Chicken Schnitzel and Good Times

Good Morning!  Have I mentioned that I don't really even need to set my clock alarm here in our new house?  I think the birds in my new neighborhood are channeling their inner-rooster because before the sun even rises, they are outside our windows whistling away.  It's a beautiful sound and reminds me of what it must be like in fairytale land. :)

I've just plugged in all my kids' baseball commitments for the next couple of months, and boy, do we have a busy schedule ahead!  I do love it, though!  I love being outside and I love that they are engaged in their sports.  I'm sure this Spring I will master the art of packing a good and entertaining bag for Brooke - complete with activities and healthy snacks.  So far, she has been wildly entertained with the bleachers - stepping up, walking across, stepping down, and over and over and over again. 

Speaking of baseball, Matthew volunteered for the first Christopher League game yesterday. The Christopher League is a league for kids with special needs.  I believe kids ages 10 and up volunteer their time to help out - they are paired with a player and they assist that player throughout the game.  What an experience it was... Matthew is not as open with his thoughts as I am, so I had to really ask a lot of questions to get anything out of him afterwards.  Email Coach Leo if you're interested in helping out - I'm sure you can jump in at anytime, but email him to be sure. 

I sat through the game - most of the time with tears in my eyes.  Tears because I felt sad for these kids who are living with their disabilities - tears of complete joy in seeing how excited they were to be out there - oh my goodness, they were having the time of their lives!  Tears from seeing how many volunteers there were out there - adults and kids alike... it was an amazing show of support.  Tears of happiness and thanksgiving because my kids are so healthy.  It was very emotional for me - why should some be afflicted with disabilities and others not?  That we will never know, but I do believe that God doesn't give us that which we cannot handle - and these parents and kids deserve an extra special spot in Heaven for enduring all that they do.  All this said, I urge you contact Coach Leo and try to come out and volunteer.  Matthew was really nervous before we got there and told me not to leave his side, but when we arrived, he saw some of his friends and was immediately relaxed.  It was a great experience.

Okay - so from baseball to schnitzel.  I just love the word SCHNITZEL :).

Mmmm... one of my favorites. My chicken schnitzel is the "Christa" version of something much better overseas. My dad has a friend who owns a bar on the beach of the North Sea in a little town called Neustadt, in northern Germany. It's a quaint little bar that sits right on the beach in this tiny little town. Many moons ago, I travelled to Neustadt from Bonn by train, and I got off at the train station, asked someone where the beach was and I found the beach and just walked. I walked with a heavy backpack on my back for several miles until I reached this little bar. In I walked where I was greeted with smiles, open arms and lots of hugs. I was put up in a cozy place for the night where I stowed my backpack, and I spent the better part of the evening commiserating with the local townsfolk - lots of good German beer (mmmmm....), conversation, smoke (cough, cough) and great food. The owner's wife, Liesel, made a huge platter of wiener schnitzel with a creamy mushroom sauce - oh, it makes my mouth water just thinking about it....

So, fast forward almost 20 years, and here I am in my own little world making my Chicken Schnitzel dish - might not make your mouth water, but it's very tasty and the kids love it.

My dear friend, Irmela (yes the name is German and so is she :)), taught me how to make this.  So, first, I rinse and pat dry boneless, skinless chicken breasts.  Slice them in half lengthwise so that you're left with 2 pretty thin pieces.  If they aren't thin enough (I like mine really thin), I pound them with a mallet. 

Set up your stations - you'll need a plate of flour seasoned with salt and pepper, a bowl of 2 whisked eggs, and a plate of breadcrumbs (seasoned or plain, your call).  Pour some oil (I use half olive oil and half canola oil) into a big pan and heat to hot.

Dip your chicken into the flour first - then eggs and finish off in flour.  Put it into the hot pan  - it should sizzle when you put it in - if it doesn't, then the oil isn't hot enough.  The hot pan/oil is what seals in the juices, so you really want it to be hot.  This is a great meal to set up and involve your kids.  Meet my sous chef, Matthew.

Cook until the outside is brown and then flip - turn down and finish cooking until cooked through.  This doesn't take long because your pieces of chicken are so thin. 

At this point, you can do any number of things.  You can slice a lemon and use this and some parsley to garnish and then serve.

You can put it into a Pyrex and pour your favorite marinara sauce all over with mozzarella & Parmesan on top and bake (chicken Parmesan).  You can serve the plain chicken with cranberry sauce (delicious!!). 



Alright, so I want to share some pictures with you.  I love this picture - I took it yesterday afternoon:

I love it for so many reasons.  Matt had just put in a new propane take on the grill.  There is reason #1.  He was cranking through his "honey-do" list yesterday!  He is looking up the hill at the kids laughing and playing on the trampoline.  I can tell that he's kind of smiling in this picture, and this is what I love - the joy he feels about us being here as a family in our own home.  It was a fun, relaxing day yesterday :).

Now, this next shot is a terrible shot, but it shows Matt and Brooke on the trampoline having fun and it makes my heart smile.

And this was is as if we told them to sit there... but we didn't.  Matt and I were enjoying a glass of wine on our patio when we looked up and saw the kids on the swing together.  This is seconds before the camera battery ran out of life, so it's blurry.