The Chicken Story

Today I marinated a whole chicken all by myself! (While this may seem like no big deal to you seasoned cooks, this is a HUGE deal to me!) Here is the back story....

My boyfriend decided a few months ago that owning a rotisserie would be the best thing since sliced bread. He has been on the hunt for one ever since...which means that I have been dragged into the hunt as well. Earlier this week, he called me to share his happiness over the rotisserie he picked up on Craigslist for a mere $25. I was then required to stop by his house Thursday afternoon to coo over this appliance. I've never cooed over an appliance in my life! And no, I did not coo. Instead, I watched him coo and smiled like a good girlfriend. I then received my marching orders for the weekend. (Did I mention this man is a Marine?) My job was to head to Vons to purchase a whole chicken (on sale), prepare, and marinade it. When he comes home on Sunday night, he is bringing the glorious rotisserie to my house for the chicken.

Today I did the deed. I went to Vons and because it was such a good deal, I purchased not 1 but 2 of these chickens. I was thinking ahead. We could cook one and freeze the other! I was very pleased with my foresight.

Things were going good until I opened the chicken up and looked inside. Crap! What the heck is this stuff and what do I do with it? The only thing to do was to call my mom. So I called her. Of course she asked, "What possessed you to buy a whole chicken?" So I re-told her the story of the rotisserie (It's not like I didn't tell her about it last night or anything!) She informed me that I had to stick my hand in and pull out the neck, heart, and other wonderful surprises. So while still on the phone with her, I stuck my hand in and pulled (and squealed). It was the grossest thing I have ever done (surprisingly, kid vomit is no big deal to me but this is). The insides felt smooth, cold, and squishy. Weirdest combination ever! My mother laughed and said, "I wish I could've seen your face!" Did I fail to mention that my cat, Harry, was sitting quietly watching me and looking very confused? Needless to say, I was so relieved when it was all over. I thanked my mom (who was still laughing) and hung up. Then...I turned the chicken over. CRAP!!! To my sheer horror the neck was still attached. I tried tugging at it but it wouldn't budge. So...I called mom again. She answered with, "Let me guess, the neck is still attached?" "Yes, what do I do? It's not coming off!" I said. She told me to cut it off and that this is exactly the reason why she NEVER cooks a whole chicken.  She also said that I better tell my boyfriend to prep his own chickens from now on.  I fully agree with this.

The marinade part was simple. I put some pepper, garlic salt, marinade, and orange peel. I hope he likes it and appreciates my ordeal! It is soaking up the juices in the fridge and should be delicious tomorrow when he takes over. That my friends is a wrap! 

Welcome 2012!

Hooray for 2012! Here's to a year full of possibility. I was so glad to see 2011 come to an end. I am praying that good things will come my way professionally. 2011 was a year filled with highs and lows for myself and my boyfriend. And while it was a challenging year professionally, I think it has really opened my eyes to things I love most. What really surprised me was how I learned to live more in the moment. While I do dream about having a house and a family, I think I learned how to appreciate more the things I do have. For example, a loving and supportive family, boyfriend, and friends. A roof over my head and pets who love me no matter what. And I discovered a new side of myself that is more domestic goddess than I ever knew I had in myself. It's truly amazing the things you learn to appreciate when you are on a budget. I am not one to make New Year's resolutions, ever. Primarily because I am terrible at keeping them. So my goals for this year are to be more positive and open, especially to change. Happy days are ahead!

2nd, 3rd, and 6th grade oh my!

I'm back! I know I said I would post more often and that I would let you know how the Crock Pot Enchiladas were...things have been busy. The enchiladas were delicious and pretty close to my mom's (She still won't give me the exact recipe). You can find the recipe at www.crockpot365.blogspot.com . It's a blog by Stephanie O'Dea. She decided to use her Crock Pot EVERY SINGLE day during 2008 and did not repeat any recipes! If you click on Jan. 9-Enchilada Casserole you will find her recipe. I highly recommend it!

