crucible of ennui

Summer is grand. And tonight is going to be a highpoint. HP fans… you know what I’m talking about. We’re going to the 12:15 am show tonight/tomorrow am. Peg and I have our tickets and will be at the theater where we see all the HP midnight releases. Yay!!!

Yesterday it was was the beach all day. I gotta tell ya - Mondays at the beach rock. It’s quiet and peaceful. We get there so early and then leave after lunch/before rush hour and cruise back home.

There were even dolphins!!!! A whole bunch of dolphins! And a sea otter playing in the waves for a bit.

All in all a lovely day at the sea shore.

every time I watch this it gets funnier and funnier

ahhh…. it’s finally really and truly summer. But this one is slipping away so quickly. September is just weeks away and Catherine starts school. We went to Chinatown last week for dim sum and parasol shopping. Up to my sister’s for some pool fun and good times. We visit Auntie Christina and go book shopping. I paint her nails her favorite colors and I’m learning how to french braid her hair. There’s just so much going on. It’s wonderful.

I know. It’s been waaay too quiet around here. It’s just this weekend wiped me out. Cat’s 5th birthday party although a success was exhausting (seriously… kill me). That’s what May was… celebrating Cat’s birthday all month long. And sleeping on the sidewalk in front of the school the night before kindergarten applications were due to guarantee Cat’s place… that was lovely. Especially the sprinklers going off at 5am. Just lovely.

Now I’m just tired and looking forward to heading down to Escondido for some pool side summer fun. Roll back the ozone and give me direct sunlight baby.

Cat: Soon I’ll be 5, like the boys.

Me: And then you can conquer them.

Cat: Yeah! ON THE HEAD!!

I love the divinely simple. My chicken pot pie is just that. So stupid easy for the stellar results you get. Seriously. I get requests for these at the holidays and if I have a special dinner planned - this is always an option. I’m amazed every time I make one and am tempted to add some spice or herb, but resist the urge. Why mess with perfection. This recipe can be tweaked according to the preferences of the diners - which is why I rock out loud.

6 tablespoons butter - DO IT
1 cup onions
1/2 cup celery
Salt & Pepper to taste
NOTE: I add in a dash of cayenne pepper to lift it up a bit. It doesn’t even add heat, just flavor…
6 tablespoons flour
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup half and half
2 cups potatoes - mashed, diced, sweet, idaho, red, whatevs.
1 cup peas
1 cup carrots
2 cups chicken (or turkey)
2 tablespoons parsley
1 pie crust - make it easy on yourself; get a Pillsbury one from the fridge case.

Before you start - let’s make this as easy as possible. I like to use those little tiny smasher potatoes. They cook quickly and that’s the point of my cooking. I buy a pre-roasted chicken from the deli. I don’t have time to roast my own chicken… and most of the time it’s cheaper to buy it cooked from the store. Peas and carrots - I buy a bag of frozen diced combined and throw in two cups - easy peasy lemon squeezy. And the pie crust - again, get one from the refrigerator case, the come two to a box (which is important for effect later).

Okies. I like to start in a HUGE m-f’n stainless steel skillet. Melt butter, throw in onions and celery. Note: here is where you can start to customize your recipe. My husband hates celery - I leave it out and throw in a cup of mushrooms. Pretty much the key here is to add the veggies that need to be sautéed a bit.

Add salt and pepper. I use kosher salt and fresh ground pepper cause I’m a cooking snob and look down on table salt and pre-ground pepper (what a bitch). Hate Cayenne? Add some rosemary - I’ve been dying to do this, but the man isn’t too fond of an overpowering rosemary flavor. Maybe sage or thyme… all I’m sayin’ is… add the herb so the flavor can develop while the roux cooks/gets some color. Add that flour and cook on medium stirring when it looks like it needs to be stirred.

The rest goes QUICKLY - so make sure everything is cut and ready to throw in at this point. Whisk in 2 cups chicken stock. It thickens up pretty quickly, so turn the heat down to medium (if it isn’t already). When it gets nice and thick (mmmmm), add in the half and half. Stir until this thickens too.

Once you have soupy perfection - throw the rest of everything in. Potatoes, chicken, veggies, parsley. Stir until all smooth and perfect. Pour into a casserole. I don’t bother with a bottom crust. Bottom crusts are for amateurs who feel they have to make up for something with extra crust. Whatevs.

Unroll one of the crusts and make pretty on top. Cut some vent holes.

EXTRA CREDIT: take a cookie cutter to the other crust and cut out some pretty shapes and lay them on the other crust. It looks like you went to crazy effort and you can play it up.

Serve and bask in the glory.

I’m sure my next door neighbor’s double take this morning had nothing to do with my attire (leggings and punk band tee-shirt sans bra).

I mean really. Who is out gardening at 7:30 on a Sunday morning?

Cat: Mommy, dinner is extra yummy tonight. It feels like it’s giving my tongue kisses.

Okay - I think the sauce recipe I posted earlier wasn’t exactly correct. This time this is exactly how I made it. When I was done I had four 4-gallon bags of sauce to use, freeze or wrestle in.

3 cans of crushed tomatoes. The cans I mean are the HUGE 6lb 6oz cans you buy at a warehouse or Smart & Final.
1 x-large onion. like the size of a newborn head. Dice it up.
4 cloves garlic
1 lb each ground beef and ground pork
2 tbsp each parsley and basil
2 tsp worcester sauce
10 drops tabasco
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Let me just copy and paste the instructions:

If you like mushrooms, decide how much you want in your sauce, then at the very beginning add them to the oil and start browning them just before you add the onions. Remember not to over cook the onions - just till they turn translucent. So - olive oil, onions, garlic - sauté until translucent. Then add the rest of everything, stir and simmer.

If you’re looking to make a meat sauce - decide how heavy a meat sauce you want. I grew up with heavy meat sauces. The kind that held the spoon suspended upright in the pot. This is a great way to use leftover chicken or steak. Before you put your sauce pot on the stove take your meat and begin slicing it very thin with the grain. Then cut it into strips, about 1 inch long and 1/4 inch thick. Place in sauce pot with olive oil and cook until everything just gets done. Then add the rest of the oil, onions and garlic. Then the rest of the ingredients and simmer simmer simmer. Like overnight kinda simmer. I usually start this in the evening so it can become fabulous overnight.

That’s it. And it was perfect.

I took off a Monday early in December and went to Christina’s house to make meatballs. When we were done I think the final count was 180. I used mine for Christmas dinner this year. I made a lasagna and had sauce and meatballs on the side.

Then I rocked out with some mad baking skillz and made Pecan Tassies, Chocolate Chip Cookies, Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, and Russian Tea Cakes.  You know I usually suck at baking, right?  As Nana would say, the worm has turned. Or maybe it was just a Christmas miracle.