Adventures in Chicken and Salmon

So with my renewed interest in cooking, I took it upon myself to find out how to butcher/break down a whole chicken.  I wish Costco would carry organic chicken thighs and breasts with the skin on.  Since they don't and I prefer to purchase the organic chickens, I went to YouTube for help.  I found a video done by Ian Knauer, an editor at Gourmet magazine.  It was very clear and simple and well done.  I broke down two chickens!

 Then I did something I saw on Paleo Parents blog....they wrapped BACON around chicken! Actually, they wrapped bacon around a whole chicken and roasted it, but you get the idea...I've done that too.

I ground pepper over these bad boys and boy were they good :p (that's me licking my lips).  Another recipe from Paleo Parents that totally rocked my world was Stacy's recipe for crab balls.  Now, I didn't have any crab meat but I did have salmon and have grown up eating salmon cakes.  I tweaked the recipe a bit adding fresh dill and lemon juice at serving.  I also got crazy decadent and pan fried these in Kerry Gold Butter.  To go along side these delicious cakes, I served the sweet potatoes delivered to my door from the CSA I belong to.  

What is that yellow pool above the sweet potato you ask????  Why, Kerry Gold Butter of course!  Yes, I've got a healthy love of dairy :)  The Hubs was very impressed with this dinner in particular and I've got to admit, it was REALLY good.  I do not brag about my cooking and frequently criticize my cooking but I had to agree with the Hubs this time and all the credit goes to Stacy of Paleo Parents.  The Hubs and I are looking forward to trying the actual crab ball recipe, I plan to make them cakes as I find it a little too tedious to roll out 25 balls.

As for how things are going on the weight loss front, I've lost another pound which brings me to 11 pounds so far.  It would be GREAT to get to 16 pounds by May 25th which is my son's anticipated graduation date from Navy Basic Training in Great Lakes.  My 7th wedding anniversary is May 29th and I've got a FAB dress that would "feel" better on if I lost a few more pounds.  I would really like to get my arms and legs in better shape but I'm lacking in motivation.  I have a 25th high school reunion some time this summer too.  

I pulled out the tape measure two days ago as I realized my brassiere felt loose.  I've lost a cup size so now I get to lay out more money for replacements.  Luckily, this new size is a little easier to find in the big box stores so hopefully, it won't hurt the bank too much.  I've also learned that Maidenform has an outlet store in Myrtle Beach so a great excuse for a road trip :)  I am still wearing clothes ranging from 8-12 but the 12's are getting big-I am able to pull some of my size 12 pants on and off without messing with the buttons and zipper.

Well, it is 12:25am and I've got a moving day tomorrow into an office at my new job :)  Thanks for reading and have a GREAT day!