Monday, October 10, 2011

The Downfall of Crock Pot Woman

I bounded out of bed in spite of the brisk morning air that made me shiver.  A recipe for crock pot chicken and dumplings had been making the rounds on the Internet.  My mom was coming to dinner and it would be the perfect comfort food for a lovely fall day.  I was eager to check on Mochie, who hadn't been feeling well but would surely be better.  Best of all, there was a new baby in the house!  So exciting!

Meet twelve-week-old Chloe, the newest addition to my family.  The big dogs were outside, so I let Chloe explore while I sliced carrots.  Chicken and thyme went into the crock pot while I kept an eye on Mochie, who still looked miserable. 

Suddenly there were thumping sounds and a sad little mew.  I ran for Chloe.  While walking through a little cat passage, she had managed to, yes, it's true, fall inside a wall.  Ack!

I'm not supposed to sleep on my face?
Crock Pot Woman to the rescue!  While cat extraction wasn't on the schedule for the day, Crock Pot Woman can rescue innocent kittens while cooking dinner.  I managed to free a purring Chloe.  She was absolutely fine.

But Mochie wasn't.  He looked worse.  I called the vet, who graciously agreed to see him.  I was much relieved!  The appointment wouldn't interfere with dinner because -- I was Crock Pot Woman, and dinner was cooking itself.

So Mom came to dinner and everything was ready.  Even a salad that I threw together with some unlikely ingredients.  Crock Pot Woman had battled crises all day, yet she had everything under control -- until Mom took one bite of the crock pot chicken and dumplings.  "Did you make much of this?" she asked.

Of course!  Because I am Crock Pot Woman, and I know we will freeze portions to enjoy on cold winter days.

And then I tasted it.  Crock Pot Woman fizzled like a drop of water in a hot skillet.

"Hmm, I'll put some in a pot tomorrow and see if we can improve it," said my mom.

It was awful.  Not just bland or uninspired.  Truly awful.  From the broth to the dumplings, there was simply nothing to commend it.

I'm happy to report that while Mochie has a bug, he will be quite fine.  Chloe weathered her little ordeal like a trooper.  My mom will be trying to doctor the dreadful chicken and dumplings, and I, the defrocked superhero, have wisely chosen to spare you the dreadful chicken and dumpling recipe, and offer an unusual, but surprisingly tasty salad instead.


Fizzled SuperHero Salad

2 apples
handful walnuts (1/3 cup, eyeball it)
2 tablespoons dried cranberries
2 diced prunes
2 stalks celery
1/3 cup mayonnaise
3/4 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon horseradish mustard

Peel, core, and dice apples.  Chop walnuts. Slice celery.  Mix everything together.

Serves four.








14 comments:

  1. Hi Chloe! Good to hear that Moochie is going to be okay.

    Sorry about the crockpot chicken and dumpling. What did you serve instead?

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  2. SO glad that Moochie will be fine. Poor Chloe.... Although I can understand. I have a Jack-a-Bee who thinks she is part cat LOL.... don't ask.

    I love my crockpot and have some real stinkers.

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  3. Poor little Mochie! I'm glad that he'll be fine soon. Hope Chloe is getting acclimated to her new home!

    I've had a couple of crockpot disasters myself, although I do love the thing. Most of mine have involved chicken, too. I'm loving the look of the fizzled superhero salad! Yum!

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  4. Dru, I'm afraid Crock Pot Woman didn't serve anything else! We ate the sad chicken and dumplings, however, I have to say that there's not much left of the salad! LOL!

    ~ Krista

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  5. Busy Mom, I have to ask -- what is a Jack-a-Bee? I imagine it's part Jack Russell. I have one of those, and I'm always joking that she thinks she's part cat! LOL!

    ~ Krista

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  6. Elizabeth, it's good to know that someone else has crock pot disasters! It seems like no-brainer cooking, but it's not!

    ~ Krista

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  7. What a sweetie Chloe is (that's all right, Mochie--we love you too). We wouldn't let our younger cats into our attic for the first year or so we had them because we were afraid they'd find a place we couldn't get them out of.

    I love it! Apples everywhere! In everything! (I have a new pork and apple recipe that's next on my list to try). But I'm puzzling over how you can mess up chicken and dumplings...

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  8. Oh, Krista, your post made me laugh. I've been there too many times to count. Crock pots and I don't get along as well as I'd like to. I'm glad Mochie's feeling better and welcome to Chloe! So beautiful!

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  9. LOL, Sheila. I wouldn't have thought it possible to mess up crock pot chicken and dumplings, either, but it happened! I'm looking forward to your pork and apple recipe. It's one of my favorite combinations.

    Chloe, whose name might change since she doesn't respond to it yet, is normally in a limited space. I'd forgotten how inquisitive kittens can be!

    ~ Krista

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  10. Thanks, Julie! She's actually more adorable in person. It's hard to get a photo of Chloe because she moves at the speed of lightning. I already have several lovely photos of her backside. ; )

    It's always great to see you here!

    ~ Krista

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  11. Krista - Thank you for making me laugh this morning (okay, so it's after noon, but I had a late night)! Crock pots and I have a rocky relationship, too. I'm pretty much a stove top and oven girl now -- and that salad is just about perfect for our unseasonably warm weather in NYC this week.

    I was holding my breath on Mochie, in this post, hoping he'd be okay, and very glad to know that he is! Bright-eyed Chloe is absolutely adorable and props to you for getting a kitten to pose for a pic. Love it!

    Enjoy Columbus Day!
    ~ Cleo

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  12. Glad I could bring you a chuckle, Cleo! I love using the crock pot, I think I just have to be more discerning about what I out into it! LOL!

    ~ Krista

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  13. My worst disaster was crockpot candy-a very expensive horrible waste. Guess it had to do with the size of the crockpot as well as the age of the recipe. The new ones do heat up much more quickly than the old!
    Nice to hear that the cats have made it through their recent ordeal. Love the pictures.

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  14. Crock pot candy? Tina, I have never heard of such a thing! What kind of candy was it?

    ~ Krista

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