hi! There’s not much to say about last night. It was a perfectly calm and relaxed Monday night. Chris and I got to cook together (well, I cook, he entertains by playing guitar) and catch up on our days.
I made new to me Honey Mustard Pretzel Crusted Chicken. It’s a mouthful to say, but a lot of fun to eat and super easy to make.
- You will need 2 eggs, 4-6 thinly sliced chicken breast tenders (or 2 chicken breasts), one cup of honey mustard and onion pretzel bites, and dijon mustard (optional)
- Heat the oven to 375
- First, crack and scramble two eggs in a bowl
- Next pour the cup of pretzels into a plastic bag, zip it up and crush them finely with a heavy kitchen utensil (I used the back of a large metal spoon, it was quite loud) then pour the crumbs onto a plate
- Then, dip the chicken tenders in the eggs and transfer to the pretzel crumbs, bread both sides
- Lay the chicken tenders in a single layer on a foil lined, non-stick sprayed baking sheet
- Apply an extra layer of Dijon mustard to the chicken tenders if you really like mustard
- Bake for 20 minutes, flipping once halfway
- Enjoy!
Served with some roasted broccoli, they were really good. We weren’t sure what to do with them, but we dipped them in ketchup like regular chicken fingers, and that worked pretty nicely.They had a nice crunch and a great honey mustard flavor. They will definitely be making a repeat appearance soon.
The rest of the night was spent relaxing and reading The Night Circus, which I am very quickly getting into.
So, as anyone who follows me on Twitter knows, I’m obsessed with the 90’s Pandora station. I officially stopped listening to any new music (it’s a lot of work to “discover” new bands or “get into” something when you’re an old lady like me) after college, so all my musical favorites were released in the years between 1995 to 2009. 90’s Pandora speaks to my soul. I walk around the house singing it, and it always dredges up some (usually) funny memories.
Last week, I was walking to work jamming out to said Internet radio station when “This I Swear” by the Spice Girls came on. I started laughing right there on the street because I can vividly remember the first time I heard that song. I was in middle school, and my best friend Krystal and I were in her basement when she said, “You have to hear this new Spice Girls tape I got. It’s amazing.” It was amazing. We jammed out to every song on there, and when “This I Swear” came on, Krystal proudly declared, “This is going to be the song I dance my first dance with my husband, Justin Timberlake, to at our wedding.” Not only did I think that was a brilliant idea, I was hella jealous she had thought of it first.
I laughed when it came on because she was actually the first one of my friends to get married, and I went to her beautiful wedding in 2009. And guess what. She totally danced to “This I Swear.” No. She didn’t. I’m totally lying, but that would have been a hoot. She and her husband picked a totally beautiful tear jerker and danced and looked madly in love, but still, I’m sure there was a part of Krystal wishing Spice Girls had been playing.
Immediately after remembering that fun fact about her, I remembered the wedding song I countered with. “Well, when I marry JC (calling all serious N’SYNC fans on this one) we’ll be dancing to ‘God Must Have Spent A Little More Time With You’ seeing as he obviously wrote that one for me.” No part of my thought it would be odd to be sharing your first dance with a song your husband was singing. Here’s the crazy part, immediately after the Spice Girls, can you guess what came on Pandora?
(ignore the fact that I was pretty late for work, it was a Friday!)
My wedding song immediately followed my best friend’s! Oh Pandora, you get me.
I have no idea what song I would want to dance to at my wedding these days. It probably won’t be N’SYNC, but you never know. All I know is that we can’t let Chris decide or we’d be “Jump!”ing to Van Halen. Not a good look.
In case you’re in need of some inspiration here’s a list of the 200 most requested wedding first dance songs.
Their top ten:
- The Way You Look Tonight (Frank Sinatra)– I love me some old blue eyes, and this is a beautiful song, but it wouldn’t be my top pick.
- Wonderful Tonight (Eric Clapton)– Another classic. Also a beautiful song.
- I’m Yours (Jason Mraz)– I would have never thought of this one, but I love the idea of it. It’s modern and fun and the lyrics are adorable.
- At Last (Etta James)– This is my granpa’s favorite song. This was my grandparent’s wedding song. I absolutely adore every word of this and Ms. James’ voice will take your breath away.
- What a Wonderful World (Louis Armstrong)– Something about this doesn’t quite do it for me. It’s a beautiful song, but I feel like it’s been played in one too many commercials. I hate when great songs get ruined like that. I’m sure it makes for a wonderful first dance though.
- Can’t Help Falling in Love (Elvis Presley)– At first, I couldn’t really see why this made the list. Elvis isn’t something you normally associate with non-Vegas weddings, but then I YouTubed it, and this is a seriously sweet song. I could dance to this.
- I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing (Aerosmith)– I don’t mean to offend anyone who chose this as their wedding song. I’m sure it was the right choice for you, but I would be picturing Steven Tyler’s crazy face the whole time. I couldn’t do it.
- Everything (Michael Buble)– I like Buble, but I’m more inclined towards the classics.
- Bless the Broken Road (Rascal Flatts)– Um. I am shocked to see this here. I was going to include this in my own list. I’ve never, ever told anyone this before, but the first time I heard this song I thought, “This will be my first dance song.” However, it makes me cry like a baby every single time, and you spend way too much money on makeup to be crying it all off on your wedding day, so I might have to rethink this.
- Amazed (Lonestar)– This is a pretty song. I don’t feel really strongly about it either way, but it’s got a wonderful meaning.
Ultimately, I realize it’s a decision bride and groom make together, so I’m hesitant to proclaim what my wedding song must be. I’m sure you can tell I’m leaning quite heavily towards 4. It’s got a history for me, but I’m not committed and don’t have to decide anything any time soon. Still, it’s fun to think about.
On another website I found “Luna” by The Smashing Pumpkins as a “Something New, Something Different” suggestion and am 95% certain that’s what Chris would pick. The boy loves him some Pumpkins. The lyrics actually are very sweet. I guess we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.
I was going to include a list of the worst wedding songs of all time, but I decided that’s not a fair list. If you picked it as your wedding song, it meant something to you and probably always will, so it was the right choice for you 1000%. I shall recommend some songs you’re probably wise to steer clear of on the big day. These ones will just confuse your poor sweet grandmother.
- You Give Love A Bad Name (Bon Jovi)
- Womanizer (Britney Spears)
- Love Is A Battlefield (Pat Benatar)
- Gold Digger (Kanye West)
- Bad Romance (Lady Gaga)
- Single Ladies (Beyonce)
- F*ck You (Cee-lo Green)
- Before He Cheats (Carrie Underwood)
- Used to Love Her (Guns ‘n’ Roses)
- Polly (Nirvana) *
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If you’re married, did your song make the top ten or did you go with something a little less played?
If you’re not married, do you have a wedding song in mind?
i broke my umbrella 