The Flying Roll Chicken House

Last night was the big night before my hardcore diet starts. I wanted some homemade, Southern fried food and I got some... Sean and I went to The Flying Roll Chicken House for dinner. We got around 7:00 Sunday night. We walked up to this cute little red barn looking place with a picket fence and a windmill in the front. We were greeted as soon as we walked in the door. It looked better on the outside than it did on the inside, but I think that was the point. There were funny signs everywhere with roll sayings on them and they were playing honky tonk music that I wanted to sing along to. They sat us in the back room, it wasn't very busy for a Sunday evening.

I looked over the menu and they had your basic Southern grub - chicken fried steak, pot roast, fried catfish, smoked chicken, chicken fingers, and of course - their signature fried chicken. I had been craving pot roast all day long so that's what I chose. Sean was brave and went with the fried chicken (neither of us eat stuff with bones in it). Our waitress was either a) really tired or b) really lazy. The poor thing could not multitask, she had this really empty look on her face, and she sounded like a robot. I let it slide since it had probably been a long day for her, Sunday diners are the worst.

She brought our salad, er, shall I say ranch with lettuce bits, out when she took our drink order. It was just regular iceberg mix drenched in ranch dressing. I had a few bites just to test the dressing but I already knew this wasn't a "get full on salad" kind of night so I didn't waste any belly space on the green stuff. About 6 minutes after we got our drinks, the food arrived. Now that is one thing that never happens. Seriously. It was that fast. Robot-girl handed me a plate of steaming hot pot roast that was about the size of my head and Sean got a huge portion of fried chicken. She then sat our sides down - green beans, creamed corn, mashed potatoes, and gravy - all in bowls with enough for 2 people. See, the cool thing about The Flying Roll, the sides are bottomless. I scooped some of the sides onto plate #2 because #1 was covered with the pot roast. *make oinking noise here* The green beans were perfect, you can't really mess those up. The creamed corn was real creamed corn, not that stuff that comes out of the can with pieces of kernels and really sweet goo. It had this familiar taste that I couldn't figure out but finally decided it tastes like oatmeal, pretty yummy. The mashed potatoes and gravy were average but that didn't stop me from having two helpings. The Roll-boy came by and chunked two rolls at us, I had already designated Sean as the catcher, I was sitting at a bad angle. The pot roast was wonderful and really hit the spot, it wasn't too fatty or greasy and the gravy was perfect, not too salty, not too thick. Sean's chicken looked good, I'm not a fan but I did take a piece of the skin to see how it tasted. It was good, not better than my Mama's, but very good. Oh, they did come around with scoops of freshly fried okra and homemade apple butter. I tried both and they were both pretty tasty.

I think I ate about 4 pounds of food. It was a great way to kick start my diet today and remind me why I'm dieting in the first place. I had a stomachache for about 4 hours after that but it was well worth it. I will most certainly be going back because Toddles wants to try the chicken fried steak, I just won't be cleaning both plates this time...

Tuesday (I was out yesterday)

Hey y'all! I've had an eventful past few days. Where to start??? Last Thursday after work, I decided it was sammich time so I went to Subway because I didn't have the right fixins at home. Got my grub and I was on my way out the door when my pinkie got caught on the door. I walked out, my pinkie stayed in... I screamed multiple obscenities as I made my way to the car and I figured I would shake it off as a little jam. Nope! I think that little sucker is broken! I splinted it myself and have been dealing with the throbs, it's getting a little better. Everyone keeps asking if I'm going to sue Subway, it's just a little pinkie... Not worth it!

Toddles came home that night. We joined some friends for a couple of drinks and had a good time. He got a case of the crazies when we got home and was being super silly. I love those times!

Friday, I had to actually work until 5:00. It sucked big time because I would have taken off had I not expected that we get off early like every other Friday. Todd and I had some down time, then went to Goldies for some yummy fried pickles, he got a burger, and I got the chicken club. It was pretty good stuff. Then we headed to the Treat house for a round of Hold 'Em... I really thought I was going to win. Got close but Chris and Court ended up chopping the pot.

Saturday was the biggest day of our weekend, it was the day of T's birthday party. I think we had about 30-35 people there, most played in the 2nd Annual Beer Pong Tournament. It was a lot of fun. Congrats to the winners! Everyone liked the cake I made, which was kind of like strawberry shortcake. Toddles didn't even get a piece of his own birthday cake. He had lots of beer though!

My honey wasn't feeling too hot on Sunday morning. We had a houseful of people and I made a quick brunch for everyone. Fried eggs, hashbrowns, orange danishes, and those dreaded little sausage links per Todd's request. It was nice hanging out my brothers and their ladies, as well as his cousin Kevin. I love having a houseful of people!

It was a really great weekend and he made it better by staying until Monday. Had our quick dinner date and it was time for T to go back to the Lou. *boohoo*

Here's the cake recipe!

White Cake with Strawberries

• 1 white cake mix
• 1 can whipped frosting
• 1 pint fresh strawberries
• 3 eggs
• 1/3 C oil, plus a couple tbs. for coating
  
• 1 C water
• sugar for dusting

First, preheat the oven according to the directions on the box and the pan you're using. Prepare your cake pans so the cake doesn't stick. I put a bit of oil in the pans and spread it thoroughly with a paper towel, making sure the entire pan is coated. Then, put 1-2 tbs. of sugar in the pan and shake it until the pan is completely dusted with sugar. It gives the cake a little crunchy coating. Mix the cake according to the box directions and pour it into your pans. Then pop it into the oven and set your timer. While the cake is baking prepare your strawberries. I slice them into about an 1/8th of and inch sized slices. I set two aside for the top of the cake. Slice them as you would normally but leave the tops intact so that you can fan them out. Let the cake cool down. Get your cake stand ready but cutting a piece of wax paper large enough to cover the cake stand into quarters. Place them on the cake stand before you set the first layer on it. Spread some of the icing on the first layer and then top with sliced strawberries. Add the second cake. Ice the sides of the cake first and then the top. Use it sparingly or you'll run out. Then I take the strawberries and place them around the top edge. Put the two fanned strawberries in the middle and voila! A masterpiece...

