and so it goes that the best team money can buy is crushed by their rivals. i have no idea what has spurred on my love affair with baseball this year, nor what has prompted my seeminly undying devotion to the bosox, but i will say that baseball may be the saving grace of western society-- but only if the freaking american league will dump the designated hitter rule. the world series starts on saturday. hot diggity.
in other news, well, there is no other news. i'm just working, trying to digest political, social, religious, etc. kind of information. lately, i can't seem to read enough, or hear enough, or think about enough. i'm trying not to talk so much, but for a chatterbox like me, that's a tough deal. life is good.
i made a damn good pot of chicken soup for my high school kids last night. it was spicy, and chickeny, and full of noodle goodness. and just because i can, i'll include the recipe below.
needed: one large stock pot, chicken parts or whole chicken (if you're not picky about white vs. dark meat, it's cheaper to buy a whole chicken), six or seven ribs of celery, four or five carrots, one large sweet yellow onion, about 20 cloves of garlic (no seriously), mrs. dash's bold and spicy, a small box of knorr chicken boullion cubes, a carton of sliced mushrooms, six or seven stalks of fresh rosemary, salt and pepper, one large package of small egg noodles.
if you are using a whole chicken--wash it inside and out with cold running water. salt and pepper it, and shove a couple of spare rosemary stalks under the skin. if you are using chicken parts, i recommend that you use two dark pieces for every white piece you use. throw the chicken in the pot, and cover it with water, plus about two inches. turn the fire on high. while that's cooking, chop your veggies. chop coursely, or dice finely, depending on your preference. i know my kids like to pick things out, so i chop big. leave the garlic cloves whole. i'll tell you why in a minute.
once everything is chopped, throw the veggies, the garlic, and the mrs. dash in, as well. readjust your salt and pepper. you can leave out the salt, if you want, since you are using the chicken boullion. by the way, you should put that box in now. did i mention that the water should be boiling at this point? a nice rolling boil to cook that chicken...
the chicken is done cooking when the juices in the fattest part of the breast and thigh run clear, or when the thin bone in the leg slides cleanly out. you want to get the chicken just before this point. put the parts or the carcass in a separate bowl, and turn the fire down to low, add the noodles at this point. also, check your flavor, and adjust as necessary.
allow the chicken to cool a bit, and then remove the skin and discard. at this point, you can remove the meat and return it to the pot, or if you're using pieces, and want a more rustic presentation peel the skin off, and throw the meat back in the pot to finish cooking. when you plate up, everyone can have their own piece of chicken in the bowl. i saw that on a show once, it just looks messier for everyone.
once the noodles are aldente, turn the pot all the way off. you're ready to eat now. you can serve this with brown and serve rolls, or an artisan bread, etc. and the reason you want to leave those garlic cloves whole is because they make an excellent butter substitute, now that they are all mushy and good. we also followed with sugar cookies and butter cream icing. woo hoo.
randomly yours--
mil besos, r
No comments:
Post a Comment