Now I Remember!

What is up with people who ask, “So, what did you do this weekend?” Why do I have to “do” something? Can’t I just slug around the house and call it good? I guess I’m not as annoyed with the question as much as I am with the fact that the question usually reminds me that I have no idea what I did on the weekend.

Angela just asked me this a few minutes ago on the phone. “Where were you yesterday?” Hmmm, that would have been Saturday. Just 24 hours ago. Right, I have no idea. How can my mind have blocked out whatever it was I did just 24 hours ago? Oh! I remember why my brain is suppressing that memory.

It’s because I spent many hours making 12 chicken pot pie recipes for my freezer dinner group. Actually, I only need 6 pot pies for the swap, but I like to make a few extra for myself.

This pot pie recipe is one of my family’s favorites. Everyone eats it, even Isaac. Sometimes I even get requests for seconds. I know! How crazy is that?

I was pretty efficient with my pot pie making yesterday. I spent several hours in with prep work. I cooked and chopped 27 cups of chicken, chopped 4 ½ cups of mushrooms and 4 ½ cups of onions. Oh, and I chopped 2 ¼ cups of parsley too. The fresh parsley really makes this recipe, in my opinion.

After all that prep, I was able to cook up the chicken pot pie, 3 recipes at a time and transfer them, with out spilling thank you very much, to zip lock bags.

Best part of the whole chicken pot pie experience was acquiring the pie crusts. For the swap, I include a double pie crust with each bag of chicken pot pie filling. The Pillsbury pie crusts are normally around $3.50 each so I was thrilled to find them at Winco for 95 cents each. Really, it pretty much made my weekend, now that I’m able to remember all of it.

Do you want slip into a mental coma after your weekend too? Here’s how to make chicken pot pie times twelve:

90 oz. frozen peas and carrots
4 ½ cups chopped onion
4 ½ cups chopped mushroom
2 ¼ cups butter or margarine
3 cups flour
4 ½ tsp salt
2 ¼ tsp sage
1 tsp pepper
18 cups water
6 ¾ cups of milk
9 TB chicken bouillon
27 cups cooked, chopped chicken
2 ¼ cups chopped pimiento
2 ¼ cups chopped parsley

Cook onions and mushrooms in butter until tender. Stir in flour, salt, sage and pepper. Add water, milk and bouillon all at once. Cook and stir until thick and bubbly. Add frozen veggies, chicken, pimiento and parsley. Heat through and transfer to 12 zip top freezer bags. On cooking day, thaw filling, place 1 pie crust in the bottom of a 9 inch pie pan. Place chicken mix in pie dish and top with 2nd crust. Bake in 400 degree oven for 25-30 minutes or until GB and D. (That’s golden brown and delicious for those not infatuated with Alton Brown.)

You will need a super-duper, industrial sized pot to make this whole recipe. If you only have normal sized cookware, just divide this recipe by 9 and it should be enough for one deep dish or two 9 inch pot pies.

Check back tomorrow to read a fascinating post about Pimientos: What Are They and Why do We Need Them in Chicken Pot Pie?

Hope

The post-holiday season has a tendancy to be a little of a let down. If I didn't love the sound of rain pattering on the windows so much, I just might find myself getting a little depressed. If I was depressed, this patch of dirt would be the thing to snap me out of it. Because, in a month, this patch of dirt is going to look like this:

Bonus question: How many bees do you see on the crocuses?

The Race

Jonah and Isaac were playing so nicely upstairs. I could hear them cheer each other on: "You're winning Isaac, good job!" Jonah said. "Yay!" Isaac exclaimed.

I couldn't take it any longer. I had to witness this cute display of brotherly kindness for myself.

As I walked up stairs I could see Isaac and Jonah cheering at the top of the stairs. I didn't see any hot wheels or nerf balls or anything else that could be used in a race. What were they cheering for?

I'll tell you what they were cheering for. Two streams of spit (a.k.a. saliva) were slowing making their way down the staircase railing. Gravity had favored Isaac's spit which was slightly ahead of Jonah's.

"Is that spit?" I asked, my eyes wide.

Jonah quickly erased the "race" with the sleeve of his shirt and said, "not anymore."

