The Price of Power

I am a terrible person.

Eric and I received callings today, Primary teachers to the 8 year olds.  It will be fun and I'm pretty excited.  The calling was going to be announced during Sacrament Meeting today and we were running late.  Of course.  When something important is set to happen of course you will run late.

So we pulled in to the parking lot, jumped out of the car and walked as quickly as possible without looking ridiculous.  Our progress was slowed by an elderly woman wearing high heels.  Not just a few inches but 4 or 5 inch heels.  They were intense. 

She was walking slowly in the middle of the sidewalk and there was no getting around her.  So Eric and I slowed down and walked behind her.  The entire time I was following her I was thinking to myself, "High heels are the stupidest thing in the world.  There is no reason for her to be wearing these monsters.  Oh my gosh! Hurry up! We're running late and they are going to announce that we are the new primary teachers and we will sure look dumb walking in right then... Stupid high heels! Stupid old lady! She can't even walk in those stupid things." As that was all going through my mind we reached the stairs up to the door.  I thought, "Finally!" and then the woman fell.  And it wasn't like a little stumble.  No, she fell. Hard.  As Eric and I helped her up and helped her pick her books and glasses up, instantly I felt terrible.  Like I had caused her to fall with my mean thoughts about how stupid her shoes were and how she couldn't even walk in them and I can't believe she was doing this to me and how I was going to be late.

I jumped to the two logical conclusions.  I'm either psychic or we were rushing her by walking behind her.  I'm leaning toward the former.  At any rate, I feel terrible, one, because my abilities caused a frail looking woman in treacherously high heels, who was only trying to look pretty for church, to fall, and two because it really wasn't her fault that Eric and I were running late and that I was frustrated.  I still feel bad about it all and it has been hours.  Even though I didn't know that I was psychic and could make her fall just with mere thoughts the price of power is responsibility and I will keep my mean thoughts to a minimum because, who really deserves the consequences of all of the mean things I think? No one, that's who.

More Yummy Recipes

I decided it was time to post two of Eric's and my favorite recipes.  If it isn't apparent I am a big fan of chicken.  It is inexpensive, versatile, tasty, and healthy.  You can't really go wrong with chicken.  To make the chicken I buy last longer I get a big tray of the skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut off all the fat and then cut the chicken in half, (I can't think of any other way to explain how its sliced except to say: like a hamburger bun)  Then I freeze them until I need them.  So in a tray of 8 chicken breasts I get 8 meals instead of only 4 and we just share one breast but it looks like we're not sharing and it is plenty of food.  And by getting them all sliced and frozen and with all the fat removed before they are ever frozen dinner doesn't take as long as it would if I had to do that all every time! Anyway, here is my first recipe:

Thai Chicken Curry

We love Thai food and while this isn't what we usually get at Thai restaurants it is very good with a mellow and sweet taste.

1 lb. chicken breasts, cubed
2 tsp. curry powder
2 tsp. vegetable oil
1 large green or red pepper, sliced
1 c. finely chopped onion
2 tsp. minced garlic
14 oz. can coconut milk
8 oz. can pineapple chunks in juice, not drained
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper

Sprinkle chicken with 1 tsp. curry powder.  Heat 1 tsp. oil in a large skillet over medium high.  Add pepper and onion and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring several times.  Add remaining 1 tsp. oil and the chicken.  Cook until the chicken is lightly browned.  Stir in garlic; cook 1 minute or until fragrant.  Add the remaining 1 tsp. curry powder, the coconut milk, pineapple and juice, salt and red pepper.  Boil and reduce heat.  Simmer uncovered for 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender and chicken is cooked throughout.  Serve over rice.  We love jasmine or basmati rice with this meal.  This serves 4 people

And the next recipe:

Rustic Garlic Chicken
 
We love it, its so garlicky and great!

2 Tbs. cooking oil
4 chicken breasts
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
3 heads of garlic, cloves separated
2 Tbs. flour
1 c. dry white wine
1 c. chicken broth
2 Tbs. butter
2 Tbs. chopped fresh parsley

Heat the oven to 400.  In a Dutch oven, heat the oil over moderately high.  Sprinkle chicken with 1/2 tsp. of salt and pepper.  Cook the chicken until well browned, turning, about 8 minutes in all.  Remove from the pot.  Reduce the heat to moderate, add garlic and saute until it is starting to brown- about 3 minutes.  Sprinkle the flour over the garlic and stir until combined.  Return the chicken to the chicken to the pot, cover, and bake for 15 minutes.  Remove the pot from the oven and put it on a burner.  Remove the chicken from the pot.  Over moderately high heat, whisk in the wine and simmer for 1 minute.  Whisk in the broth and the remaining 1/2 tsp. salt and simmer until starting to thicken, about 3 minutes.  Turn the heat off, whisk in the butter, and pour the sauce over the chicken.  Sprinkle with the parsley.

I always make mashed potatoes with this because the sauce the recipe makes makes plenty for the chicken and tastes great on the potatoes.  This recipe serves 4 and each person squeezes the garlic out of its skin to eat with the chicken.