I'm not crazy

...right??

J.D. enjoyed a mixed drink after dinner last night and I got pretty excited. A far cry from the usual glass of wine or bottle of beer with a meal. I think I even cried out, "I didn't realize it was cocktail time!!" before springing for the stainless steel cocktail shaker in the kitchen.

Before I knew it, the Rosemary Bellinitini was born out of my crazed head. We had half a bottle of peach purée in the fridge, an entire bag of rosemary from the last time I trimmed the hedges in the yard, and a pretty untouched bottle of Swedish clementine vodka. Money.

I mixed up what I thought would be a winning combination before spitting it out into the sink. You see, I'm pretty sensitive to the strength of alcohol. Shoot, I'm good to go after two drinks, tops. So you can see how a regular martini could be a bit much for me.

Modifications were in order. And I whipped up my first ever batch of simple syrup. Here is the final product of my 30 minute laboring:

(In my haste this was the only picture of the concoction shot -- from my iPhone)

Rosemary Bellinitini

• 2 oz. Clementine vodka
• 1/2 oz. Grand Marnier
• 1 oz. peach purée
• 1/2 oz. lime juice
• 1/2 oz. simple syrup
• 2 sprigs of rosemary

Toss two sprigs of rosemary into a cocktail shaker, making sure the needles don't fall of the stems. Then add about two handfuls of ice, to ensure your drink stays nice and cold. Add in the remaining wet ingredients, cover and shake vigorously. Garnish with rosemary if you wish and enjoy.

Maybe next time I'll throw some sparkling wine into the mix...

(Source)

Oh yeah, during the next three days, voting is OPEN for Foodbuzz's Project Food Blog! Whether you're a member or not, please go here and help me move on to the next round :) Then I'll show you a celebration that puts this drink to shame.

Moroccan Chicken Tagine

Before we dive into this, I sincerely wanted to thank everyone who read and voted for my first entry in the Project Food Blog Challenge! I am so humbled and excited to have made it to the next round. Me, an amateur cook! :)

With that being said, Round 2 prompts us to "tackle a classic dish from another culture" that is "outside of your comfort zone" -- uh oh.

Obviously French food is no-go for me in this round, given my French heritage and the fact that I grew up on crêpes! Italian would be way too easy. Lately I've been playing around with Asian dishes, so I think that, too, had been ruled out.

I fear that leaves me with Moroccan tagine, dear readers. Used by the nomadic Twarg people in the Moroccan desert, a tagine is typically a portable oven, conical pot and serving dish all-in-one. All the ingredients are cooked together in this vessel keeping all the flavor inside the dish. The name tagine also now refers to the combination of stewed meat with various vegetables, dried fruits and nuts.

(Source)

While my feet have never landed on Moroccan soil, I like to think I know a thing or two about its traditional cuisine. And hey, I'm a desert dweller myself! Although half of my dad's family is French, the other half is of Moroccan descent. Without a doubt, I want to dedicate this post to my French-Moroccan family, past and present. It is entirely because of them that I even have a second entry!

(Source)

Of Jewish heritage, my family fled European and African soil during and after WWII. They landed here, in America. Through the original members who immigrated here the branches of my family tree have spread from the East Coast, up into French Canada and to my direct family on the West Coast.

Whenever big milestones happened on my father's side of the family, we would always celebrate at Moroccan restaurants! The kind where you sit on pillows and eat with your hands. As a little girl, I dug that. I still do today.

The very first time I dined at a Moroccan restaurant was in California with my great-uncle, Maurice. We had a mini family reunion several years later to meet our Canadian family and guess where we ate? Would you believe me if I said a Moroccan restaurant in Montréal?? When my dad and I coincidentally moved to France to pursue separate jobs in 2007 we'd meet halfway in between our towns and catch up at swanky French restaurants and eateries owned by Moroccan and Algerian immigrants. Although I fancy myself an avid lover of Moroccan cuisine, I've never tackled it myself. I think I'm more apprehensive to make/ruin Moroccan food because I know how it should taste. And I want to do my family's heritage justice.

I watched my mom make it time and time again as a little girl and it's unfortunate I've waited 25 years to create my own Moroccan dish!

So here it goes. My first ever attempt at Moroccan Chicken Tagine.

It's really not as scary as it sounds! Moroccan food is lovely. It has far away spices with incredibly complex aromas and flavors that instantly wrap me in memories of my family.

