Hiiiiiiiiiii again. We're busy being not busy and it's been quite a lovely change of pace. We did finally manage to go get my Nutella milkshake last Friday and went to the zoo on Saturday with just about everyone else in the Tacoma area. We saw baby clouded leopard cubs and lots of other animals, as the zoo celebrated tiger weekend! I finally got around to trying out a yoga studio last night and today we plan to hit up the gym at our university before heading home. You could say we're settling in nicely, though we don't really know what to do with ourselves since we have 0 regular commitments once we leave the office, which is highly unusual for us. We also have a TV that came with the apartment, so we've been binge-watching TV shows since it's been...four years since we've had a TV? Something like that. We've been playing catch-up. But you're not here to read about our settling in. You're here to learn about Hummus Crusted Chicken Tenders (yummmmm) and perhaps to hear more about our cross-country expedition! And if you're not here for either of those....well, can't help ya much.
Okay, so onto part 2. I left you in Omaha in our tiny house. From Omaha, we made the decision to drive across the entire state of Nebraska, which sounds really boring. But it was the only sunny part of our trip thusfar, so we welcomed the endless fields of corn and greenery, since we had been driving through torrential downpours on and off for the entirety of our trip. Plus, corn fields as far as the eye can see are better than desert, in my opinion, so it wasn't so bad. Will thought he was clever coming up with the hashtag #cornoncornoncorn for this picture, but alas, it was not original. We ultimately did not stop in Lincoln, but would consider coming back to visit both Lincoln and Omaha in the future! Nebraska had lots of other quirky things along the way, but the highlights were Omaha and corn.
From Nebraska, we crossed in Colorado where things somehow went downhill quickly. We came in the less-pretty entrance to the state - not the majestic Rockies just appearing out of nowhere like I imagined. Then all our maps decided the best way to get to Ft. Collins was on every backroad possible. Then all those backroads were single-tracking lanes due to construction. And then of course, it started to pour. Colorado was not off to a great start. But eventually we landed in Ft. Collins at our AirBNB - Anna's place. It was the only non-private space AirBNB we got and it was....interesting. While the host went for charming, the upgrades to the condo were more detrimental than helpful. The door to our room stuck and screeched, making it a challenge to not let the cats escape. She was very hippie dippie spiritual healer type and had a close relationship with her label maker, as she had uplifting sayings labeled all over the entire condo (bathroom...bedrooms....bed....everywhere). She also hadn't dusted in awhile (years?) and our poor kitties managed to attract every dust bunny hiding in our room. We were all sneezing for days afterwards from what we dubbed: "Anna's Spirit Dust."
But alas, while it was not the best place to crash, we finally got to see DILARA! I was super stoked to see my little for the first time since forever and to visit her in her new-ish city. We all realized later that we could've just boarded the cats and crashed with her, but alas, Anna's place it was. Whatever. WE SAW DILARA. And it was glorious. We got to hang out at her place, then met her boyfriend and went out for dinner at a brewpub, walked around downtown Ft. Collins (all the shopping could've happened but thankfully everything was closed), and then went to a speakeasy-type bar for fun cocktails. After a fun evening, we had to return to Anna's place, where the cats refused to sleep. We fed them, drugged them and tried everything we could...to no avail. So I got to meet Dilara for a sleep-hungover breakfast the next morning for girl time, before we ultimately hit the road. Protip: when you go to Ft. Collins, crash with Dilara instead of Anna. Oh and also, do the sun dance since we apparently caught the 48 hours of the year where it wasn't sunny. Oops.
I think that's enough now about our trek, so stay tuned for the final roundup: part 3! How about what you're really probably here for?? FOOD! Hummus Crusted Chicken Tenders. They just sound divine, don't they?? Will's mom, Betsy, passed along this recipe to us to try and I'm glad we did. She knew it would be up our alley and she was not wrong. A straightforward recipe, Will whipped this up in no time, allowing us a new homemade dish, despite our crazy schedules. This could be served with a medley of veggies or sliced up over a bed of spinach; he chose to serve it with couscous blended with sliced carrots and almonds. This chicken is great as a main dish and would work well in a salad, too. 10 out of 10, would make again.
Cooking Notes: Will didn't change too much in this recipe, since the ingredients were straightforward. I believe he used store-bought hummus (the horror) since they're often smoother (unless you take the time to make the perfect hummus), which is easier for cooking. You could also try a flavored hummus to get a stronger flavor out of your chicken, like garlic or roasted red pepper!
Hummus Crusted Chicken Tenders (adapted from Cook in Canuck; serves 2)1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 large egg
2 tbsp hummus
3/4 tsp paprika
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
3 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, minced
S&P
6-8 chicken tenders
Preheat oven to 450 degrees and place a wire rack on a baking sheet lined with foil. Coat the rack with cooking spray. Place the whole wheat flour in a medium bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, hummus and paprika. In another small bowl, combine the panko breadcrumbs, parsley, S&P, to taste. Taking one chicken tender at a time, dredge the chicken in the flour, shaking off excess, then dip it in the egg mixture until the chicken is coated. Then roll the chicken in the breadcrumb mixture, completely coating the outside. Transfer chicken to the prepared wire rack, then bake until just cooked through and starting to brown, about 5-6 minutes per side. Serve with plain yogurt sprinkled with paprika and a side of your choosing and enjoy!
Recipe: Cook in Canuck: Baked Hummus Crusted Chicken Tenders
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