Chicken Surprise

It's VBS week, which means I'm too tired to shop. What's for dinner?

Chicken Surprise

2 cups leftover shredded beer butt chicken

2 slightly overripe tomatoes, seeded and diced

1 package dairy-free shiitake mushroom gravy*, prepared, and mixed with

1/4 c. mayonnaise

4 cups cornbread stuffing mix, prepared with water

Layer in a greased casserole dish:
chicken

tomatoes

gravy

stuffing

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Serve with salad and homemade Thousand Island dressing.

*Or one can of condensed cream of mushroom soup

Hey Howdy Hey

Katherine's field trips went fine. She was almost given a snack with white chocolate in it at her school's field day, but she caught it. I love that girl. She and her best friend just got their ears pierced and look entirely too grown up.

Potty Training 2011 is almost 100% done, thank goodness. Nik-Nak asked for potty training advice. HAHAHAHAH. The best advice I have is throw everything at it and see what works. Reward chart, big gift at the end, jelly beans every time you go, wearing underwear, going commando around the house--we've done it all, and it's been a different technique that's worked with each kid. That, and it seems as if I have to totally lose my Dr. Sears zen attitude and declare that we're going back to diapers. Magically, they get it only after I've passed that point.

Uh, you think I'd have more news. Our veggies are growing, the baby is crawling and teething, Eli is reading (Reading!), we've been on our first trip of the summer, Scott replaced the playhouse roof that the birds pecked holes in (Try pecking a hole in plywood, you stupid wrens!), and I'm happy to have everyone home from school. Yay, summer.

Chicken and Asparagus Lemon Pasta

In a large crockpot, put two sliced onions and three lemon halves, seeds removed. Place a whole chicken on top, seasoned inside and out with whatever you like. I used Jane's Krazy Mixed Up Salt. Add a cup of chicken broth and/or white wine. Cook until the chicken is done. (I used a mostly-frozen chicken and cooked it on high all day.) Remove the chicken and let it cool on a cutting board. Strain the broth and return it to the crockpot. Squeeze the lemon pulp into the broth. Add raw asparagus, broken into one-inch pieces. Cook in the broth until tender. Shred the chicken. Add half to the crockpot and save half for another meal. Add 3/4 lb. cooked pasta (I used bowties.) Stir and heat through. Taste for salt.

Non-Recipes

My sincere apologies to those who are fasting for my writing about food, but I want to write these non-recipes down before I forget them.

Slow Cooker Chicken

I'm sure this is not revolutionary to many of you, but it is to me. Take one whole chicken, rinse it and pat it dry, and season it all over with the seasonings of your choice. (I used Aldi's chicken seasoning, Emeril's Original Essence, and salt.) Stick it in your slow cooker with a chopped up onion. Do not add ANY liquid. Cook on low heat 6-7 hours, at which point you will have very tender chicken and flavorful broth.

Now, you can eat the chicken as is, OR you can debone it and shred it and mix it back into the broth that you have thickened with flour, or cornstarch, or arrowroot, or whatever. Serve the chicken/gravy mixture over biscuits or waffles, OR put it in a pie crust (brush the top with egg white if you like) and bake it for 30 minutes at 425 degrees.

Non-Dairy Pesto

I made this the other day and didn't measure a thing, so here are my vague directions. Blend together in your food processor:
1 part basil
2 parts parsley
1 part walnuts (or other nut)
1 clove garlic
salt
pepper
olive oil (enough to make the pesto the consistency you want)

When you put it in a container to refrigerate it or freeze it, drizzle a little more olive oil on the top so it doesn't discolor.

Dairy-Free Fried Chicken

Katherine was asked to submit her favorite recipe at school for a class cookbook. She chose Daddy's fried chicken. Here is the recipe as she and Daddy submitted it.

Daddy's Fried Chicken

3 eggs
1/3 C. water
2 C. self-rising flour
1 t. pepper
chicken pieces (Katherine likes legs the best.)
vegetable oil for frying

Beat eggs with water. Stir pepper into flour.

Dip chicken pieces into the egg, coat well in the flour mixture. Fry in hot oil (350 degrees) until brown and crisp. (Dark meat takes about 15 minutes, white meat takes about 10.)

Freezes well - reheat at 400 until hot and crispy.

Reuse the oil - it tastes better the second time.