And belly dancers.

My dad, the restaurant's belly dancer and my great-uncle -- in Montréal

But seriously. It really doesn't have to be that difficult to make. Most grocery stores already have boxed couscous with spice blends and marinades. Just fluff couscous up like rice, heat the sauce, add meat and voilà -- you have a semi-home made tagine with couscous. You don't even need a tagine to make the dish at home. Clean-up and prep are very simple because everything goes in one pan. Although, it wouldn't hurt to have a tagine dish to make it look absolutely beautiful and authentic ;) I should have "accidentally packed" my mom's tagine before I moved down to Arizona. Now if you're ready to try it entirely on your own...

Moroccan Chicken Tagine * adapted from Simply Recipes:

• 2 t paprika
• 1 t ground cumin
• 1 t ground ginger
• 1 t tumeric
• 1 t curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 8 pieces of chicken (I used about 4 thighs)
• Salt
• 1 medium to large sweet potato
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• Lemon peels, cut into thin strips
• 1 c green olives, pitted
• 1 c water
• 1/2 c raisins
• 1/4 c dried black currants
• 1/4 c dried apricot
• 1/4 c chopped cilantro

Directions: Heat one cup of water on the stove. Once the water comes to a boil, add all the spices. Reduce heat and let simmer over a medium low flame until the mixture thickens. Thaw/dry chicken pieces and marinate in about half of the spice mixture for 35 minutes to an hour in the fridge.

While the chicken is marinating, peel and chop the sweet potato. In a large pan heat olive oil on medium high heat. After the meat is done marinating, add the chicken with the marinade to brown chicken for five minutes. Lower the heat to medium-low, add the garlic, sweet potato and onions. Cover and let cook for 15 minutes.

Turn chicken over. Add the lemon peels, olives, dried fruit and 1/2 cup water. Bring to a simmer on medium heat, then lower the heat to low, cover and cook for an additional 30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and quite tender. When it is the meat should shred easily into bite-sized pieces.

Mix in fresh parsley and cilantro right before serving. Adjust seasonings to taste. Serves 4 to 6. Serve atop a plate of couscous and enjoy!!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

To go with my tagine I made a quick Feggous and Tomato salad, the recipe for which can be found here.

As I said earlier, Moroccan food is not eaten with utensils! So serving the meal with a piece of flat bread offered a creative way of eating the veggie salad.

And of course, no Moroccan meal is complete without sweet mint tea!

This was such an amazing journey. Thank you to all the people at Foodbuzz, the judges and of course, my wonderful readers for giving me a chance to move to this round and explore my family's cuisine! Oh yeah, and also the excuse to purchase some beautifully-hand painted dishes for my collection.

Now it's your turn! Give it a try :) Morocco doesn't have to be as far off as it seems. I can almost smell the fruity hookah wafting through the air...

Like what you see? Then please vote for my entry at Foodbuzz (and sign up if you're not a member)! Voting runs from Sept. 27 to the 30th.

♥ This post is in memory of my Moroccan grandfather and my great-uncle. I miss them! Thank you for helping to bring me up with vast horizons. Someday, I would like to visit the land you once called home.

Thank you • merci • shukran • شكرا

Rise and Shine!

I'm learning how to cope with being unemployed. (Haven't been able to cope with not getting a call-back for eight interviews quite yet. I think when that day comes I've given up completely...)

While I'm still not waking up at the crack of dawn, I've made attempts at keeping busy. First thing in the morning I attempt to either workout (ride the bike or some OnDemand videos) or make breakfast. After my breakfast I try to watch the journal télévisé (French national news from the channel TF1, plays at 13h00 and 20h00 each day - 1 p.m. and 8 p.m.) in hopes of continuing my French skills. My ear for French has gotten a bit rusty, so this helps me hear it at a fast pace and possibly improve my grammar? Anyways, if you click the link it'll take you right to today's most recent broadcast!

While I'm already at my computer, after I watch the news, I scour job sites and apply. And then cross my fingers that something will work out. Then I shower, get dressed, and if I care enough, do my hair.

Once that's finished, I'll read either a French book or something for our book club. The current selection is Brave New World -- can you believe I've never read it before?