So what have I been up to lately? Still on the job search track. Since my long-term 2nd grade sub job ended, I have been doing Language Arts and Math Intervention. It's been interesting. I feel like the hermit crab from Eric Carle's A House for Hermit Crab every day because I now take a black rolling cart everywhere I go. Luckily, one of the 2nd grade teachers has been gracious enough to allow me to stash it in her classroom during my lunch break and assemblies. My day currently consists of a small group of 3rd grade Language Arts in the morning followed by some 6th grade math. Then I move on to 2nd grade where I do another Language Arts group focused on High Frequency Words and Fluency. Then I get lunch. After that, I head back to 6th grade math for an hour then I turn around and head back to 2nd grade. This time I work with a group of 8 students on comprehension and standards. I end the day by working with another group of 6th graders focusing on Multiplication skills. Craziness!

My 2nd grade and 3rd grade groups are my favorite. They are always happy to see me and we have fun during our short time together. Sixth grade has been a little more challenging. I have to remember what proportions are and probability and when to subtract or add with positive and negative integers! It's been quite some time since I had to do those things. Luckily, I do have a copy of the teachers edition so I can study it during my down time. And thank goodness for You Tube! I've found some very helpful videos of how to explain GCF (greatest common factor).

My how things have changed since I was in 6th grade!

The Crock Pot

Today I am attempting to use the Crock Pot by myself for the second time. Hoping the food doesn't burn this time! For those of you who are adept at cooking, you are probably wondering, "What's the big deal?" For me, this is a big deal. Actually, I am always surprised EVERY single time that I cook and it is not only edible but also delicious. This is because up until about a year ago, I barely used my kitchen. I am an Undomestic Goddess.

When I was growing up, my mom cooked. I did my homework, went to ballet, played piano, read many wonderful books and never once picked up on much of anything she prepared in the kitchen. My mom made dinner basically every night. Then I went to college and basically lived off cereal and McDonald's Happy Meals until about age 30. That's when things changed.

First of all, my roommate and best friend was a fantastic cook! When she wasn't around, I forged for food-cereal and Baker's. I had been dating my boyfriend for about 6 months by then. He is a fantastic cook! He was astounded that when he asked me to chop something up or buy some meat at the grocery store I gave him blank stares. He was amazed that this woman who went to college and had a Master's degree knew absolutely nothing about cooking.  That was when the cooking lessons began and soon, I had prepped my first lobster to be barbecued all by myself. I now own several cookbooks and cooking magazines that I actually use. I have a fridge full of ingredients to make delicious meals with.

But still, I have to go shopping for meat with him because I don't know what all the different cuts are or exactly how to use them. And then there's the Crock Pot!

My boyfriend has made many delicious recipes in the Crock Pot and it all looks so easy. So, about a week ago, I decided I would give it a try. I was going to make pulled pork sandwiches. It seemed so easy. Threw in the pork. Threw in the BBQ sauce. Set it on low and headed out the door to work. When I came home I was in disbelief! It was ALL burned!!! I still don't know what went wrong. I followed all the steps. Needless to say, I threw it away and we had hamburgers for dinner.

Tonight I am making enchiladas in the Crock Pot. I will let you know how it goes!

The Pulled Pork Catastrophe

Redirecting

I am redirecting this blog. It is true, things are very dismal in the education profession right now. Not much has changed with my work situation right now. So I am redirecting this blog for my mental well-being. While things basically are crappy professionally, on other fronts...they are great!

I'm going to start writing about the other aspects of my life. Those topics will include the garden my boyfriend started on my apartment balcony that was supposed to be small but has since morphed into a jungle, picking up my crochet hook again to make some Christmas gifts made with love, and new found ability to cook. There are other things happening in my life that it is time to be thankful for and share.

So watch for a new and improved blog dear friends! Happy Monday!