Running through cornfields
with my three beautiful daughters
who thought I was crazy
and unlawful to trespass
just to play tag!
But we have fun memories.
You can see the joy in Anna's face!
We
Giggled,
Squealed,
Got muddy.
And felt the joy of life.
I've had my second surgery to rid my body of thyroid cancer, and everything's going well. I have a well-earned scar on my neck that I wear with honor as a symbol of the tough stuff life throws at you to keep you brave. (I've banned the word strong from my vocabulary and can't wear my LiveStrong bracelet anymore!) You're not strong. You just have to go through the door put in front of you, whether you want to or not. And this year I've gone through enough doors. Separation in January. New job in March. Cancer and surgery in June. Second surgery in November.
I'm very lucky to work with wonderful people. One of them is Ted. He's like no other person I've ever met who always has a wild story and knows just what to say at the right time. He makes me laugh and enjoy life. {Sara, you're lucky to be married to such a wonderful guy.} Ted wrote this poem for me the day before my second surgery.
hospital poesy
--------------
there you
unmatched by fire
butterfly-throated
still shine
there you
who breathes by taste
and tongue
who small-to-big laugh
bites the world
bites this whole world
and holds fast
juices streaming
on your chin
do not waver
there you
not small but grand
there you
green gowned
still glow
strength is a story
we all tell each other
a whistle
in the dark
a feather clasped to breast
no cell, no knife
just you
just life
and onward, upward
past such strife
©Ted Rodney
I will be past such strife with friends like you.
Thanks, Ted. :)
Chicken Wild Rice Casserole
Comfort food. I crave comfort food now. And this is one of the first dishes I learned to make long ago. Everyone seemed to like it when I brought it to potlucks. And it comes from the
Best of Bridge series of cookbooks, which are cookbooks filled with Campbell's soup-based type recipes! Since then, I've tweaked it and applied what I learned at Le Cordon Bleu to this simple recipe. And it still gets rave reviews.
What Le Cordon Bleu Basic Cuisine taught me: how to build flavor. At every step you can build flavor, starting with the chicken. Dry the chicken. Otherwise, it can't brown well. Salt and pepper it just before sautéing it. Heat the pan until hot and then add the oil. {I like peanut oil.} When all is good and hot, add the chicken, but only enough to cover one layer of the pan. Do not overcrowd. Make sure you get a good browning going. Don't turn the chicken over too soon. Let it do its thing, and get brown. {To avoid the smoke alarm from going off, clean the pan of dark bits in-between each batch of browning and turn your overhead fan on!} When all the chicken is cooked, deglaze with a bit of chicken stock (or even better, wine!) and get all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan off and pour them over the chicken.
Butter makes everything tastes better. Sauté the onions in butter until translucent (not brown!). Add the wine, deglaze and reduce until half. Then add the chicken stock. {Use the best chicken stock you can find or make your own!}
Make sure you season with salt. This is basically a mushroom soup with chicken and wild rice. You can't go wrong, unless you have friends like Ted who don't like mushrooms or other friends who are allergic to dairy! LOL
Recipe for Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole
adapted from
Best of Bridge
Serves 8
3 cups diced chicken (cooked)
1 cup wild rice (cooked)
½ cup butter
½ cup chopped onion
¼ cup white wine
¼ cup flour
1 cup sliced mushrooms (fresh is best!)
1 cup chicken stock
1½ cups light cream (I use whole milk sometimes)
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons snipped fresh parsley
½ cup slivered almonds (I've used sliced almonds too)
Heat oven to 350°F. Butter a 2 quart casserole. Combine cooked chicken and wild rice.
For sauce, use a large pan. Cook onions and mushrooms in butter. Deglaze with wine until reduced by half. Remove from heat and stir in flour. Add chicken stock and water to measure 1½ cups. Add chicken stock mixture to flour mix. Add cream, salt and pepper. Cook and stir until thick.
Note: You can prepare all of the above ahead of time.
To finish: combine chicken, wild rice, and sauce. Stir in parsley. Sprinkle with almonds. Bake for 30 minutes, or until bubbly.
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