Best Laid Plans....

Apparently there is a saying in the sailing world 

that if one thing goes wrong, 

you can count on more things to fall apart too...  

Such was this morning...

It's Day Two of Teacher's Strike-a-palooza in Chicago...
Otherwise known as "Summer, Part II"...

While the teachers are marching in organized ovals, 

dressed in solidarity red and sipping lattes, 

parents are scrambling to find child care 

for their little ones... 

Luckily, while I don't have that panicked feeling 

of finding child care, 

I do have the slightly stressed out feeling 

of what to do with these kids...  

A small worry, compared to others, 

but if this strike lasts more than a week, 

I am seriously going to have to
learn the ropes on homeschooling... 

And to get a case of Pinot G...

I choose to not think about that just now, thank you...  

Back to my earlier lament...  

You know how you mean well 

and then a bird still craps on your head?  

Yeah, well...  

It's was a Murphy's Law moment around here...

I am also in Day 2 of some nasty, 

stealthy head cold that has 

smacked me square in the face...  

I feel like a hundred bucks...  

It was a busy early morning; 

Kate was headed to a "strike camp", 

held by a good friend and "lemonade maker",

Tommy was going to take her for me 

while Jack ate breakfast and dressed in anticipation 

for his play date to come over...  

In my mind, the list unfolded:

Make Chicken Pot Pie,
Chocolate Cake,

Get Salad from store,

laundry, 

clean up after boys, 

tidy house,

blow nose, over and over...  

It was my turn to cook dinner for a friend 

who has a sick family member...  

The plan was to make them chicken pot pies, 

salad and mocha chocolate bundt cake....  

Then it hit me....  

Dang!  

I forgot the Veg All!  

Do you make chicken pot pie?  

Maybe you saute' fresh veggies for the filling, 

but my mama always used Veg All 

and so do I.  

Don't mess with a good dish, I always say...

I love my pantry...  

I make sure it's lovingly maintained 

so there are always the right ingredients 

for most anything I want to make...  

If you are looking for capers, tahini or cake flour, 

I've got it, Sister...

I try to keep lots of pasta, 

sauce and basics on hand...

My sweet neighbors know to call me 

if they are out of brown sugar 

and it makes me happy...

It's the little things, Man...

I peeked behind every can and box in the pantry....no Veg All...  

Rats!

So I had a dilemma...  

Jack and his buddy were fully ensconced in their video game, 

and being ten years old, 

they are capable of holding down the fort 

for a very quick errand....  

However, Jack doesn't like to be home alone, 

so I rarely leave him...  

 

With his friend, he seemed fine with it 

and I left them my phone to use for any reason...  

Like if a buffalo should charge through the front door, 

or if alligators shoot out of the toilet...

I dashed off to the store, 

snagged the Veg All 

and raced back...   

I was home now, 

but I  made the fatal error and stepped next door 

to chat with my friend for a couple of minutes...  

Was it one minute or ten?

Time flies when shooting the breeze with a girlfriend....

While I was yakking in the back yard, 

Sears was at our front door, 

trying to deliver the mattress 

we bought for the apartment unit....

They called me twice yesterday 

to MAKE SURE someone over 18 

would be home to accept the delivery...

Oops...

Jack panicked and called Tommy,

 who called me, 

but I did not have the phone.....

Jack did!  

At that same moment, 

my in laws arrived to say hello before flying home, 

only to find two young boys, 

two delivery men 

and no parent in the house....  

As I strolled up the gangway and around the corner, 

I saw the truck 

and then remembered the delivery....  

Nice...

I walked into the apartment to find that 

they delivered the wrong sized frame 

and thumped the mattresses down in the wrong bedroom...  

Now, had I been there, 

as I should have been
instead of griping about the teacher's strike

 with my friend, 

I might have intercepted Sears' mistakes...

Thank God my in laws showed up
 at exactly the right time... 

Good for the boys, 

embarrassing as hell for me...

So there I was, feeling like Mother of the Year, 

with the wrong merchandise in the wrong spot, 

with family thinking I am the village idiot....  

 

All I wanted to do was make dinner 

to help a family out 

and I ended up looking like a neglectful, 

unorganized spaz with a runny nose....  

