Scent-sation

I think onions gently sauteeing in butter might be the very best smell ever. Really.

Stuff to Do with a Frozen Chicken

I want to eat all of these chickens. Yum. Chicken.

You know those rotisserie chickens you can buy at the grocery store deli section for like six bucks? They're all brown and glossy and delicious, and you can just grab one on the way home from work, boil some water for instant mashed potatoes, and voila, dinner! Love them.


But did you know that you can totally use them for about a million other things? Don't throw them away! When you're finished, pull off all the leftover meat and chop it up into bite-size pieces. Skin too! It's got tons of flavor. Pile all the meat into a Tupperware and chuck it into your freezer. Then, you can make all this stuff, with no need to even defrost:


1. Chicken pot pie: Throw frozen chicken and whatever chopped veggies you want in a pan with some milk. Boil until veggies are soft. Throw in a casserole dish, top with biscuits made of Bisquick, and bake ten minutes. Chicken pot pie! Super easy!


2. Chicken fried rice: Use cold cooked rice, toss in one of those fried rice flavor envelopes, and throw in onions, broccoli, carrots, and your chicken. Fry the heck out of it. So yum.


3. Soup! Throw the chicken in any kind of soup or broth. It heats up in like two minutes because it's pre-cooked and in small pieces.


4. Chicken salad sandwiches. Mustard. Mayo. Toasty bread. Deliciousness.


5. Salad: Defrost and use on any salads you want to add some protein to. The rotisserie flavor is awesome.


6. Chicken broth: Keep the carcass! It makes great broth. Just remember--simmer, don't boil! Boiling makes it taste burned for some reason. No idea why, but it does. SIMMER. Trust me.

Why start with an introduction, when you can start with butter?

I know that I should begin a blog with a little bit about who I am and why I want to stick needles in people, but instead I'm going to tell you what you need to do. Rude, but necessary. Trust me, you'll be glad I did.

What you need to do is go get a cast-iron skillet. Throw some butter in it and melt it. On top of the bubbling, delicious butter, place a tortilla. I prefer flour, but go for corn if that's what tickles your nozzle. Once the tortilla is floating on the bubbly butter, top it with a layer of shredded Monterey Jack and cheddar cheese, a few pieces of fajita-marinated, grilled chicken, and a bit more cheese. (The second layer of cheese is so the top tortilla will stick to the bottom one.) Toss another tortilla on top of the pile. Let grill for about three minutes.

Pry up one edge of your tortilla--use a spatula, not your fingers! You may want those fingerprints someday. If it's lightly browned and gorgeous, flip the whole thing over and brown the other side.

When it's brown and slightly crispy all over, slide the whole shebang onto a cutting board. Slice into triangles. Put a big scoop of sour cream on a plate and slide those triangles right up next to it. Carry plate to living room. Sit on couch. Turn something brain-dead on the tv. Get up because you forgot to get a cold beer. Sit back down, get comfy, and eat the best quesadilla you have ever tasted in your life.

I'm serious. Do it now. You won't regret it.