Nessa's Chicken

Dan here ~

Hi, Dan again, I have been off my feed the last couple days. Isn’t that what the old timers said if they were a little under the weather, they were off their feed? I don’t really know but that’s what I’ve been told anyway. After two days of barely getting beyond my 5000 step goal, Sunday found me back on track again with a day over 25000 steps. Lets see how the week goes.

Some of you may know that these days I do almost all the cooking and grocery shopping at our house. Pre-covid, Carol would go to the store and if she had a list, she would get what was on the list.. nothing else. What is with that? The grocery store is where meal ideas begin, where you see something and read the labels and see what goes with it and think about how it could modified to be something we would actually eat. 

Well, maybe that is how I used to shop, no more, I now shop from a list as well. Any daydreaming about meal planning has to be done online and then items placed on the grocery list to get local. Different process, different experience.

I remember discussions with other shoppers about how they cook this or that and what they serve with it. No more, now grocery shopping is impersonal, a see how quick the list can be filled and get home, experience. I think I liked the old one better.

For Sunday I made what we lovingly call “Nessa’s Chicken.”  Nessa is how we shortened our oldest daughter Vanessa’s name. She gave us the recipe and I have no idea where she got it. If it is your grandmother’s, I apologize, I had no idea. Anyway we call it Nessa’s Chicken. It tastes the best when cooked on the grill but the oven method works as well. If you try it let me know if you like it.

Nessa’s Chicken

Marinade for about 1# of chicken

3 - TBSP Dijon mustard

3 - TBSP vinegar ( I use red wine vinegar )

2 - TBSP warm water

2 - tsp olive oil

2 - tsp honey

2 - tsp kosher salt

1/4 - tsp black pepper

1 - tsp marjoram leaves

Add all ingredients to a storage bag and mix well to get all blended together. I usually mix well before adding the chicken. Also a tip, add the olive oil first, use the same tsp for the honey, then the honey will slip right out of measuring spoon. Place in refrigerator for a few hours, occasionally re-mixing contents of bag.

Either grill or bake in 425 degree oven for 10 - 20 minutes depending on thickness of chicken.

Still plugging away on Rona 16, there are a rather large number of pieces and as usual, lots of trimming. There will be less and less quilting as the season progresses which will probably make Carol happy as that will mean less tops will be added to the “to be quilted” pile. 

There are things to be done outside during the day and fires to be set beside in the evenings. This leads to fewer pieces being sewn together which means tops stay in my head longer and not in the quilting pile. It also leads to fewer topics to ramble about. Hopefully the black flies don’t chase me back inside. I haven’t seen any yet and am not familiar when they become an issue in this neck of the woods.

I would like to get the woodpile project completed and cleaned up before they arrive. It seems early. I have seen a few mayflowers beginning to open, so I guess if they can be early so can the bugs. 

I will keep you posted, hopefully Carol will be up to bending your ear next time.

So until next time remember, where ever you go, there you are, if I’m supposed to meet you there and you get there first, draw a blue line where we planned to meet. If I get there first, I’ll rub it out.