He Treats Me to a Feast; Notes from my Abundant
Life
Seeing with someone else’s eyes...
I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order
that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his
glorious inheritance in his holy people…
Ephesians 1:18(NIV)
The heart has eyes which
the brain knows
nothing of.
Charles H. Parkhurst
I’ve been trying to write a cookbook for a
while. I started with my domain name “treatmetoafeast”,
and finally began writing regularly in the form of this blog, which other
people might enjoy, but which has certainly been my therapy. But I’m still trying to write the
cookbook. I have friends encouraging me,
including my BFF, about whose eyes I’m writing today. We’ve been looking at the same things, but
her loving heart saw things I didn’t.
She gave me my direction.
How frustrating is it that people in your home
can walk past the things they seek to ask you where they are? My personal
favorite is my children’s insistence that I have memorized the ever-changing
contents of both our refrigerator and the pantry, so they can leave the kitchen
to fine me wherever I might be, to ask if we have any (fill in the blank). ARE YOU SERIOUS?
We don’t see what’s right in front of us. I’m nearly at the first anniversary of my
blog, and there are only a few recipes scattered amongst all my writings. That was kind of supposed to be the point???
So, on a “hot and cold” day when I needed some love and clear thinking, my BFF spoke the
clearest, most obvious wisdom from her heart that I simply could not see…match
each message with a meal. Laughing,
stunned even, I babbled out “today’s feast.”
So stay tuned, my dear ones, because it would seem, as I approach 12
months of writing, that I’ve always got something to say, and Lord knows I’ve
always got something cooking.
So, my prayer is that the eyes of my heart
might be enlightened to birth something wonderful and new for someone I love
from what’s been right in front of them, all along, as my BFF did for me. And when things are all around you, all the
time, clarity of vision, the gift of seeing just the right thing at the right
time, is an abundant blessing. And that
is further evidence that God is Good.
Today’s Feast: C (see) is for Chicken Tenders
Back story-My teenage daughter mentioned to her
friends that I was making chicken tenders for dinner. They asked her what brand. Seriously?? It’s easy, less expensive, and so
much healthier when you make it from scratch.
Ingredients
1.5-2 lbs of boneless chicken breasts
1 large egg
¾ c milk
2 t seasoning
1 C panko bread crumbs
Canola oil for frying
Method
Wash and pat chicken dry, then cut into
strips. In a straight-sided bowl large
enough to hold all the chicken, combine the egg, seasoning and milk to make a
wash. Add the chicken and marinate at
least 20 minutes (you could do all this the night before to let the flavors
deepen). Take the chicken out of the fridge long enough before frying to let it
come to room temperature, cold chicken might result in uneven cooking.
To a cast iron pot, add canola oil to the depth
of one inch. Heat to medium high (The
Cooks Illustrated Method – drop a single kernel of popcorn into the oil as you
heat it. The kernel will pop as the oil reaches between 350 and 360 degrees. Remove
the kernel, eat it, and start frying).
Toss chicken in the bread crumbs, and place it
gently, to avoid splashing oil, in the pot.
Do not crowd the chicken to ensure even cooking. Turn once. When it’s golden brown, remove to absorbent
paper. Eat and enjoy.
Making it sexy….add in any or all of the
following:
to the egg wash:
- · Ground ginger
- · Pesto
- · Hot sauce
to the panko:
- · Shredded coconut
- · Ground toasted pecans
- · Ground almonds