Yummy Shrimp

TCHS had their wrestling banquet last night, which meant no cooking for me, yay! But I do want to share a really good shrimp marinade that I made up and cooked the other night.  It's so so yummy and has become a regular around here.

What you'll need:

shrimp

italian dressing

butter

honey

cajun seasoning

Directions:

1. Thaw shrimp (if frozen) and place on a cookie sheet (I lay foil on the cookie sheet first - easier clean up).

2. Melt about a spoonful of butter and pour over shrimp.

3. Pour italian dressing and honey over them.

4. Sprinkle with cajun seasoning (I use Tony's).

5. Flip the shrimp over and season with cajun seasoning.

6. Bake on 350 for 15 minutes.

Enjoy!

Crispy Chicken

I want to share this delicious chicken recipe that I found on Pinterest and tweeked alittle bit. It is breaded with corn flake crumbs and has such a good taste to it and it's a lot healthier than chicken fried in grease. It has become a regular at our house.

What you will need:

3 chicken breasts

5 cups of corn flakes

3 cups of flour

1/2 cup milk

salt

pepper

olive oil

Directions:

1. Put chicken into a gallon ziploc bag and beat it with a meat tenderizer to make it thinner. 

2. Dredge chicken in flour and place in the freezer for 5 minutes.

3. Pour some olive oil into a pan and turn the heat to medium.

4. Crush the corn flakes into crumbs.

5. Pour the milk into a bowl.

6. Dredge each piece of chicken in the flour again, then the milk and immediately in the corn flake crumbs. Make sure both sides are covered well.

7. Place the chicken in the pan, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and let it cook for about 4 minutes or until the bottoms are golden brown (be careful not to burn them).

8. Flip the chicken (if the pan is dry, add some more olive oil and swirl the pan around to let the oil flow to all sides), sprinkle with salt and pepper, cover and let cook until the chicken is white on the inside.

9. When the chicken is done, take it out, slice it and enjoy!

Kaitlin's First Tournament

Kaitlin plays softball for Fresno State and they had their first tournament this past weekend. Mrs. Griffin was able to go out there and I know that she had so much fun watching Kaitlin play. Kaitlin played awesome this weekend and really got her senior season off to a great start!

Their first game was on Thursday against Toledo and they won 9-1. Courtney Moore hit a grand slam in the 4th inning to put Fresno up 4-1, Michelle Moses hit a homerun, and then in the 5th inning Kaitlin hit a 3 run homerun to win the game, 9-1. Mackenzie Oakes, Kaitlin's roommate, pitched. All four of these girls are seniors and they just had an awesome first game.

On Friday, they beat North Dakota State 1-0. Saturday they played UC Riverside and were losing 2-0 in the 4th inning until Kaitlin hit a 2 run homerun to tie the game up. They ended up winning 6-2. Mackenzie also pitched that game. They also played Sacramento State on Saturday and were losing 1-0 in the 6th inning until Kaitlin hit a RBI single to score their only run. They went into international tie breaker and ended up losing in the 8th inning, 2-1. Kaitlin threw out two runners in that game.

On Sunday, they played Long Beach State and went into international tie breaker again. They had a chance to score in the 7th because Kaitlin hit a single with runners on, but they ended up losing 4-1.

Here are some pictures from the weekend that Mrs. Griffin took...

after one of Kait's homeruns (she's #35)

Here are some highlight videos that Kait sent me...

Kait's first game of the season
Kait's 2nd homerun
Kait catching

Good luck with the rest of your season, Kait, we're so very proud of you! Go Bulldogs!

Shrimp & Grits

I threw together some yummy shrimp and grits tonight and it only took me about 30 minutes, so I wanted to share this easy recipe! 

Ingredients:
3/4 cup of dry grits
3 cups of water
salt
10 ounces of shrimp (I buy the cooked, frozen shrimp at Winn Dixie - they are usually buy 1, get 1 free) 
4 slices of bacon
Tony's Creole Seasoning

Directions:
1. Thaw shrimp.
2. Cook bacon in fry pan.
3. Bring water to boil in a sauce pan, add salt, slowly stir in grits, reduce heat to medium-low, cover and let stand for 5 minutes.
4. Once bacon is crisp, remove, crush up into small pieces.
5. Cook shrimp in bacon grease and sprinkle with Tony's Creole Seasoning.
6. Once shrimp is cooked, pour them into the grits, add chopped up bacon, stir and it's ready for serving!

