Wow. What a holiday! Thanksgiving was... wonderful, typical, messy, loud, exciting, juicy, delicious, tiring, quite the learning experience and basically indescribable. It's been about a week and a half since my last post. I've hosted two major events, cleaned my house top to bottom (twice), changed countless diapers, made some winner recipes, and of course some losers. Oh and BTW, the chicken pot pie was delish!!!
Let's start with my new favorite comfort food: Cheesy Chicken Pot Pie. Gone are the days of me hating chicken pot pie. No more will I cringe when someone mentions them, and slowly the memories of the frozen ones will fade. I decided to start with roasted chicken instead of boiled.
For the veggies I added carrots, broccoli, potatoes, and chopped onions & garlic. After sauteing my onions, garlic, carrots and potatoes I sprinkled them with flour and added the milk. To give it more flavor I threw in fresh minced sage and thyme.
Mmmmm the smell was to die for. After I had a nice sauce going on I added a healthy amount of sharp white cheddar cheese. Please note, when I say healthy, I mean it in the same way people refer to a plump woman. To finish off my chicken sauce I added some fresh nutmeg (Yes the choir is singing). I poured my mixture into a frozen pie shell, and topped it with another. Before I put it in the oven I sprinkled cheddar cheese on top. I actually ate it standing up, right out of the pie plate. My husband was on his way back for thirds, when he stopped short and said I was trying to sabotage his diet. Needless to say it was comforting, warm, and delicious.
Two days after my comforting chicken pot pie, I found myself in my kitchen at 3am cleaning. It was the eve of my Mary Kay Business Debut. Lately I've given up trying to clean my house during the day. There is a demanding 21 month old, and a twice as demanding 2 month old that make it almost impossible to make cleaning progress. My late night cleaning was a success as was my debut. In the weeks leading up to it I'd been researching everything, from time lines to what to serve. I splurged a bit on the menu, but it was worth it. Pink pineapple upside down cake, sugar cookies with pink frosting, pink (well maroon) hot punch, and apple butternut squash soup (the only think on the menu that wasn't pink). The ladies loved the food almost as much as the satin hands treatment they were greeted with. My dinning room was all decked out with pink products and samples. It was great! This has been such a wonderful business for me. It's made me feel feminine and girlie again. I get the chance to get out of the house for reasons other than food shopping, and get paid lets not forget the perk of making a little cash on the side : ).
On over drive after my debut, I began working on Thanksgiving. Late night food shopping trips, and more 3am cleaning sprees made for a wonderful day. The turkey was juicy (and only slightly undercooked, long story). The Mac and Cheese was superb, and the dates wrapped in prosciutto... dynamite! The fried stuffing balls were a bust, but I guess you can't win them all.
I am so grateful for my family and friends. Cliche? Yes! Totally true? Yes! We had a marvelous time laughing and catching up, and of course eating. These are the times that I cherish, can't wait for Christmas!!!
"Reach high, for stars lie hidden in your soul.
Dream deep, for every dream precedes the goal.
P. Vaull Starr
