A Week of Firsts

This has been a week full of "firsts". On Wednesday I cut up a whole chicken for the first time. I butchered the poor thing and kept apologizing to it the whole time. Halfway through I looked online to see how to do it properly, and I wasn't completely base. I didn't get the whole thigh when I removed the leg, but other than that, it wasn't that bad. I used the pieces to make chicken curry and then used the carcass to make chicken stock (another first). The aroma from the stock was wonderful! It smelled just like Swanson chicken broth, and I am so excited to be able to make my own now. It was so easy! I learned yet another lesson from my chicken curry, though. The last time I made it, I tried it in the crock pot. Mistake!! It was not good at all because the flavors concentrated too much. I think if I had only left it in there around 4-6 hours instead of all day it might have been okay. This week I tried another brand of ginger ale. I'm trying to find one that I like that doesn't have HFCS in it. I tried Reed's Premium Ginger Brew ginger ale, and it was a little too much ginger for the curry. I may try this brand again, but using the regular instead of the premium.

Another "first" this week was making pudding from scratch. I found a wonderful creamy pudding recipe from www.heavenlyhomemakers.com. I made the chocolate pudding, and it is so good! I'm happy I won't have to buy Jello pudding cups anymore, and I know exactly what is in my pudding! Emily enjoyed it too, but Erin only put it to her lips (I don't think she likes sweets very much...or maybe it's the cold pudding...I'm not sure). It's richer than Jello, but it also has 3 tbsp of butter in it! I substituted corn starch for the arrowroot powder and it worked just fine. I'd like to try the arrowroot, though, because so much corn is genetically modified.

Today I made a recipe using fresh yellow squash (my 3rd "first"). I hate to admit it, but I really don't like squash. Okay, I hate squash! The thought of it makes my face crinkle. Stephen, though, loves squash and asked me to get some from the farmer's market this morning. I grudgingly obliged and then googled recipes for people who hate squash. There are actually recipes out there specifically for people who don't like squash! The one I tried tonight was an Easy Baked Yellow Squash. It nicely covered the squash taste with lots of butter, parmesan cheese, and bread crumbs. I actually ate it and didn't make a face. I was trying to stay strong in front of my children. Emily actually ate some too. The recipe is quite easy:

3 lbs squash, peeled
1/4 cup melted butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 eggs lightly beaten
1 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp parmesan, grated
1-2 tsp salt
black pepper to taste

Topping:
1 1/2 cups fresh bread crumbs (I used Panko)
2-3 tbsp parmesan, grated
1/4 cup melted butter

Cut squash into 1 1/2" cubes. Boil or steam until tender, drain, and mash. Set oven to 375 degrees. Butter 2 quart casserole dish (I really don't see why this needs to be done because there is a lot of butter in the recipe). Add 1/4 cup melted butter, onions, eggs, sugar, salt, pepper, and parmesan cheese and mix to combine. Transfer to baking dish. Mix bread crumbs, melted butter, and parmesan cheese and sprinkle over squash. Bake approx. 45 minutes or until bread crumbs are nicely browned.

I think that's it of my new experiences this week!