On Wednesday Kate and Charlie came over for dinner and I made Enchiladas Con Pollo from Women of Great Taste. It is not a new recipe but one of our favorites. A very mild Mexican dish. In the past I remember it taking much longer to put it together. Perhaps because I had bought a rotisserie chicken and cut it up earlier in the day so all I had to do was chop green onions and grate cheese for the filling it didn't seem so labor intensive. The enchiladas are baked in a basic white sauce with canned green chili's added and more cheese on top. Delicious as usual and every one must have been hungry because there were very few leftovers.
A friend recently pointed out that I am obsessed with food. He didn't actually say that. He said that I have a relationship with food and that I always mention food or cooking in my emails. My daughter, Kate, said that my blogs while about cooking and food really are about my relationship with food. I guess it is true.
Sometimes I feel like a throw back to our very distant ancestors; the ones who spent their days foraging for food. Take the day I was cooking for Kate and Charlie for instance. First I had to go to my favorite rotisserie chicken place a little ways up the street. That was after I went to my favorite breakfast place for breakfast. Then I walked the other direction to gather the guacamole and salsa (best guacamole in Chicago) to serve with the enchiladas. I took those home, cut up the chicken and then after a short nap took the bus to the grocery store for the rest of the ingredients and rushed home to cook. A whole day centered around food. And when I am not gathering, cooking or eating it, I'm blogging or talking about it. Maybe I need to try refocusing. I did go to a hypnotist once. I asked him if he could give me the suggestion that I stop thinking about food all the time. He said the problem is that when you try not to think about something that is all you think about. So what's the answer? I have no idea.
There is a side benefit to gathering food, however. Besides the exercises, I get to enjoy the fruits of other people's labor. I think I have mentioned in the past how in Chicago spring seems to last much longer than it did in St. Louis. I was often depressed at how fleeting the beauty was in Missouri. This year though, Chicago has been a bit atypical. We had a very warm snap that caused acceleration in blooming and fading. The tulip trees lasted only about a week and a half. On my walk I found lilacs and even peonies already blooming. But the daffodils are still there and the tulips as well as other flowering trees. It is so nice of people to work hard (or pay others to work hard) for my enjoyment.
A friend recently pointed out that I am obsessed with food. He didn't actually say that. He said that I have a relationship with food and that I always mention food or cooking in my emails. My daughter, Kate, said that my blogs while about cooking and food really are about my relationship with food. I guess it is true.
Sometimes I feel like a throw back to our very distant ancestors; the ones who spent their days foraging for food. Take the day I was cooking for Kate and Charlie for instance. First I had to go to my favorite rotisserie chicken place a little ways up the street. That was after I went to my favorite breakfast place for breakfast. Then I walked the other direction to gather the guacamole and salsa (best guacamole in Chicago) to serve with the enchiladas. I took those home, cut up the chicken and then after a short nap took the bus to the grocery store for the rest of the ingredients and rushed home to cook. A whole day centered around food. And when I am not gathering, cooking or eating it, I'm blogging or talking about it. Maybe I need to try refocusing. I did go to a hypnotist once. I asked him if he could give me the suggestion that I stop thinking about food all the time. He said the problem is that when you try not to think about something that is all you think about. So what's the answer? I have no idea.
There is a side benefit to gathering food, however. Besides the exercises, I get to enjoy the fruits of other people's labor. I think I have mentioned in the past how in Chicago spring seems to last much longer than it did in St. Louis. I was often depressed at how fleeting the beauty was in Missouri. This year though, Chicago has been a bit atypical. We had a very warm snap that caused acceleration in blooming and fading. The tulip trees lasted only about a week and a half. On my walk I found lilacs and even peonies already blooming. But the daffodils are still there and the tulips as well as other flowering trees. It is so nice of people to work hard (or pay others to work hard) for my enjoyment.
Love the picture of Kate! MMMM enchiladas con polo. I could picture almost every step of your journey except remind me which is your favorite breakfast place.
ReplyDeleteGail, you're not alone. I also spend quite a bit of time thinking about or planning meals. I've been making cheese about every other day now and sometimes I wake up thinking about it. James thinks and talks about his garden a lot this time of year so, yeah, that's food too. I guess we're just natural hunters and gatherers.
ReplyDeleteThe way you hunt and gather is much the way the europeans do it I think or at least in the cities. You have many places to choose from. Here the best guacamole is try one, two, or three stores for the best avocado, lemon, and garlic you can find and bring it home and throw it together. I guess you can buy it made but I haven't tried it.
ReplyDeleteMy girls asked for enchiladas tonight. I think I will try the rotissere chicken, I have never done that. Usually I boil the chicken, which I hate because I always tend to overcook it. Lyndy is rigt cute pic of Kate.
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