Why I Could Never be a Housewife

Why could I never be a housewife? That's easy: 1) I'm lazy. 2) I get bored EASILY. Having spent the last three days iced/snowed in, I have been SO completely and utterly lazy and bored it's not even funny. Don't get me wrong, I've done housework and cooked meals. I've been on top of all that like never before, and I've enjoyed being on top of it. But I don't want to do that every day for the rest of my life. And when left with no other options but doing housework and sitting around, I do the housework, and then I sit around. Not being able to go outside (or anywhere for that matter) has left me feeling stir crazy and bored out of my mind. Perhaps if I could get out and actually accomplish things, I wouldn't feel this way, but I'm pretty sure I'm just not cut out to be a housewife.

Now, I could definitely be a stay at home writer. The problem this week has been a complete lack of inspiration. Yeah, it turns out that LIVING and EXPERIENCES provide the fodder and motivation for my tales, and without being able to get out and live and experience anything (aside from the snow which got boring after the second trip out in it), I haven't been able to write. Call it writer's block or what you will, but I am most definitely at a complete loss for words and that makes me mad. Really, really mad.

The source of my frustration.

So, as bad as I can hate going to work day after day, I'm realizing that work actually inspires me in a lot of ways. If nothing else, it provides me with the motivation to fulfill my dream of becoming a professional writer. Every day that I spend working towards that goal (even if it is working in a field that I don't always want to be in) brings me one step closer to reaching it. So, I can honestly say I'm looking forward to going back to work tomorrow and, hopefully, putting a stop to this writer's block.

In the meantime, as a housewife this week, I cooked at least one good (and simple) meal.

Spicy Chicken Tenders (modified by Jeremy Ross)

1 lb chicken strips/tenderloin
2 tablespoons peanut oil (enough to cover the bottom of a large fryer)
1/2 cup milk
a few dashes of hot sauce
1/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon cajun seasoning
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
salt to taste

Soak chicken strips in milk and hot sauce in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes prior to cooking. Combine flour and spices on plate or in bowl. Dredge each soaked chicken strip in flour mixture, coat well. Heat peanut oil (which doesn't burn as easily as vegetable oil) over medium-high heat. Place dredged chicken strips in oil. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes on each side or until crispy and brown. Serve with wing sauce.

Oven-Roasted Potatoes

5 to 6 medium potatoes (I used russet, I've seen a lot of recipes that use red potatoes)
1/2 to 1 envelope onion soup mix (you can over-do this depending on the size of our potatoes)
1/3 cup olive oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cut potatoes into small, uniformed cubes. Combine potatoes in bowl with onion soup mix and olive oil. Mix to coat well. Place in greased medium-sized casserole. Bake 40 minutes.