What's for Dinner: Oven Fried Chicken

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Here's my take on the Oven Fried Chicken that I made tonight:

I originally wanted to use thyme as the main herb in the recipe, but of course I had none at the moment. I had every other type of herb in my pantry, but of course not the one I wanted/needed. Parsley, Oregano, Basil, Rosemary, you name it... I had it.

Anyways, I improvised. Since I was serving it with the Soft Dinner Rolls that also had rosemary, I decided to use that in the chicken along with basil.

Here's how I made it:

• I preheated the oven to 425 degrees. Spray your dish with non-stick spray.
• Meanwhile, I took boneless skinless chicken breasts (would work well with boned-in as well other types of chicken pieces I suppose) and after cleaning them, I didn't let them dry completely (this is important because it gave it the crispiness without using eggs or something else to help create the crust). I marinated it with salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, cayenne powder, basil, and rosemary.
• I seasoned flour with cayenne pepper, basil leaves, and crushed rosemary as well. Coat the chicken pieces in the flour mixture, and transfer them into your dish. At this point, I also sprayed the chicken from the top with the non-stick spray to help give it a crispy crust.
• Your cooking time may differ depending on the type of dish you use. I used a glass dish, and I cooked it originally for 25 minutes, then flipped the pieces around and let the other side cook for another 20-25 minutes after spraying the bottom of the dish once more with the non-stick spray.
• Update 1/03/13: when I made it again today, I made the oven fried chicken on a baking sheet lined with foil. The cooking time in this instance was about 20-22 minutes on the first side. After flipping the chicken pieces over, I baked it for another 15 minutes on the other side.

They turned out moist, crispy and delicious... but I'd make sure to serve it pretty quickly after making it to avoid sogginess or them getting tough.

P.S. This post is a part of my "What's for Dinner" series, where I share what I've been cooking and my recipes. Grab and share my button:

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Psychological Issues and the Blame Game

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Additional/continuing thoughts after my post from Friday night:

I'm sick and tired of hearing about the psychological issues in the aftermath of a horrendous massacre like this. Why isn't something done before? Why is it gone unnoticed? Psychological issues leave many hints of problems, why aren't they caught earlier? It's not like one day this it is developed, and the next something goes awry. If I'm not mistaken (and correct me if I'm wrong), most are born with it!

I'm not saying that every mentally ill individual will be a mass murderer or do something insane like this, but the bottom line is there needs to be better regulations to prevent tragedies like this. It is always better to be safe than sorry. The sick individual deserves that, and so does the potential public that could be caused harm as a result.

On a side note, as I was watching news coverage earlier this morning today, it was pointed out that there is no evidence that this murderer even had a psychological problem (although it's hard to fathom how a sane person can do something so horrendous...). He was known to have autism and Asperger's Syndrome, but both of these are personality disorders - NOT a mental illness. It is quite important to distinguish between the two! I'm not sure where that puts this scenario.

I've always firmly disagreed that committing a horrendous crime shouldn't automatically classify someone as mentally ill, because they can just be an evil individual with evil motives... but something like THIS -- I don't know if a sane person can be blamed.

I shared this terrifyingly honest blog post (see UPDATE on this post down below) by a mother of a mentally ill child on Facebook and Twitter earlier. If you haven't read it, read it now. It gave me the chills and I don't think I'll be able to forget the words. If enough people read this, maybe that will be a catalyst for change. A change in the stigma of the mentally ill in this country. A change in the healthcare provided for these individuals. A change in the regulations to protect the families involved. It broke my heart that the aforementioned blog post notes that she was advised to press charges against her son and send him to jail as that was the only option she had to have them be taken seriously and get help.

We need to stop playing the blame game. We can't afford to make any more excuses. We can't just say in the aftermath that so and so had this mental illness that caused them to explode and do this and leave it at that. Why wasn't this disease caught on earlier? Why wasn't it treated? WHY wasn't this tragedy prevented?

This time must be different. This time MUST be the time that we say ENOUGH.

Why is the stigma so different for  mental illnesses in comparison to diseases like cancer? Each needs treatment, so why is one ignored and belittled? Especially considering how much damage mental illnesses can cause not only for the individual, but as a result to their family, and the larger public?!

If not now, when? We as a nation deserve better.