Then in the afternoon I have some "free" time to do whatever. Most days, I'm not gonna lie, it's watching t.v. Other days, reading blogs. And then others, if the mood strikes me, I clean. Today I have egg whites sitting on the counter so I'm hoping to make macarons with minimal success. Mine never turn out, so hopefully today's the day.

Now that you know my play-by-play, here's what woke me up this morning:

Oats with coconut milk!!!

We discovered a Sprouts market last week (more intimate and convenient than Whole Foods) and I had to pick up some coconut milk!! I still have a bunch left and don't really know what to do with it! I was thinking maybe a coconut mango smoothie? I have to be careful with how I use it, because J.D.'s allergic to coconut and I can't make anything he'll be eating.

Anyways here's the contents of my coconut milk oats:

• 1/2 c quick cook oats
• 2/3 c water
• 1/3 c coconut milk
• 1 T chia seeds
• 1 medium banana
• handful of chopped walnuts
• 1/4 c Craisins

First I boiled the water, then dumped in the coconut milk and let that simmer a bit before adding the oats and the chia seeds. The rest of the toppings I put on at the end in the bowl. That and a little splash of skim milk to cool it down a bit.

I think I might have made a little bit too much. I'm still pretty full. I think it would be really good with some pineapple or maybe a little maple syrup!

And now let's talk about my workout yesterday.

I did the above workout twice! I struggle every morning because I want to go for a long bike ride, but if I don't wake up around 6-7 a.m., it gets way too hot to do so. Luckily, we have some weird weather rolling through the desert with some thunderstorms last night. That cooled us down a bit to the 80s with a nice breeze.

Yesterday afternoon -- after I already showered -- I decided I either wanted to go for a long walk or run some errands at Target. I finally thought, "what the heck?" and opted to ride my bike to Target. This would do two things for me: save money on gas and limit what I could buy to a small backpack.

It was hot. But towards the middle of my ride, it went back into the 90s, possibly 100s. I was sweaty and gnarly in Target, so for the sake of the other customers, I toweled off and threw some cold water on my face in the bathroom. After the 2.86 mile ride there, I snacked on a Clif raspberry organic fruit bar and downed an entire bottle of water.

Like the last time, I still felt like I was going to hurl, but luckily I had a wallet with me this time and enough water to get over it. I swear, it's too hot in the afternoon to do more than a 2-3 mile bike ride. Eventually, I bought some shampoo/conditioner, face wash and deodorant for J.D., grabbed a few more Clif bars for another ride and went on my way back home.

The 2.86 mile ride home felt much easier than on the way to Target. I think I'm starting to get a hang of this bike thing. I really want to invest in some bike gloves, a solid pump and other things to get me into biking. Maybe when I have extra money to spend...

Either way, here's my attempt at working out over the past week:

It's a start!

Have a good day, everyone!

What is your schedule like? Do you even have a daily schedule? Do you need one? I sure do.

Homemade Pizza

I love pizza. But I think I enjoy making it even more.

A while back, J.D. picked up some supplies to make crust with the intention of making pizza sticks. However, the dough took waaay too long to stretch out and I got frustrated and just made a big circle for a crust instead. The bf and I also have totally different topping preferences, so the sticks would have been ideal. But then the genius idea of quartering the pizza came to mind.

On one side we have sausage and BBQ chicken with onions.

Then in the back you'll see a margherita quarter (tomatoes, mozzarella and basil) next to a fig, basil and green olive quarter. Can anyone explain to me why my first instinct EVERY TIME I write out fig is to spell it figue (I just did it again)??? French isn't even my first language!

Here's an interesting little gem we picked up at Whole Foods...

...Prickly pear infused beer!!! You'd think living in the desert I'm getting sick and tired of all this prickly pear flavoring.

NOT THE CASE. I love it. It tastes so good. Exploring beer and margarita flavorings here is becoming a favorite pastime of mine. However, not my stomach's favorite.

I decided on the fig (argh, not figue) and BBQ chicken slices, while J.D. went for the sausage and margherita pizzas. It's ok though, the next day for lunch we switched things up. I went the vegetarian route, while he went for meat-only.

Making your own pizza is so awesome. Eating it's up there too. I think I'm hungry already. But first, it's off to watch the journal télévisé - I need to keep practicing my French if I'm going to continue my graduate studies in French comparative literature at Arizona State next year!! (I've even uploaded my fav French songs onto my iPhone. Such a nerd.)

