Easy Chicken & Rice

When I was working, one of my favorite mid-week suppers was Roasted Chicken from the grocery store next to my office, and a salad. At $4.99, it was something affordable, quick and easy and good for you, so I would grab one at least twice a month. But because it is just the two of us, I always had leftover chicken I had to figure out how to use. Of course, being German by nature, Chicken Soup was one of those ways to use the leftovers; Chicken Salad was another. And I promise to share those Quick and Easy recipes at some point. But here is my recipe for

Quick and Easy Chicken and Rice

1 box of Farmhouse Butter and Herb Long Grain and Wild Rice

1/2 chopped onion

3 stalks of celery, chopped

1-2 cups leftover cooked chicken, chopped

2 Tbsp butter

2 cups water

In a large, non-stick frying pan, that has a lid that fits tightly, melt the butter on medium heat. Add the chopped onion and celery and saute until the vegetables are translucent. Then add the rice out of the box, and saute for a bit as well. Finally, add the chicken, sprinkle with the seasoning from the box of rice, mix and cover with 2 cups of water. Bring this to a slow boil, turn down the heat to low, and cover. Cook for about 35 minutes, until the water is absorbed. To keep the mixture from becoming sticky, do not stir. After 35 minutes, check to see if the water is gone by making a hole in the middle of the rice with a wooden spoon handle. If there is still a little water, cover again and cook another 5 minutes (you just do not want it to be soupy). And that's it. Delicious Chicken and Rice.

Of course, you can add other vegetables. You can double the recipe. You can use chopped fresh chicken breast...experiment and make it your own...Happy Eating!

Happy Birthday to me!

It's my birthday today, so I get to say what I want. Needless to say, that will invariably consist of cussing, so if that offends you, skip this!

Now, I am a pretty straightforward, person. I know what I like and what I think about everything I have ever encountered...perhaps not immediately, but within a very short time of encountering something unknown to me. Given new information, with time, I happily change my mind (no matter what anyone may tell you) --although it certainly must make sense! Most people know or suspect this about me. I get asked direct questions all of the time. But in addition to being very straightforward, I am also very private. I long to say, "None of your god-damned business!"....But I do not. I say things like, "Well...I'm not sure how I feel about that", or, "Well, there are various ways of looking at that", or I just change the subject to something much more likely to be of interest than the subject of Me.

There is very little that pisses me off more than my asking someone what they want, "What do you want for dinner? Where do you want to go? What sheets do you want to put on the bed? Who do you want to invite?".....Straightforward, simple questions....and not getting a straight answer. How hard can it be? Well, from what I encounter, it is somewhat impossible for most people I know to be able to say what they want when asked. Is it because they are afraid I will disapprove of what they want? Is it because their life is so full of stress that they want me to make their decisions for them? Is it because they don't give a damn? Under almost all circumstances, I have no answer to this. And it pisses me off! How can a grown person not know what they want? I tell you what--ask a two year old! Trust me-- they will tell you what they want!

But when I ask somebody what they want, and they answer, "I don't care...whatever you want", let me just answer, this one time, on my birthday, just for you wishy-washy people, who do not seem to know me after all these years...this is what I FUCKING WANT!!!...

I want a to be sitting in a cushy chaise lounge, on a fucking tropical beach, hearing nothing but the soft sound of waves lapping on the shore. About once an hour, I want a dark, handsome 30-ish year old man, wearing only a pair of low-slung dungarees, rolled up at the ankles, to appear out of nowhere and walk towards me. Once he is very near, looking me straight in the eyes with his limpid brown eyes, I want him to bend and whisper so only I hear, "Another Margarita, mi Reina?"

And that, my darlings, is whatever I Fucking Want!!!

Raspberry Turnovers

When I was a little girl, Mama used to make cinnamon crusts for Daddy with her leftover piecrust pieces by sprinkling sugar and cinnamon on the unbaked crusts and then toasting them in the oven.

Larry does not care for cinnamon, so one

baking day I took a glass and used it to cut out rounds of dough. Then I put in a spoonful of raspberry jam on each round (I have since discovered that this works best when the jam is still frozen). I prick a few sets of holes on the "top" with a fork, fold

the dough over and pinch the edges with the fork, place them on a greased cookie sheet, sprinkle them all with sugar, and bake them for about 15 minutes, at 400 degrees. As you can see, they tend to split and even leak a bit of jam during baking. But this does not stop them from being delicious. This is his very most favorite baked treat!