UPDATE: So my brother shared this link with me earlier that questions the validity of the first blog post. If it is indeed true that this mother is exploiting her child in such a sick manner, I don't even know what to say about that. At the end of the day, I still do believe that the words written are still true for other families in this country, and should still highlight the changes we need in relation to mental illness (it's stigma, regulations, etc).

Newtown, Connecticut School Massacre

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Another horrific massacre.

My heart aches for the family and friends of the 27 deceased that were viciously murdered this morning. Especially the innocent 20 children who suffered and endured what no one should have to go through. Let alone at a school!

It sickens me how evil some people can be. The ache I feel inside of me is indescribable. I can't even imagine what the families of the victims are feeling.

Theaters, malls, schools. Is any place considered a safe haven anymore? What kind of a society are we leaving for the children of the next generation?

Massacres like today's are occurring not only more frequently, but they are also becoming more widespread. Tragedies like today are becoming way too common in our society, and it needs to change. It needs to change NOW!

There are too many evil people in this world. How many more innocent people must die at the hands of a tragedy like this before we stand up as a society and say enough is enough?! It seems like the only time we move one step forward in discussing gun control laws is in the aftermath of a situation like this when we are all emotionally charged. Days later, however, we seem to take two steps back as it seems to go right back to the back burner. The end result being yet another statistic and the tragedy forgotten until another disastrous event strikes.

It must not be forgotten because THEY the VICTIMS must not be forgotten. Don't we owe them that much? We must stop making it about the perpetrator, and instead focus on the victims.

We need better gun control laws and we need them now. Why is it so damn easy to have access to guns in this country? Why in the world are people legally allowed to have access to guns? The murderer in this situation had easy access to FOUR guns because his mother legally owned them.

People always argue "guns don't kill people, people kill people". Well, you know what? Guns sure as hell make it a lot easier.

Those that make ridiculous arguments like "cars kill people so let's ban cars too then": cars are not designed/made to cause harm... or the purpose of a car is not to inflict harm upon others.

For those who say it's too early to talk about gun control laws in the aftermath of a tragedy like this? I beg to differ. I think those directly effected by today's massacre would say it's actually too late.

Will better gun control laws solve everything? No. Will people still find loopholes? Don't they always? Will it make a difference? Hell, yes it will.

We can't feasibly stop everyone. Sick and evil people will always find a way, but we sure as hell shouldn't make it easy for them. People will always find a way around it, but that doesn't mean that as a society we stand by and let things happen. We're better than that and we deserve better than that!

You know what else we need to do? We need to stop playing the blame game and making excuses. Every time something like this happens, we need to stop simply blaming it on a "mental health" issue. Sure, one must be mentally disturbed to do something so atrocious because no one in their right mind can do something so horrendous, but simply pinning the blame on a mental health disease isn't getting us anywhere! It makes me cringe every time I hear "he committed [so and so crime] because he had [insert mental health disease of your choice here]". Whether it is the institution that has failed them, or whatever it is... we can't make excuses anymore. We need to work on solutions, not excuses. Better gun control laws are a part of that solution. Better screenings is a part of that. Changing the connotation of mental health disease and help for them is a part of that.

We need to stand up for what's right. Stand up for each other. Our loved ones. The kids of the next generation. We need to stand up for what's right so what happened today and what has happened way too many times lately doesn't happen again. We need to stand up so another innocent life isn't taken away prematurely.

Call your local politician. Make your voice be heard. Make a difference. Stand up for what's right. You owe it to yourself. You owe it to the future.

What's for Dinner: Spicy Lemon Shrimp

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Today, I made shrimp similar to the one I made a few weeks ago. This time, however, I baked it. In my opinion, it turned out better (in comparison to the sauteed version from last time). I think baking it helped the shrimp cook evenly too.

As always, I kept it really simple- and used the spices I use in pretty much anything [and I mean everything]. I marinated the shrimp with salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, chili powder, and lemon juice. I baked it in a preheated 400 degree oven for about twelve minutes, turning over all of the shrimp at the halfway point for even cooking.

The outcome? Deliciousness.

Today, I served it with salad, biscuits, and hash browns. Roasted potatoes and rice would work wonderfully as well.

P.S. This post is a part of my "What's for Dinner" series, where I share what I've been cooking and my recipes. Grab and share my button:

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