I got one of those wild hairs the other night where I just had to try something new, an escape from the ease of my typical, comfort-level recipe cooking. At my local grocery store last week, they had a big tub of pretzels on sale. Being the crazy impulse buyer that I am, I couldn’t resist. They were fun and in the shape of footballs. My wife and I have been snacking on them off and on for the last week were almost pretzel-ed out.  Well, since I have been TRYING to eat healthier and get away from everything smothered in cheese or fried, I decided to get creative. I made the coolest pretzel-crusted chicken breast. This was fun to make and tasted awesome. I hoped that the pretzels would hold up to baking and crust like bread crumbs do. They did and the flavors were divine. My wife rated this one with 5 stars, and I think if I were in preschool again I would have received big smiley-face rating. It is so fun setting a goal of creating something unique with different combination of flavors. Putting it all together and having it come out better than you expected. That’s what goal setting is all about. Deciding what you want and then going for it. My wife is glad I did…

Pretzel-Crusted Chicken

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

1 Cup Crushed Pretzels

1/2 Teaspoon Season Salt

1 Packet Home-Style White Gravy Mix

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Crush pretzels by placing them in a food processor and grind. (Here’s a hint: I first tried the Ziploc baggy with a mallet to crush. . .  and that didn’t work so well but made one heck of a mess!)
3. Coat both sides of the chicken with season salt.
4. Then, roll the chicken in crushed pretzels heavily coated both sides.
5. In an ungreased baking pan, place the chicken pieces and sprinkle with more of the pretzels (they like to jump off).
6. Bake for 1 hour.
7. Prepare gravy to directions on packet.
8. Serve pretzel-coated chicken with the gravy
9. Enjoy!

Ingredients Quesadilla

Ingredients Garlic Dipping sauce

Ah Football this past Sunday was so very depressing. Now, I will have to admit that I am not the most ardent football fan, but I live in Texas where they aren’t as fanatic as some other cities like St. Louis. St. Louis was by far the most exciting sports town I have ever lived in, and that enthusiasm is contagious. Man, do they they ever love their pro sports! But I am getting off track. So yesterday I was watching the Cowboys’ game while keeping up with my Fantasy Football stats. All week long I was picked to win, only to blow it on Sunday. Oh well, that’s how it goes sometimes. For those who don’t know what Fantasy Football is, it’s a game where you pick players each week and you are awarded points based on those players’ performances. Usually whoever has the top score that week wins. Well let’s just say my team got crushed, and, now, because of a lot of “smack talk,” I will now have to eat some crow.

However, I made some pretty good wings if I do say so myself. They had the perfect texture, great flavor, and left you completely messy. My wife always tells me, “Messy food is good food.” Well these were finger- lickin’, several-napkin-usin’  good! They are very simple to make and will have your family and guests coming back for more.

Parmesan Garlic Chicken Wings Recipe

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 Teaspoon Dried Oregano
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cumin
1 Teaspoon Kosher or Sea Salt (or 1/2 tsp Table Salt)
2 1/2 Pounds Chicken Wings
3 Tablespoons Butter, melted
2 Tablespoons Minced Fresh Basil
2 Garlic Cloves, finely minced
1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
1/2 Teaspoon Seasoning Salt
Ranch Dressing

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425F.
2. Mix together the oregano, cumin, and salt.
3. On a baking sheet, lay the chicken wings  and season the chicken wings with oregano, cumin and salt mixture.
4. Bake the chicken wings for 20-25 minutes.
5. While the chicken is baking, mix together the butter, fresh basil, garlic, Parmesan cheese and seasoning salt.
6. When the chicken is cooked through, toss the wings with the butter sauce.
7. Serve with Ranch dressing.
8. Enjoy!

I had one of my great nights of cooking with good intentions and, unfortunately, bad implementation. I was thinking,  “healthy, healthy, healthy!”  but, somehow, my stomach an taste buds said, “smother it!” Life is funny like that; you try and to step forward, only to find yourself stepping backwards. So, I have decided to get back into my routine of reading motivational books again. It is amazing how much they can impact your life. If you ever want to put some spunk in your life, just go to the self help section of any bookstore and pick up a book by one of the following authors:

Anthony Robbins,

Napoleon Hill,

Larry Wingett,

Zig Ziglar

Dale Carnegie

Brian Tracy

These gentlemen have inspired my life to go to the next level. I can remember when I was struggling with life as a teenager and my father handed me a book called “Success Through Positive Mental Attitude.” It didn’t change my life back then, but, later, it would prove to be one of the most influential reads of all time for me. That one book by Napoleon Hill changed the way my life and my family’s life was heading.  It is quite simply a brilliant read. It takes you through goal setting and setting yourself up to reach for the stars. Nowdays, I find myself reading entrepreneur books such as “Guerrilla Marketing,” by Jay Conrad, and “Think and Grow Rich,” by Napoleon Hill. Sales training books like “The Little Red Book of Sales,” by Jefferey Gitomer, and “The Psychology of Selling,” by Brian Tracy. All of these books continue to shape my life and help each day to mold me into what I am and desire to become. I wish I would have started reading a lot earlier in life, but, as a kid and through my high school years, I was so busy that I found  books to be boring. How much of a knucklehead was I?  Later on, I found that books are the escape from reality that is sometimes needed.

Salami Gouda Chicken

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts

6 Slices Hard Salami

4 Ounces Smoked Gouda

Salt and Pepper

Directions

1. Preheat Oven to 350 degrees.
2. Slice Gouda into thin pieces (I Did 2 then saved the rest to shave over the top)
3. Cut a pocket into each chicken breast.
4. In each pocket, place 3 slices of salami and one slice of Gouda.
5. Secure the opening with toothpicks.
6. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
7. Sear breast in 1 tablespoon of oil 3 minutes both sides.
8. Place in oven for 10 minutes or until chicken is cook and cheese is just beginning to melt.
9. Enjoy!

Some of you know I bar-tended for a few years. I really enjoyed the ability set my income by the amount of time I worked. It was great, simple math: I worked; I got paid, and in cash! One of my secrets to successful marketing was coming up with signature drinks, some of which I have shared on this blog, and some I will share later. While bar-tending, one of my favorite liquors was Grand Marnier, which is a top-shelf orange liquor. It’s absolutely wonderful, especially if you can get the 150 version. A lot of people use Grand Marnier in all sorts of cooking, specifically in desserts. I had to throw mine into the mix, but, be forewarned, I like mine with a lot of punch. This recipe is called Berry Grandma, simply because while bar-tending, instead of referring to Grand Marnier as its proper name, we referred to it as “Grandma.”

Berry Grandma

Serves 1

Ingredients

1 Cup Mix Frozen or Fresh Fruit (Raspberries, Blackberries, Blueberries, Peaches, Strawberries)

1.5 Ounces Grand Marnier “Grandma”

1 Scoop French Vanilla Ice Cream

Directions

1. In a glass combine thawed or fresh fruit with Grand Marnier and let sit for 20 minutes so that the fruit mixes with the liquor.
2. Pour fruit into a bowl, reserving liquid.
3. Top with ice cream and reserved fruit-infused liquor.
4. Enjoy!