Oven Baked Pecan Crusted Chicken Strips and BIG News!!!

This is a cinch to make and transforms chicken strips into a tasty, crunchy, new family favorite!

1 cup pecan halves
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
1-1/2 tablespoons Emeril's Essence
2 large eggs
1/2 cup olive oil
2 lbs. chicken breast filets

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F.

Line a baking sheet with foil and place a rack on the baking sheet.  Spray the rack lightly with non-stick cooking spray.

Combine the pecan halves, bread crumbs and 1 tablespoon of Emeril's Essence in the food processor.  Pulse for 30 to 45 seconds.  Pour into a shallow dish.

In another shallow dish, whisk together the eggs, olive oil and the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of Emeril's Essence.

Dip each chicken strip in the egg mixture and then dredge each strip on the pecan mixture.  Gently shake off any excess breading from the chicken strips.

Place the breaded chicken strips on the prepared baking rack and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, turning once halfway through, until the strips are cooked through and the crust is golden brown.

Remove the chicken from the oven and serve with a side of your favorite mustard or mustard sauce.

Here's the receipt for Emeril's Essence.

2-1/2 tablespoons paprika

2 tablespoons salt

2 tablespoons garlic powder

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon dried thyme

Mix all ingredients thoroughly and store in an air-tight container.

Now for the BIG News!!!!

Yes, it's that time again, the 2013 Blogger Party!!!!  Can you even believe this is our 4th year?  It's way too much fun to quit now!

Larry (Big Dude's Eclectic Ramblings) and his wife, Bev hosted our preliminary planning party this past weekend.  Chris (Nibble Me This) and his wife, Alexis, A.J. and I met at almost Heaven South to start planning our 4th Annual Blogger Party.

the preliminary planning took about 5 minutes and we spent the rest of the afternoon eating, drinking and catching up with each other..just plain having a great time!

So start making your plans to attend.  The Blogger Party will be Sunday, May 26, 2013 (Memorial Day Weekend) and our theme is an Hawaiian Luau!

We still have more details to work out and will publish more in April, but please add this to your calendar and plan to join us to Eat, Drink and Get Leid'd!!

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A Relaxing Evening at Almost Heaven South - Smoked Potato Salad with Mustard Dressing

Larry from Big Dude's Eclectic Ramblings invited A.J. and me and Chris from Nibble Me This and his wife, Alexis for a relaxing evening on his boat docket which he affectionately calls, "Almost Heaven South".  


Larry's boat dock has been the scene for three East Tennessee Blogger Get Togethers.  A.J. and I always look forward to spending time with Larry and Bev and Chris and Alexis.  

We were all down for fun at Larry's little cove on beautiful Lake Tellico!

We never run out of things to talk or laugh about.

Chris suggested we keep the food fare simple so we could spend more time socializing.  None of us put up an argument, especially if Chris was cooking the brats!

A.J. obviously smelled the brats on the grill.  

Keeping the menu simple left more time for socializing and isn't that what it's all about?

Chris' brats and spicy dogs.

Chris also brought some Bush's Grillin' Beans.  Who could turn these down?

My Grilled Potato Salad with Mustard Dressing.  Recipe below.

Before you knew it, it was after 11:00 PM.  I can't wait to get together with my blogging buddies again soon!

Thanks Larry, Bev Chris and Alexis for a fabulous Evening!


Smoked Potato Salad with Mustard Dressing:
2 lbs. potatoes, peeled, par boiled in 2 tablespoons Zatarain's Pro Boil or salted water, drained an chunked
2 teaspoons dill
1 teaspoon smoked paprika, plus more for serving
2 tablespoons Canola oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons prepare horseradish
2 tablespoon brown whole grain mustard (I prefer Zatarain's Creole mustard)
2 teaspoons honey 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil


Pre-heat grill to high heat


Toss the potatoes in the Canola oil and then add the 2 teaspoons of dill and 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika.  Place the potatoes in a mesh grill basket and grill until they begin to turn golden brown, about 10 minutes.


Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk the mayo, apple cider vinegar, horseradish, mustard, honey, salt and pepper to thoroughly combine.  then slowly whisk in the extra virgin olive oil.


Drizzle a tablespoon or two of the dressing in the bottom of a shallow serving bowl.  Place the grilled potatoes in the bowl.  Sprinkle a little smoked paprika over the potatoes and then drizzle the remaining dressing over the potatoes and serve warm.


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2012 Blogger Get Together III

Larry not only wants us to leave Almost Heaven South with a full belly, new friendships forged but also with more knowledge than we had when we arrived.

