Monday (again?)

It was 18 degrees on Monday morning, so I broke out the down-filled coat (again).

I went home at lunch, stopping to get some eggs at the 24-hour Foodland. I ate the last of the fried eggplant.

Back home after work, I took the trashcan out to the road and then came in to treat Caley. She seemed a little miffed that I took so long.

I started the weekend wash, a day late. Then I got busy making my city chicken dinner.

I had the pork and veal chunks threaded on their skewers, so I mixed an egg, 1/4 cup milk, salt and pepper in one of my breading trays. Each skewer went in and got drenched. Then I put them in a baggie with about a cup of saltine crackers, crushed medium.

They exited the baggie and went into the 12 inch skillet and three tablespoons of heated canola oil. I took my time and browned all sides.

Now, this is supposed to be somebody’s Polish grandma’s recipe, but I so didn’t (and don’t) get the next step. You mixed two tablespoons of water with 1 1/2 tablespoons of AP flour and then mixed in 3/4 cup of chicken broth.  You put the city chicken in a glass baking dish and add in the flour/broth mixture. You cover it with foil and bake it for one hour.

The recipe, (which this person was proud to point out was never written down, you just learned it), neglected to mention an oven temp, so I went with 350 degrees F.

While that baked, I made the side dish, “Mock” Garlic Mashed Potatoes. I cleaned, cored and then cut up a medium cauliflower into small pieces. I boiled them for about 8-10 minutes until well done.

Now, here’s the tricky part: You are supposed to drain them well, not let them cool down and pat them very dry between several layers of paper towels. Not all that easy! But, I endeavored to persevere.

I put them into a bowl along with one tablespoon of softened cream cheese, 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese, 1/8 teaspoon of chicken base, 1/8 teaspoon of fresh ground pepper and (here’s where I fncked up) some garlic.

Now, remember the croutons and the garlic-infused oil? As I mentioned, I saved that garlic (hey, you can buy minced garlic in olive oil, so why waste it?) The recipe called for 1/2 teaspoon of garlic and I had about two teaspoons left, so I just used it all.

I used the immersion blender to puree it until almost smooth. I topped it with some frozen chives and plated the dish.

The city chicken was excellent! I was doubtful, as I usually buy the ground, pre-made stuff, but this was seriously good eats!

The mock garlic mashed potatoes were just okay. While real potatoes could have stood up to that much garlic, the milder cauliflower was overcome. It was interesting, though.

I watched a fascinating 2 1/2 hour special on the Smithsonian channel that documented the Hittites and their empire back in 1800 B.C. Then I went to bed.