Chicken Stew

Stew is such a great meal for those cool (cold and wet) fall and winter days, here in the northwest, but as I was making this chicken stew a couple of weeks ago for dinner, it was 93 degrees outside! I must have lost my mind, but it sounded so good, I couldn't help myself! It must have been that good old fashioned smell-a-vision that convinced me. Central air helps too!

Two days before, I had watched Giada De Laurentiis make this recipe on "The Talk" and it looked great and I was convinced that it would fill the house with wonderful smells. I don't remember trying any of her recipes, but I have decided that I need to take another look at her recipes. This recipe was very simple and easy to make and other than the homemade broth, it was ready within an hour.

I always keep boneless skinless chicken breasts in my freezer, but this recipe called for two chicken breasts with ribs so we bought a whole chicken. Adding the chicken with bones and skin adds more flavor. Dear hubby cut it into pieces for me and I used the "extra parts" (neck, back, organs) for making a nice broth. I made the broth early in the day, refrigerated it and skimmed the fat off before using. I will probably try making it with boneless skinless chicken breasts in the future. I will use a little Fond de Poulet Gold, which you can find at Amazon.com if your grocery store doesn't carry it. This should give the stew the extra flavor you get from cooking the chicken with bones and skin, without the extra fat.

We served it with a slice of rustic bread for dunking into the broth. The second time around, dear hubby made some garlic toast from the leftover bread which was really good too. It made me realize that I was missing the flavor of garlic in the stew. I will be making this again in a few weeks, when fall is actually here, and I will be making a few changes. It wasn't as full of flavor as I expected it would be. I'm thinking that I will add more fresh basil, more onion, fresh garlic,  and I want to play around with some spices. If I come up with something I like better, I will update the printable recipe.

Enjoy!

Empty Nest Syndrome - Take Two!

When we took our "baby" daughter to Seattle to start college in 1995, wow, that was hard. I was in full on "empty nest syndrome." Eventually, I adjusted to not having her in my life on a daily basis. Life does go on! I filled my life with activities that kept me busy and around other people. First and foremost, I went back to school! It felt good to do something for myself! Very quickly, my life was full of excitement and challenges and there was no time for "empty nest syndrome."

Now I find myself living another version of "empty nest syndrome." My daughter and her family moved to Seattle last week. My grandsons are no longer a part of my "almost daily" life. Like most transitions, this process has been difficult, but I am looking forward, not backward, and I am embarking on the next chapter of my life. I'm not sure what that will include, but I am ready and open.

Several months ago, I saw a sign that really stuck in my head. It read,

"Don't cry because its over, Smile because it happened!"

I shared it with several people, of course, not knowing that it would very soon have a deep meaning in my own life! Through this summer I have been busy spending as much time with my grandsons and daughter as possible, making "smile" memories to keep me going after they were gone.

Fortunately, they are only 3 hours away, so we are in the process of working out our new "normal." I never wanted or expected to be a part-time gramma, but here I am again, looking for something meaningful to fill those empty spots in my days. I don't know where or what that will be, but I am open to what life brings my way.

I will be okay, but I'm not sure about these two. If we could just convince our doggies that life is still worth living without their boys.

 Such sad doggies!

They want their boys back!

Watching and waiting!

September 11, 2001 : A Different Kind of Memory

I realize that today, most of this country is thinking about the terrible terrorist attack that happened 10 years ago. It was the kind of day that you remember exactly where you were, what you were doing and how you found out news that forever changed history. 

I have that kind of memory of when President John F. Kennedy died. Our school class was on a field trip to a museum in downtown Portland. It was a regular day and then suddenly, teachers were whispering, then teachers were crying and we were all left confused. What was happening? They wouldn't tell us. We were loaded back onto our buses and driven back to the school. They sent us all home, I guess so our mom's could tell us what happened. At home, we sat by the radio listening to Walter Cronkite for the rest of the day. I will never forget the sound of his voice coming over our radio for hours. It is forever etched in my memory. 

I also have a memory etched in my memory of September 11, 2001 that is probably different than most. My son, Alan, and I were living in my parents basement. Not by choice but by necessity. My husband was at home in Los Angeles, working during the week and flying up to Portland on weekends. I woke up early that morning and turned on the TV around 5 am. I watched as the first plane hit the World Trade Center. And then the second plane hit. It barely registered in my brain that morning because my focus was elsewhere. My son and I were up early to head to his chemotherapy appointment. Even as we were sitting in the hospital waiting area, all the TV's were showing the horror of the attack, it all seemed surreal. My reality was that my son was fighting for his health and life! Cancer was our biggest enemy that day and continued to be for the months that followed.

