Grandma Hamel at Christmas 2009
Luckily for me my Aunt Annette does and it sounded pretty easy.
So last Friday night, while I was flying solo for the weekend, I headed over to Publix to stock up. The same situation that always happens when I'm solo in the meat department of course happened...but I’m getting better at getting in and out. I scoped out the chicken and grabbed a large package of "Hind Quarters" with the intent on making it like grandma would have. After I got home I figured why not just put it in the fridge-I'll make it sometime in the next couple of days, it will be fine.
Fast forward to Monday night, Adam & I are at our friends house on Treasure Island for one last dinner before they head back to Switzerland and I ask
"How long can chicken stay in the fridge?" I tell them I bought it Friday.
"OH! you need to cook that!" they all say.
hmmm Ok.... Well I guess I'll have to make it for tomorrow night.
Tuesday, Adam, after leaving for work at 4:30 A.M., informs me he's working late.
"The truck leaves at 11p.m. so I should be home by midnight."
He also asks what our plans are for the weekend....Trick question I can feel it....
"N O T H I N G...." I say.
"Well they want me to go to Seattle on Thursday for five days."
Humph. "Ok," I say, "That's fine" It's work, extra money and sounds to me like if they like him enough to take on a trip he should stay on their good side.
So back to my chicken...
I look at the chicken package sitting in our fridge....
Sell By: JUNE 16
I didn't really feel like cooking a big meal and sitting down to eat it all myself and it was ONLY the 15th...so I decide-I'll do it tomorrow.
Around 11:30 Adam calls-I'm assuming he's leaving work.
"We're not close to being done-we're going to work all night"
Huh??
"ummmm I thought the truck left at 11?"
"Nope, I guess it tomorrow at 3pm."
"Ok I say, be careful."
I wake up a 4:30 am (24 hours AFTER Adam left for work) and his side of the bed is empty.
I wake up at 7 am and call him.
"Still working away! I'm not tired-as long as I stay busy", he informs me.
(I'm tired just talking to him)
"Well be CAREFULL!"
(Adam doesn't have health insurance, Adam works with power tools.)
I go to work and keep waiting to hear that my husband is going home.
5:30 pm I leave work...so does Adam-36 hours AFTER he got to work.
"You must be exhausted" I say
"I'm alright" he says as he sits down on the brown couch after his shower.
I head into the kitchen and get out all my stuff for dinner and inform him I'm going to make a Yummy dinner for him and why doesn't he go rest-I'll wake you up when it's time to eat.
I rinsed the chicken, dried it off and rolled it in flour.
Now-I am supposed to do this in a Dutch Oven. I don't have a Dutch Oven, A. Annette informed that I REALLY need one, but what am I to do.
I have a 13" deep fry pan that can go from stove to its permanent house in the oven-so of course that's what I'll use. I LOVE that pan.
The chicken goes in the pan (which has Crisco melted in it) and I brown it, then cover and stick it in the oven at 325 for "about an hour". I look lovingly at my husband sleeping....and begin to make my ceviche for book club the next night. (Which I promise to blog about at some point)
After I've watched the miracle of shrimp being cooked by Lime juice! I move on with the rest of my dinner; Mashed Potatoes and Cauliflower.
DING!! Dinners done-Smells phenomenal-Tables set, and I'm starved.
"Adam, honey time to wake up. You want to eat?" (FYI he's moved onto the guest bed)
"Hmmm"
"Adam, get up, I made dinner and it smells so good"
"hmmm"
I look at him and feel so bad for waking him up....but I just made this great dinner and he's leaving for 5 days in the morning!!
"Adam, come on get up you have to eat"
"hmmmmmmm" and he rolls over like a 3 year old and buries his face in the pillow.
So I admit my defeat and quietly close the door behind me and take my place at the table.
I look down at my plate and a voice from my past comes flooding into my head:
"You have to make it Pretty "
Granny.
Sitting on my white dishes is white chicken, mashed potatoes, white gravy and cauliflower! It is the furthest thing from a pretty plate.
Always, always, always have some color in your food-"It makes the plate Pretty"
Oh I can hear the way she said "pretty"
It sounded Italic.
There I sat, alone at my table, yet BOTH of my grandmothers very present.
I smiled as I shook my head, you should have known better Stephanie-always make it pretty.
So I did the next best thing.
I grabbed my glass of Red wine and moved it really close to my plate.
There.
Pretty.
Adam did get up and eat around 10-then fell quickly asleep afterward. He is now in Seattle and I'm preparing for my second weekend solo...only this time my girlfriends are away too. So it's just me, my sewing machine and two very lovey dovey dogs.
Happy Friday.
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