In the Kitchen Again

Sometimes I just amaze myself. I do that quite often, in fact, but not always in a good way. Like the time I drove home from Waycross, GA, and went the wrong direction (I went east and was supposed to be going west) and didn't realize it 'til I saw the sign for the beach. It was a long drive home. This time you're in luck, it's in a good way.

I roasted two chickens last night, using Emeril's recipe, with rosemary and green onions from my garden. I didn't make the gravy to go with it, because I didn't want to open a new bottle of wine. I'm obviously not a big wine drinker, am I? I know people who are just begging for a reason to break into a bottle :) In case none of that made sense, the gravy recipe called for 1 cup of dry white wine. Sorry, I do ramble, don't I?

The chickens were fantastic, but way too much for just two people. Don't worry, I knew that ahead of time. I had a plan.
I had my chicken-picker husband clean the meat off the carcasses after we finished eating, and I made some Curry/Honey/Slivered Almond Chicken Salad. It's my sister's recipe, with a few of my own ideas added in. I didn't measure anything, but here's what you need to put in it:
1. cooked cut up chicken, cooled
2. mayo
3. honey
4. salt and pepper
5. curry
6. chopped up apples (I think I used 3 Rome apples)
7. golden raisins
8. slivered almonds
Stir it all up, chill and serve on lettuce leaves from your garden or croissants from the Piggly Wiggly. Naw, not really. I got the croissants at Wal-Mart.

I took some to my spinning meeting today, and it went over well. No one threw up or died while I was there, so I took that as a good sign.

I've been meaning to use some of the swiss chard in my garden before it goes bad or something, so I bit the bullet and cut some tonight. I had read some reports of how bitter swiss chard is, so I was a bit freaked out. I tasted one of the leaves raw, and it seemed very mild and perfectly wonderful. I have the type that does NOT have red stalks, so maybe that makes a difference. I put some olive oil in a pan, added 3 cloves of minced garlic, and some of the cooked, cubed chicken. I sauteed that quickly, and then added the large handful of swiss chard and some crushed red pepper. Oh, and some salt and pepper. I wish I had added more swiss chard, because it tends to wilt down quite a bit. To quote my Facebook friends, OMG. It was fantastic! The chard was mild, and the flavor of the chicken and the garlic with it was wonderful. So don't be afraid, go pick yourself some swiss chard and chow down! Sadly enough, I didn't take a picture of it before I ate it (I was hungry, for heaven's sake!) and I was sure I could find one online. No such luck. I just know my husband is going to bitch about my garlicky odor tonight, even after I brush my teeth. Tough.

Before I forget, here's the link to the pillowcase dress pattern I used. I made another one this weekend without the armhole binding, to see if it would be easier for my beginning sewers. Hmmm, not sure which one I prefer. I'll probably go with the one without the binding, so it doesn't discourage them too much. Gee, I really don't have much faith in them, do I? I don't know why, because they blew me out of the water when we made the tote bags.

Okay, time to go watch Holmes on Homes. Be still my beating power tools.