This is what mine looked like after sitting for over an hour - note - don't add sugar to your strawberries or they will be juicy and won't stick.

My heart goes out...

To those who have lost loved ones in the recent shootings in Virginia. May God lift the souls of those lost up and embrace their families in this most awful time...

Monday

I'm back from the Lou and seeing my honey. Getting there took forever! 6 1/2 hours in the rain - it only took me 5 1/2 to get home Sunday. We had a great weekend, lots of down time, which is wonderful considering that we normally have 100 things to do on any given weekend we're together. I got to drive "our" new car, I really like it. It was more fun when Toddles drove it and we got to go fast enough to give me butterflies in my tummy! Saturday night was nice because Stephanie had a spa night at the house. I got my feet, hands, and face did... It was nice! Their munchkin is growing so fast, you can actually have a conversation with him, which is super exciting.


We didn't have any fun food adventures or explore any new places since it was a low-key weekend. That's okay, there's always next time! Hopefully the weather will comply with us.


Today, Annie-Bananie and I ran to the store to get some fruit and veggies for lunch this week. We're juicing! Our lunch was lemon, carrot, and apple juice. It was delish!


Happy Monday to anyone following...

Down 15lbs...

Look at this great pic of me and Jules... I've lost 15 lbs since January 29th! I'm rewarding myself with a massage because I said I would not take my clothes off until I lost the first 15 lbs. Woohoo - 15 down 20 to go! I am sooooo going to do this!

Ugh...

You must love Oklahoma weather in the Spring when everything is turning colors, the flowers are blooming, and the trees are pollinating - making everyone and their dog sick and miserable. Actually, I don't know that it's allergies - it's the fact that it SNOWED on Friday and it'll be back up to 70 degrees by the weekend. My eyes are juicy, my head is heavy, and I cannot quit coughing.


I hate being sick.


Thanks for the echinachea Bananie... I think it's too late. I want some Nyquil and baked potato soup - any delivery offers?

Todd's turkey...

Here it is folks, my honey and his turkey dinner...

Monday

I had a great weekend, what about you? Friday night's dinner with my friends was a success! I made the most awesome fried pickles that night, I'll have to share the recipe. We drank beer and wine and ate, it was fun. On Saturday, Mom and I drove to OKC. It was a nice visit, a little heartbreaking, but okay. My great-grandmother isn't doing so well, she didn't even recognize us this time. I miss talking to her so much... Had dinner with Grammy and visited my brothers. Sunday we went to church with the family and then out to the obligatory buffet luncheon after service was over. It was a nice message, I really enjoy listening to the pastor - he's always interesting. Plus there were babies sitting in front of me so I got to make faces the whole time.

The Gang got back from hunting yesterday afternoon. Toddles and Tim both got turkeys! I was so excited for T - it was his first bird. It sounds like everyone had a great time, I just don't know about having animal parts in my garage. I'll do it for my honey I guess. : )

Anywho, just another day so far - it's still early though. I've been at work since 6:45, had to drop T off at the airport this morning to catch an early flight. I'm going to be exhausted by the time 5:00 rolls around...

Here's that recipe!


YUMMY FRIED PICKLES

• 1 jar of dill pickle spears
• 1 egg
• 1/4 C milk
• dash of Louisiana hot sauce
• 1 C breadcrumbs
• 1 C all purpose flour
• 2 tsp. dried dill
• 4 C oil for frying, I used peanut

Drain the pickles and lay them out on paper towels to get rid of the moisture. Get the oil hot, I just set it on med-high for about 5 minutes while I prepared the egg wash and coating. Beat the egg with the milk and add a dash of hot sauce in one bowl. Mix the breadcrumbs, flour, and dill in another bowl. Dip the pickles in the egg wash first and then into the breadcrumb mixture, then drop them carefully into the hot oil. Don't put too many in at once or they'll stick together and you'll lose your crust. I left them in the oil for about 4 minutes, until golden brown. Remove them from the oil and drain on a plate covered with a few paper towels. Serve with ranch dressing - preferably Hidden Valley Ranch - because it goes together so well. ENJOY!

My blog is up and going again!

Yeah!!!

I forgot about it for a long time so I decided to revamp it and get it going again. I'll going to try to post daily so bear with me while I adjust to this.

Got weekend plans? It's Easter weekend so I'm going to OKC to visit the family. Tonight I'm cooking dinner for 6 friends, I'm excited about it. Except I have to go grocery shopping and I'd rather go take a nap. The menu so far is beer brats and onions on the grill, baked mac & cheese, sweet potato fries, and something green. I'm going to make some banana pudding - sugar free style! I'm excited except the weather sucks today. It's freakin snowing in April! What kind of crap is this? So, anyway - those are my plans so far.

"The Gang" went turkey hunting for the weekend. Mr. T flew in last night but I didn't even get to see him... *boohoo* They will be back on Sunday, I hope everyone has a SAFE and FUN time. (And Toddles gets a turkey!) I'm looking forward to the weekend so much that I'm going to start it it an hour!
HAPPY EASTER!