Can We Talk 2

A Day of Cooking

         Every now and then I am inspired to cook something new to me. About two years ago, I made French onion soup from scratch. It took four kinds of onions, a lot of them, and other special things on my grocery list. It took all day to chop and prep and cook. The result was wonderful! It was the best, probably the healthiest, French onion soup I ever had. I haven't tried it since because of the time involved.

         I like making my own things because I know what goes in them, including the spices. If anything is canned or prepared, I can control what kind it is. This past Saturday, I spent the day making Brunswick stew. I like Mrs. Ferneyhow's in the can, but I wanted my own. Whew! Picking out the best recipe for me and my utensils was tough.

         First, I had to boil a whole chicken, remove the skin and bones, and shred the meat. I cooked celery and onions in a tablespoon of olive oil. To the skillet I added ground pork and ground beef. When all the meat was done, that mixture had to be transferred to a big pot. The chicken was added to that. So the meat of this hearty concoction was done before the three hours of cooking on low heat. At the right time, you add a little chicken stock, tomatoes, spices, and a whole green pepper.

         That green pepper was a new step for me. You cook it uncut in the stew for two hours, remove it, discard any seeds that haven't disintegrated, chop and return to the pot which is still cooking. Close to the end, you add corn. I let it cool off, refrigerated it, then put it back in a clean pot the next day to warm up and serve company. Serve with crackers or a biscuit; it's a whole meal with veggies and meat! They ate it up, leaving only enough for two bowls the next day.

         It was delicious if I say so myself. I'll do it again when the summer's over, maybe with fresh tomatoes out of my garden. It was fun, tasty, and wholesome. Now we're back to tuna or stir fry or something quick.