Strategy

Things I will do to stop thinking about eating the Häagen Dazs Pomegranate Dark Chocolate ice cream bar in my freezer:

Spoiler Alert! I’m about to give away the ending of this blog post, so if you want to be surprised, stop reading right now and skip down to strategic point number 1.

I’m going to eat the Häagen Dazs Pomegranate Dark Chocolate ice cream bar. I’m going to do very little to keep myself from eating it. I’m even going to keep this post short so I can eat the ice cream bar all the sooner. If you are craving a special treat, feel free to stop reading here and just go and eat it. And enjoy it! I’m sure you deserve it.

Strategic Points

1. I will blog about the Häagen Dazs Pomegranate Dark Chocolate ice cream bar. This will keep me from eating the ice cream bar for approximately 7 minutes.

2. Come up with a complicated strategy to avoid eating the Häagen Dazs Pomegranate Dark Chocolate ice cream bar.

3. Don’t look out the window and watch the rain, stop thinking about how dark and dismal the day is. Don’t think about curling up on the couch with a good book, a blanket and the Häagen Dazs Pomegranate Dark Chocolate ice cream bar.

4. Eat the Häagen Dazs Pomegranate Dark Chocolate ice cream bar to remove temptation.

Missing Gene

I realize this is going to be a huge cop out, like when someone says, "I can't help it," or "it's the kids fault," or "it's just the way I am." Listen up! We all find a way to do the things that are important to us no matter what kind of outside influences come into play, so with that in mind, rather than saying, "I just don't have the card-writing gene," I will say this:

"I just don't have the gene that assigns proper importance and/or urgency to writing and sending cards."

It's completely true and while I realize there is probably a 12 step program out there to help me overcome this genetic disability, I also seem to be missing the gene that makes me feel that a 12 step card writing program would be a good thing to be a part of.

Of course I apologize to all who have to wait by as special events come and go without a glittery Hallmark with my name on it showing up in the mail. I know there are many of you (your names and special occasions are currently haunting me like irritated little ghosts) and I realize that my excuse, even in its reworded form is still lame.

This is how the card writing process goes for me.

If you are lucky, I think of your event a few weeks before it occurs. I realize at this point that I have plenty of time to craft the perfect greeting on a card, find your address, find a stamp, and put it in the mail box. At this point I also realize that I should probably write the event on the calendar as a reminder. I'll be honest and tell you that the calendar reminder usually gets written about 30% of the time.

Yes, I know. I could spend 5 minutes and write out all the special events on the calendar at the BEGINNING of the year. Please don't ask me why I don't do this. That would cause me to have to admit something, 12-step style.

Moving on. Two days before your special event I tell myself, "Oh! Today is the day to write and send the card. (I know what you're thinking and I actually do have cards. I bought a huge box of all-occasion cards at Costco a year ago, thank you very much, and I still have plenty left!) I tell myself that I will get right down to business with the card writing right after I have my raisin bran and quickly change over the laundry...oh, and make my bed too. And the kids beds while I'm at it. And isn't it about time I took a shower? Once in the shower, the hot water pretty much resets my brain and I've completely forgotten about your special event and the thoughtful card that would go with it.

One day before your special event, I look at the calendar and realize that, Holy Cow! I was supposed to write that card yesterday. I realize that now there is absolutely no way the card will get to you on time. I realize that there is hardly any reason for me to embarrass myself by sending a late card, but...BUT...a little voice in my brain reminds me that it's the thought that counts and a card that is one day late will still be appreciated. So, I tell myself there is absolutely no way I'm going to forget to write that card today for crying out loud!

The day of your special event, there is much sorrow and self-loathing as I realize that yet again, I have not written a card. How hard can it be to write a card, I ask myself. I didn't do the card, but I can call! Yes, that is it! I will call. A phone call will be MUCH better than a card, maybe. I just have to find your phone number, after I have my raisin bran...

So you see, my card writing method clearly has some major weaknesses. I know that some of you out there are fabulous card writers. I know because I always receive your cards on my special occasions. Your on-time and even early cards sometimes remind me of my glaring deficiencies in the card writing department, but I try and push those feelings aside to enjoy the mirth with which I'm sure your card was intended.

