2 tsp hot sauce

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp honey

2 tbsp white wine

1 cube chicken bouillon

1. Place the pork on a large saucepan; add boiling water to cover. Simmer over medium heat for 20-25 minutes.

2. Place pork on the fridge for at least 2 hours to firm (can be left overnight, covered).  Slice into 1/2" strips.

3. In a small bowl, mix together hot sauce, salt, honey, wine, and chicken bouillon.

4. Heat skillet over medium heat. Add chili oil and spread to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the onions; stir fry until translucent. Remove the onions from the pan and set them aside.

5. Add garlic to skillet and stir fry for 1 minute. Add pork; stir fry until any fat on the pork is translucent and pork ins lightly browned.

6. Return onions to the skillet along with sauce. Stir until the onions and sauce have heated.

7. Yields 8, 5 point servings

Linking to Hearth and Soul Hop 
What's on the Menu Wednesday
Welcome Wednesdays 

Gingerbread Modeling Dough for Random Recipe Challenge

I love Dom's Random Recipe Challenge. It truly forces me to be brave and creative. This time, the challenge was to pick a random recipe from your very first cookbook. Well, I am so lucky to have a wonderful mother who bought me a fabulous cookbook for my first forays into independent cooking. Without further ado, I present Loaves and Fishes: A Love Your Neighbor Cookbook.

 
That this was my first cookbook is in complete keeping with my parents who, despite their conservative outside appearance, are truly hippies on the inside. The authors of this cookbook for children were hoping to educate young people about the realities of world hunger and the need for sustainable agriculture. In the educational preface, some facts are given concerning American over-consumption and world hunger. THe authors also state three goals for young people (rephrased for space).

1. Become educated about world hunger.
2. Become advocates for healthy eating in schools.
3. Make healthy, careful food choices at home.

The book has great pictures and a cute little, hand-drawn ladybug who follows you throughout the book.

I made a big deal of opening the book after dinner one night to choose my random recipe. When the pages fell open to an old favorite, "Gingerbread Modeling Dough", I was simultaneously excited and terrified.  I will tell you more about that later.

First, the recipe. It is a fun recipe that encourages kids to work with their hands and to craft their own, original gingerbread men. I thought it was great fun to make all kinds of gingerbread shapes when I was younger. The texture of the cookie is very chewy, almost doughy. The flavor starts with the spicy ginger and then begins to hint at the sweet molasses until you are engulfed in the very taste of Christmas.


Gingerbread Modeling Dough
1/4 cup margarine
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup molasses
3 1/2 cups unbleached flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup water

1. In a large bowl mix well the margarine and sugar.
2. Beat in the molasses.
3. Add the flour, soda, cloves, cinnamon, ginger, and salt.
4. Add the water and mix well, using your hands to mix the flour in when the dough becomes stiff.
5. Now the dough is ready to model into gingerbread boys or girls or anything you wish.
6. Place modeled dough on greased cookie sheet. Bake the dough at 350F for 8-10 minutes or longer depending on its thickness.
7. Yields 20, 2 point servings (#7 is not from the cookbook.)

Here is the gingerbread boy I made for Simon (with raisin face and bellybutton,  and sesame seed hair).

Now, obviously I was excited to make this recipe because it is one that is familiar - one that I even love. But terrified? Well, that is another story. I try to keep my blog a happy place, but part of this bit is sad. Trust me, however, that the end is - I think - affirming.

In another life (aka for almost ten years, until three years ago) I was married to another man. Let us call him The Dark. During the first year of our marriage, I made these cookies to share with him. I wanted to share part of my childhood with him - part of myself. He hated them. He not only hated them, but he said degrading things about them. Things I won't put on a blog.

These are not, perhaps, the world's best cookie, but they don't deserve to be defamed. The Dark was defaming them because insulting what someone loves is a way of undermining their self esteem and keeping them in your control. The cookies were something sort of small, but there were bigger things as well. There was Africa. We went there, for him to see my roots, and he hated it. He hated all of it, every place and sight and sound and taste that was the fabric of my heart. He told me that we would never, ever go back.

Fast forward to now. I have a new life, and now a new husband. He wants to go to Africa. I won't take him. I will not take him because I can't risk him hating it. He keeps telling me that he is not The Dark. I know that. But, still...

I set this glass of milk and these star shaped gingerbread modeling dough cookies in front of my husband, who had no idea the emotion behind them. He took a bite. He smiled. He mmmmmed. "Oh. Oh, wow. These are spectacular. I mean, these are amazing. They are so moist! They are so chewy! Can I really only have three?"

He loved them. And, he didn't just love them because they were good. He loved them because I made them. He loved them because he loves me.

So, maybe someday I will take him to Africa. But not yet....