PLEASE, PLAY WITH YOUR FOOD

Remember my Saucy Breasts?  Didn't think those would be hanging around long, did ya?  (NOTE TO SELF:  Never use the words "my breasts hanging around long" on the same line. Ouch!)  Well, you KNOW I love leftovers more than anything.  I really do think it's fun to come up with creative ways to re-invent food.  It's my concept of Food Recycling, you know?  So, I took those Saucy Chicken Breasts, shredded the meat really well and.....well, let me start at the beginning.

You see, there was this tornado.  Yeah, that's right, I said tornado.  We were sitting around watching "Gone With The Wind" for like the umpteenth time and pulling for General Lee (we ARE Southerners, after all), when suddenly, the lights flashed and a loud wind whipped up.  Next thing you know, we were in the middle of "The Wizard Of Oz."  It was freaky y'all.

So, next came cleanup time.  And the question begged:  what does one SERVE at a tornado cleanup event?  The answer:  Saucy Chicken Breast Pizza or Leftover Pizza (if you don't have Saucy Breasts hanging around).  Why?  Because we had the ingredients and it was really easy to fix in between picking up branches, broken bits of my car and a foreign patio umbrella that floated over our fence.  I did two versions:  one with sundried tomatoes and one without.  Here's the basic recipe.  It's so easy, your cat could do it (if she had opposable thumbs).

LEFTOVER PIZZA
Leftover protein (I had chicken but use whatever you've got)
Pre-made pizza crust (in a tube or shrink-wrapped from the store)
Sauce (you can use pizza sauce, pesto, sundried tomatoes etc.)
Veggies (watcha got?)
Cheese - lots!
OK, I used the crust in a tube variety.  Rolled them out into two 9 x 12 greased pans.  On the first crust, I spread pesto and sprinkled chopped sundried tomatoes and mushrooms all about.  On the second crust, just pesto.  (Guess which one is for the kids??)  Then I shredded the saucy chicken evenly over the raw crusts.  On the 'grownup' pizza, I sprinkled grated, fresh Parmesan cheese.  On the 'kids' pizza, loads and load of cheddar (because that's what they like).  Into a 425 degree oven for about 15 minutes and voila!  I added a tossed salad and some baby carrots for fun.

Of course, you can do the same with whatever you've got hanging around.  How about Alfredo sauce with chopped shrimp and sprinkled with Mozzarella?  Or red pepper puree with shredded pork, caramelized onions and covered with Montery Jack?  Or maybe black beans with grilled chicken strips, smothered in cheddar and finished with chopped fresh cilantro and sour cream?  Fun, huh? That should be the point!

You know, ever since they were tiny, I've always tried to teach my kids to do the "right" (read: grownup) thing.  "Sit up straight." "Brush your teeth." "Don't play with your food."  And they've learned well to be responsible young citizens. But, when the wind kicked up the other night, I saw three scared little kids heading for our 'safe room' with blankies and lovies clasped tightly in hand.  For a minute, it was Katrina all over again and all I wanted to do was scoop up my three frightened babies and make it all better.

And so, on this night of cleaning up the damage (physical and emotional), I said, "Please, play with your food!"  And they DID!

Questions? Comments? Please email me at aintjuliachild@gmail.com.   And share my web address with your friends:  http://www.thisaintjuliachild.com/.@gmail.com
Please pray for our country.

MO'S SAUCY BREASTS

Last night, I presented my husband some amazing breasts.  Now, my husband is a HUGE fan of breasts, I, however, prefer dark meat.  That's one of the reasons I married him - no one to compete with for the drumsticks.  Of course, after three kids, now we cook pans of mutant chickens with the usual number of breasts, wings and thighs, but with multiple drumsticks.   (Here's a special "shout out" to the genius at the supermarket who came up with those packs of "drumsticks only" for families like ours.)

And, while we're on the subject of breasts, have you had your mammogram yet?  I got mine today.  Not a fan of those either, but, hey it's a necessary evil.  Wish they could squeeze something else between two sheets of glass like, I dunno, my drumsticks?

Anyway, my husband ran across a great deal on chicken breasts - $1.00 a pound - so he bought a bunch.  Let's face it, have you seen a man yet that can resist cheap breasts??  Thought so.  Now,  I find chicken breasts a bit dry for my taste, so I came up with a recipe to keep things saucy.  And so, in honor of my husband (and my mammogram), here's Mo's Saucy Breasts. 

MO'S SAUCY BREASTS
6 chicken breasts - bone in, skin on, washed
olive oil
5 branches of fresh rosemary (fresh from my garden)
1 medium sliced onion
6 cloves of garlic
roasted red peppers
2 cups of sliced mushrooms
1 lemon - cut in quarters and seeds removed
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
3 cups of white wine
your favorite seasoning - to taste
Wash your breasts.  (You finished chuckling?  OK, let's continue.)  Cover the bottom of a heavy pan with olive oil.  Slice the onion thickly and drop in the slices over medium heat.  Stir a bit.  Now place the chicken breasts, skin against the pot, and let them cook until the skin starts to brown a little - about 5-10 minutes.  Turn the chicken over.  Now add the garlic, peppers (2-3 of the jarred variety), mushrooms (fresh, sliced), lemon, rosemary and 2 cups of wine.  When the pot starts to boil, cover it and place it in a preheated 375 degree oven for one hour.

Remove the pot at one hour and put the chicken breasts on a plate.  Remove the lemon and rosemary from the pot.  To the remaining juices, whisk in the breadcrumbs, then add one more cup of wine.  Let this simmer over medium heat while you attend to the chicken.  Remove as much bones and skin as possible from each breast and place the yummy hunks of meat back into the simmering sauce.  Ideally, the meat should be nearly shredding and soaking up all that delicious juice. 

It is with all due modesty that I feel justified in declaring that MY BREASTS ARE BODACIOUS!  Try this recipe and I think you'll have to agree.  I served them with penne al pesto, buttery broccoli and crispy garlic bread. As the kids say, OMG!  Impressed yet?  Just wait, because now comes the leftovers - but that will have to wait till next time!

Questions?  Comments?  Please email me at aintjuliachild@gmail.com    Please share my web address with your friends:  http://www.thisaintjuliachild.com/.
Please pray for our troops, Japan and Libya.  Hello to my friends all over the world!