There are, in our lives, certain days that are magical and live on in our memories that way.Such is the day, about 20 years ago, when a coworker and I made a three-hour trip to visit a client deep into Wisconsin Amish country. It was a bit of a rush, but that was tempered by the winding and curvy secondary road that took us past tidy Amish farm houses. We saw a sign reading "Amish Bake Sale" that pointed to a side road and looked at it longingly but did not have time to stop. It was fall, and I yearned to sample big buttery cinnamon rolls and perhaps something made with apples.
This gray October day lives on because it was filled with a kind of promise, the promise of another, more serene way of living. The road not taken is always more intriguing.
Since then, I've been to several Amish quilt auctions and sampled Amish baking. For a time there was a small Amish community up this way, but it lasted only a few years.
Now I am left with my chicken. Let me explain. I buy this Amish-raised whole or cut chicken that is organically raised and supposedly has no additives, hormones, antibiotics. That's what the label says; I hope it's true.
Anyway, since I've been buying it, we've had chicken every Sunday. Yesterday's chicken was baked with garlic and sun-dried tomatoes and thyme and rosemary. Tonight, we ate it in the form of a salad, with fresh tomatoes, Kalamata olives, cheese dotted with garlic and basil, roasted croutons and slivered almonds. Whatever I had on hand, went into that salad.
Last night, I used the carcase, the herbs, and most of the garlic to make a rich savory broth for future soups.
I am pleased, very pleased, that my modest investment in that chicken provides such culinary mileage.
It's the famous French frugality kicking in, but I like to think those thrifty Amish housewives can appreciate it, too.
17 comments:
Your chicken lived a good life, and you honor it by using every bit in your kitchen.
Some people think frugality means doing without. I think it means enjoying and appreciating all that we have.
I love chicken salad!
Good way to look at it, Lydia.
Tanna, chicken salad fixed a million different ways is a mainstay at our house.
I adore reading about the Amish lifestyle. So often I wonder if it would be possible to live such a simple life.
Loved your post, and the "many faces of chicken" is certainly one I've come to appreciate. There's nothing like being able to pull out some homemade stock.
Erika, have you ever gone to the Amish quilt auction in Amherst? Also, I think there are Amish near Bonduel. . .
YUM!
I could definitely use some of that chicken soup right now!
Spring cold etc..
Looks really tasty Mimi, we bought a hot chicken salad recipe back with us from California years ago and it has been made by so many different people and is always popular.
Anne
Carol, your photos and art work really have me excited about Paris. I imagine I will make soup in my little Paris kitchen, too, to go with that baguette.
Anne, I have never tired of chicken, and recently began to enjoy hot chicken salads of all sorts.
I really think I should rename this blog
I love visiting Amish villages as well. Such a different lifestyle and their products are always of the highest quality!
I agree, Kristen, from quilts to baked goods, I have found quality and value in Amish communities. The lunches provided at auctions are always good.
I've never been to a quilt auction but yes, there is a community near Bonduel (which is about 15 minutes away) and then several out towards Waupaca.
The community in Bonduel are the ones I visit with at the Farmer's Market for to-die-for cinnamon rolls. (maybe I shouldn't say that) :-)
Oh, gosh, Erika, those rolls sound good!
There was an Amish bakery near Oconto for a while in the early 90s, when I was living in Green Bay.
A great post, Mimi. Your remembrance of the Amish bake sale missed after all these years reminds me of having to pass up an old fiddle in a junk shop in a little Missouri town long ago. It was only $25, but I just didn't have it to spend right then. Even though I don't play the fiddle [and had no plans to--it would have just been a decorative piece for my apartment], I still remember having to let that one go.
I feel really good when I use up leftovers too, by the way, and I'm neither French nor an Amish housewife.
I love the simplicity of the post- and for this driving line that pulls me in...to the promise?
Oh, TerryB, I have so many stories like that, so many roads not taken, purchases not made. Still, I have no regrets. I like how my refrigerator, messy a few weeks ago, is so clean and tidy now as we prepare to be gone for a bit...
Ah, the promise gets us every time, Callipygia. SO much more intriguing than the reality...
This is a good reminder of what a good buy a roast chicken is. Plus, it's so convenient to cook something once and make multiple meals of it.
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