Chicken Stew and Frozen Carrots

Eating: The annual Sunday night bookclub potluck is tonight (yes, I know it is Saturday - the Super Bowl is apparently tomorrow.  For the past few years, we have avoided the conflict of Super Bowl Sunday by having a Saturday night potluck.  This is now one of our favorite meetings.  Good food, some nice wine, and ongoing laughter mixed with our usual book discussion.)  As host, I am providing dessert and have decided to make cream puffs, both regular and chocolate, and fill them with ice cream and top with hot fudge.  I'll post those recipes next time. 

New dinner recipe for y'all (and for those of you keeping score at home, this is the second new one in January).  I made this one on Monday.  It is a crockpot recipe, so don't try it at the last minute (ask me why we didn't have it on Sunday...).  This recipe came from a Coburn Delivers flyer and has been modified slightly.  Yummy and another one of those "love-it-on-a-cold-snowy-day" recipes, this stew is hearty and filling.  No nutrition info was provided but I am sure it is very good for you - with the heavy whipping cream, what wouldn't be great about that??

Chicken Stew
1 to 1.5# chicken breast, cut into 1-2" pieces
1 t olive oil
28 oz Pot Roast Mix (or 1 large onion, 5 medium potatoes, 2 carrots and 2 stalks celery, all chopped into large chunks)
1 t poultry seasoning
1/4 t salt
1 1/2 C chicken broth
1 1/2 C heavy whipping cream
2/3 C flour
1/2 C frozen peas
1/4 C parsley, chopped

Saute chicken pieces in olive oil for 3-4 minutes until chicken browns just on the outside.  Place chicken in bottom of crockpot.  Add vegetables (except peas), poultry seasoning, salt and chicken broth.  Combine flour and whipping cream and whisk together.  Add to crockpot.  Stir all ingredients together to combine.  Cover and cook on Low for 8-10 hours or on High for 5 hours.  5 minutes before serving, stir in peas and fresh parsley.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Serve with bread or biscuits and a salad.

Reading: I finished Winnie-the-Pooh on Monday, my third book in January.  I am almost finished with The Latehomecomer (it will be done by this afternoon - I have to be prepared to discuss at bookclub tonight!).  I read 3 pages of False Mermaid and remembered I had to finish The Latehomecomer first.  What is up next for Sunday bookclub?  Ann will tell us tonight.  I always love Ann's selections so am eagerly anticipating the announcement.  I think the third book for February will be another childhood favorite or classic - stay tuned.

Weeding: Dreaming of spring and planting season.  I got a subscription to Garden Gate magazine for Christmas and my first issue has been paged through several times already.  I love magazines that never are out of date, ones you can keep and return to time and again for inspiration and ideas.

Speaking of gardens, I had read in some MN gardening book last fall that you can "store" carrots in the garden over the winter, pulling them as needed.  I thought this sounded like a great idea, since the carrots stay good only so long in the refrigerator.  And then I went out one day to harvest a couple.  The book didn't tell me what to do when the ground is frozen solid... Off to the store for carrots.  And on another sad note, we are almost out of our home-grown potatoes. 

Creating: I don't know why, but I haven't been knitting or scrapbooking or anything like that.  I've been practicing my bass but other than that, not much "creating" going on.  Plenty of ideas (thanks, Pintrest!), just not inspired to create right now.  Maybe I should start small and finish a couple baby gifts before the babies are old enough to vote...


Off to make cream puffs and hot fudge sauce.  Keep reading, and how about a pot of stew for your family today?

Until we eat again,
Hallie