Now I have to tell you this and this is the honest truth.  Larry makes THE BEST MARGARITA I HAVE EVER TASTED! 

It didn't take much arm twisting to talk Larry into teaching us his secret.  Now I'm going to share his special recipe with you.  

This is Larry's Margarita Mix of choice.  You can't find it at your local grocers but you can buy it at Mayson's website in a liter bottle. 

He showed us his little drink mix helper.

This is Larry's tequila of choice.  He explained that finding a tequila that had 100% agave was the key.

To get that just "right" blend he added two cans of Sprite.  He doesn't like diet Sprite, seriously if you're going to have a few, do you really believe the word "diet" is applicable?  Just sayin'...

Another important key is using just a dash or two of powdered egg white.  Not real egg white, "powdered" because it gives the Margarita a little frothiness and the powdered egg white has a little, tiny bit of sweetness.   Pour the liquid in the blender, add the powdered egg white, give the blender a quick pulse, salt and  ice those glasses kids and you're ready to rock-n-roll!

After we wrapped our fingers around another Margarita our heads around all of that knowledge, our kind instructor took us on a boat ride at dusk.

Even his vicious attack friendly pooch, Sweetie, joined us.

Bev and Coco.

Gorgeous!

Time to head in, we were out of Margaritas.

So another East Tennessee Blogger Get Together for the books boys and girls.  This leaves the really big question, what do we cook next year?

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Boiled Crawfish and Shrimp - 2012 Blogger Get Together Part 2 of 3

The crawfish have been dropped in their Jacuzzi, you can't even believe how good it smells!

With the flame going and the water boiling, it almost sounds like a jet taking off.

The turquoise color the of fire is so pretty.

These two are helping A.J.load the vegetables in the basket so he can drop them in the water.  After this, they will be on the jet ski the remainder of the day.

Okay, this is a secret...Chris brought a truckload of props and is setting up to take some really gorgeous pictures.  I'm sure you've seen them by now on his blog.

This is how men cook, just sayin'.

The smell of crawfish boiling always draws them in!

Dave, Alexis and Chris

Our host, Larry, welcoming everyone and then we remembered the many brave souls who have given their life for our country.

Looks like everyone is ready!

You definitely need to fill up your glass before sitting down to a bountiful helping of boiled Cajun seafood!

Kaitlin gets credit for this food porn shot.  I was so busy showing everyone how to suck heads and pinch tails, I didn't get a chance to take a picture.

Stayed tuned because tomorrow I'll show you that we did have class...Mixology class!

  

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Real Cajun Boiled Crawfish & Shrimp - 2012 Blogger Get Togerther Part 1 of 3

Sunday was our 3rd annual Blogger Get Together on beautiful Lake Tellico.  Larry and Bev from Big Dude's Eclectic Ramblings were gracious enough to host this event again.  They always have a beautiful set up for all of us.  This event was the perfect way to kick-off summer!

My husband, A.J. was the chef this year and he completely "Wow-ed" us all with his boiled crawfish and shrimp.  So c'mon I'll take you around so you can see what was happening Sunday on the Lake.

These are the live mud bugs getting all clean and spiffed up so we can pinch their little tails off and eat 'em.

Only real rednecks Cajuns need a paddle to keep their vittles from trying to get away.

Our youngest homegirl, Kaitlin, was in charge of not letting them get away.

Looks like she caught another escapee!

A.J. has the water just about ready, so the live crawfish are moved to the basket.  After we squeezed about a dozen lemons into the seasoned water.  We put the lemons in with the live crawfish.  You can never have too much flavor.

He used one jar of crab boil to season the water, plus the lemons.

Chris from Nibble Me This and Dave from My Year on the Grill, cut up all the veggies.  The onions celery and garlic, add flavor to the water and they also soak up some of the seasoning and are delicious to eat.  We always keep these events balanced and healthy with fresh veggies!

We also included #1 red creamer potatoes, put everything in the basket.  We are just about ready to drop these in the boil.

There's chef A.J. now.  Looks like he's doing a quality check.

Here's Dave from My Year on the Grill.  Is he telling us about the big crawfish that almost got him?

On the left is Dave from Big Daddy Dave, in the middle is Penny from Lake Lure Cottage Kitchen and on the right is Laurie, Big Daddy Dave's wife.

Dave from My Year on the Grill, Sam from My Carolina Kitchen and Sam's BIL, Stuart...everyone is keeping an eye on that crazy Cajun!

Chris from Nibble Me This, he's happy because the prep work is done!

Larry from Big Dude's Eclectic Ramblings, he needs to cheer up!

Stay tuned for the final product, our educational program and a boat ride at dusk!



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