Betty's Birthday

Today is Ground Hogs Day. I am so pleased the ground hog has a day. I am still waiting for Working Women's Day. At any rate apparently the ground hog has a knack for forecasting weather and according to the famous Phil in Pennsylvania we are looking at six more weeks of winter. Imagine that.

Truthfully, today would have been my Mother's 78th birthday. Sadly, she passed away March 5th, 2002. She lost her life to something much bigger than the little 90 pound woman she was, cigarettes. I hate tobacco in all forms. In a two month time period both Ronnie and I lost our Mothers, both due to smoking. Lacy lost both Grandmothers as a sophomore in college, first she came home for Christmas to a funeral and then spring break brought another funeral. Forgive my sadness, it overtakes every year on this day. I guess our generation will always struggle with mother/daughter relationships, even after they are gone.......................

Supper tonight was one of my favorite chicken dishes. A fairly quick dish if you use the thin chicken breast or the tenderloins.

The menu went something like this:

Crispy Baked Barbeque Chicken*

Caramelized Brussels Sprouts and Onions

Green Beans

Hashbrowns

Reese Cups (for me, because I needed them)

Crispy Baked Barbeque Chicken

4 - boneless skinless chicken breast (thin and fancy style)
1/2 cup fine bread crumbs
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. dry mustard
1/4 tsp. celery seed
1/8 tsp. cayenne
1/4 cup melted butter

Combine all ingredients except chicken and melted butter in a plate or bag to shake. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Immerse chicken pieces in margarine, then roll or shake pieces to coat them. Arrange chicken and so pieces don't touch on a baking sheet lined with foil and sprayed with Pam. Sprinkle with any remaining crumb mixture. Bake, uncovered, in a 375* oven for about 50 minutes or until tender. DO NOT TURN.

**To give this more BBQ flavor and cut down on the fat you can dip chicken in BBQ sauce instead of butter. I have done this with John Boy Sauce (John Boy and Billy's Grilling Sauce). It is the right consistency.**

So, until tomorrow...........
S~~~