It has been quite a few weeks since I lasted posted. I was visiting Wisconsin to celebrate my sister’s 50th birthday.

We had so much fun, it was a wonderful trip! I had a great time with my Mom, we really had a blast. Our week started out with my Mom getting a new car. This was a great time for a couple reasons. My Dad loved to car shop more than anything. Nothing made him more happy than going to a dealer and seeing what was new, test driving (just for fun … sometimes, many times to buy), and visiting with the sales personnel that he came to know so well. My Dad passed away several years ago and  it was like he was with us the entire time we were sitting at Ernie Von Schledorn. I told my Mom that I knew my Dad was definitely smiling down from Heaven and loving the fact that she was at a car dealer purchasing a new car. The guys that work at Ernie’s remembered my Dad and mentioned that they were sure he was with us that day as well.

My Mom with her wonderful car salesman and our good friend, Teddy. 

Wednesday, April 5th was my sister’s 50th birthday. She was actually born on April 5, 1967 … which is 4-5-67, how cool is that?!) My Mom and I joined her and her husband, John, their son JP (my niece Maggie is away at college, buy did make it home for the weekend party) and her in-laws, Galen and Betty for a wonderful dinner at The Brown Bottle in Milwaukee. I really loved it there! Cher had a fabulous birthday. She’s the best sister a girl could ever hope for and I’m so glad her birthday month was so wonderful.

Thursday, my Mom, sister and I had lunch with my Grandma’s brother, Bob and my mom’s cousins, Betty and Carol (who is also my Godmother … I was the flower girl in Carol and Rodger’s wedding and I wore the prettiest pink dress ever). It was wonderful to see Uncle Bob and it was such a treat to see how much he looks like my Grandma.

Grandma Pete was the best Grandma. She was so sweet and kind. My Grandma was very classy. I loved her so much. Uncle Bob had come to see his sister, Aunt Millie. Aunt Millie was 97 years old. She is the mother to Betty, Carol and Dale. Sadly, Aunt Millie passed away the day after I returned from Milwaukee. Aunt Millie lived a long, happy life. My Grandma was one of 6 kids, how fun that must have been. They had a wonderful life living on a farm. I’ve heard many stories of my Grandma’s horse, Flory.

Saturday was my sister’s birthday party. Cher is someone that really likes to give back to the community. Her dream birthday party was for us to prepare vegetable garden beds for The Guest House of Milwaukee as a volunteer group. The Guest House of Milwaukee is a shelter for homeless men that has beds for 87 men. This was a great way to give back to the community and I’m so glad I could be a part of it. After the preparation of the vegetable beds we headed to Cher’s friend, Ann’s, house where the party continued with dinner. We had so much fun. It was especially fun to watch my sister play charades. We weren’t sure if she was really trying to act out the title of a movie, or remember one of her old Pom Pom routines from high school. We laughed so hard, especially Cher. I wish I could upload the video of her playing this game, it was hilarious.

After I returned from Milwaukee, Dennis, Kylie and I headed to Palm Springs for the week for Kylie’s spring break. We had a wonderful time relaxing in the sun at the pool. We stayed at the resort that was built by Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. This was especially cool for me, as I am probably the biggest fan there is of Lucille Ball.

Now that I’m back, I’ll be back blogging more new recipes … starting with tonight’s recipe for Rosemary Parmesan Crusted Chicken. Yum! I hope if you try it, you’ll enjoy it as much as Dennis, Kylie and I did.

Ingredients

• 4 chicken breasts

• 1/2 cup flour

• 3/4 cup grated parmesan

• 1 tablespoon minced, fresh rosemary

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

• 1 teaspoon Herbs de Provence

• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

• 2 eggs

• juice of two lemons

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 tablespoon butter

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In three separate dishes … place slightly beaten eggs and the juice of one lemon in the first dish and place flour in the second dish. In the third dish, mix together breadcrumbs, grated parmesan, rosemary, salt, pepper, Herbs de Provence, and garlic powder.

Pound chicken breasts to 1/4 inch thickness with a mallet. Place first in flour, second in egg and lemon juice, and last in breadcrumb/parmesan mixture.

Heat oil and butter in cast iron skillet. Brown chicken 3-5 minutes per side. Remove from cast iron skillet and place on a large baking sheet on a wire rack. Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes. Once chicken is done, squeeze fresh lemon over the top. Serve with a simple green salad and crusty bread, if desired. Enjoy!

Until next time, Kris