Enjoy!

New Products I'm Loving

I wanted to share some really good products that I've tried recently. I have been using Redken shampoo and conditioner for years and I feel like it is just drying my hair out, so I have been wanting to try something new. The lady working at Sally's recommended this line of products...

I bought the shampoo and conditioner and I absolutely love them! This stuff smells so good and it makes my hair really soft. 

A couple of months ago I was looking at the different whiteners at Walmart and a lady recommended that I try Colgate Optic White toothpaste. She said that her sons dip and she buys it for them and it works well on their teeth (a little too much information...but I bought it and it seems to be working). 

It's definitely the best whitening toothpaste that I've ever used.

I also tried a new liquid eyeliner. The kind that I have is not waterproof and it runs down my face anytime my eyes get the least bit watery. I bought this kind at Ulta...

It's waterproof, easy to apply and lasts all day. I bought the dark brown and I'm loving it so far.

I hope everyone is having a good week and if you're looking to try some new products, try these and let me know how they work for you! 

End of Hunting Season Party

Hunting season is finally over so I thought it would be fun to have an "end of hunting season" celebration dinner at our house. We ate some yummy food, played with Adam and Carrie's precious baby Marleigh and had a good ol' time!

the girls (minus Magen)

Jami & Anthony, such a cute couple

another cute couple + Jami

twins

they would not cooperate

Court made these delicious brownie/cupcakes in camo baking cups, so fitting for the occasion

Homewood Wrestling Tournament

Friday and Saturday, TCHS wrestled in the Homewood Dual Tournament. They wrestled really well and won 2nd place. Brian Hancock beat the number one 113 pounder in 5A from Pinson Valley, who was undefeated. Solomon Archibald beat the number one 120 pounder in 5A from Scottsboro, who was also undeafeated.

I used to not be that in to wrestling because I didn't understand what was going on, but over the years I've been forced to learn about it because wrestling is a big part of the Griffin family and is often the topic of discussion when Pat and his dad get together. Now that I know what's going on, I really get in to it and love watching it.

Pat's dad wrestled at the University of Alabama, started a wrestling program at West Blocton High School and then went to TCHS and started one there. He has been coaching at TCHS ever since and I don't see him giving it up anytime soon. Pat loves coaching with his dad. They are both very passionate about coaching and love helping the kids better themselves. It makes me so happy to see him doing what he loves.

Pat's goal is for TCHS is to win a state championship. Most places in Alabama have a youth wrestling program and most middle schools have a wrestling team. In order to be the best, TCHS needs both in our community. At some schools, like Grissom, wrestling is really big and the whole community gets in to it, which is what Pat would like to see happen in Northport. What Pat and his dad do with their kids in 3 or 4 years, it takes other schools 7 or 8 years to get the same results. They both believe that the opportunities are endless if they get a youth program going and that TCHS will be churning out state champions left and right.  

Pat coaches club wrestling in the spring and he's in the process of putting together a youth wrestling club for kids ages 5-12. He is hoping to have it up and running in the fall. So if you have any little ones, he wants them to wrestle! Pat's dad helped Echols Middle School start a wrestling program three years ago and they are excited about those kids moving up to TCHS. 

I think wrestling is a good sport for kids to participate in because it doesn't matter how big or how small they are, they can wrestle. There are 14 weight classes that range from 106 pounds to 285 pounds. A lot of sports require boys to be big, or tall, or fast, but most kids can find their fit in wrestling. Wrestling helps improve speed and agility, it builds strength and stamina, and teaches self-discipline and hard work ethic. Wrestling is a one-on-one sport, if you lose the only person you can blame is yourself and not your teammates. There's no politics with who a coach "thinks is better," or picking favorites because the kids have wrestle-offs to see who starts. Pat wrestled in high school and he enjoyed it much more than football or baseball because it is an individual sport and gave him a feeling of accomplishment and personal achievement.

I played with my new camera Saturday, here are some pictures from the tournament.

TCHS wrestles at home on Tuesday at 5:30, we would love for you come and see what wrestling is all about! Have a great week.