Orange chicken in no time flat

Shoulda taken a picture of my dinner last night. I'll try to remember that in the future. Ever since I saw Katie Couric make Chicken Piccata several years ago, I've wanted to do something with flattened chicken breasts (aka "paillards"). I even got a nifty meat tenderizer from Pampered Chef last year in anticipation of this new culinary adventure. It wasn't until last night that I discovered how fun and easy it was. Flattening the breasts helps yields tender, tasty chicken that cooks quickly. For different flavors, you could marinate the chicken first or experiment with other citrus/savory sauces.

Easy Orange Chicken
4 chicken breast halves (boneless, skinless)
salt and pepper
1/3 cup flour
2 tsp butter
2 tsp olive oil
2 oranges, juiced, or 1/2 cup of good and slightly pulpy orange juice
1/2 cup of white wine


1. Between two pieces of plastic wrap (waxed paper falls apart I've discovered), pound chicken breasts to about 1/2 inch thick with a heavy object, e.g., meat tenderizer or small cast iron skillet.

2. Sprinkle both sides of pounded breasts with salt and pepper, then dredge in flour and set aside.

3. Melt butter and olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until slightly browned (about 1 minute).

4. Add paillards and cook approximately 4 minutes on each side - should be lightly browned with no pink showing through.

5. Remove paillards from pan and keep warmed until ready to serve.

6. Pour juice and wine in pan and cook until reduced to about 1/2 cup ... approximately 5 minutes.

Serve chicken thinly sliced, drizzled with sauce and accompanied with favorite starch and a green vegetable or salad. Quick-cooking couscous would be good ... I was too lazy last night to do anything other than steam some broccoli. (I saved my starch for the chocolate chip cookies and milk I ate while I watched "Then She Found Me" on Netflix. Odd movie.)

(Still) a little batty

I borrowed this image taken by Phil Myers from the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology Web site because I did not have the foresight to take a photo of the cute little brown bat in my shower the other night. I was a tad preoccupied. And all the other photos I found look so scary with fangs and snarly faces! This looks a lot more like our visitor. Just tilt your head a little ... isn't it sweet?

I'm pretty sure Claudette and I entertained a Myotis lucifugus. 

And even though our guest was tiny and helpless and not really very scary, I'm still not a fan of going upstairs to see if its brothers and sisters (and mom, dad, cousins, aunts and uncles, etc.) are hanging around. 

I really need some advice. In addition to throwing the question out yesterday here, I put it to my friends on Facebook and I added it to the agenda of our morning meeting at work. Here's what I have so far:

• A former co-worker suggested I check my belfry (so supportive)
• A friend from elementary school said to just wait and it would return (how is that helpful????)
• A friend from junior high said it could have come down the chimney and through the furnace and that I may need to install a screen up there (that does not sound like a DIY project)
• My neighbor said something about looking for recipes (!!)
• A church friend who has lots of experience in this area said if I have more I'll need to kill them or they'll return
• Same friend suggested hanging a tension rod and netting at the door at the foot of the stairs ... just in case
• Our office manager said I should build (or purchase) bat houses - and volunteered her husband to install them
• Neighbor's son said I should have let Claudette keep playing with it ... rabies? what rabies?
• I shoulda whacked it with a baseball bat or a tennis racket or a shovel
• I should sleep with my light on ...
• ... and door closed
• ... with a blanket over my head

I keep hearing funny noises. Suspicious little thumps and scritchy scratches. But then it could be my imagination because Claudette is completely flaked out next to me here. She's snoring, in fact. Completely unconcerned.

So, I'm asking: Do I call a critter catcher? Animal control? Wait and see? Hide under the covers? What would you do?

I bagged a bat in the bathroom last night

No really. And I'm sure I completely did all the wrong things, but it was about midnight and I didn't know who I could call for assistance, so Claudette and I just did our best.

I was minding my own business, reading a book, when Claudette trotted down the hall ... and I noticed something that definitely had wings shot into the bathroom just ahead of her.

Huh. Guess I couldn't really ignore that. So I hobbled to the bathroom and discovered the teeny-tiny bat (wingspan of maybe 12 inches?) was fluttering about in the shower. Claudette was RIGHT there. Just very very curious. Kind of like ... "Look what I found! Can I keep it?"

Oh geez, I thought. Bats can carry rabies, right? So I hauled Claudette out and threw her in the bedroom and shut the door. Then I went to the supply closet in the kitchen to see what sort of container I could find to capture our little friend. (It actually was kind of cute. Like a little mouse until it spread its wings.)

