The Colonel would never agree with us, as we have found a healthy alternative to fried Chicken;  Tortilla Chicken Drumsticks.  Meaty organic drumsticks are coated with crusted tortilla chips that have been seasoned with cumin seeds and spicy paprika and then baked until crispy and golden.  Served with a light salad of white corn, cherry tomatoes and parsley.  A meal even your kids will love, after all, what kid does not want chips with their dinner?

As soon as I read this recipe in Gourmet magazine, I knew two things 1) easy dinner and 2) kid friendly and I mean big kid friendly!  We never have a bag of chips in the house unless it is here for a purpose;  company coming and we are serving salsa, even then, I usually bake our own tortilla chips for this dish I picked up a big bag with the intentions of dinner and have some guilty pleasure laying around the house.  This recipe is so easy and it is so tasty, not overly spicy, just right and the texture is great.  Crunchy on the outside and moist and juicy on the inside.  Your kids, young and old, will love it!

Ree, The Pioneer Woman, sent out a Twitter this week asking anyone to jump on board, for making something with left over corn.  I have never really been a big corn fan, I blame it on wearing braces as a kid.  Lenny, discovered white corn a few years ago, on a trip back from climbing in Yosemite and he loved that you could just gnaw it raw off  of the  cob, not over cooked corn that he remembered as a kid.  I, too, have discovered the sweet and succulent White Corn and now, I love it as well.  We eat it very often in the summer months – raw, grilled and steamed with butter.  Anyhow, we have had 3 ears of white corn in the fridge and this was the perfect reason to do something with it.  We wanted something refreshing to compliment the spiciness of the drumsticks, so we made a white corn salad.  It is very simple and you can really use whatever you have on hand.  We tossed in purple peppers, cherry tomatoes, parsley, red onion and the sweet white corn.  Dressed up with simple olive oil and fresh lime juice – perfect summer salad!  Thanks, Ree, for putting a little fire under us!

Recipe:  Tortilla Chicken Legs

8 oz lightly salted corn tortilla chips
4 teaspoons smoked paprika
2 teaspoons cumin seed
1 large egg
8 chicken drumsticks, organic and/or cage free

lime wedges, for garnish

Preheat oven to 450°F with rack in middle. Oil a large 4-sided sheet pan. Pulse chips, cumin and paprika in a food processor until coarsely ground, then transfer to a shallow dish. Whisk egg in a bowl. Dip chicken legs in egg, letting excess drip off, then coat with crumbs, pressing to help them adhere. Transfer to sheet pan. Bake, turning once, until cooked through, 40 to 45 minutes. Let stand, uncovered, 5 minutes.

Recipe:  White Corn Salad

3 ears of white corn, kernels removed

1 small purple pepper, or any color you like, roughly chopped

1/2 small red onion, medium dice

parsley, handful, roughly chopped

cherry tomatoes, 2 handfuls, cut in half

1 lime, squeezed

olive oil, a drizzle

sea salt, to taste

fresh cracked black pepper

Add all veggies to a salad bowl.  Drizzle with olive oil and fresh lime juice.  Toss and season with salt and pepper.  Serve.  Eat.