Don't forget- TODAY'S the day to vote for me (and everyone else with awesome entries) for my Project Food Blog entry!! xx

My gastronomical travels

I am not a professional chef. I've never cooked for a dinner party larger than four people. I've never even had any training in the kitchen whatsoever. And I've never been in an industrial or a professional grade kitchen.

This image is so foreign to me! (Source)

But I have eaten some pretty damn good food in my life.

I consider myself to be very lucky. I've had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to live abroad -- twice. Compelled by my love of the French language, its literature and my French roots, I studied abroad in Nice, France, as an undergrad. Enchanted by the food -- which seriously changed my life -- sights, people and culture, I vowed to return. Upon graduating, I did just that. I taught English to elementary school students in France the year after college, but that was all just a ruse to take my taste buds on a whirlwind tour of Europe. While most people I traveled with shared pictures of world-renown monuments, I snapped photos of my extravagant and beautiful meals. No wonder I'm now actively blogging about foods I eat and fun recipes I stumble across. It was in France that I really spread my wings in my own kitchen and tried recreating magical meals I'd experienced in five-star restaurants.

Before my travels I was on a first-name basis with my microwave just like any college student. That, and frequent trips home to lavish in my mom's fabulous cooking. I can't believe how far from that I came after moving to France.

To say I ate my way across Europe would be an understatement. But looking at some of the pictures I saved from France, do you blame me??

île flottante - meringue, custard and a passion fruit syrup

a typical cheese display at the marché

pizza and wine in Italia

kir, one of my favorite apéritifs in Europe

tabbouleh at a Lebanese restaurant

caprese salad and bread sticks in Cannes, France

Well, after eating, cooking and baking to my heart's content, I eventually had to return home.... with a little more weight than I wanted to carry around. I've always considered myself to be a healthy eater, but the gourmande within got the best of me in France. Though literally meaning "glutton," I'm a little let down that the English translation for does not have an equally beautiful thought for this word. Glutton brings to mind a guiltless pig mindlessly stuffing his face with Lay's potato chips in front of the T.V. Whereas gourmand(e) conjures images of one who appreciates plump juicy berries ripe in their summer prime, the crunchiness of crisp green zucchini, the velvety feel of a rich chunk of chocolate rolling off the tip of your tongue or the fruity, yet peppery aroma of a finely-aged wine accompanied by the perfect blend of creamy cheeses.

In short, a gourmand(e) is one who appreciates the food he experiences on a daily basis. And unlike its English counterpart, to be gourmand is not a sin. Though after my trip, maybe it should have been!

Long story short, when I returned home, I vowed to continue cooking for myself and cut down on the American conveniences of eating unhealthy fast food and microwave dinners. I quickly realized that it's not only easy to cook delicious, healthy meals at home, but also saves me a ton of money! Recently I've begun experimenting with new recipes, tweaking classics and of course, playing with Julia Child's cookbook I received for my 25th birthday. My boyfriend and I still taste amazing food on a daily basis, either plates we've cooked ourselves, or through exploring decadent new restaurants. More often than not, I find myself venturing to try recipes that appeal to my traveler's soul.

I still try to recreate my European gastronomic travels in my own kitchen in Arizona. I've had some pretty amazing meals in my 25 years on this planet. While I still love to indulge in amazing meals and cuisines from around the world, I'm trying to eat healthy and balanced meals to keep the French word "gourmand(e)" in its purest sense -- far, far away from its American counterpart.

By creating my own healthy, beautiful meals inspired by cuisines from around the world, I've been able to drop those extra pounds and decrease my cholesterol. I'm healthy, happy and ready to travel the world with my fork.

I'm Monique, and I would be soooo humbled if you voted for me as the Next Food Blog Star! But then again, if you don't, I'd settle with us having blog exchanges and sharing recipes!

Food is a journey. I hope you travel it with me!

I am not a professional chef. I've never cooked for a dinner party larger than four people. I've never even had any training in the kitchen whatsoever. And I've never been in an industrial or a professional grade kitchen.

What is this even?! (Source)

But I have eaten some pretty damn good food in my life.

