Tempt my tummy tuesday

So many yummy things to eat.... going with the Tacoma post so here is some Southern fried Chicken. 

Ingredients

• 1 (3 pound) whole chicken, cut into pieces
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 quart vegetable oil for frying

Directions

1. Season chicken pieces with salt, pepper, and paprika. Roll in flour.
2. Add 1/2 to 3/4 inch oil to a large, heavy skillet. Heat to approximately 365 degrees F (185 degrees C). Place chicken pieces in hot oil. Cover, and fry until golden, turning once, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain on paper towels.                 

• If you want to make fried chicken, you can get good results using a fryer, broiler, capon, young chicken, and roaster or game hen.
• Soaking the chicken overnight in brine or buttermilk makes the meat more tender and juicy.
• Slice whole chicken breasts in half for more even cooking. They also cook faster like this.
• Adding celery sticks to the frying oil enhances the color and flavor of the fried chicken.
• Dry any wet utensils before they touch the hot cooking oil to avoid the hot fat spattering.
• Use tongs instead of a fork to turn the chicken. A fork might pierce the skin and the chicken will lose juices.
• If you like your chicken fried, try peanut oil. It gives the chicken a great flavor.
• Drain fried chicken on a brown paper bag or metal rack. Draining it on paper towels might make it lose crispiness. In addition, covering it will make it lose all crispiness.

The above tips should help to ensure your fried chicken recipes are delicious. If you are using a whole chicken and you have some left over, you can put them in a pot with carrots, parsley, and water to cover. Simmer until the liquid reduces by half, strain and refrigerate. When the mixture is cold, skim off the fat and use it in soups and sauces. You can also freeze it.

A few things I love.... to eat in Tacoma.

I have to say that I am pretty happy that the holiday season is very close to be under wraps and put away for a year. This season just blew past me with out warning, I do miss that I didn't really get to be home and that I was stuck in the hospital and the hospital housing. 

While I have been down here something I never thought could happen has......... I have fallen in love with the City of Tacoma. It was always a city that I never really spent to much time in. A town that I would simply drive past. Now that I know all the back ways to get to and from places without taking the freeway. Ever sense my parents accident in September. In doing that we have fallen in love with some amazing places to eat and shop.  6th Ave runs from the first exit once you leave the Tacoma Narrows bridge you can drive it all the way down to down town Tacoma. 

We have fallen in love with Masa a Tex Mex Restaurant that has a to die for Chips and Salsa and the best happy hour that is all day SUnday thru Wednesday.

 There is a place to eat some wonderful.  southern food called Southern Kitchen it has the most wonderful fried chicken I have ever eaten in my entire life. 

My Dad took us to Red hot. Where I stepped out on the wild side and got a hot dog that had bacon and Peanut butter, it is a bar so you have to be 21 or over to go there but they go once a week to the Seatac airport and pick up hot dogs flown in from Chicago!   

After long days at the hospital walking to the local areas to have a different bite besides the lunch room food at the hospital we found a few other places all within walking distance to the hospital. that we found we liked as well... A place called the Hub that has a brewery right below them, & the best Yogurt shop Called Gibsons, just to name a few of the places we have been making our regular stops in at.  

Over the time that I have been here in the darkest emotional days of being here with my boys so sick I have become a person in love with the community of Tacoma, the business people, the people on the sidewalk and walking in the park, it is amazing to me that in this big city second to Seattle in our state that you can still feel like it is a small town. A love that I was very embraced and loved in. The town that has held us and continues to hold us and our boys while we make it a home away from home will always have a very important and special place in my heart. Do yourself a favor and make some time to go down to Tacoma and plan a trip on a tank.  I will post the next few weeks about what to do and where to do it in Tacoma. Just try it 
& you will Fall in love like I did!! 

They are here!!!!

This is my first post in a while because our twins came at 28 weeks. I have been here for the past 37 days! This is the place to be if you have a baby that is a preemie or micro preemies like we had. The boys had a rough start. Especially baby B he has had the roughest time.  

One thing that I know for sure is the fact that this was not in my plans for the holidays. We had so much we were going to do. This is my favorite time of the year, with all the parties and family gatherings and shopping and baking, decorating the house all the while listening to Christmas music. This year when we got the call that the boys were making their appearance on November 2nd 2011... I had no idea that I would not be able to get myself to leave them.  I have completely changed over the past 37 days and the 

person I have become is so much better then whom I use to be. I'm a mother! 

