Category Archives: General
What Would Betsy Do?
Dear fellow readers of Betsy’s Blog:
Do you ever find yourself mentally writing a blog entry as you try out a new recipe? Or purchase an unfamiliar ingredient at the local farmer’s market? Or just think “What Would Betsy Do?”
As a frequent reader of Betsy’s awesome site, I confess that I have started an internal monologue around meal preparation that sounds an awful lot like Betsy’s postings. Has she infiltrated my psyche? Am I alone – or has this phenomenon happened to you as well? I mentioned this to Betsy last week – hoping that speaking to her in the physical world would remove her voice from my head (at least temporarily!) and she suggested that I write a guest blog about my experiences this week. So here goes…
Dinner for 28
Last night it was our turn to host a varsity boys’ high school team dinner – 28 ravenous 17 and 18 year old boys, coming directly from practice. The challenges included preparatory (how far in advance can I purchase ingredients? Where will I store them?), logistical (where will they all sit? How many canisters of Febreeze will it take to recover my new-furniture scent?) and of course, culinary.
The decision to include a grill component to the menu was an easy one – we set up two grills, with my husband and his friend acting as grill masters, and fired up the traditional burgers and dogs. Luckily the weather cooperated, so in addition to rain-free cooking, we were able to seat all the boys outside on the deck with the help of many borrowed white resin chairs.
The final challenge was timing – having most of the food ready the moment the boys arrived from practice, which would be sometime in a 45 minute window. I decided on a two-fold approach – lasagnas cooked and warming in the oven served double duty as an immediately-available food source as well as vegetarian option. And, as it turned out, the simplest and by far most popular dish – bbq style pulled chicken.
I started the slow cooker at 6:30 am, and let it cook on low heat all day. The boys couldn’t eat them fast enough – the sliders disappeared before the serving trays hit the table. At the next day’s game, the parents confirmed my suspicions – the boys all raved about the dinner, and several moms asked for this recipe.
I hope you enjoy this simple dish – I know it will become a staple at our house.
Very Simple Pulled Chicken
4 – 6 pounds boneless chicken (combination of white and dark meat pieces)
40 ounces Barbecue Sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray’s Award Winning Barbecue Sauce)
2 chopped onions
Coat the bottom of the slow cooker with non-stick spray.
Place in chicken and onions.
Cover generously with barbecue sauce.
Set slow cooker on low heat for 6 – 10 hours (the longer the better!)
Before serving, separate chicken pieces with a fork to get that nice shredded consistency. Serve hot on small rolls (my family prefers Slider style).
Just an Ordinary Week
It was an ordinary week. It started with a relaxing weekend in Maine. We got started on garden cleanup there. The weather was sunny, though crisp. We had a good day on Saturday and planned to spend most of Sunday there.
Unfortunately, Bella foiled those plans by rolling in something dead during her early morning walk with Howard. Howard woke me at ten minutes before 7 on Sunday morning, with a plea for help in cleaning her up. She reeked. I managed to clean her up enough that we could bear to spend 2 hours in the car with her on the ride home.
We drove straight to Laundromutt (my favorite pet-related business). It’s a self-serve dog wash. You bring the dog. They provide the tub, the shampoo, the hose that mixes the suds, the chamois and the towel. Most importantly, they clean up afterwards! They recommended a special citrus shampoo to help cut her odor. It worked, mostly.
The high point of the week was the kickoff of Boot Camp for the season. Last year, from April until November, I went to a local field twice a week at 6 am, rain or shine, where I exercised for an hour with 25 other women, led by a retired PE teacher. It was awesome.
It started again on Tuesday. We run, we skip, we jump rope, we do pushups, we lift weights, we move in many different ways for a solid hour. I love it just as much this year as last, despite some sore muscles this week.
The low point of the week was my mother’s birthday on Wednesday. It would have been her 71st birthday. I still miss her after the almost 3 years she has been gone. I know she lives on in my sisters and me. We still keep her close to our hearts. Plus, she would be happy that my sisters and I remain close, talking to each other often and seeing each other as often as geography allows.
Cooking this week had its ups and downs, more than its share of disappointing or run-of-the-mill recipes. The best was an impromptu chili. We had thawed ground beef from Codman Farm for hamburgers. At dinnertime, it was raining. There was no way that Howard was going to start the charcoal in the rain.
I took a container of my trusty tomatillo sauce from the freezer and a can of beans from the shelf, combined with the ground beef. I served it over quinoa. It was appropriately hearty for the chilly turn of weather we saw this week.
Spontaneous Tomatillo Chili
Serves 4 to 6
1 Tbsp canola oil
1 onion, chopped
1 lb ground beef
1 tsp chili powder (I used hot New Mexican green chili)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano (preferably Mexican, which you can get at Penzey’s)
3 cups tomatillo sauce (see recipe in this post)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
Chopped cilantro
In a large skillet, heat the oil Saute the onions until tender. Add the ground beef and cook until browned. When it is mostly browned, add spices and mix in well. (If the meat is fatty, drain off any excess fat after the meat has browned.)
In a large soup pot, combine the tomatillo sauce, the meat, and the beans. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for at least 10 minutes for flavors to combine. Stir in a handful of chopped cilantro.
Serve over cooked quinoa (or rice)
A Plateful of Happiness 