I know how to start my week off...

By getting the plague.

It's the bi-annual tradition my body has of getting sick when I have time off. This cough is pretty chesty. Time to layer up.

Fortunately, I had been grocery shopping a few days before I got sick and had everything I needed to avoid going outside for a few days. I decided to celebrate by making something I've been craving for a while: a caesar chicken salad.

I found a great recipe for fake fried chicken on the Kitchn website, and did one or two modifications to create some really tasty, crispy chicken bites for my salad. The main thing was change the amount of certain ingredients since they seemed a little ridiculous. The recipe divides in half really well, and refrigerates in a sealed container for a few days as well! The end result was awesome, but my picture taking capabilities were not... every picture I took of the finished salad were pretty fuzzy, so there's no "end result" photo for this recipe. 

Fake Fried Chicken
Serves 4-6

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs (about 8 whole thighs)
2 eggs
1 tablespoon oregano
3 tablespoons dijon mustard
2 teaspoons salt (this was waaaaay too much so far as I was concerned. I put a few grinds of our salt grinder in the bowl, that seemed enough)
1/2 teaspoon pepper (Again, a good, solid grind of the pepper grinder seemed to be enough. I'm not a huge fan of large amounts of pepper since it can overpower a dish very easily)
splash of milk or buttermilk
splash of hot sauce (optional)
1 cup panko crumbs
Honey or ketchup for serving

Heat the oven to 425°F. Set a wire rack over a baking sheet. (Tin foil on a pizza pan works)

Remove the thighs from their packaging. If desired, cut into "nugget" bite-sized pieces. Pat dry with a paper towel.

In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, oregano, dijon, salt, and pepper. Add a splash of milk to loosen it a little. Pour the panko crumbs in another small bowl.

Dip each chicken thigh in the egg mixture and gently shake off the extra. Roll the thigh in the panko and set it on the wire rack over the baking sheet. Repeat with remaining chicken thighs.

 Before..

Bake for 35-40 minutes for whole thighs or 15-20 minutes for bites. When the thighs are finished, the tops should just be starting to turn golden, juices from the thigh should run clear, and the internal temperature should register at least 165°F. 

After! Mmmmmm... crispy.

And the blurry salad.

A survey

 Helloooooo curried egg salad sandwich with unseen spinach and sliced mushrooms, with mushrooms and Heluva french onion good dip on the side to make it unhealthy. Curried Egg salad post to follow. Mostly when I make it again and remember to take pictures.

Too much research makes me a bored girl. I found this survey of questions on the Fatshionista Penguin tumblr, thought I'd ignore photographic history for a while.