As I'm writing this I have one son stirring in his little crib a big milestone at times we didn't think we would make it too this fast. I have learned so much this past month about myself and about my boys. In my arms is my other son as sweet and beautiful as can be I want them both to grow stronger but I want to stay in this moment forever. Daddy aka "hub's" has gone back to work and as lonely as I get at times I love these amazing stolen moments that I'm able to sneak all to myself. These moments I hope will get me through the harder times of sleepless nights and the terrible two's. 

I won't post about the babies or my everyday lives on here so you are always more then welcome to go to the top of the page and click on the waiting for baby G which is my personal blog but thought that I would love to tell you all about what is going on in my life and this crazy new adventure of motherhood.  There is so very much to tell.  Thank you all for being here to be able to show me so much love and support. As Kingstongirl I am trying to do what I can so that I can stay in the swing of things and keep you informed on where you need to go, what you need to do and about all the great people that are part of my little world, that because of all of you have become so big.  I promise to post more and do more, it has been a little bit of a struggle on finding my balance between my fun things I do and being a new mommy. 

Meet Me Monday!

1. Do you prefer cotton, silk, or flannel sheets?

I love different kinds of sheets at different times of the year. In the summer it has to be high end Cotton with a light blanket on top of us, so we stay cool on those there hot nights in the summer. In the fall and winter I have to have flannel with our electric blanket, makes it so warm and cozy and I pile on the blankets keeping us nice and toasty. Hub's doesn't like that too much but he can swing a leg out! :) 

2. What time zone are you in?

Pacific!!! We live in a town close to Seattle and its a great place to live. One day I will live in Central time.... I miss my sister so much and she lives in Colorado, with her hub's who is my husband's bff and our nephew Q. 

3. What is your favorite part of the holiday season?

What do I not like! Well for starters today is Halloween and my husbands birthday, my Dads is the 23rd so always around Thanksgiving. I love that I can pick out or make gifts for the people that have touched my life in the past year. It changes almost every year who we give to but I love the surprise especially with Hub's I always make sure to blow his socks away. He never reads my blog so I am going to tell you what he is getting this year. I am going to get him into a hobby that he can share with the boys. I also very much love the music and the decorations and lights! We do a thing every year, called Christmas drive where my mom and hubs and I get in the car and go look at lights with a stop at a local coffee shop get a coffee tea or coco and enjoy the Lights and music when we see light that we like we yell out "Chrisme lights!" I can not wait to share that with the babies. 

4. What is your favorite "wintry" drink? (It doesn't have to be an "alcoholic" drink!) In fall I love cider, I just wish that they had sugar free, in winter I love white chocolate, milk steamers... with a splash of mint to it. 

5. In your opinion, what is the worst job in the world?

Being a state employee on the Washington State Ferry's. I will post about this in the next week stay tuned you will not want to miss this....

Tempt my Tummy Tuesday

                                  

                                  Tempt my tummy Tuesday

It's my goal to show you all the yummy fall favorites that I have! One of my top for fall is the 30 minute Chili. Its really yummy and tastes even better when it's a day old and you re-heat it the next day for lunch. I always top my chili with Sour cream, chives & cheese. Hub's always puts hot sauce on it. 

Try also making some corn bread or some really nice thick sliced Sour Dough. 

Beer can 1 hour Chili. 

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 3 medium onions, chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, chopped
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
• 3 tablespoons chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin 
• 3 pounds ground beef stew or chuck meat
• 3 cans (14.5 ounces each) diced tomatoes in juice
• 1 bottle (12 ounces)beer
• 2 cans (14.5 ounces each) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• Shredded cheddar cheese 

Directions

1. In a Dutch oven or large (5-quart) heavy pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onions, garlic. Season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes.
2. Add tomato paste, chili powder, chipotles (optional),cumin and cinnamon. Cook, stirring, until mixture has begun to brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add beef, and cook, breaking it up with a spoon until no longer pink, about 5 minutes.
3. Add tomatoes with their juice, beer, and beans. Bring to a boil, and reduce to a rapid simmer. Cook over medium heat until chili has thickened slightly and beans are tender, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese, if desired.

Meet me Monday!

Welcome to this weeks, Meet me Monday!!!! 

1. Where do you escape to when you've had enough?

There are three places I go to when I am in need of escape, when I have had enough.... I go to Kalaloch its a place on the Washington Coast. This is a place where I have been going my entire life.  I also love to go to Cannon Beach Oregon, it is something to do with the ocean. To look out and realize that my life is so small when I look how big the ocean is. 

