11/7/08 - What's for dinner?

Yes, I have been feeding my family. Lots of Angel Food items, as usual. As a matter of fact, what I am cooking now is from October and July.

Currently in the crockpot is 4.5 lbs of chicken. I put it in to the 6qt pot fully frozen, added water, and turned it on. Eventually the paper on the bottom of the chicken thawed enough to pull off. I added more water, pepper, salt, and celery that has seen better days. I'll let that cook all day. Tonight I will pull out the chicken and chill the broth.

Tomorrow, I can remove the fat and place in a 1 gallon Ziploc (or 2, we'll see) and freeze for later usage. The chicken I can de-skin (I would have done that sooner if it had been thawed) and debone to freeze in 2-3 cup bags.

For tonight, I had 1 lb dried soup mix bean. I rinsed and quick soaked them on the stove. I drained, added additional water as well as pepper, chopped garlic, celery (that which looked more edible from the above stalk) and bay leaves. I also found a ham bone from the last Honeybaked Ham that was served in this house. I don't know how old it is, but it was in a Food Saver bag and not freezer burned at all.

After the beans have cooked a bit, I'll add chicken boullion, salt, liquid smoke, hot sauce and check for the need for additional seasonings. Eventually I will pull the bone and pick off what ham I can find.

It will be served over brown or white rice (or a mixture, depending on how much I have of either one.

I have leftover apple coleslaw from last night that we can finish off.

8/26 Beans and Rice

Another crock pot meal. I don't normally use it 2 days in a row, but I am sometimes too lazy to put it away, so I mind as well use it. I'm also not a crock pot-ter in the summer, but we've had some cooler days which, to me, lend themselves to crock pot meals. You'd think I'd use it more when its hot, but I don't. Maybe next summer.

Again, I had a variety of foods from Angel Food since pick up was last Saturday. I make another version of this as red beans and rice, and will post next time I make it.

1 lb mixed beans (I had a bean soup mix that was mainly great northern, kidney, pinto)
Water to cover + 1 inch
bay leaf
cracked pepper
crushed garlic (or garlic powder)
minced onion (or dried onion)
Worchshire sauce
hot sauce
liquid smoke
2 carrots, cubed
2 sticks celery, sliced
salt
rice

Rinse and soak beans overnight (I like to do this in the crock pot). Drain excess water and add pepper, garlic, onion, Worchshire sauce, hot sauce, and liquid smoke. Cook on High about 6 hours or until beans are tender. Add carrots, celery and salt, as well as additional hot sauce if needed. Cook on warm 2 additional hours (or more)

If the beans seem watery, keep cooking on high but partially remove cover to allow excess water to evaporate.

Serve over rice and add additional hot sauce to taste.

Again, served with sliced tomatoes.