After a few months of writer’s block, I finally sat down and forced my pen to work. I won’t spoil it for you with a premise other than allowing you the title itself. Enjoy. A Conversational Dilemma I don’t know how to communicate.It’s true. Of the social obligation to validate each other’s charades, I am […]
Given that in a few days I’ll be officially 2 years single, it seemed appropriate to post this piece. I actually wrote this one after an even older flame burned out, and I was grappling with whether I’d pick my self back up or not, whether I’d still choose hope or stay in the clutches […]
In this piece, I tried to capture the lose-lose situations that seem to permeate the waiting period known as singleness. Don’t misunderstand me, I believe everyone should have their heart broken at some point. It changes your perspective, and the tension between sinking and swimming will develop character. Additionally, alone time forces you to figure […]
Hi Stella, I just made another version of chicken soup that went over quite well with most of my family. My husband recently made mashed potatoes, with Rosemary leaves in the water, & I’d asked him to save the potato water. I boiled that water with some chicken scraps (trimmings from boneless, skinless chicken breasts) & one chicken breast. I removed meat & cooled the liquid to trim off the fat.
I skimmed the fat into a wok-ish frying pan & added some bacon fat & fried some chopped onion, garlic, thin sliced peppers, potatoes & the chicken (that I’d picked the fat & gristle from). These I fried & added garlic salt, fresh ground pepper, Cavender’s Greek Seasoning (we love this stuff), more rosemary, sage, thyme, marjoram, & basil. These were fried up until the chicken, which I’d added last had some color/flavor. I added this to the soup pot along with some mushrooms & black beans, both with their attendant liquid, from the fridge. Additionally I’d chopped up some carrots to cook in the stock & seasoned the stock with some of the spices mentioned above.
Using the same frypan I sauteed in more bacon grease some chopped tomato & a rice/wild rice seasoned mixture we have from Sam’s club, about 1/2 cup. These were fried enough to show some color on the white rice grains then added to the soup pot & cooked until the rice was done.
In serving this soup some people added garlic salt, some shredded cheddar cheese, & some sriracha sauce. Only one family member was disappointed because he didn’t prefer what he thought was too “hearty” of rice in the concoction. After 5 people ate from the very full medium/large pot there were only a couple of cups of soup left so this dinner “sold” pretty well!
Although this was nearly another version of “garbage” soup (as in containing scraps &/or little bits of what’s around) I contemplated “naming” it Rosemary Chicken, Rice, & Black Bean Soup…
I posted the above to this posting at Stella’s Place:
More chicken …
Later I hope to add links to the recipes I’ve posted within Special Connections & possibly to some I’ve share elsewhere, like this from the above post at Stella’s.
I’ve done a modified version of “beef burgundy” in a crock pot with chicken. We usually have boneless skinless breasts so I’ve used about 6-8 breasts, a can of cream of mushroom soup, a can full of wine, & a packet of French onion soup mix. I cook this in the crock pot most of the day & test for doneness (the meat falls apart). Often I add a small can of mushrooms & their juice, cut onions & garlic, & sometimes celery to the pot, usually under the meat. We especially like it served over mashed potatoes, though it could go over noodles or even rice. It’s easy & delicious!
Stella’s Place also has a couple of relevant categories & there are often discussions from her readers with additional recipes in the comments section…
https://stellasplace1.com/category/cooking/
https://stellasplace1.com/category/baking/
https://stellasplace1.com/category/recipes/
Posts related to Food:
https://specialconnections.wordpress.com/2016/11/22/crock-pot-pork-apple-rice-creation/
https://specialconnections.wordpress.com/2016/11/24/onion-cheese-garlic-pull-apart-bread/
https://specialconnections.wordpress.com/2017/04/26/autism-outreach-touching-lives/
https://specialconnections.wordpress.com/2017/07/15/quick-homemade-ice-cream/
https://specialconnections.wordpress.com/2018/02/17/titanic-appetite-required/
https://specialconnections.wordpress.com/2018/03/12/chicken-soup-for-the-soul/