Now, if you've made it this far into my jibber jabber, I will fill you in on my latest missed special occasion, and it's a big one. My Grandma and Grandpa McDonald are celebrating their 70th anniversary today. 70th!! That's a very special occasion. Evidently it's also my Grandma Atwood's 94th birthday. Now I'm getting information in that it's also Grandpa McDonald's 92nd birthday. It's the TRIFECTA! I've officially become the world's worst card sender AND granddaughter in one fell swoop.

I give everyone permission to not send me cards for a year as punishment. I'm serious...don't send me cards.

A Post of Procrastination

It's cold and dark and wet today. I have several other things I could and should be doing, so naturally, I feel like procrastinating.

One of the things I should be doing is undecorating the Christmas Tree. This is the longest I've gone with a decorated tree post-Christmas. One year we took the tree down the day after Christmas, but that had more to do with the fact that the tree stand had been leaking water for 3 weeks and had completely ruined our floor.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not getting sentimental for the tree. Although it sure is pretty when the lights are on. The main reason the tree has not been taken down is that I'm lazy. Removing the ornaments and taking the tree down would require me to make a trip to the garage and bring in that big, awkward, dusty bin labeled "Christmas Decorations." I would have to remove all the little boxes and then repack them again in puzzle-like fashion so that everything fits just right. I simply don't want to do it.

Instead of taking the tree down or working on dinner or even working on the Relief Society lesson I will be teaching this Sunday, I'm going to blog about the books I read over the holidays. The break is not over and there still might be another book I will read, but I just can't justify massive amounts of time spent reading when I have a tree to take down and a lesson to plan.

Tamar, Mal Peet--Even though I figured out one of the twists at the beginning of the book, this was still a really great read, and that is something considering I don't normally like books that have Nazis in them.

Looking for Alaska, John Green--I finished this last night, didn't think I would love it because I didn't love Abundance of Katherines, but it turns out, I liked this one much better. By the way, this video is partly what made me want to give "Alaska" a shot after not liking "Katherines." I thought it was kind of funny, especially that part about Beowulf.

One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies, Sonya Sones--Since the mother is already dead when the story begins, I didn't find this overly sappy or sentimental at all. Similar plot to Beige.

Bloom, Elizabeth Scott--Fine teen read, not really anything I would have ever related with as a teen myself.

A Crooked Kind of Perfect, Linda Urban--Quite hilarious and even touching. Best use of a Perfectone D-60 organ in any book I've ever read.

Hard Love, Ellen Wittlinger--Quick read, very enjoyable, sad, but in a good way.

Beige, Cecil Castellucci--OK, but too punk rocky for me and since I'd already read the Dead Mother book, it wasn't too much of a surprise. And I found out that Cecil is female, which I didn't know before.

Millicent Min, Girl Genius, Lisa Yee--This actually made me a little depressed. It frustrated me that the main character had so few social skills and was unable to read social situations, but I think the author was going for humor, so I shouldn't feel too bad. Really, a cute book.

Fever, 1793, Laurie Halse Anderson--Enjoyed this because I'd previously read a non-fiction about the Yellow Fever outbreak in Philadelphia in 1793. I don't know if I would have enjoyed it as much with out that background. I would have found it too depressing.

The New Policeman, Kate Thompson--Very Irish with no apologies, but there is a glossary. Good story, kind of confusing for a very long time though. It all comes together in the end.

The Name of This Book is Secret, Pseudonymous Bosch--Great story, exciting, clever set up and narrative voice (good on the reverse psychology) but was kind of bugged when the ending made it very clear a sequel was coming. Sometimes I just want the story to be over.

Ode to Red

You’ve been a good fish Red. You never once complained about your breakfast, but ate it all up like you hadn’t eaten for 24 hours. You kept your fish house clean and never swam around with “organic matter” hanging out of your back end. (Big thank you for that!) You never got in my way in the kitchen, even when I spent all day cooking for the big family get together. You didn’t even mind when I piled up all the ingredients for baked beans right next to your tank. Most of all, thank you for never puffing up at me, which I’m told you do to people you don’t like. I think I can say with confidence, we have become friends.

(We have been fish-sitting for the last 2 weeks and will send “Red” back to his family in a day or two.)