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Mack's Corner

Saturday, March 21, 2015

This Week:

This week 03-24-15

Unfortunate

For some reason I've developed some weird habits in the last year. Every morning I have to pat all my pockets to be sure I've got everything, both back pockets, both front shirt pockets, cell phone on belt, keys on belt ..etc. I've gotten so crazy about it that I do it 5 or 6 times, one right after the other. I look like a new Catholic who can't remember how to make the sign of the cross, so I just hit everything.. My wife thinks it comes from watching Hee-Haw too much as a kid .. I also now do the Lazy Boy dismount! If I'm laying there in my Lazy Boy and decide to get up, I always do it real quick, hit on both feet and raise my arms in the air.. just like I had done a perfect 10 on the vault and stuck the landing ... Sometimes my wife claps and then looks at me like I need to go in for counseling ... I lock and unlock every vehicle with my keychain button door lock.. It only works on PK's car but I catch myself doing it on everything. I get ready to get on my 4-wheeler and I hit the "Unlock" button before I get on. I get the mail out of the mailbox and hit the "Lock" button to lock it back up (of course the horn on PK's car, parked next to the mailbox, honks. Reinforcing the idea that I really did lock the mailbox) .. next time I ride a horse I'll probably lock and unlock that too .. I have to roll over several times in bed before I can go to sleep. Kinda like a dog that walks in circles several times before lying down. The odd thing is that after about the second turn I realize what I'm doing, but I still have to go 2 more times .. why fight it? Do it now or do it at 3am .. My Mom had a "Nice" term for this: "Unfortunate". If she knew someone that she thought was ugly she would say "He's a very nice person but he has an Unfortunate face". Every time she said something like that all us kids would laugh till we cried.. It's one of our favorite words now ..  We all know the implications .. 

God's like that: We're all unfortunate and God knows it and God loves us for it. It's amazing what God can do through an unfortunate group like us.. you know the implications..

I wonder if I need to get my wife some score cards to judge my dismount.. I can't always do a perfect 10... That's unfortunate... Maybe?...

==

Cooking 220 - 2 pans, 2 burners, 20 minutes - Living Well - Mediterranean Diet: 
This is really cool and it shows how hot, sour salty sweet works. If you have those 4 thgings in ballance in any recipe, you have magic. 

Caramel Chicken
Don’t be put off by the sugar in this recipe—it’s balanced by the vinegar and soy sauce.

Ingredients
SERVINGS: 4
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2½ pounds skin-on, bone-in chicken legs and thighs
Kosher salt (((Salty)))
8 garlic cloves, peeled
⅓ cup (packed) light brown sugar (((Sweet)))
¼ cup (or more) unseasoned rice vinegar(((Sour)))
2 slices ¼"-thick slices peeled ginger
Crushed red pepper (optional) (((Hot)))
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
¼ cup reduced-sodium soy sauce (((Salty and umami)))
2 scallions, thinly sliced
Cooked white rice (for serving) (((or pasta or potatoes .. vegies.. etc)))

Preparation
ACTIVE: 1 HOUR 15 MIN TOTAL: 1 HOUR 45 MIN
Heat oil in a large wide heavy pot over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and, working in 2 batches, cook until golden brown and crisp, 6–8 minutes per side; transfer to a plate. Add garlic to pot and cook, stirring often, until golden, about 2 minutes; transfer to plate with chicken. Pour off fat from pot.

Return pot to medium-high heat and add ½ cup water, scraping up browned bits. Add brown sugar; stir to dissolve, then cook, stirring, until mixture thickens and turns a deep amber color, about 4 minutes. Carefully add vinegar (it may(((It will bubble, be careful!))) bubble up; sugar will crystallize); stir to dissolve sugar. (((Normally when you make caramel you never stir it because the surgar will crystallize. It works better if you simply swirl the pan around instead of stirring .... ALSO DON"T STICK YOUR FINGER IN THIS!!! IT IS VERY, VERY HOT!!!)))

Add ginger, broth, and soy sauce, then add chicken, skin side up, and garlic. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer gently until chicken is cooked through, 20–25 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate.

Bring cooking liquid to a boil and cook until thick enough to coat a spoon, about 10 minutes. Return chicken to pot; turn to coat. Top with scallions and serve with rice or pasta or mashed potatoes or mashed sweet potatoes or be very european and serve it over crusty bread.

Mack

Posted by Mack Oates at 3:53 PM