So, today I will pause and remember how life changed for this country 10 years ago, but my heart still remembers the stress, fear and sadness I felt while my son was fighting cancer. Today I am most thankful that 10 years later, our son is happy and healthy, and living life to its fullest level. Believe me, you have no idea how true that statement is!

Ten years cancer free!

To all of those who have lived the past 10 years without their fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, husbands, wives, sons, daughters and loved ones, we are all thinking of you today and remembering your pain and loss. 

We will never forget!

Happy Labor Day!

Was that a fast summer or what?! 

It has been a very busy at our house this summer!

Enjoy the holiday today! 

Sadly, it is the last "official" holiday until Thanksgiving!

Labor day always feels like the last day of summer but, the September equinox is on September 23 at 9:04 this year. So, enjoy more picnics and keep those bright white pants and shoes in your closet!

Really enjoy the last 18 days of Summer 2011!

Orange, Cardamom and Almond Granola

 If you like cardamom, you will want to make this granola. It is a very easy and it makes 2-1/2 cups which is a good amount. Sometimes 5 or 6 cups of granola is too much, especially for two people. It bakes on one pan and it bakes for 20 minutes. I enjoy a little granola on my yogurt so this was the perfect amount for me, especially since I am usually the only one in our house that eats granola. 

I used a teaspoon of cardamom in my batch which might be a little to much for most, unless you are a big cardamom fan like me. The other thing I realized in making this granola is; if you only stir it once half way through, you get more granola clusters rather than just individual pieces of oats and nuts. I love my granola crunchy and this was very crunchy. Next time I make this recipe, I plan on using half agave nectar and half honey.

Enjoy!

Easy Chicken Tacos

I have my DVR set to record all episodes of Cook's Country on PBS. When I have the time, I enjoy watching to see the recipes they have developed with better flavor and sometimes with great shortcuts. I often find myself thinking, why didn't I think of that. I guess my answer would have to be, because I don't get paid to spend all my daylight hours in the kitchen! Lucky us! The Cook's Country staff do spend hours in their kitchens reworking recipes and then they pass those recipes on to us. All the benefits without all the extra work.

I recently made Easy Chicken Tacos, a recipe I saw on Cook's Country. They took about 30 minutes to make from start to finish and they were moist and full of flavor. They do have a couple unusual ingredients that might surprise you, but don't let that stop you. They got a good review from my food critics. This is a recipe that I will probably make a couple more times this summer.

The other thing that made these tacos especially good was the tortillas. I might be the last one to know about these, but I just happened to see them in a refrigerated case at Albertsons grocery store one day when I was looking for something else. They were on an end aisle next to the eggs in my store, so good luck finding them in your store if they are new to you too!


They don't look like much when you take them out of their package. They are super thin, a little greenish and don't look like any tortilla that you would want to eat, but never fear, you will.

Heat up a non-stick pan and after 30 seconds on each side they puff up and become oh so soft and tender! You will never want to settle for the pre-cooked tortillas again!

With the chicken tacos, I served tomatoes, avocados, sour cream and a mixture of cheddar and montery jack cheese. I also made Funky Refried Beans and Lori's Mexican Salsa. 

Dear hubby offered his taco for a quick picture

Enjoy!

Finally...Present time!

After what must have felt like forever to Wiley, it was time to open his presents!

2 year-old Ivan did a great job watching Wiley open his presents, but notice Wiley is in the corner with his back to anyone who might want to come and help him unwrap his presents

Wiley didn't waste any time getting his presents open

Daddy crawled over to help

Have you tried to take a toy out of a package lately?

It takes a knife, a screwdriver, strong fingers to untwist 25 metal twisties and about 30 minutes!

Daddy giving Ivan some loves and kisses

Wiley is having a lot of fun and had time to smile for the camera

Daddy needed more tools

Wiley emerged from his corner with a big smile

Ivan ready to catch Natalie in the butterfly net

The birthday fairy brought a new bike

His feet reach the pedals

Yay, he can ride it!

The brakes work!

He's a happy birthday boy! And yes, he got a new helmet to go with the bike! Safety first!

Dear Gramma Barb and Grandpa Mike, I hope it feels like you were at the party! You were missed very much! We love you!