Happy Birthday, Sunshine!

My little Seth turned 7 years old yesterday. He's changed so much over this past year, and it's been a joy to watch him grow and discover who God wants him to be. Seth has never been into guns and knives and cowboy hats like my other boys, and I've had so much fun trying to find ways to feed his insatiable curiosity about everything there is to know about God's creation. Seth has been a challenge to me from Day 1, and he continues to cause me to do lots of soul-searching as I go down this uncertain road of parenting.

A few days ago, we were at the Wal-Mart vision center having KK's eyes examined. One of the associates was watching all the kids seated quietly, and he came over and said, "What?! All your brothers and sisters have on cowboy and cowgirl boots. You have on tennis shoes! You are not a cowboy?" To which Seth replied in a humble, quiet voice, "No sir, I'm a scientist." So cute, and indeed, he IS a scientist. This year, he had his heart set on this deluxe insect collector's backpack for his birthday.

He has had so much fun already with it.

Here he is having his birthday morning monkey bread.

For his birthday supper, I cooked one of Seth's favorite meals: chicken fingers and macaroni and cheese. I'll share my recipes below. These chicken fingers are the one and only reason that I even own a deep fryer. I threw it away several years ago, and went without one for about a year. The kids and Jason just kept on asking about chicken fingers, so I purchased another one just for this one meal. I spent quite a while tweaking the seasoning on these, and they are so delicious!

CHICKEN STRIPS

Mix together:

2 sleeves of saltine crackers, finely crushed

1 1/2 tsp. garlic salt

1 tsp. dried basil

1 tsp. paprika

1 1/2 tsp. onion salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

Preheat deep fryer to about 365 degrees. Beat together 1 egg and 1/2 c. milk. Dip chicken tenderloins (about 3 lbs) into milk mixture, then cracker mixture, and deep fry about 4 pieces at a time for 4 minutes, or until desired crispiness. (1 chicken finger = 3 Weight Watchers points)

HOMEMADE MAC AND CHEESE

8 oz. elbow macaroni, prepared according to directions

In saucepan, stir in:

2 Tbsp. cornstarch

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. dry mustard

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 can evaporated milk

1 c. water

2 Tbsp. butter

Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat.

Stir in 1 1/2 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese.

Add macaroni and mix thoroughly. Pour into greased small casserole dish (7 x 11, 9 x 9, etc.). Sprinkle with 1/2 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Enjoy! (1/9 of dish = 6 Weight Watchers points)