Oh well, at least the chicken pot pie will taste good later.....

chicken pot pie

• 
  

prep time: 20 min

total time: 90 min

Makes 8-10 servings

First the creamed chicken or turkey, then the pot pie.

ingredients

• For creamed chicken or turkey:
• 3 1/2 lbs chicken parts, or 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast or turkey breast cutlets or tenders
• 1 3/4 to 2 cups chicken stock
• 4 Tbs (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup all purpose flour (for a creamed dish) or 1/2 cup (for a pot pie or casserole
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk, half&half, or light cream
• 2-3 Tbs sherry (optional)
• several drops lemon juice, salt and ground white or black pepper
• 2-3 pinches freshly grated nutmeg
• For Pot Pie:
• 2 Tbs Butter
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 medium carrots, peeled sliced 1/4 inch
• 2 small celery stalks, sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 3/4 cup frozen peas, thawed
• 3 Tbs minced fresh parsley
• 2 Tbs beaten egg (1/2 large)

directions

• 1  Creamed Chicken:
• 2  Place the chicken in a dutch oven and add chicken stock and just enough water to cover the pieces. Chicken parts may need as much as 3 cups and boneless skinless pieces may not need any. Bring to simmer over high heat, then reduce to simmer so the poaching liquid barely bubbles. Partially cover and cook until the meat releases clear juices when pierced with a fork, 25-30 minutes for chicken parts, 8-12 minutes for boneless, skinless breasts. Remove the meat from the stock and let stand until cool enough to handle. If using chicken parts, remove and discard skin and bones. Shred or cut the meat into bite-sized pieces. Skim the fat from the stock with a spoon.
• 3  Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat, and whisk in flour until smooth. Cook, whisking constantly for one minute. Remove the pan from the heat. Add 2 cups of the chicken stock and whisk until smooth. Whisk in cream (or half&half etc.)
• 4  Increase the heat to medium and bring the mixture just to a simmer, whisking constantly. Remove the pan from the heat, scrape the inside of the pan with a wooden spoon and whisk vigorously to break up any lumps. Return the pan to heat and, whisking, bring to a simmer and cook for one minute. Stir in the cooked poultry along with sherry and cook for 1 minute more. Remove from heat and season with salt & pepper, lemon juice and nutmeg.
• 5  Pot Pie:
• 6  This pot pie has a top crust only which may be either biscuits or pie pastry. Sautéing the vegetables separately instead of cooking them with the chicken ensures that they will retain their texture and color.
• 7  Prepare (using 1/2 cup flour) creamed chicken. Prepare the dough for Biscuits (see biscuits in breads and brunch)  **I use store bought pie dough
• 8  Position a rack in the upper third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400°. Butter a 13x9 inch baking pan or other shallow baking dish.
• 9  Heat butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until the foam begins to subside. Add onion, carrots, celery and cook, stirring often, until barely tender, about 5 minutes.  *I open a can of VegAll
• 10  Stir the veggies into the creamed chicken along with the peas and parsley.
• 11  Pour the chicken mixture into the prepared pan. Cut the dough into biscuits and arrange on top of the chicken, overlapping the biscuits if necessary. For a golden glaze, brush the top with egg.
• 12  Bake until chicken is bubbly and the topping is nicely browned, 25-35 minutes.

Source: Joy of Cooking

Mocha Bundt Cake Courtesy of Family Circle Magazine

Makes: 12  servings

Prep:   15 mins  Bake:  1 hr  325°F 

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 cups cake flour
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon espresso powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup 2% milk

Directions

1. Heat oven to 325 degrees F. Generously coat a 10-cup Bundt pan with Baker's Joy nonstick spray for baking.
2. In a medium-size bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, espresso powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
3. In a large bowl, beat butter until smooth. Beat in sugar until fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. On low, beat in flour mixture, alternating with milk. Beat 1 minute. Scrape into prepared pan.
4. Bake at 325 degrees F for 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in cake comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack for 20 minutes. Carefully trim cake level. Run a thin knife around edge of cake, invert onto rack and remove pan. Cool completely.