1:	Do you sleep with your closet doors open or closed? Open, it doesn't really close at the moment.
2:	Do you take the shampoos and conditioner bottles from hotel? Always. Shower Caps and soap too.
3:	Do you sleep with your sheets tucked in or out? At the bottom of the bed, yes, not really elsewhere.
4:	Have you ever stolen a street sign before? Yep. It was already on the ground, completely detached from the pole and had been bent out of shape. Still have it in the living room now actually.
5:	Do you like to use post-it notes? Yep, I use them quite a lot, except on archival stuff.
6:	Do you cut out coupons but then never use them? I try not too, but it happens.
7:	Would you rather be attacked by a big bear or a swarm of a bees? Bear.
8:	Do you have freckles? Yes.
9:	Do you always smile for pictures? Depends on the situation.
10:	What is your biggest pet peeve? People who don't use common courtesies in life, people who shake or vibrate their legs while sitting down and cause the entire row of theatre sitting to vibrate because of it. Chewing with your mouth open in restaurants.
11:	Do you ever count your steps when you walk? Sometimes on stairs.
12:	Have you ever peed in the woods? Yep.
13:	What about pooped in the woods? That too.
14:	Do you ever dance even if there's no music playing? I have.
15:	Do you chew your pens and pencils? Mostly no. I do hold them in my mouth and teeth quite a lot though.
16:	How many people have you slept with this week? It's only Monday! None..
17:	What size is your bed? Double.
18:	What is your Song of the week? Miss France by Helmut Fritz. I've listened to it at least half a dozen times on Youtube since this time last week.
19:	Is it okay for guys to wear pink? Depends on the shade, but generally it looks a bit silly.
20:	Do you still watch cartoons? of Course!
21:	Whats your least favorite movie? Most chick flicks, horror movies and Titanic.
22:	Where would you bury hidden treasure if you had some? Probably not, although I do have a GIC, which is kind of the same thing.
23:	What do you drink with dinner? At home=water, out and about=mixed drink and water.
24:	What do you dip a chicken nugget in? BBQ sauce? Maybe?
25:	What is your favorite food? Depends on the day..
26:	What movies could you watch over and over and still love? Most comedies and weird things like Cleopatra Jones.
27:	Last person you kissed/kissed you? Buddy of mine on his way home, about 6 hours ago.
28:	Were you ever a boy/girl scout? Yep, Girl guide for about 12 years.
29:	Would you ever strip or pose nude in a magazine? Possibly, depends on the context.
30:	When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper? Earlier today, to my parents and an anti-Valentine's to my sister.
31:	Can you change the oil on a car? No.
32:	Ever gotten a speeding ticket? No.
33:	Ever ran out of gas? No.
34:	Favorite kind of sandwich? Grilled, ideally with a lot of cheese, sometimes eggs and bacon with avocado.
35:	Best thing to eat for breakfast? Diner breakfasts, big and greasy with a lot of hashbrowns.
36:	What is your usual bedtime? Ideally around 12:30, some nights however, like tonight it'll be closer to 4:30, 5am.
37:	Are you lazy? Remarkably
38:	When you were a kid, what did you dress up as for Halloween? My mom made awesome costumes year after year, I had several gypsy, renaissance ladies along with Ozzy Osbourne in highschool.
39:	What is your Chinese astrological sign? Dragon!
40:	How many languages can you speak? Two/Three, English, French and Franglais. I'm an expert in that last one.
41:	Do you have any magazine subscriptions? I have some yearly publications from institutions like Canadian Conservation Institute, do they count?
42:	Which are better legos or lincoln logs? Lego. Period.
43:	Are you stubborn? Very.
44:	Who is better...Leno or Letterman? Jeremy Clarkson?
45:	Ever watch soap operas? Not if I can help it.
46:	Are you afraid of heights? Not really.
47:	Do you sing in the car? Yep.
48:	Do you sing in the shower? Yep.
49:	Do you dance in the car? Yep.
50:	Ever used a gun? A real one, no.
51:	Last time you got a portrait taken by a photographer? First year of graduate school when I sat for a professor doing a demonstration of a historical technique.
52:	Do you think musicals are cheesy? Some are, some are awesome.
53:	Is Christmas stressful? Depends, mostly no.
54:	Ever eat a pierogi? Yep.
55:	Favorite type of fruit pie? Peach.
56:	Occupations you wanted to be when you were a kid?  Vet, briefly at one point, artist, photographer, actor.
57:	Do you believe in ghosts? Yep.
58:	Ever have a Deja-vu feeling? Frequently.
59:	Take a vitamin daily? Two or them actually.
60:	Wear slippers? Do flip flops count?
61:	Wear a bath robe? Yep.
62:	What do you wear to bed? Nothing if I can help it. As much as I like pyjama pants for lounging, I really like sleeping naked.
63:	First concert? Susan Aglukark, just after "This Child" came out.
64:	Wal-Mart, Target or Kmart? .. Zellers..
65:	Nike or Adidas? I've been wearing Newbalance or Oasics lately...
66:	Cheetos Or Fritos? How about cornchips?
67:	Peanuts or Sunflower seeds? Peanuts!! They're one of the only nuts I eat willingly!
68:	Ever hear of the group Tres Bien? Who?
69:	Ever take dance lessons? Once for girl guides.
70:	Is there a profession you picture your future spouse doing? Employment is good....
71:	Can you curl your tongue? Yep.
72:	Ever won a spelling bee? No, my spelling is pretty horrific at the best of times.
73:	Have you ever cried because you were so happy? Yep.
74:	Own any record albums? Yep.
75:	Own a record player? Yep.
76:	Regularly burn incense? Nope.
77:	Ever been in love? More or less.
78:	Who would you like to see in concert? Ok Go... I'd imagine it would be one giant music video of theirs on stage and live.
79:	What was the last concert you saw? Weird Al Yankovic. He does an amazing show.
80:	Hot tea or cold tea? Hot Tea, always.
81:	Tea or coffee? TEA. I HATE COFFEE.
82:	Sugar or snickerdoodles? Sugar... seeing as I have no idea what a snickerdoodle is.
83:	Can you swim well? Very.
84:	Can you hold your breath without holding your nose? Yep.
85:	Are you patient? Sometimes.
86:	DJ or band, at a wedding? Nope.
87:	Ever won a contest? If draws count, than yes.
88:	Ever have plastic surgery? Nope.
89:	Which are better black or green olives? Tough call, black for pizza, green for sandwiches and hotdogs.
90:	Can you knit or crochet? Neither.
91:	Best room for a fireplace? Living.
92:	Do you want to get married? Ideally yes.
93:	If married, how long have you been married? N/a
94:	Who was your HS crush? Several people, depended on the year.
95:	Do you cry and throw a fit until you get your own way? God no.
96:	Do you have kids? Nope.
97:	Do you want kids? Nope.
98:	Whats your favorite color? Blue usually.
99:	Do you miss anyone right now? Probably.