Chicken!

A few months back I heard about a company that purchases large quantities of food, trucks that food to pre-determined areas, and sells it.  I also heard that they were coming to my neck of the woods. 

So, I plunked down (via the internet) my $67 for forty pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts.  This is "natural" chicken-- no additives, hormones, or artificial ingredients.

On pick up day my sister and I drove to the designated location with our receipts in hand.  We pulled up to the semi that was waiting, told him what we had purchased.  He checked our names off his list, and loaded up two big boxes (80 pounds!) of chicken into our trunk for us.  We drove away, and that was that.

My sister dropped me off at home, and the challenge began.  What to do with 40 pounds of chicken!  )(Hands down, these were the largest chicken breasts I've ever seen.  Very little fat.  Nice, plump, and juicy.)

I froze some of it for skinney-dippin' chicken.

I made some of it into chicken strips.

I cooked some of it and froze it in casserole form.

We ate some of it.  (Yummy!)

But I ended up dicing most of it and canning it in pint jars.

Someone's sick and needs some of Mom's chicken noodle soup... open a jar.

Want to add some chicken to that casserole... open a jar.

Want to make a quick stir-fry... open a jar.

Want to make chicken salad sandwiches... open a jar.

You get the idea.  It's been absolutely wonderful to have jars of good, already-cooked chicken breast on hand.  That's why, when I heard that Zaycon Foods was coming back to our area, I purchased another 40 pound box of chicken.  Yes, it takes awhile to cut it up and get it in the canner, but it's "oh-so-worth-it!"  In addition to the chicken we ate, I ended up with over forty pints of diced, cooked chicken!  Yummy!

If you've never heard of Zaycon Foods, check them out.  They also sell ground beef, bacon, turkey, pork, fish, and fruit.  (It all depends on what they can get inexpensively to pass along to their customers.)

And no, I'm not getting any kick-back for writing a review of this company.  It's just that I've been so pleased with my purchases from them that I wanted to share them.

How to Cook Scrambled Eggs in a Stainless Steel Pan

After seven years of marriage, I didn't get an itch, but the pans I had received as a wedding gift were shot. They were non-stick, and because of all the meals I had prepared in them, the non-stick surface was beginning to come off, even though I had never used metal utensils in them.

So, I purchased a new set of non-stick pans. They worked great... until they, too, finally succumbed to their seven-year itch.

I did a bit of research and decided to go with stainless steel. I LOVE my "new" pans. I suppose after having used them almost every day for the last four or five years, they are no longer new. But they still look like new. And they still cook exactly like they did when I opened the box for the first time.

I have learned to cook a little differently, and maybe that has helped. I no longer use high heat. I cook everything over medium heat or lower. Sure, it takes a bit longer for water to boil, but at this point I'm not planning on ever replacing these pans.

However, as much as I love these pans, I could not figure out how to cook scrambled eggs without them sticking dreadfully. However, this morning, I made my first batch of scrambled eggs in them with no sticking!

This is how I did it:

I put my pan on the burner over medium heat. Then I prepared my eggs. Once the pan was nice and warm, (I held my hand over it and felt the heat rising from it.) I added some oil and turned the pan to coat it completely on the bottom and the sides. Immediately after coating it, I added the eggs.

I couldn't believe my eyes! I stirred the eggs as normal, and it was just like using a good non-stick pan!

Needless to say, I'm thrilled!

Timez Attack!

I think most kids struggle with learning math facts, and yet these math facts are vitally important. To get a good deal at the grocery store, a young mom needs to know which is a better deal, a six-pack of toilet paper for $3.50 or a 24 pack for $12.00. Basic math is vital. A young husband needs to know how to compute interest when purchasing a first home for his young bride. Again, basic math is vital.

That's why when our daughter was struggling with her multiplication facts and a friend steered me to Timez Attack, I took a close look, and I liked what I saw.

Timez Attack is a free game that teaches multiplication facts. (You can pay for the version that has more graphics, but we didn't.) In the game your character learns a new math fact. Once he's learned 2x6, for example, he must face the ogre. To defeat the ogre your child needs to correctly answer the problems that he has already learned. So, the first time is easy... it's 2x6 over and over. If your child gets it wrong, the ogre pokes him with his club, but it's not violent at all.

Timez Attack is a game that the kids enjoy playing. Now, I must confess that my kids don't play many computer games. All their games are educational ones. So, if your child is hooked on video games, they probably won't enjoy this one as much as my kids did, but it's still a fun way to learn the times tables.

You can play Timez Attack at http://www.bigbrainz.com/.

If, by any chance, you know of a similar game for addition facts, please feel free to pass that information along. Thanks much, and enjoy the game!