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"...so hot tomorrow; you can fry an egg on the sidewalk!" the weatherman stated on the 11:00 PM news. My best friend, Patty Bucci, was sleeping over that summer evening in 1968, and it was all we needed to hear; we were 'Good-to-Go' for the next day.

Growing up in the city, our playground was the school yard and a city parking lot. Of course no one had air conditioning, so we spent the summer outside creating our own fun and entertainment; relay races, kick-the-can, spud, red light green light, baseball, kickball, climbing monkey bars, and jumping the railroad tracks. We rode our bikes everywhere; grocery store, library, bakery and candy store, church, school, dime store, and playground. Running through sprinklers to stay cool from the heat and humidity was a must. We would climb trees and build secret forts in the branches, talk about boys, our latest crushes, and then carve their initials along with ours in the trunks.

Frying eggs on sidewalks? Best idea yet. Of course, we took the words literally and planned our next day around the 'big' event. Predicted the hottest day of the decade, we took our task very seriously. We tested the heat absorption of different surfaces (we both ended up studying engineering and architecture in college), finding the hottest spots as the heat began to soak into everything. Slate sidewalks, concrete patios, and brick streets. We settled on the brick pavers in the street. The excitement was overwhelming - we took an egg from Patty's refrigerator (not asking her mom first - not a good idea), snuck out the back door, jumped a few fences, and ran all the way to my house with egg in hand. We were 'Good-to-Go'. Found the hottest brick and cracked the egg over it anticipated sizzle, pop, and scramble. What we did not figure was egg running off the brick and into the crevasses of the street. Snuck more eggs (and confessed to Patty's mom who was keenly aware of us taking the first egg) and continued to crack the eggs on different surfaces that day... no success, just raw egg. We were very disappointed but still convinced it could be done.

Sitting around the dinner table that night I spoke about our experiment. My older sister found a lot of humor in the whole thing and proceeded to tease me the rest of the evening (that's what older sisters usually do). My parents were very supportive and convinced me to continue to experiment and explore and never give up.

Forty years later I'm still creating my own fun; riding bikes with our teens, running races with friends, cooking, and writing cookbooks. The successes with my self-published book has unfolded into a fabulous opportunity. My next book will be published by Storey Publishing, a national publisher, and released September 2008. It will be called The Good-to-Go Cookbook! The title perfectly sums up the energy I possess for having fun, creating entertainment, experimenting, and exploring.

Cook it on a grill or grill it on a stick - this chicken recipe is so flexible you could even fry it on the sidewalk - just kidding... I want to share with you a recipe from my new cookbook that can be cooked in many different ways with great results; perfect for a hot summer day. Enjoy, and send me a note through my new web site: www.cookingwithkathleen.net!

TEXAS SPICE RUB CHICKEN

1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
½ teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Pinch or two cayenne pepper
2 teaspoon vegetable oil
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

1. Combine all ingredients except chicken in bowl, add oil to make paste.
2. Rub on chicken to coat evenly.
   a) Grill 4-5 minutes on each side or until chicken is no longer pink in center.
       OR
   b) Pan fry in non-stick skillet with 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat 6-8 minutes per side.
       OR
   c) Coat broiler pan with cooking spray and broil chicken 6-8 minutes per side.
3. Serve hot or chilled.