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The week after my latest pregnancy loss was a blur of emotion—sorrow and happiness. Many good friends stepped forward and offered to bring meals. One of the meals was a crockpot chicken and rice. My friend, Stacee, brought it over, told us to plug it in, wait two hours, and enjoy. It ministered to my tummy as she ministered to my spirit.
Everyone loved it—even my outrageously picky eaters. I’ve added it to our menu because I like having complaint-free dinners. The sight of gobbling used to nauseate me. The best dinner nights are when there are seven virtually clean plates and Beatrix has more food in her tummy than in her hair.
I thought I’d share. The best part? It takes less than five minutes to completely assemble and two hours in the crockpot. It’s almost too easy.
Stacee got it from Fix-it and Forget-it Cookbook
Barbara’s Chicken Rice Casserole
2 chicken bouillon cubes
2 cups hot water
1/2 cup margarine, melted
6-oz. box Uncle Ben’s Long Grain and Wild Rice (Original Recipe), uncooked
4 1/2-oz. jar sliced mushrooms
10-oz. can cooked chicken
1. Dissolve bouillon in hot water.
2. Combine all ingredients, including rice seasoning packet, in slow cooker.
3. Cover. Cook on High 2 hours, or until rice is tender.
Veronica at Toddled Dredge wrote about things she fantasizes about—all G-rated. Basically, she talks about things unattainable in this world. Daydream things.
1. My chronic daydream is to be Mary Poppins—I’d love to have her skills. Sigh…to zip right up the bannister with a basket of laundry folded by my authoritative snap? What a talent. All the Jolly Holidays, tea on the ceiling with requisite hilarity, bright spoons brimming with strawberry cordial, and rooftop galavanting! The ability to pull whatever I need from a ratty carpet bag. In fact, in December 2004 I wrote an entire post about my desire to be Mommy Poppins.
2. When I was a kid, I wished I could go Walnut Grove, visit the Ingalls family, then give them a car. Life would be easier if they only had a car.
3. I wish I could set off a Lysol bomb in my house as needed. Again, I wrote about this before:
Pull the pin, drop in your home’s hallway, and run to a resort for a few days. Return to a bacterial blank-slate. Immediately repopulate home with germs from the indoor pool and that Waldorf salad you had for dinner 24 hours earlier. Luckily, Lysol Bombs come in a convenient 2-pack. Look for the coupon in this Sunday’s paper
4. Ripping off the same post, I wish my kids had crayons fortified with vitamins, calcium, and iron. If the little ones want to eat crayons, it would be nice to get more out of the experience than technicolored poos. Same with Playdoh.
5. I wish I had a food processor that forms every food into the shape, color, taste, and texture of a McDonald’s Chicken McNugget while maintaining the integrity of the original food’s nutritious value. from that same post…some dreams never die
6. Like Veronica, I’d love to be able to quilt. I’d like to learn to knit, too, and be able to decorate cakes that don’t look like they were dropped out of a hot air balloon.
7. I fantasize about having hardwood floors with the warmth and texture of deep, silky carpet under my bare feet. I realize this is utterly impossible.
Ryley is giving a presentation on squirrels today. As he went over his notes this morning, he realized he didn’t include the natural predators of squirrels. He quickly added the usual suspects: fox, coyote, hawks. Our dog.
Sam was listening, then thoughtfully piped up, “I know what predators worms have!”
He began to list them.
“Cats, dogs, birds, foxes, wolves, bears, squirrels, rabbits and bunnies, skunks, raccoons, badgers, moles, snakes, lizards, hawks, eagles, ground hogs, sheep, ducks, geese, goats, pigs, cows, donkeys, horses…pandas, elephants, giraffes, lions, zebras, tigers, monkeys and gorillas, camels, spiders, bees, wasps, some other birds, people, fish, and maybe some sharks.”
You would think they’d look more nervous.
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