Pops De Milk

I’ve started a distance learning program on writing. There are five classes in total and the official start date for these classes was on Friday. Because I decided to scamper off to a noisy campsite – Oastler Lake, a CN train goes by every couple hours even throughout the night – over the weekend, I didn’t get to start my schooling until yesterday. I spent the entire day catching up and going ahead of schedule and in the process causing my brain to momentarily shut down. It’s been a while since I was in school and the effort I was putting in was astounding. So it’s no surprise that I was feeling ravenous way before dinner time. After not eating a proper home cooked meal for three whole days I forced myself to draw in some energy to cook. Luckily, what I made was super easy. And dessert was easier.

Beneath the thick tomato sauce and tender vegetables lies a juicy, meaty chicken leg served over basmati rice. It smelled like a cheese pizza. Very yummy and incredibly easy to make. This recipe comes from a Weight Watchers book I’m trying to cook my way through. The recipe in the book makes enough for 8 people but I had to alter mine to make 4 servings so that Jay and I could each have seconds. This of course defeats the purpose of Weight Watchers since it’s all about portion control but whatev, I was really hungry and this was tasty.

Recipe for Hunter Style Chicken, Serves 8

1 2.5-3lb chicken cut into 8 pieces and skinned – I used two chicken legs

1/2 tsp salt – I did not use salt and it didn’t need any

1/4 tsp ground pepper

3 tsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 bell peppers, red and green, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1/4 pound mushrooms, sliced

1 celery stalk, chopped – I did not add this because I didn’t have any

1 (1 pint) container tomato pasta sauce  - I used Classico Four Cheese Blend…could be why it smelled like a cheese pizza.

Sprinkle salt and pepper on the chicken and heat 2 tsp of the oil in a large skillet (I used a large pot) over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken 3-4 minutes on each side then transfer to a plate. Add the remaining tsp of oil and add the onion and garlic, stir and cook until softened. Throw in the peppers, mushrooms and celery, cook until softened, about 5-6 minutes. Put chicken back in the skillet (or pot) and add the pasta sauce, stir to coat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook for another 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. In my version, prior to adding the chicken and pasta sauce, I added some marjoram and savoury to the vegetables.

I was craving something sweet last night but earlier that day when we went to buy groceries, Jay and I made it a point to not buy any candy or other types of junk food. I was opening up cupboards looking for something when I saw a can of evaporated milk. You ever notice those cans have a recipe for 5 minute fudge? I’d always been curious about that and so I finally tried it. It didn’t take 5 minutes to make. It was more like 10 minutes but no matter. Then there’s also the waiting time which could be anywhere between 1 and 2 hours. Anyway, what you do is put 1 and 1/3 cup of sugar (I only used 1 cup), 2 tbsp of butter and 2/3 cups of evaporated milk into a sauce pan and heat until it boils. Stir it until it’s thick though I didn’t really notice a change in thickness when I made it. After letting it boil for about 5 minutes I removed it from the heat and I stirred in 2 cups of marshmallows and 2 cups of chocolate chips. Then I poured the mixture into a square baking pan lined with waxed paper. Next, into the fridge until firm. When it was firm, I cut it into little squares and I was surprised the marshmallows didn’t completely melt and were still somewhat whole. I really liked it. It was nice and rich and I loved biting into bits of marshmallow.