“POT PARTY”

2/11/11 Snow Day # 4 was reminiscent of “pot party” days of years gone by. Not the kind attended by hippies in the 60s, but ones where the Gurners, Higgs and Templetons with kids in tow, would come to our house with a “pot” of soup or spaghetti or chicken & dumplings or “whatever” was available from the pantry. Following sledding at the street hill on Lancaster, we’d come back to warm up and chow down. What fun that was!

So yesterday when I cooked, as I pridefully reported in a previous blog, I pulled out the big pots. Actually it was a lot like those former pantry raids. A recent Kroger sale had netted lots of stewed tomatoes and tomato sauce, so spaghetti was concocted. The potatoes were sprouting so I boiled ‘em in a pot and made potato salad. I had chicken left over and Velveeta in the fridge so HHS teacher, Debbie Gann’s, Tex Mex Cheesy Chicken Chowder was thrown into the mix. (*recipe below by request of the lunch bunch) A pecan pie was added “just because” (translated craving) and though I didn’t have those Pillsbury “unroll, fill and bake” refrigerated pie crusts, that I could borrow from neighbor Gayle in those days, I had the necessary ingredients in the pantry to make a crust using oil. (Certainly didn’t taste as good as when Elnora makes it----but eating around most of the crust and adding ice cream produced a tasty dessert.

But……the “fun” was missing. There was no one around to share it with---especially family and good friends. I’d gone through all the steps as in years past, but our home is an empty nest now---no little ones to share the joy. Isn’t that the way it is when you have something really good, you just want to share it, especially with kids. I want to be alongside my "grands" encouraging them in life----to create a meal from a pantry surplus or leftovers or to be with them at their first sports banquet. I want to watch them as they begin to “taste and see that the Lord is good." (Psalm 34:8) I want them to know I Corinthians 10:31….”whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God”----even if it's just eating ordinary food out a big old dented pot at their Shug's house.

*Tex Mex Cheesy Chicken Chowder

(a big pot full that serves 16)

1 lg. onion chopped (I used ½ bag of frozen ones b/c that’s all I had.)

1 c. thinly sliced celery

2 cloves garlic, minced (NA so I just sprinkled in the garlic powder from pantry.)

1 T. cooking oil

1 ½lb. cooked boneless chicken breast cut into bite sized pieces (I had bone–in and flavor was great.)

2 14ox. Cans chicken broth (I added a little extra broth from my chicken pot.)

1 32 oz. frozen hash browns, loose pack in frozen foods. (I only had 30 oz. & that was plenty.)

1 2.64 oz. Country Gravy mix (Only Pioneer brand pepper gravy in my pantry but it tasted like country.)

2. c. milk (I only had ½c. of skim so I used 1½ c. of half & half for the rest.)

1 8 oz. process cheese cut in chunks (My left over Velveeta was perfect.)

1 16 oz. chunky salsa (Available brand on my shelf was Kroger.)

1 4 ½ can diced green chili pepper. (NA I used 4 left over pepperoncini from the Papa John’s pizza box.)

1. Sauté onions, celery & garlic in oil until veggies are tender.

2. Add broth and potatoes Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Simmer 5-7 min., stirring occasionally.

3. In medium bowl, dissolve gravy mix into milk. Stir in cheese, salsa and chilies. Add to “pot” along with the chicken. Reduce heat to low. Cook until cheese melts.