Stuffed chicken
It was better than it looks here.
I wasn't able to get neat slices out of that netting.
Tonight,
I treated myself to a stuffed chicken breast from Central Market and my
favorite salad. The chicken stuffing was a bread/herb/spinach mixture and really
good. But to my dismay, the breast was skinless and rolled into that mesh
netting which it takes five strong me to remove. And removing it from the hot
meat is nearly impossible. I carved off enough to get dinner tonight and put the
rest in the fridge. I will say it was a generous portion, and I’ll probably be
eating it for days. But I wanted good crisp skin that I could brush with
butter.
Because
I am always leery of dry chicken or pork, I made a quick sauce—a roux of butter
and flour to which I added chicken broth and a good pour of white wine. Pepper
but not salt since the broth is sometimes salty. The sauce was delicious and made
a big difference, so I’ll file that away.
But lesson
learned for another time—and it’s a lesson I keep learning over and over but
apparently don’t ever make my own. Do it yourself! I’m perfectly capable of
making a good, old-fashioned stuffing and putting it into a boneless, skin-on
breast, fastening it with toothpicks, and roasting it.
My
favorite salad: chopped tomato (about half a good big Roma), half a nicely ripe
avocado, chunked, blue cheese crumbled, a green onion diced. Dress it with a
splash of olive oil and a good dose of lemon juice. Pretty acidic, but I love
it
And
for dessert? Mary Dulle’s OMG pie—chocolate pecan with bourbon. I asked why she
and Joe weren’t keeping any of it (she’d done it for a class demonstration),
and she said it’s too rich for them. I see why! I’m so stuffed I’m almost somnambulant.
And of
course, a dinner like that took a while to prepare and made lots of dirty
dishes. I don’t have a dishwasher, so dishes are always a big thing with me.
Now all but one pan are done, and it’s soaking. I’ll go back to it if I don’t
forget before I go to bed.
Last
night I went to a meeting of the Tarrant County Historical Society to hear a
program by former Fort Worth Star-Telegram photographer Rodger Mallison.
Fascinating. He emphasized that in professional photography timing is
everything and brought the point home with a shot of a baseball almost in a
catcher’s mitt but not quite. Some of his other photos, particularly the sports
photos, were equally dependent on timing. The other thing I hadn’t realized is
that photography is a dangerous, scary profession. Rodger had photos taken from
atop tall cranes, through the hatch of a plane as a parachutist jumped, in
battle zones. He also had human interest photos, including one of a death row
inmate who, he said, was a really nice guy. The experiences Rodger had during
his forty-some years with the newspaper are amazing, colorful, and varied.
Great program.
Not
too unusual that I am thinking up projects for myself to divert me from
projects that I should be doing. Podcasts seem to be a coming thing, though I
am not much attracted to them unless they are video podcasts—and even then, I’m
not head over heels. Terrible to say, but I need the visual to keep my mind
focused.
But since
podcasts seem so popular, I’ve wondered if I should explore further. At first, I
thought maybe I should do my blog as a podcast, but the blog is doing really
well on its own, and I’m not sure about the one audio book I have (Saving
Irene is available in audio with a great narrator). So maybe I don’t have an
audio audience. I could simply investigate some podcasts run by others and
pitch for a guest appearance, much like trying for a guest blog spot. Lot less
work, but sort of a one-time shot.
What about
you? Do you list to podcasts? Audio books? I’d love some feedback.
And now,
that big dinner has made me sleepy. Night all.
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