What a busy time this past week has been. On Monday, Mary and Tom took the grandmothers to Brookings for a concert with the Statesmen Chorus and the SDSU concert band. The weather has been great although at times there was a bit of snow that didn’t last very long. The men’s chorus was terrific dressed in black suits and so well rehearsed. The band was also great except they were told to wear black and what a variety of dress outfits they had. Just a little distracting as it ranged from short or long skirts, suits to black jeans, leotards and black shirts or sweaters of some kind. There was even one with a darker gray sweater. I realize they are college students, however, I would have expected a more uniform dress code for the performance. I can just about hear the kids say “Don’t be so picky”.
On Wednesday Jon asked if I wanted to go along to Brandon, SD for the Junior high band and choir festival. After spending the morning in the office we both hurried home to get there by one o’clock. Each school represented had three students in the choir and three in the band. No, these kids didn’t have a dress code other than to look nice and they did. The participants came from South Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa schools. I don’t know how they are selected as all sizes of enrollment were represented. Brinna had attended last year also and greatly encouraged us to attend this year. Too bad we missed last year. The music they played and sang would rival a lot of high school bands and choirs. I am assuming they somewhat knew the music beforehand, however, they spent over four hours that morning rehearsing. It’s difficult to imagine getting over 125 (in each group) of junior high kids to settle down and get ready to present a concert in the afternoon. Dr. Kessler who conducted the band also conducted the SDSU concert band on Monday evening and spoke about how essential music is to their lives. Brought back memories from years gone by when we also participated in band and choir in high school, college and even today in church choirs and community band. One never gets too old to enjoy the sound of music.
Fish Tacos
3/4 cup sour cream
1 can (4 oz.) chopped green chilies
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon lime juice
4 tilapia fillets
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 egg white, beaten
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon each white pepper, cayenne pepper and paprika
8 corn tortillas (6 inches), warmed
1 large tomato, finely chopped
Place sour cream, chilies, cilantro and lime juice in a food processor; cover and process until blended. Set aside.
Cut each tilapia fillet lengthwise into two portions. Place the flour, egg white and bread crumbs in separate shallow bowls. Dip tilapia in flour, then egg white, then crumbs.
In a large skillet over medium heat, cook tilapia in oil in batches for 4-5 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Combine the seasonings; sprinkle over fish. Place a portion of fish on each tortilla; top with about 2 tablespoon of sour cream mixture. Sprinkle with chopped tomato. 8 servings.
Apricot-Glazed Chicken Breasts
1/2 cup apricot preserves
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 teaspoon salt
Heat gas or charcoal grill. In small microwavable bow, mix apricot preserves, lemon juice, soy sauce and onion powder. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.
Place chicken on grill; cover grill. Cook with medium heat 5 minutes. Turn chicken; spoon about 1 teaspoon preserves mixture over each breast. Cook covered 5 to 8 minutes longer or until juice of chicken is clear when center of the thickest part is cut (170º). Microwave remaining preserves mixture on High 30-40 seconds or until hot. Spoon over chicken before serving. 4 servings.
Hot Fudge Pudding Cake
Cake:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons margarine or butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
Pudding mixture:
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
Dash salt
1/3 cup boiling water
1/2 cup milk
Heat oven to 350º. Combine flour, 3/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup cocoa, baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt; mix well. Add milk, margarine and vanilla; stir until well blended. Spread batter; in ungreased 8 inch square pan.
In small bowl, combine 1 cup sugar, 1/4 cup cocoa and dash of salt; mix well. Sprinkle evenly over cake batter. Pour boiling water over sugar mixture. Bake at 350º for 40-50 minutes or until center is set and firm to the touch. Serve warm. If desired, serve with ice cream. Store in refrigerator. 8 servings
