Cajun Dry Rub...

No, this isn't the sequel to "Brokeback Mountain", but it is a delicious way to make cajun blackening spice. The store bought stuff sucks. Make this, melt a bunch of butter, dip strips of chicken in said butter then run through rub. Blacken, add to fettucini alfredo, and viola!

Blackened Chicken Alfredo:

2 Tbs Black peppercorn
1 Tbs Salt
4 Tsp fennel seed
2 Tsp dried thyme
2 Tsp sweet or hot paprika
2 Tsp dry mustard
2 Tsp garlic powder
1/4 Tsp Red Pepper (medium) or 1/2 Tsp (Hot!)
2 Tsp ground sage

Add all the spices into a grinder (I use a coffee bean grinder) and blend. Keeps for 6 weeks in fridge. Adapted from Joy of Cooking recipe (Joy is too salty and too hot).

1/2 stick butter
2 breasts of chicken
Alfredo and Fettucini

Cut 2 chicken breasts into thin strips (1/4"), dip in melted butter (I melt half a stick in a sauce pan and then just throw all the strips in and kneed them until they're all buttery). Cover chicken in dry rub by dragging the strips through the rub on a plate. Get skillet really hot, then drop the chicken in the skillet until done, turning once. Add chicken to any store bought alfredo and fettucini. Yee Hah!...ACHK heart attack...Thump!

P.S. make sure you have good ventilation or the kids are in another room, it can get a bit teary when you blacken the chicken.

Two'rrific Birthday For Alden!

Alden had a great Birthday last weekend, and celebrated turning TWO! Lot's of presents, a Hot Wheels cake and many of his friends. Alden was a little sick this week after catching a touch of the crud from his dad. But I have to say, he's pretty cute, even when he's sick. When he coughs at night he does it in couplets, and it sounds exactly like, "Gollum! Gollum!". He's also very cuddly when he's sick, so we've spent a couple of afternoons hanging out and watching Big Machine movies (Thanks Erin!). However, we're both on the road to recovery and we plan on going out to the Street Fair tomorrow and going on the Kiddie Train ride. Alden thanks everyone who sent or provided presents.

Isaac rolled over a couple of times this week and has enough head control that he gets to face forward in the baby Bjorn now. His language skills are getting up there, too. He's pretty good at call and response (I say "goo", he says "YEAHH!", it's fun). He also now weighs 13lbs, 9 oz. Growing boy!

In my own life, I've started reading Mark Twain's "Letters from the Earth" again. This collection of essays focuses mainly on satirizing biblical literalism (for instance, why would we want to spend all eternity listening to everyone sing in heaven when we can't stand to listen to them sing for 10 seconds here on Earth?), and I find it comforting and discourging, both, to know that we've been over this ground before. On a bright note, it's funny and it's Twain.