Sweet Release, And Chicken Pot Pie

I guess I’ll start with my chicken pot pie, since I made it last night when I finally got my mojo working.  I seem to be a night person, sleeping most of the day and up all night.  Just seems to be the way I’m wired I guess.  Anyhoo, I have my chicken and veggies simmering on the left and my pie shell waiting on the right, to be filled with said veggies.  Since this is not a food blog, and I would be in big trouble if it was, because I don’t measure anything, just cook by whim and by throwing whatever comes in view into the pot, I could never tell what to add.  Just that it turned out to be pretty good.

Heaped up pie, ready to go into the oven.  Not exactly pretty, but then again, I’m making it for myself, so the taste is what I go for.  I know, you eat with your eyes first, but when I’m hungry it could look like dog food and I would still give it a try — unless it has garbanzo beans in it.  Just don’t like those gritty little thingys.

Out of the oven, burnt edges and all, but again, I don’t eat the edges of anything usually, even pizza.  I’m only interested in the middle with the filling. Like this.  A heapin’ helpin’ of goodness.  With most of the gravy in the first serving.  Sorry, didn’t take a photo of the bowl after I licked it clean.  Nice and filling though, so I had more today.  One serving left, but it will require some kind of sauce or gravy added to it, because all the runny stuff is gone now.  That’s a boo-hoo moment for me, because that’s the part that makes it good.  I’ll be able to fix it though.

Still have most of the chicken left over, plus a lot of the veggies and some wonderful gelatinous stock, most of which will go in the freezer in small amounts to be added to other broths to give them body later.  Most of the chicken will go in the freezer also, after I make a chicken stir fry with my leftover cabbage from St. Pat’s Day.  Or part of the cabbage.  I think the head I got was on steroids.  Got the smallest one in the bin, but I’m sure it still weighed 2000 pounds.  It’s taking up half my fridge.  ‘s’okay though, because I can freeze that too for soup next fall.  See, I’m thinking spring here.

I’m wearing pastel colors, thinking pastel thoughts, dreaming about flowers and poison ivy.  And putting away all my heavy shirts and coats.

And now for the sweet release.  No more therapy.  I can do it myself now, with no restrictions on weight or movement.  So, finally, the pulley contraption Mike rigged on my door will come in handy.  When I had my right shoulder surgery my mom and I rigged one up, but this time all I could do was describe what I needed to Mike, and he did the job for me.  I’ve just been waiting until I got the go-ahead to start using it.  Don’t have to do all the other baby step stuff any more, although I have been using the weights when I watch TV and kinda enjoy them, but now I can back my chair up to the door and pull away, out, up and forward.  Just have to remember to respect the pain.  But this was the one that got me back to 100% after the right shoulder surgery, so I think it will get me closer now with the left one.  I’m hyped by it all.  No more silly lying back trying to use a knitting loom to pull my arm over my head.  Wheeeeeee!  Life is good.

A.