Thanks, Teresa, I don't think I've ever seen a chicken pie recipe without vegetables, that looks really interesting and efficient, because Bud and Makayla wouldn't have to pick out the pieces of veggies, LOL. Ruthanna, the chicken pudding looks good, I'm going to try a couple of these as meals when Elery's family comes. I'll have 11 visitors for 5 days over the 4th of July weekend, so I'm going to have to find things that I can bake ahead or multiply to get enough servings. The following week is Fair Week too, so Bud and Makayla are spending the night tomorrow night, the fair entries will just have to be baked and frozen, then thawed for the fair. (shrug) Just as well, they're getting too complacent about all those ribbons every year, make 'em work at it this time! Ryse, where are you that you need to move to Tennessee for a better climate? I live in North/West Michigan and I really like to process chickens in the fall, far fewer flies and I don't rush so much to get the birds on ice like I do when it's warmer here. sleevendog, the traffic cones actually worked pretty well, but they weren't quite deep enough. Hey, I'm creative! I didn't have enough room to partially freeze all those halves before packaging, that was part of the problem, I think. On another food related note, the second calf of the year was born today, hooray. I left Mama to tend it and didn't bother them by getting close enough to determine whether it was a heifer or bull, I'll know soon enough. Oh, and Elery and I had chicken on the grill last night. No salting or pre-brining, because I wanted to see just how it was. Elery cooked it slowlyl on the cooler side of the grill and it was moist, juicy and delicious. I'm happy. Annie

I poach chicken breasts for salad. Poach is a very slow simmer.I put some water....what looks like enough to cover the bricken into a pot with a lid, add some onion...a slice for just a small but of chicken, a bit of celery, the leaves are OK...no need to chop, a whole clove of garlic...2 if I have a lot of chicken to cook, and some parsley...if I have another use for the ruffley part I will just use the stems, and something acid...maybe a wedge of lemon, a splash of dry wine, a spoon of vinegar... a bit of salt...pepper. Bring to a boil and boil for a bit....5 minutes if you are in a hurry, 20 minutes if the phone rings! Turn the fire off and add the chicken, turn the heat back on and keep at a slow simmer until its' done...depends on the amount of chicken you are cooking but 12 to 15 minutes is about right. Cut into the chicken to see when it's done....don't over cook. Remove chicken from broth, strain and save the broth for other uses....you may want to reduce it a bit. Or just poach the chicken in white wine. That was my father's secret recipe! He would pack chicken breasts,with the skin, into a heavy pot, cover with Virginia Dare white wine...sweet, icky, fruity....and slowly simmer until the chicken was done....then he would brown the chicken in a bit of butter, reduce down the cooking liquid add fruit....think it was pineapple maybe canned peaches, I forget, and thicken with cornstarch and serve over the chicken! LOL! I forgot about that! Linda C

Thank-you for posting this! I'm saving the recipe for the tail end of the holidays. :) After the hard part is over.

Jhmarie; yes, the kitchen is very functional, and a part of this is almost like therapeutic processing for what to do with this house!Thank you for the heads up about the book. I will have a look for that. Aprilneverends; well thank you. I am really trying to not get caught up in fads, but I think the state of the place made me focus on the yellowness of the oak. And the oakiness of the oak everywhere in that part of the house! I always really enjoyed this blue, to be honest. ha!! It contrasted nicely and I got to cackle in my husband's direction every time someone told me they loved it, too. That's the thing I guess, you never can tell. I am a bit leery of how much the kitchen will change with all of the white and off white in regards to the contrast, and had to kind of giggle at the thought of painting the walls white and the wainscoting blue. Like a role reversal. :D Fidlfreek; I appreciate you bringing me back down from the clouds with some of your suggestions. Some of your sentiments I had thought of and was considering - all white miracle method, subway tile, lighting updates. Now is the time to pull that big beast down I think - we are planning to paint the ceilings throughout the home. Curious of your thought process- the lighting fixture you linked from ikea, is that to coordinate with the current colored cabinets? Or the shape in general? Staining the cabinets darker is of course an option, I just don't want this area to feel any more boxed in, I guess. This vantage point is actually the only way in and out of the kitchen - there is also peninsula seating already to the left, FYI. I actually picked the flooring you circled in the event that I wanted to go lighter or darker with the cabinets, now or later, that there would be flexibility in the flooring color to do so. It's also more of the classic wood look than some of the on trend colors I am seeing out there. The more I think about it, the more I would like to NOT spend a lot of time painting everything white, but I definitely think I need some adjustments in here. I find it interesting that none of you have mentioned the appliances or their color - apart from the microwave, which is usually the least of the appliance worries. ;D I so appreciate your feedback and input.