2. What shows are you watching this fall?

 I am watching with the help of two DVR's all the regular ones, and some of the new fun ones............. Up all night with Christina Applegate, Ringer is pretty good, I am over  top excited about tonight's 1st showing of Once upon a time, this is what I have been looking forward to seeing all fall. I hope that it is all I have been expecting.  

3. What was the longest roadtrip you've ever taken and where did you go?

the reason I love to travel are these long road trips that my parents and I have taken my entire life we have always driven everywhere. So when Chris & I got a month off together for a vacation a few years back we went from Seattle through Utah, new mexico, Colorado, Montana, Idaho, and back to Seattle.  It was the most beautiful and amazing drive I have ever taken. I can't wait to go again.  

4. Do you plan on taking your kids to Disney World?

Not just yes but heck yes!! We were looking into going on other vacations but every time we think about going anywhere else it always leads us back to Disney!! We will always be a Disney family especially now that we will have our babies of our own we will for sure bring them as often as we can. The memories from Disney are priceless. 

5. What is something people would surprised to know about you?

Well, people think that I am a big talker, love crowds and love being the center of attention, but that I really get stage fright & I don't like talking to crowds!  I can sometimes, not all of the time but many times I am way to shy to be the center of attention. Shhhhh! Don't you tell!

  

A Conversation with Cuppa Bella...

Q)  How long have you lived in the area?


A) With exception to a few short years in the TriCities, both Tonya and I have lived in the area our entire lives.  I grew up in Kingston in the house my mom still lives in right across the street from Wolfle.  Tonya grew up in Poulsbo on Finn Hill in the same house her parents still live in.

Q) How much family history do you have in the area?


A) My family history isn't extensive, in the area compared to many of the storied family names.  My aunt and uncle moved out to Bainbridge in the late 50s and my mom moved out here from Pennsylvania in 1967 after nursing school.  My dad was in the Navy at the time and moved to the area after he was discharged.  At the time my mom moved out, my grandmother was still teaching in Doylestown but she and my grandfather moved out here in the mid-70s after she retired.  We've been here ever since.  Tonya's family has been in the area since the early 40s.

Q) What is your favorite thing about the area?


A) Other than the natural beauty of the area? Community.
Kingston is a true "small town".  You get the sense that folks that live here watch each others backs, they take care of their fellow citizens, they take care of their own town.  The volunteers in the Kingston area that come out for Town Cleanups, that put up the flower baskets, that put together the 4th of July are what makes this area so great.

Q) What would you change if you could about the area?


A) The only thing I would like to change is seeing more cooperation and communication between the various organizations in the area so that everyone is working toward the same goal, each with their own set of tasks to get there.  We started something like this with Rotary, Kiwanis, Kingston Food Bank, Port Gamble S'klallam Tribe, Kingston Rescue Mission, Sharenet Foodbank and Wolfle for the "Feed the Kids" program this past summer.  Sometimes, there's can be too much volunteer effort that it becomes scattered and small, creating a situation where each group is fighting for donations and volunteers.  If you can join the numerous small efforts to make our town better with one common visions and goal, a huge difference can be made in a short amount of time and you can eliminate the publics sense of annoyance at solicitation after solicitation for donations.  If we could all join together and target one issue at a time and resolve it before moving on to another as a group of volunteers and charities, great things could happen here.  And Kingston is the perfect place to do it.

Q) What made you start your own business?


A) Well, we didn't start Cuppa Bella.  Cuppa Bella was started by Mark and Karen Scholl in 1998 and the opportunity to purchase the business from them presented itself to us (by accident) last year.  Tonya had run her own daycare business out of our home for several years while I was commuting to Seattle to an IT executive job.  I had been looking for a way out of my commute for several years as I was losing time with our 4 children that I would never get back.  The cards just sort of fell into place last September.  I had planned on staying with my commute until February of this year but after ending up in Harborview after being hit on my motorcycle in December and our house burning down in January, it seemed best for me to stop commuting and focusing all of my energy on our business then.

Q) Where would you like to see your business be in 5 years?


A) We already have plans for a second location within the next 12 months. On the 5 year track, we're probably realistically looking at a 3rd location within that time.  It's a struggle for us right now since Tonya and I are so focused on the quality and consistency of what we serve that we spend 60-70 hours per week working in our business, I get up at 2am to do all the baking from scratch and Tonya comes in at noon to close up shop at 8pm.  We're not sure how additional locations will pan out for us in being able to maintain our high level of standards, but, we're not reinventing the wheel so we'll just have to look at how other successful entrepreneurs have done it.