Back In Business

After a brief hiatus, the Please Note Etsy shop is open again! I'm accepting custom orders as usual. Go take a look!

Goldfish Cracker Chicken Strips

When I discovered this recipe for chicken tenders coated in cheese crackers I just had to give it a try. With a little dijon mustard mixed in with the eggs and some paprika sprinkled in with the cracker crumbs, these chicken strips are delicious. Here's how to make your own...

Ingredients:

• 2 cups goldfish crackers
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 pound uncooked chicken tenders
• 3 eggs
• 2 teaspoons dijon mustard (plus more for dipping)
• 1 cup flour
• olive oil to grease the cookie sheet

Preheat your oven to 475. Start by crushing the crackers in a ziploc bag. Add the paprika and shake it up. Combine three eggs plus 2 teaspoons dijon mustard in a bowl and whisk. Make a little assembly line. Dip each tender into the egg mixture, flour, and the crushed crackers last. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spread a little olive oil on top. Place the coated tenders a few inches apart. 

Bake about 6-7 minutes on each side. Serve with dijon mustard for dipping.

The Giant Duck

Guess who finally came to LA? The giant duck! I've been waiting to see this guy in person for a long time. He started his journey in France in 2007 and yesterday he floated through the port in San Pedro. I got to watch from the sidelines.

LA to Vegas Road Trip

Last weekend my friend Jess and I took a mini road trip to Las Vegas. Most of the time the drive from LA to Vegas is a boring 4 hour trip through the desert. This time, we decided to make the most of it. We found this really cool blog that explores all of the weird stops in detail and decided to try some of them out. Instead of the usual 4 hours, it took us 9. If you're in the LA area and have a whole day to devote to the Vegas drive, I highly recommend the following stops...

We got off the 15 in Victorville in order to explore Route 66. The exit you need to take is 153a. It dumps you right on to Route 66. We passed under the Steel Truss Bridge and came upon a few cute antique shops.

The old gas station pictured below is right next to the antique shops.

A little ways down the road is Elmer's Bottle Tree Ranch. This place is definitely worth stopping. It's open from dawn until dusk. It's impossible to not take a million photos here.

We got back on to the 15 in Barstow and headed to Peggy Sue's Diner. You can't miss it. I've always wanted to stop here. The most surprising thing to me was how tiny it was inside. It's typical diner food so stick with a burger or a sandwich.

You can walk through Peggy Sue's gift shop and out back is a weird little garden with ponds full of turtles and a few metal dinosaurs.

Our last stop before Vegas was the Calico Ghost Town. It's basically right across the street from Peggy Sue's. You just go under the freeway and down Ghost Town Road until you see the sign below. It's owned by Knott's Berry Farm and costs $8 for adults.

At the end of the town's main road you can climb a little hill and get a cool photo of the entire town. It was about 110 degrees when we were there but we made the hike anyway. Then we grabbed a cold bottle of water and ran back to the air conditioned car.

Last stop... Vegas of course! We stayed downtown and had a blast!

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Cheesy French Toast and Tomatoes

My mom's garden is in full swing right now so I've been eating a lot of tomatoes. This recipe is a personal favorite and it's perfect for a quick weeknight dinner.

Ingredients:

For the french toast...

• 1 large egg
• 3/4 cup heavy cream or milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup grated mozzarella (jack or cheddar would work too)
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 slices thick country-style bread
• butter or olive oil to fry the toast

For the vinaigrette...

• 1/8 cup white wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• pinch of sugar
• salt and pepper to taste

For the topping...

• 2-3 tomatoes (depending on the size)
• blue cheese (optional)
• basil leaves (optional)
• crumbled bacon (optional)

Combine the egg, cream, salt, mozzarella, and thyme. Soak the bread slices in the batter for about a minute. Warm some olive oil or butter in a skillet and transfer the bread. Use a fork to grab some extra cheese that has settled on the bottom of the bowl and add it to the bread in the skillet.

To make the vinaigrette, whisk the white wine vinegar, mustard, olive oil, sugar, salt, and pepper.

Remove your french toast when it's nice and brown. Toss the tomatoes (and any other optional toppings) in the vinaigrette and place them on top of the toast. Enjoy!