Do I or do I not turn on the heat? This was a question lots of us faced this past weekend. For many of you who know me, my son reflected it best on Friday night when he asked, "Mom, do we have gas?"
Last year, during a fall cold snap that coincided with my birthday, I was blessed to have a leaking gas line that was tagged and turned off by our utility company. Unfortunately, I was also without funds to fix it. So for about a month last November, Ryan and I snuggled up with our space heaters, worried about our new kitten and older cat, and tried to raise the money to have our gas line replaced, our basement lines replaced, and our stove, water .heater and furnace restarted. Sometimes, we're blessed with wonderful patient people in our lives. In our case, Ray Miller's Gas Line Replacement Company was our savior--he was reasonable, patient, and checked on us when the fall rains poured down and the temperatures dropped. To my Pittsburgh friends, if you need to replace a gas line, this is the guy to call:412-537-9497. No one will beat him for honest pricing, neat and clean work, and kindness. In my case, he even disconnected all of the gas lines that had been connected to ancient heaters and gas lights in every room of my house. The mere fact that we did not blow up is a miracle.
But, I am being realistic here. I need to move. I need to sell this barn to a flipper who will put the money and energy into bringing the place up to what it needs to be in the 21st century, not the 19th when it was built.
On the weekends, I tend to cook one pot meals or a large cut of meat that will allow Ryan and I to slice and dice servings over the week until it is gone.
A favorite of mine is a frozen turkey breast---bone in or boneless, these are bargains and could not be easier to prepare in a crock pot. A six pound bone in breast will fit in 4 quart crock pot. I pull off the wrapper and dislodge the gravy packet under cold running water and the simply place the meat in the crock set on high for about 4 to 5 hours. If I start it earlier, I can set the cooker on low. An onion sliced in the bottom of the pot is optional as are seasonings. There is plenty of liquid in a frozen turkey breast that will keep the bird moist. It will NOT brown--so don't expect to make a Thanksgiving presentation. On the other hand, you will have plenty of breast meat to pull off the bones, slice for sandwiches, dice for salads, and chunk for turkey pot pie. Which leads me to:
TURKEY POT PIE with BISCUIT CRUST
Leftover turkey breast meat--about 3 cups--chunked
4 carrots, peeled and sliced
3 stalks celery, sliced
3 medium potatoes, peeled and chunked into bite size pieces
1 chopped onion
1 cup frozen peas
5 T butter or margarine
5 T flour
3 cups milk
salt, pepper and parsley
In a saucepan, cover the carrots, celery, potatoes and onion with water. Bring to a boil and simmer until the potatoes and carrots are able to be pierced with a fork. Drain and then pour the vegetables into a 2 quart casserole dish or a 9 x 13 glass dish. Sprinkle the peas over top
Layer the turkey meat over the vegetables.
Melt the butter in a saucepan, stir in the flour and slowly add the milk, stirring to eliminate any lumps. After the milk is stirred in, add salt, pepper and parsley and bring to a boil. White sauce must cook at the boiling point for a minute to remove the raw flour taste. Stir it to keep it from scorching the pot.
Pour the sauce over the turkey and vegetables.
BISCUITS (courtesy of the Fannie Farmer Cookbook):
2 cups flour
1 T sugar
4 t. baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 t salt
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
2/3 cup milk
Stir together the dry ingredients in a deep mixing bowl, Cut the shortening into the dry mix with a pastry blender or two knives--working the knives in a criss-cross pattern through the mix. The goal is to distribute the shortening throughout the flour mixture so that it resembles dry crumbs.
Stir in the milk with a fork. Turn out onto a floured counter (I used a flexible cutting board sheet) and knead about 4 times. Flatten the ball of dough into a circle about 1/2 inch thick. Cut biscuits with a cutter or a glass dipped in flour (I used a stemless wine glass). I got 9 biscuits from this recipe. My final one was made of the scraps gently pulled together and shaped to resemble the rest.
Place the biscuits over the top of the casserole and then bake in a 425 degree oven for 20 minutes. the biscuits will be brown, the sauce bubbly, and turkey and vegetables cooked through. Perfect!
In our house, a pot pie may last a few days (without the crust, this one reheats and freezes beautifully). I was planning to do something with an odd package of boneless chicken I had in the freezer that was composed of both breast and thigh meat. At first, I thought pulled chicken--maybe southwest style for tacos or burritos or soup. But then, I recalled Ryan requesting chicken gumbo and buying frozen sliced okra to accommodate him. And so,
CHICKEN GUMBO SOUP (OR STOUP WITH A NOD TO RACHEL RAY)
1 1/2 lbs of boneless chicken, cut into bite sized pieces. (I thawed mine in the microwave and just sliced the partially frozen meat. It finished thawing and came into bits in the pot)
1 quart of chicken stock--from a box, a can, or 4 cups of water mixed with chicken soup base
1 15 oz can of diced tomatoes plus one can of water
1 chopped onion
1 chopped green or red pepper
2 cups of frozen sliced okra
2 t dried basil leaves
Bring all to a boil and simmer until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender.
Add 1/3 to 1/2 cup of raw rice and stir. If the liquid in the pot has reduced, add more water, the rice will absorb the liquid and make the soup very thick (thus the term STOUP). Salt and pepper to taste, but keep in mind the salt in your prepared stock as you add it.
I tasted this on Sunday, had it for dinner on Monday, and am thinking about it as I write. Spicy, flavorful, and thick--the rice continues to absorb liquid. You can always add more chicken stock or water if too thick. On Monday, I scooped a serving into a soup mug, added just a couple tablespoons of water and microwaved for 2 minutes, stirring halfway through. So Good!
So, I've turned the heat back off and opened two windows. Looks like we're not ready for the deep freeze yet. However, a hoodie, some socks and a hot meal are calling me. . .
Whiskey Nights by Fabiola Francisco
