Got a really good deal on whole chicken, £2.00 per kg at Tesco. This bird cost me about £3.16. Click on Danielle's name for the recipe and other goodies she does. Or just be lazy and read on.
1 whole chicken or lots of chicken pieces.
1 onion, quartered
4 cloves of garlic
2 tsp salt, kosher, sea, whatever.
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp onion powder (in UK, use 1 tsp onion granules)
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp oregano*
1/2 basil*
(if you've got Italian seasoning, use 1 tsp of that instead of the oregano and basil. Be sure to take it with you when you go through security checkpoints, too.)
1/2 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp black pepper
I skinned the bird because Danielle said stuff about skin and slow cookers that made sense. But if you like soggy avian flesh covering, be my guest.
Combine all the spices together in a container of some kind and if you've got latex gloves, I recommend you put them on now because my hands became ever so slightly stained by the chicken rubbing. The stain's gone now, but it did look like I went to an Indian bridal shower.
Rub these combined spices on that bird. Put the onions and garlic in the crockpot, and place the chicken breast side down on top. Or you can follow Danielle's suggestion to "tuck the onions and garlic under the chicken or inside."
I put one of the quartered onions in the chicken's butt but didn't notice if it helped.
Cook on high 5-6 hours, or low for 8. I did 8 hours and HOMAHGOSH! It was beautiful. The "jus" was just amazing.
And so I let Danielle know that I followed her recipe. But I don't think she cares that much.
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I've been wanting a very large basket for some time now. With three floors of living space, it's essential.
The other day, after dropping Kiddo off at school, I saw a sign for a Coffee Morning, Tombola, and Bric-a-brac Fundraiser at the little church hall that is located on the other side of the playground/graveyard next to Kiddo's school. I went in, because what else was I going to do, clean house?
No.
I did that today. Besides, they advertised cake on the handwritten sign. I'll go anywhere there might be cake.
Anyway, I went in and there was a bit of a crush at the three tables items were set up on. Two of those tables were just books. You couldn't get to the middle table for love nor money, there were so many women standing there. I did what any passive aggressive individual does and stood behind them, twisting and turning, bending sideways at the waist, raising myself up on my toes to look over their shoulders. Finally, I'd had enough and decided to go get a free cookie off of the tables set up for sitting down and having tea and cake.
And then I saw it. It was on the floor with some other ugly and little baskets and it said to me, "Hey, hotstuff. Thinking about me a long time?"
I coyly said, "Yeah." The large wicker basket beckoned me to its side. As I edged around a church maven, that's when I saw how much LWB was. Only three pounds. I doubletook the sign. Only three pounds! I breathed heavier and faster. The metallic taste in my mouth was the same taste from junior high days, a fight or flight mechanism that would rear its ugliness every time the cute boys looked at me.
"I'm sorry... I'll be back." I muttered. Taunted by the ugly and little baskets, the LWB forlornly watched me make my way to the palsied lady in charge of the raffle. As I scrummaged in my wallet for the twenty pence needed to buy a raffle ticket, I resolved to buy the LWB; hell, high water, or church ladies would not bar my way.
LWB, if it could've, would've given me a smile when it saw me come back to it. I picked it up off the floor, dumped the ugly and little baskets out and proudly handed over a fiver to the lady behind the table. I even retained enough presence of mind to stick around for my change.
I walked out with LWB, not even bothering to stick around to find out if I'd managed to win anything at the raffle. That was forty pence well spent. Yes, I bought two tickets. But doing so allowed me the time and space to collect my thoughts. As in garage sale-ing, one does not just offer everything for the first thing one sees. LWB understands. After all, good things definitely come to those who wait and tiptoe behind church ladies.
I'm determined to show LWB, who happens to be from China, a good life.
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| Artsy. |
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| You're beautiful! |
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| I'll have a demi half-fat cappu and whatever she's having. |
