My husband had to have injections in his back this week .. so it's been a little crazy around the house. But I haven't neglected my duties to feed my hungry SOLDIER and ARMY Brats! ;-)

Wednesday .. was my husbands visit to the hospital. So we were gone virtually the entire day and when we finally got home that evening .. I had to whip up something fast. I had chicken out, because I was planning on making Coq au Vin .. but I had NO TIME and Ditzy me had forgotten all about his appointment .. otherwise I would have chosen something else to make. Soooooo I ended up making FRIED CHICKEN. :-) It was a first for me.. I've always made it in the oven, crockpot, or grilled it.

I dipped it in buttermilk and then coated it with a combination of flour, lawry's seasoning salt, and pepper. (Sorry I didn't get a pic.. it was a rushed evening)

It turned out .. Fantastic !! Plus it was surprisingly .. so EASY !! My youngest son said .. it tasted just like "the chicken from a restaraunt" .. so that's a compliment! :-)

Thursday afternoon I made ..

Oatmeal Scotchies

It's an Oldie.. but certainly a GOODIE !! :-)

This is a recipe I got straight from the package of Butterscotch Morsels

http://www.verybestbaking.com/mobile/detail.aspx?ID=18478<

For Dinner I did make ..

Coq au Vin served with crusty french bread

8 slices of bacon, chopped

12 chicken thighs, bone-in, skins removed - Or 1 whole chicken cut into pieces (about 4 lbs)

1 large onion, chopped

3 carrots, peeled, and sliced (I used baby carrots already peeled and cut them in half)

2 tsp miced garlic

2 celery stalks, sliced

1 tsp dried thyme leaves

1 bay leaf

1/ tsp ground black pepper

2 cups of dry red wine

3 tbsp all-purpose flour

1 cup chicken stock

1 tbsp butter

4 cups mushrooms, sliced

In a large dutch oven, cook bacon until crisp. Transfer to paper towels to drain; set aside. Drain all but about 2 Tbsp fat from pan.

Add chicken to pan and cook until browned on all sides. Transfer to a plate.

Reduce heat to medium and add the onion, carrots, garlic, celery, thyme, bay leaf, and pepper; cook, stirring for about 5 minutes or until veggies are softened. Add wine and bring to a boil.

In a bowl, blend flour with 1/4 cup of chicken stock until smooth. Add to pan with remaining stock. Bring to a boil, stirring until slightly thickened. Return the chicken to the pan. Reduce heat and simmer partially covered, for 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook mushrooms, stirring for 5 minutes or until mushrooms are tender. Add to chicken along with the bacon; simmer for 5 minutes.

My Husband really really.. LOVED this !! For me it's just .. a fancy name for Chicken Stew..LOL !! If I made it again.. I would use cut-up boneless skinless chicken breast and add a few potatoes. To really make it more of a stew ..served in a bowl or even a bread bowl! That's just my opinion .. !! :-)

Friday night I didn't make anything new or unusual..LOL !! We grilled pork chops and had baked potatoes, salad, and cherries.

This morning .. I let my youngest pick the dessert for tonight and then we went to the grocery store to get the ingredients. Keep in mind .. he was SUPPOSED to help with the dessert.. but as soon as he saw his friends outside playing when we got home.. dessert was the last thing on his mind. Friends FIRST.. I guess.. LOL !!! Ohhh to be 7 again .. ;-)

But being on a mission.. I HAD to get the dessert going since it needed to be refrigerated for a few hours.

Tonight's Dessert ..

Chocolate Truffle Cheesecake

1 1/2 cups Oreo chocolate sandwich cookies, finely crushed

2 Tbsp butter

3 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened

1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk

2 tsp vanilla

3 packages (4 ounces each) Ghirardelli Semi-Sweet Chocolate Baking Bars, melted, slightly cooled

4 eggs

Whipped Cream for garnish (optional)

Chocolate shavings for garnish (optional)

Preheat Oven to 300 F

Mix cookie crumbs and butter; press firmly onto bottom of 9-inch springform pan. Set aside.

Beat cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla in a large bowl with mixer on medium speed until blended. Add chocolate; mix well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing together on low. Pour over the crust.

Bake for 1 hour or until center is almost set. Run knife or spatula around rim of the pan to loosen cake; cool before removing rim of pan. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight. Garnish as desired. Store in the refrigerator.

I also made

Homemade Fries (so much more DELISH than the store bought fries!!)

10 Potatoes, peeled and sliced

Salt to taste

Keep potatoes in ICE COLD WATER for 1-2 hours prior to cooking.

Preheat Deep Fat Fryer to 350

Dry potatoes with paper towels.

Cook for 10 - 12 min

Remove fries from fryer and reset the fryer to 375

Cook for an additional 10 - 15 min or until golden brown.

Season with salt to taste!

Also Made ..

Spinach, Tomato, & Tortellini Salad

2 packages (9 ounces each) refrigerated three-cheese torellini, uncooked

4 ounces cream cheese

1 cup milk

6 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese

1 bag (6 ounces) baby spinach leaves

1/2 tsp of ground black pepper

1 pint quartered cherry tomatoes

Cook tortellini as directed on package.

Meanwhile place cream cheese in a large skillet. Cook on low heat until melted, stirring occasionally. Whisk in milk gradually. Stir in 4 Tbsp of parmesan cheese and the pepper. Add spinach; stir to coat. Drain pasta. Add to spinach mixture in skillet; mix lightly.

Stir in tomatoes and sprinkle remaining parmesan cheese just before serving.

We had these .. with Turkey Burgers! Great summer SUPPER !!

Tomorrow I'll be making a Tuscan Pork Loin .. so stay tuned !! :-)

I hope that you ((( ALL ))) are having a WONDERFUL WEEKEND :-) !!