Day #1 of Memorial Day Weekend – Rain!

At least it held out until around dinner time, so the bulk of the day was pretty enjoyable. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

Went to a local Art Show and purchased an artist’s drawing of a restaurant in Little Italy, NYC, Paesano. This happens to be one of our favorite restaurants in Little Italy, so we were thrilled when we saw the drawing … makes us want to plan a trip there again soon.

I felt a little guilty that I hadn’t cooked in the past two days, so made sure to do some cooking tonight. I made Spicy Picnic Chicken with Easy Cheesy Salsa Potatoes on the side. The recipes could not be easier, and both were in the oven, happily baking within 15 minutes. The chicken was very flavorful and moist, and I’d definitely make this one again. The Husband is REALLY particular about his potatoes and didn’t care for the ones I made today. Nicholas took one bite and promptly spit it out. That said, IF I made it again, I’d take out the salsa and leave the rest as is; but with only me eating it, I doubt I’d make this one again (don’t like it well enough for company).

Heading down the shore tomorrow for a day trip, so a little R&R is in order. My parents bought a new shore house, and I only know a little bit about this particular area, so I was browsing the net to find some fun things to do. While doing that, I stumbled on a great directory of Farmer’s Markets in NJ. ‘Tis the season, and with my newfound interest in canning, I’m planning on hitting the Farmer’s Markets weekly. In case you’re in NJ, or near it, thought you might be interested in this.

Until tomorrow…

P.S. If you have any great tried-and-true recipes using buttermilk, send them my way. I have some to use up after making tonight’s chicken.

Spicy Picnic Chicken
1 cup buttermilk
1 package (1.25 oz) Taco seasoning
1 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1-2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
8 pieces bone-in chicken, dark meat
3 tablespoons butter, melted

Heat oven to 400. In shallow bowl, mix buttermilk and 1 tablespoon of the taco seasoning mix. In another shallow bowl, mix the rest of the taco seasoning mix, bread crumbs, flour, salt and pepper. Dip chicken pieces in the buttermilk mixture and them coat with the breadcrumb mixture. Place in a single layer in a greased baking dish. Repeat with all the chicken pieces. Drizzle melted butter over the chicken and bake for 45-55 minutes, until chicken is fork tender and juices run clear.

Easy Cheesy Salsa Potatoes
8 oz. (2 cups) shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup salsa
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup sour cream
1 (10 3/4-oz.) can condensed Cheddar cheese soup
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 (24-oz.) pkg. (about 8 cups) frozen hash-brown potatoes, thawed
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 13×9-inch (3-quart) baking dish or pan. In large bowl, combine cheese, salsa, onion, sour cream, soup and pepper; mix well. Add potatoes; mix well. Spread in greased dish. In small bowl, combine bread crumbs and butter; mix well. Sprinkle over potatoes. Bake at 350°F. for 45 to 60 minutes or until cheese is melted and potatoes are tender.

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