Sunday's Tale

I woke up at 6:30 AM, got a cup of coffee and came in to finish and post yesterday's adventures. I was sitting at the computer when Caley (who has been doing all kinds of stupid things these past few days) jumped up on the little bookcase behind me and knocked over the lamp (she's done this once before, BTW). However this time it didn't fall on its shade, but rather the glass base. So, now I am sitting here, in my slipper socks, surrounded by broken glass!

So, I careful tiptoe through the minefield of glass, go and get the broom and dustpan and come back to sweep the floor. The lamp and shade (which broke off as well) go in the trash and I carefully sweep several times over the same area (I HATE stepping on glass!) I put everything away, come back and sit down in front of the computer when I remembered; I didn't move the small book case! I do, and yep, there are glass slivers there. So, I go back get the broom and dustpan, and do it all over again...

It dawns on me I never finished the vegetable stock story. When it was cool enough last night, I pulled out the pasta drainer and set that in the sink. I put the pot in the fridge for the night. So, this morning (if you are keeping track) I have the crock pot (just soaked it yesterday) several bowls, the stock pot and the pasta insert (now filled with damp vegetable remains) all to clean up.

So, I took out the stock pot and warmed it back up (not to boiling as I don't want to break it down). I got the large strainer and several of my special food-only handkerchiefs and start the slow process of straining it. I ran it through three handkerchiefs when I decided that was as clear as it was gonna get. I tasted it one more time to check seasonings: No, its perfect! It has a rich, earthy flavor without any one of the vegetables being too prominent. And, best of all, there's no "pronounced" tarragon (or any other herb) taste. So, my 12 cups of water and 13 hour simmer/reduction gave me just over 5 cups of stock. That got labeled and went into the freezer. Now its "kitchen clean up time" (so I can make another mess today, lol!)

By the way, its 9:00 AM and the temperature is 7 degrees F. (-14 C.) and we are still getting a light snow (hasn't covered all the grass yet, but its getting there). I called my brother C___ and asked if he was going to see Mom today. He was. So, I asked him to tell her that, rather than drive out today (like I had told her last week), since I have a doctor's appointment in Richmond tomorrow I would stop in to see her on the way and bring her the Blog and more soup. I also asked him to see what she thought of the chicken noodle soup (I am warming the last of that for lunch, BTW) as I still think I went overboard on the tarragon. He said he'd let me know.

I finally figured out where the two oil paintings from Mom would go. So, I put up some nails to hang them on, but before I do, I got the side-cutters and removed the ancient wires in the back and replaced them with new wire. Then I hung them up and took a photo of that office wall. They are safe and secure now, Mom!

I ate lunch (the soup and regular crackers) while reading my first book. After I was done eating, I continued to read in the living room until I finished the book. Now, its time to make some new soup for Mom. I've run through all the old standbys (except for vegetable soup, of course). So I thought I'd try something different: my version of Tomato Barley soup.

I put two tablespoons of canola oil in a small stock pot and added one cup of diced onions, one cup of diced carrots, one cup of diced celery and two teaspoons of minced garlic. I am already disappointed as my onions are diced smaller than the carrots or celery, but I soldier onwards. I saut�ed them on medium heat for ten minutes until all the veggies were almost tender.

Then I added 2 1/2 cups of water, two big Roma tomatoes (seeded and diced - large), one (14.5 ounce) can peeled and petite diced tomatoes with their juice, the equivalent of one (10.75 ounce) can chicken broth (I used chicken stock out of a box, measured), 1/4 cup uncooked barley, a teaspoon of dried basil, a tablespoon of dried parsley, a pinch of salt and 1/8 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper. I stirred it all, and then brought it to a boil. I reduced the heat and simmered it for 40 minutes (or until the barley was tender). Note to hard-core vegetarians: You can still make this; just use vegetable broth, instead. Taste test results: light, fresh tasting, pretty damn good, actually!

I filled one container for Mom and another for myself. Now to move to another item on the To Do list (although I'd really rather just keep reading, lol!) Got a bunch of my kitchen towels and wiped down the cupboards with Formula 409 for the first time since they were painted (I was worried the paint would come off if they weren't fully cured). I threw all the towels in the washer, along with a bath towel and my bathrobe and ran the last wash load of the weekend.

While I was thinking about it, I used the tweezers to get all the lint out of the washtub drain. Then I installed a metal lint sock on the discharge hose (as recommended by Jeremy and Jyl) and a plastic lint catcher on the drain (I had bought them both last week).

Washing up, I am moving to Sunday dinner (and I think its gonna be a good one!) I am making something called "Blissful Rosemary Chicken." Fist I took three boneless, skinless chicken breasts, put each between layers of Saran Wrap and, one at a time, pounded them with my rolling pin to flatten them to about 1/4 inch thick. Then I took three sprigs of fresh Rosemary and, using my paring knife, sharpened the end of them.

Next, I topped each chicken breast with two slices (I had the butcher cut them thin) of domestic proscuitto (Italian ham, Mom, cured but not smoked) and topped that with slices of imported Italian Fontina cheese (it was supposed to be smoked Fontina, but I couldn't find any). Then, I rolled up the chicken breast and skewed it with the Rosemary stem. Next I took a bowl, and whisked together 1/2 cup of white wine, 1/2 cup of chicken stock, 1/4 cup of olive oil and fresh ground pepper. I poured that into a glass medium baking dish. I put the rolled chicken breasts in the dish and put two garlic halves under each breast (see Photos).

I put the dish in the oven, which was preheated to 425 degrees F. and baked them for 25 minutes. Then I took them out to rest and put the sauce in a small sauce pan, brought it up to a boil and let it reduce a tad to pour over the chicken.

Meanwhile, I had taken a recipe that served 8 and cut it in half for my side dish, Turnip Mashed Potatoes. So, here's what I did. I took one large turnip and peeled it. Then I took 6 small redskin potatoes and, leaving the skin on, cut them into quarters. Then I cut up the turnip and tried to get the sizes the same as much as possible. I cooked them in boiling water about 15 minutes (while the chicken was baking).

Once done, I used the electric hand mixer to get them moderately smooth (I like a few lumps, myself). I had warmed up 1/4 cup of whole milk (recipes calls for cream, but I didn't have any) 1/2 stick of butter and 1/4 cup of sour cream. I added it a little bit at a time until I had the consistency I wanted, after seasoning with salt and pepper.

So, I plated a piece of the chicken and a big serving of the turnip mashed potatoes. I poured my reduction over the chicken, sprinkled it with a little sea salt and dug in...

Oh, my! That was GOOD!!!!

After folding the clothes in the dryer, I went back to reading while my dinner settled. Then I went out to clean the kitchen (for the third time today!) But, by 7:00 PM, with the kitchen cleaned, the dishwasher going, and all but two items on the To Do list crossed off, I am quitting for the evening.

I plan on watching my usual Sunday shows and getting to bed early. I am posting this now, so I can print it off and take it to my Mom's first thing in the morning.