I consider myself very lucky. I've had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to live abroad -- twice. Compelled by my love of the French language, its literature and my French roots, I studied abroad in Nice, France, as an undergrad. Enchanted by the food -- which seriously changed my life -- sights, people and culture, I had to return. Upon graduating, I did just that. I taught English to elementary school students in France the year after college, but that was all just a ruse to take my taste buds on a whirlwind tour of Europe. While most people I traveled with shared pictures of world-renown monuments, I snapped photos of my extravagant and beautiful meals. No wonder I'm now actively blogging about foods I eat and fun recipes I stumble across. It was in France that I really spread my wings and tried recreating magical meals I'd expereinced in my own kitchen.

Before that I was on a first-name basis with my microwave just like any college student. That, and frequent trips home to lavish in my mom's fabulous cooking. I can't believe how far from that I came after moving to France.

I think the best way to get to know someone is to find out how they eat. Especially people from different cultures. To me, food and cooking will always surpass any language barrier on the planet! With this mindset, I ate and I ate and I ate to my heart's content. I've had some pretty amazing meals in my 25 years on this planet. During my return stateside, I wised up a bit and changed my eating/exercise habits to follow a healthier lifestyle. While I still love to indulge in amazing meals and cuisines from around the world, I'm trying to eat healthy and balanced to sustain training for my first ever half-marathon. Now, if only my knee injury would cooperate...

My grandparents immigrated to the United States from France during WWII. The very first thing I learned how to cook were sugared crepes. Just the smell of crepe batter cooking on a grill takes me back to my childhood. That said, another staple in my pantry is extra virgin olive oil, fresh from the Mediterranean region! Everything my grandma and my mom cooked was always in EVOO. I use it as a dressing base with mustard rather than buy dressings at the grocery store. And last but not least, garden-fresh vegetables. There is nothing in the world like exploring the French markets. Farmer's markets are celebrated and locally-accepted as a daily event and most French food shines around local seasonal veggies. Ratatouille is the first thing that comes to mind in the South of France. I have had the pleasure of traveling to France nearly 10 times in my life, including living there for a year, twice. Nothing excites me more than the passion the French (my family) have for fresh, local ingredients. Dining is such an event, they reserve two hours in the middle of the day to celebrate food. It's no wonder I'm such a foodie, it's in my genes!

I'm Monique, and I would love if you voted for me for the Next Food Blog Star! But then again, if you don't, I'd settle with us having blog exchanges and sharing recipes! Food is a journey. Get lost in it. Lord knows I always do.

Take 2

After realizing that my knee's still not ready for running, I resorted to alternate workouts this week. My bike's been having some problems with tire inflation and gears, so I gave it a little check-up, tweaked some things and explored Gilbert's canal system yesterday.

Except, I had a little problem. I think every time I take my bike out I have a mishap. Remember when I took my bike for a run back in July??

I don't even think I've gone on an actual bike ride since July 2008, right before my sister's college graduation. I rode 15 miles from my parents' house in Alamo to my best friend's parents' house in Pleasanton. Except, I had an accident and wound up with some major road rash on my hand.

Yesterday I attempted a 7.0 mile ride in the middle of the day. However,, 3/4 of the way in, I was totally dehudrated and overheated. I felt like I was going to vomit. Before going any farther, I knew I had to call J.D., who luckily bailed me out (what a great boyfriend). He met me at a nearby gas station, bought me some Gatorade and turned up the AC in the car so I could cool down a bit. Then I pretty much walked my bike the final 2.5 miles home and passed out.

Maybe biking's not for me??

Or maybe it is....

After rolling out of bed at 6:30 this morning, I set out for a 1.5 hour bike ride that spanned 12 miles. I was ready for a COOL ride and packed a bag with water, Gatorade a Clif bar and some honey stinger chews. All of which I utilized during the 12 mile ride. Clearly, I am not even in biking shape. My legs killed me, I felt winded and I’m pretty sure my bike isn’t suitable for riding that far. It basically runs like a cruiser with 10 speeds. Maybe I’ll get more serious about this and save for a new bike when I have a job!

Until then, I can take my time having leisurely rides and snapping photos of horses, cows, ducks, turtles, carp, mountains and rodeos.

Post ride, I rocked a breakfast of home made raspberry scones with lemon curd and plain Greek yogurt with fruit, honey and walnuts. Oh yeah, and a soy mocha latte.

I haven’t only been exploring the desert canals. I’ve also been experiencing new restaurants and tapping back into my French roots! With all the hype surrounding the food world about food trucks, I did a search on Phoenix food trucks and found Torched Goodness, a crème brûlée truck!