Paper bag. That'll work. I snagged a paper grocery sack from the shelf and headed back to the bathroom. Then went back and grabbed the broom.

It took about 15 minutes of careful coaxing and scooping attempts. I used the broom to sort of guide the little guy toward the bag since he was at the far end of the shower. I'm not quite sure how I finally did it, but I managed to scoop it up gently in the bag, then folded over the top and transported the package outside, where I carefully dumped the now-completely freaked-out bat out in the driveway. "Oh please don't die here," I thought. I really don't want to see dead bat on the driveway in the morning. But after about 5 seconds, it flew away.

Back inside, I cleaned out the shower (no poo, just bat germs), washed my hands and started researching. Claudette went off to find something else to play with since I'd spoiled all her fun.

Well, I learned that I should have probably kept the bat and called Animal Control. Oops. (So they could test it for rabies.) And now I'm thinking there's a good possibility there are more up in the attic. Oh joy. So I'll need to call a professional. Double joy!

Has anyone out there had to do this? Do you have any advice?

Muzyka-Lee Inclined

Mukyka! is performing at my church tomorrow! And word has it that the group will be complete ... Hillary is home on spring break.

Remember when Lee, Johnny and Chuck came to cheer me up in January?

If you're in driving distance of Saginaw, this is your official invitation. Sunday, March 7, 4 p.m. at State Street United Methodist Church - 3617 Mackinaw in Saginaw. A guaranteed good time.

Refreshments will be served after the free concert (5:30-ish?). I'm sure a love offering will be taken ... and CDs will be available to purchase.

OK ... beautiful blue skies outside my window and a wide open Saturday ahead ... one more cup of coffee, then I'll try to be productive. That dang Christmas tree is still calling from the other room. And the dust bunnies are reproducing at an alarming rate.

Birds, bells and banana bread

The bird convention seems to have returned. My feathered friends were debating quite loudly this morning.

I really don't have much to share. Good thing it's recipe day!


Banana Bread

  1 cup unbleached all purpose flour   1-1/4 cups whole wheat flour   1/4 cup wheat germ   3/4 cup brown sugar   3/4 tsp baking soda   1/2 tsp salt   3/4 cup walnuts, chopped coarse and toasted

OR 1/2 cup flaked, sweetened coconut and 3/4 cup macadamia nuts

[to toast, spread on small cookie sheet and toast in 350°F oven,

stirring every 2 minutes for about 6 minutes until golden]   4 ripe bananas, mashed well   1/3 cup plain nonfat yogurt   2 large eggs, beaten   2 tbsp canola oil   1 tsp vanilla  extract  
  Grease and flour 9" x 5" x 3" loaf pan or equivalent. Combine dry ingredients

and set aside. Mix wet ingredients. Lightly fold banana mixture into dry

ingredients with rubber spatula until just combined and batter is thick and

chunky. Scrape batter into prepared pan(s). Bake until loaf is golden brown

and tester inserted in center comes out clean – about 55 minutes. Cool in pan

for a few minutes, then remove. Enjoy!

Privileged

I finally googled Humane Borders so I could learn more about what my daughter is doing on spring break. She called last night to give me the update, and while she was talking about watching trials, and seeing migrants in shackles, and border patrol, and the "wall" and filling water tanks in the desert ...

Wow.

Until now, I've been pretty ignorant of the whole immigration issue. I'm guilty of taking my citizenship and many privileges for granted every day. Privileges I enjoy just because my ancestors came to this country at another time in history. Under different circumstances. Across the water rather than a sea of sand.

A complex issue, to be sure. And one I don't pretend to fully understand. I just know what feels right. As I pray for my daughter's safety, I'm also praying for the migrants and all those who wrestle daily with all sides of this issue. 

Tossing my cookies

Remember these? The day we baked cookies with the boys ended a bit differently than I'd planned ... so we popped the undecorated cookies in the freezer. I took them out when I moved back home and last night while I was making dinner, ate FOUR COOKIES in no time flat.

Followed by a banana chaser. Well, at least that's healthy.

No wonder I didn't lose any pounds the last two months. Three meals a day, easy access to snacks and goodies ... and limited mobility (though I do have some nice arm muscles now).

So I'm tossing my cookies today. In the trash, that is. I'm not gonna purge or anything gross like that. One of my co-workers has inspired me with her new "losing it" blog and her weight-loss goals.

It's a step in the right direction.