Oy. I’ve been putting off grocery shopping all week, trying to avoid having to take both kids at the same time. Really, I could take them both and it’d be okay. I’d want to come home and drink heavily, but I could do it. I just dreeeeeaaaaad it. Anyway, we’re getting so low on things – I really just need to suck it up and do it.
As usual, I’m having trouble coming up with menu ideas. We usually get ourselves in ruts, where we feel like we’re eating the same things all the time. At one point I tried to come up with a “meal database” spreadsheet where I listed meals, their approx cost, their preparation time and level of ease, and then rated each. I got a good start on it and kept it up for several weeks, but let it die and now it’s terribly out of date. Too much work. I need to do something simple like a recipe box and index cards I guess.
So I need a chicken meal idea. Doesn’t necessarily need to be really easy or inexpensive. Just good. Got anything to share?
On to other news – today is the last weekday of Jag’s winter break! I don’t know if I’m happy or sad. He’s already complaining that he doesn’t want to go back. I wish he hadn’t already picked up the anti-school attitude. He’s got a long road ahead, it sure would be easier if he had a brighter outlook on it. I’ve been trying to encourage him to enjoy school, but he says the schoolwork is boring and the only parts of the day he enjoys is recess and his once-a-week music class (he’s been asking a lot of questions about Mozart lately – he’s really into learning about historical figures). I’m not sure what to do about that, honestly. Part of me wonders if I should be homeschooling him to keep him challenged, but that is such a huge task to take on. I’m not sure I’m cut out for it. I just don’t know… 
Anyway – hopefully we won’t hear too much whining this weekend about school starting back on Monday and we’ll be able to enjoy ourselves. I’ve definitely decided on the dark strawberry pink for Kat’s room, so I hope to get that paint and some white paint for her dresser so I can get started on that. I also think I may have found some bedding that will work in our master, I hope to double check with the paint chip and then make that purchase. It’ll be good to have a pretty bed again! I haven’t had anything but random quilts and white sheets on the bed since Jag sprayed my wheat-colored damask duvet cover with bleach cleaner 2 years ago. Little stinker!
(I’ve been rambling on about decor type stuff for a number of entries now – how boring!)
Oh, something interesting (to me!)… I was taking the tree down last night and found a lizard living in the star on top! Poor little guy was so dehydrated and weak. I waited for Jason to get home to remove him, but it was too cold to put him back outside so we put him in Jag’s little terrarium to keep him inside until it warms up this weekend. We put a little water in last night and put him under the under-cabinet lighting in the kitchen to warm him up a bit and he looks so much better this morning. The kids are having fun watching him.
Chicken picatta is my go-to chicken recipe because *everyone* will eat it. Monterey chicken is good too (basically, season and bake chicken with BBQ sauce until it’s done, then top with crumbled bacon and cheese, stick back in the oven until it melts, garnish w/ chopped scallions). I also sometimes make my own breaded chicken fingers by combinding cornflakes, seasoned breadcrumbs, a bit of oil, and some honey in the food processor, then coating chicken in it and baking. I am the chicken queen, so if you need more ideas let me know!
Comment by Carol — January 4, 2008 @ 11:57 am
Was tag surfing and saw your call for Chicken help…LOL!
I am making chicken right now. No recipe – - just me putting things together. I put 2 Cups of water in the bottom of my slow cooker (if you don’t have one, that is okay – - you can do it in the oven – - the principle is the same – - I will list how I did it in the slow cooker and then give you oven instructions.) and then put in some chicken bullion. I peeled and cut in half, three potatoes (one potato per person) – - then I sliced them very thinly and put them in the slow-cooker. Meanwhile, I put the chicken, breast down in a pot of water and brought to a boil. I also cut up several stalks of celery, one carrot per person and half an onion (you can cut them in whatever style you want – - the smaller the better for best cooking in the crock-pot) – - I put the ends of all veges into the pot to boil with the chicken (give it a little flavor). Once the chicken was partially cooked, I took it out, put a stick of butter in the chest cavity, and placed the chicken, breast down in the crock-pot on top of the sliced potatoes. Then, I placed all of the other veges around it and filled it with the hot chicken stock. I will cook it on high for four hours – - then, on low until we are ready to eat (perhaps 2 to 3 hours).
Again, you can use the same principle in the oven – - If you have an oven bag, do the same thing, except cook at 350 for one hour. If no oven bag – - place in a 9×13 pan, surround with veges, then put about an inch or so of chicken stock in pan at 350 for an hour and a half.
Easy and good.
Comment by jhcckkm — January 4, 2008 @ 2:49 pm
If it’s any consolation, things really step up for children in about 3rd grade. It’s another different ballgame at that time. Then they don’t want to go because they have so much work.
I don’t know if they would do this at RBA, but at VWES (G’s school), they have been sending him a grade ahead for reading and math since Kindergarten. It has to work out from a scheduling standpoint, and unfortunately it didn’t this year, but we are maintaining well by having him in an accelerated math group and encouraging extra reading at home.
Favorite chicken recipe – I have a lot, but one of the easiest things I do is put them in the crock pot with some BBQ sauce and let them go for 3-4 hours. I also have put chicken breasts in the crockpot with a pkg of taco seasoning and a jar of salsa and had chicken fajitas. Easy breezy.
The recipe database thing sounds like a great idea, especially with the cost of food soaring everyday. Maybe a few of us could collaborate on someting like that at some point.
Comment by Allison — January 4, 2008 @ 6:06 pm
I have two for chicken.
The first is chicken breast with Shake n Bake…plain and simple and something Jag could help with (the shaking anyway).
The next one is chicken breast, a can of cream of chicken soup 2 cups of rice and a can of water. Bake all together until the chicken is done and you have a main dish and side dish all in one. You could also do this in a crock pot until the rice and chicken are done.
I applaud anyone that homeschools their children. I’m not cut out for it either. I have a hard enough time getting my child to listen to me to pick up toys. Do you have a library handy that would have a section about Mozart or other historical people? You could do activities on the weekend about who or what you learn about. I would check with his teacher and see if there is anyway that he could “test out” of his current classes and see if he’s ready for a more challenging class.
Comment by Julie — January 6, 2008 @ 3:09 pm