Dancing Among The Spices

Word of the Post
Today's word is: hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia
/don't*bother/ noun
The literal fear of the sum of 666. People who suffer from this fear often avoid the three digits together, as well as the quantity of six hundred sixty six. Superstitions trace their origins back to the Bible; specifically Revelation 13:18, which names the quantity 666 as a mark of the "beast" (the Anti-Christ, or Satan).
In recent years, the state of New Mexico changed the number of State Highway 666 to State Highway 491. I have seen people in line at the grocery store add a $0.30 pack of gum, so that their total cost or total change won't include the digits of 666.
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I bought a new pair of jeans a few days ago. There was a sale, and I needed a new pair. My old pair was too short. Imagine that! I got the Petite length, and it was too far above my shoes. I can't win. Seriously. The new pair is now four inches too long. They are the Average length. I can't find a pair that is really built for me. But (the good news) this pair is a whole size smaller than the last pair! I have lost inches! The old short pair was falling off... which means that the goal of losing weight and eating healthy is WORKING again. Cheers! If I clean, I don't have time to sit and mindlessly munch. That is the new motto: Time to chew, time to DO.

I have been doing well in cooking so far this year. I try to make our food fresh, instead of buying canned, processed, fried, limp, over-sugared, over-salted junk. Apples and Oranges and, as Catherine said to me, Food that remembers where it came from. I am gradually changing from canned veggies (cooked and salted to mush) to frozen veggies (flash frozen, nothing added). I am not very good at keeping fresh veggies beyond the basic celery, carrots and potatoes. I buy too much, and then they go bad waiting for me to use them in a new creation.

I have played a little with variations on Rachael Ray. She says she only gives us ideas, it is not like she is going to come to our kitchen and criticize our dinners. She is my hero of late. She, like me, never really measures stuff. Spices and ingredients are just "eyeball it" and "palm full" and "more or less, whatever you like". I like how easy she makes it all look. Apparently, it isn't always that easy. I can walk into your kitchen, and look around, and come up with dinner. A little veggie from the can or freezer, a piece of whatever meat you don't know what to do with, a little pasta from the cabinet, a little soup to cream it all up... viola'.... dinner. Ferret says she can't envision dinners like that. She has to have a recipe or a box with instructions. Not to say that she isn't a good cook, just that she isn't so comfy with making experimental dishes. It is a knack that you either have, or you don't. I happen to have. I don't like to be mean to the have-nots I know.

Tonight, I give you "imagine this" of what dinner looked like tonight. Recipe a la Chelf. Tonight's creation was actually in a crock pot. I love this invention. It has made cooking convenient. I can go out and do stuff, and dinner is percolating at home.

Chicken Chunky Soup
6qt crock pot (make sure it is plugged in, and you have it set to LOW; it can warm while you are preparing the veggies)
3 chicken thighs, boneless, skinless (I start with frozen, because it keeps them moist)
Two or three handfuls baby carrots, cut or not
Six stalks celery, roughly chopped (I use a LOT of celery, love it in soups)
Four medium potatoes, roughly chopped
1 medium to large onion, roughly chopped
1 can corn (can also use frozen)
1 can green beans (can also use frozen)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can diced green chiles (M&P or Hatch brands are best, authentic NM green chiles!)
Can also use 1 can of Rotel, in place of tomatoes and chiles.
Spice to taste: I use a lot of different spices, it is my joy to "play in the spice rack".
For this one, I used about 1/2 a teaspoon of most of the spices, more for the ones I love that sounded more adventurous. Spices in this soup (in no particular order, and with no real measuring): 1 Bay Leaf, Cumin, Oregano, Dill Weed, Sweet Basil, Rosemary, Ground Thyme, Mrs. Dash (somehow, I think that is cheating, and yet it tastes so good, and adds no salt!), Cilantro, Paprika, Cinnamon, Garlic Powder, Ground Cloves, Cracked Black Pepper, Green Tabasco Sauce, and a sprinkle of Red Robin Seasoned Salt mix.

You just put the frozen chicken in the bottom of the crock pot, layer all the veggies that you love over it, sprinkle all the spices you love over the top, and pour some water over it. You have to make sure to leave 2-3 inches of space at the top of the crock pot, or the water that cooks out of the veggies will overflow your poor crock. Cover, and cook on LOW for 6+ hours, or overnight. I start counting the hours from the top of the hour closest to when I finish adding all the ingredients and put the lid on. Don't keep lifting the lid, let it be. The longer it cooks, LOW and SLOW, the better all the flavors mix. You can also cook for 4+ hours on HIGH, if you are in a hurry.

When you get to the end of your 6 hours, you can turn it off, or on WARM if your crock has that setting. I pull out the chicken thighs, and pull and cut them into bite-sized bits, and then put it back into the soup. I also added 1 can of Campbell's Cream of Chicken with Herbs Soup, to cream it all up a little. Ladle into bowls, serve with a hefty hunk of buttery Rosemary Bread, and enjoy! Also good with Club crackers or Ritz.

Anything cooking in the crock pot makes the whole house smell like a warm hug for dinner. The aroma is unique to each kind of stew, roast or soup. My house is so thin and not air tight, you can smell dinner from the front porch. YUM!

I hope you have enjoyed my recipe day, and I want to know if you want to see more. A regular segment? A rare treat? Vote today! I promise I will not try to change your country. Vote for ME!