Last weekend we sampled peanut butter crème brûlée, the creamiest dessert I think I’ve ever tasted! I HAVE to find this truck again in the near future.

That inspired a trip to a local market that carried specialty French foods. And guess what, we had a “picnic” French lunch!

The meal entailed a demi-baguette, French butter, brie, figs, Italian white wine sausage and Mediterranean olives.

Finally, there was Pastis, a European restaurant we stumbled upon during the NFL’s opening week. Originally we planned to grab some burgers and beers at a sports bar and grill, but it was sooo packed with football fans, there wasn’t anywhere to park. Continuing down the road, we found Pastis.

We had drinks…

…zucchini and taziki sauce…

…paella…

…and strawberry Nutella CRÊPES!

Oh it was heaven. I think I’m going to like exploring my new desert home. But for now, I’ve taped a few episodes of Glee. I didn’t watch it last year, but I think I might be hooked this year :)

What season premieres are you excited for?! (I can’t wait for Grey’s, Private Practice and How I Met Your Mother)

Running Frustrations and Panko "Fried Chicken"

Let me preface this post by saying I'm not a Southern girl, but I do like me some fried chicken! However, I'm not really a big fan of actually frying things. Lately I've been doing a great job of keeping my cholesterol in check and I'd like to continue to do so :) So get ready for my take on "fried chicken," which is a misnomer since there's nothing fried about this chicken at all.

...After hearing about my recent return to running. As you see on the sidebar to the right, before yesterday morning, I hadn't ran in nearly 2.5 months. And I died a little bit inside not to doing so. Several weeks ago, I severely injured my knee. I'd seen two sports therapists, have been using Rock tape and have several stretches I do every few days for my knee and ankle and all the muscles in between. After going that long without running, I started to lose it.

How am I supposed to workout without running if I can't afford a gym membership (without a job), don't have access to a free pool and my knee hurt after even limited motion cardio activities?? I basically was restricted to OnDemand yoga and stretching, but nothing gave me that same feeling as when I ran. I think this triggered a minor bout of depression for me. Well, maybe that or being rejected by SEVEN companies I've interviewed with now.

Either way, I felt the need to test the water yesterday. My knee wasn't crackling as much and at 10 a.m. the weather in Phoenix had cooled down to 81°!!! It seems as if all signs were point to run.

Except, my knee is not yet ready for it. I could only manage 1.49 miles before it started to bother me. Post-run I underwent some major icing, stretching and then a warm bath.

I'm still extremely overwhelmed. Am I going to be able to run again?? How long is it going to take to get back into it?? How come there are people who run multiple marathons a year, and when I started conservatively training for a half marathon, I could only make it to 8 miles before blowing out my knee?? And am I going to get a job SOON before being rejected by yet another company so I can afford to go to a physical therapist again?

So many unanswered questions. I'm feeling miserable about this entire situation, so I guess I'll stick to my OnDemand workouts until I can ease back into running at the right time...

Let's move in a happier direction, shall we??? How about that recipe I promised you before my running rant.

Panko "Fried Chicken"

• 6-10 chicken breast tenders
• 1 1/2 c Panko breadcrumbs
• 2 t Italian seasoning
• 2 t garlic powder
• 1 t cumin
• 1/2 c flour
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/2 t pepper
• 2 eggs
• oil spray

Cooking directions: Preheat oven to 350°, while it's heating, coat a cookie sheet with oil spray (I used extra virgin olive oil). The prepare three shallow bowls for the chicken. In one, combine flour, salt and pepper. Crack two eggs in a second bowl. In a third final bowl, mix Panko, cumin, Italian seasoning and garlic salt.

Note: I only used six chicken tenders and found this was more mixtures than I needed. It could easily be cut in half, or use double the chicken.

Coat a chicken tender into flour, dip into egg mixture and then give them a final dunk in the bread crumbs. Repeat for all the chicken tenders then place them on the cookie sheet.

The chicken tenders should bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown.

We had ours alongside sweet potato fries, dipping sauces of ketchup and apricot BBQ sauce and a big bowl of salad. Oh yeah, plus a chilled glass of white wine, which kept me amused during my wait for the tenders to cook!

Enjoy! They're a little different than your usual fried chicken, but still juicy and tender inside with a proper crisp on the outside! Dipping them in BBQ sauce was also fabulous :)