Jen in 15 Minutes

I really need to update this more. It's a slow news day at the office, so here's a whirlwind summary of the life of Jen.

- M is almost done with chemo. Just 2 more weeks after today. Thank goodness. He's going kind of crazy sitting at home all day, and therefore, is driving me nuts.

- I burned out on dance. Taking a much needed break from dance so I don't turn it into a burden, rather than a fun activity. So, when I say that you won't really see me much at the studio anymore, I actually mean it this time. Amazing how your schedule opens up when you are home at night. I did LAUNDRY on a Thursday for the first time in a long time. Something less to interrupt my weekend.

- I'm still focused on Spring Show, so I haven't completely abandoned dancing. Hell, I paid enough my lessons to participate. Might as well follow through. Show is May 21, 22, and 23 if you are interested in attending. And for about 5 seconds, I can say that I'm taller than my instructor. (Only because I get lifted on his shoulders... but still.)

- At IGB, I'm going to be a vision in Coral. Or so I've been told.

- My house is a complete mess. Not full of clutter. Just full of DIRT. Dust, cat hair... whatever. It's yucky. I seriously want to hire a maid for a day and just have her scrub everything away.

- Disney World trip is 5 months away. Just made our meal reservations, luau reservations, and Not So Scary Party reservations. Whew! I could not believe that one of the restaurants we wanted was already booked up for dinners during our vacation. Seriously? I just want some of that Cheddar Cheese soup everyone raves about. Thank goodness there was lunch availability.

- I really need some new music at work. But I don't have a credit card currently to purchase new music! Argh! Seriously... who rips off a dance studio located in the back of an industrial park? Really???

- Paying off your credit cards can be so liberating. I need to do that again soon. Today sounds good.

- I'm really bored by this season's Dancing with the Stars. Glee isn't really hitting me like it did in the fall. Hopefully SYTYCD can revive my interests in television again. Hell, Mark is gonna be on my TV again. One could hope, right?

- I closed my design business. So, Minor Details is just a blog now. But really - I wasn't doing much with it anyway.

- I have the sudden urge to cook brunch for my closest friends one morning. Pile on the scones!

- I'm now a Smart Phone lemming. I love my Palm Pre.

- Is it bad that I'm going to Starbucks out of habit now, rather than actually needing coffee?

- I have this pile of books sitting near my bed that I'm considering re-starting and finishing for once.

- I'm struggling with realizing what is really good for me and what I just like to have. (Either out of convenience or sheer guilty pleasure.)

- I'm ready for change. I'm in a rut.

Easter Cooking

M and I are stuck here in Sacto because, frankly, a 2 hour drive back and forth to the Bay Area would probably knock M on his ass right now. Plus - we have sick family members. Not good for those who have no immune system.

So after doing absolutely nothing today, I decided to finally start making dinner. I opted to not plan for anything in case M couldn't eat our old stand-bys. But I was determined to make SOMETHING for dinner since I rarely do so. (I just don't cook.)

Sadly, since I didn't plan anything, I didn't really have a whole lot of ingredients to make anything fabulous. My attempts at re-making my Honey Nut Chicken Sticks were thwarted by the lack of Honey Nut Chex in our house. And this rainy weather doesn't exactly motivate me to want to run out to the store. (Especially since I really didn't plan to leave the house today anyway...)

Luckily, we had some left over Parmesan cheese and about a pound of chicken. Typically, when I make Chicken Parm, I use Mozzarella cheese. Which may sound strange, but it works somehow. It's probably one of M's favorite dishes. Since no Mozzarella was to be found, I decided to make legitimate Chicken Parm. It's currently in the oven now. And it seriously took, like, 10 minutes worth of prep work. I imagine if you were making 3 pounds of chicken, it'd take a little longer. But - for two of us... no need. Now we just have to wait until it's cooked. So far, it smells hella good.

I have some pasta and mashed potatoes sitting in the pantry. Along with some frozen veggies. I'm sure our Easter meal will be somewhat impressive.

Ingredients

• 1 egg, beaten
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1-1/4 cups crushed cornflakes or finely crushed rich round crackers (about 35) [I just used regular ol' bread crumbs.]
  
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
• 2-1/2 to 3 pounds meaty chicken pieces (breast halves, thighs, and drumsticks)

Directions

1. In a small bowl combine egg and milk. For coating, in a shallow dish combine crushed cornflakes, thyme, paprika, salt, pepper; stir in melted butter. Set aside. Skin chicken. Dip chicken pieces, 1 at a time, into egg mixture; coat with crumb mixture.

2. In a greased 15x10x1-inch baking pan, arrange chicken, bone side down, so the pieces aren't touching. Sprinkle chicken pieces with any remaining crumb mixture so they are generously coated.

3. Bake, uncovered, in a 375 degree F oven for 45 to 55 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink (170 degrees F for breasts; 180 degrees F for thighs and drumsticks). Do not turn chicken pieces while baking. Makes 6 servings.

4. *Note: To make your own tenders, simply cut 1-1/2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breast halves lengthwise into 1-inch strips.

5. Oven-Fried Parmesan Chicken: Prepare as above, except omit thyme and salt and reduce crushed cornflakes to 1/2 cup. For coating, combine cornflakes; 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese; 1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed; the paprika; and pepper. Stir in melted butter. Continue as above.

Googling my name

Here is what Google thinks of my name based on the following scenarios:

1. Type in "[your name] needs" in the Google search:
a) Jen needs rates on 2 scenarios
b) Jen needs a human anatomy lesson
c) Jen needs a hero

2. Type in "[your name] is" in the Google search:
a) Jen is an exceptional person who is to be worshiped and adored at all times. [Um...]
b) An anonymous girl — let's call her "Jen" — is a junior in college ...
c) Jen is famous

3. Type in "[your name] likes to" in the Google search:
a) Jen likes to multitask during sex [Ummmmm...]
b) Jen likes to dance (although everyone else does NOT like to watch Jen dance) [Awwww... boo]
c) Jen likes to swing

4. Type in "[your name] wants" in the Google search:
a) Jen wants John to keep his mouth shut
b) Jen wants Brad back at Angie's cost?
c) Jen wants prenup
[Damnit Jennifer Aniston and your tabloid headlines...]

5. Type in "[your name] gets" in the Google search:
a) Jen gets fancy
b) Jen gets it done
c) Jen Gets Ready For Flight While Ben Takes Off on the School Run.

6. Type in "[your name] says" in the Google search:
a) Jen says: well wen sum1 told her dat i harm she found me in da house and told me to ... [OMG, WTF...]
b) Jen says What?
c) Jen says relax [don't do it, when you wanna come]