Tuesday, August 05, 2008

Home Again

Isaac was gone all last week at camp. He arrived back on Saturday chattering excitedly about all the fun he had. He had a good time and can't wait for next year. It seems he found a pair of Steve Urkel looking glasses in an old pick up truck that each week's winning team of campers gets to spray paint in any design they want. He was on the Pink Team, which came in dead last for the week's competitions but apparently at his leading was at least the most amusing. Urkel impersonations, a "pinkie" dance he invented, the great TP night when they spent countless rolls decorating the camp trees and buildings, and mooning contests all figured prominently in his stories. It seems the assistant director thinks in a few years Isaac and his partner in crime will be good counselors because of their antics. Be afraid.

On Sunday Diana flew home after her 6 weeks in Louisiana. To Calypso's credit she arranged for one of Diana's dear friends to come with us to the airport as a surprise. It was a real delight to see the 3 girls and Isaac having a happy reunion in the back of the van during the drive home. I asked what meal Diana wanted for dinner and jokingly offered gumbo or jambalaya (two things I've never made). She rolled her eyes and said she'd had her fill of those two dishes. After a moment of thought she came back and asked for Chicken and Waffles. I was so proud that she hungered for proper Pennsylvania food.

Now, lest any of you southern types get confused and think we eat it the way you do (waffles with a side of fried chicken and gravy) allow me to correct you. We make our waffles like normal but we add the chicken leftover from the carcass of a roasted bird to the gravy which is then poured over the waffles (this is a dish that is all about stretching leftovers and limited resources into a rib sticking meal). Now, I know some of you are thinking this sounds gross and weird. Trust me on this, ok? Diana's friend, who is a self-described picky eater, expressed great reluctance at dinner but when she tried it she thought it was terrific. That she had seconds lends credence to her statement. That she declared she was going to tell her mom about it and ask her to make it too should make all of you willing to try this.

Ok, so you may want the recipe. I will tell you I have recently been converted to Alton Brown's waffle recipe so you can go grab that right off the link. Since I didn't have leftovers from a roasted chicken and it was late and I needed to get milk anyway I just picked up a small rotisserized bird (Is that a word? It is now) at the store. I pulled off some of the meat and shredded it for the gravy which I also kind of cheated on since I didn't have any actual pan drippings or time to make stock.

1/4 C butter
1/4 C flour
1 C milk
1 c water
2 tsp chicken bouillon, mixed into the liquids

-Melt the butter in a saucepan, stir in the flour.
-Add liquids slowly and stir over medium low heat until it thickens.
-Add pepper to taste

After the gravy thickened up I tossed in the shredded chicken. Ladle that all over the waffles on your plate and schleck it all up like a good dutchie. This fed the 4 of us who are omnivores. It would not have been enough if my vegetarian Calypso came back to the dark side.

21 comments:

Queenie said...

Sounds yummy, my kind of food. Great to hear everyone had a good time.

furiousBall said...

I will eat that. Will eat that with my mouth. on my face.

Breazy said...

That actually sounds good and it may surprise you, since I am a southerner and all(that is not meant sarcastically , just jokingly),that my mom makes gravy like that and we practically lick the bowl clean. I will certainly have to try it over the waffles because I am not a huge syrup eater.

Hope you are having a great day!

Craver Vii said...

I'm curious about this vegetarian thing. Does Calypso make her own dinner or do you make two separate meals?

It sounds like Isaac's antics the other campers in the most positive way. I'm glad to hear that they had fun and that it was not all about winning. That's difficult to get past, once a mind is trained that way. Good for him!

Craver Vii said...

...Isaac's antics affected the other...

:-)

G-Man said...

I'm sure it's delish, but I would like the Fried Chicken on the side and dump Maple Syrup on my waffles!
Some folks even like sauerkraut!!!!
(but NOT on waffles)hehehehe
Thanks Trini..Back to normal!!
xox

Jeni said...

For a number of years, a truckstop near where I live (Interstate 80 -north-central PA) used to have chicken and waffles as a standard Sunday Special and the locals would come out in droves for it -a great meal! It is quite a tantalizing treat, to be sure!
BTW, I always read your blog, use the Google Reader, but currently it is not working properly for me -seems to be updating everyone else's blogs that I read but sadly, not mine! And, I can't seem to figure out what the heck the problem is there either. So if you -or any of your readers -accesses my blog via Reader, although it will say I have no new posts, that's not true as I have had several since July 31st -the last date reader updated for me!

Cheesy said...

Poultry on a Dimpled Shingle! yummm

I miss going to summer camp... ask if I can be packed in his suitcase next year PLEASE!?!

Fred said...

I would have never put that combination together in my mind. But, as I read this without having breakfast today, it sure sounds good.

I do remember my camping days, and they sound very similar. The difference is that I never told my parents what I did. But, I'm sure they knew.

S said...

Oh godddd I just cant eat that. Chicken and waffles? What? No, wrong. Wrong, just wrong.

I am glad you're all back safe and sound. You didnt mention Mr Lime...did he get left behind? :P

Anonymous said...

Oh, yum yum yummy! I'll be trying it out this weekend! Cheers!

Suldog said...

Gross? Are you kidding me, lady? That sounds GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRREAT!

(Say it the way Tony The Tiger would say it.)

I want some NOW.

barman said...

I watched several show of Alton's including the waffle one and the fried chicken one. He already had me all hangry to give this a try. As a matter of fact I went out and bought a waffle iron just for the occasion. I shall have to give this a try. I really should not be doing the syrup unless I do it sparingly.

You know that gumbo or jambalaya sounded pretty good too... I have got to stop having a froozen meal for lunch. Obviously it is not enough to eat.

Nothing like a good dose of silliness to start or end a week.

Camp sounds like a hoot. My one time I got a little crazy (and for me anything I do could be considered crazy) I was kicked out of camp. Glad a fun time had by all even the Pink team.

Might I say Calypso is really something else. She must be trying for something. She is building up all those points. I would watch her if I were you. LOL

Pam said...

i'm not a big fan of waffles in general so i'll pass LOL

my son had went over to the dark side about 3 years ago, it lasted maybe about yr and half...now he's back in the light LOL

Anonymous said...

How wonderful it must be to have the kids all together and ::gasp:: getting along! :)

For how stressful this last year was for you it sounds like a perfect summer! :)

Anonymous said...

Good to know the family is gathered again and that the kids have had a great time!

Thanks for the waffle correction. You know I'm married to an American, so I though I knew :-) Thanks for the recipe - I'll pass it over to Diane and hope for the best!

Btw: nice that you saw Diane and Anna in the vid!

Gledwood said...

on the little "alternative names" section under okkra when they 1st started selling it in British supermarkets in the late 80s/early 90s, as well as ladies' fingers, another alternative name for it was "gumbo"... this make any sense to you?

Kat said...

Wow! That sounds so good!

SignGurl said...

I just ate dinner and now I'm hungry!

I'm glad that your kids are back safely where they belong.

(M)ary said...

ohhhh....that sounds yummy. i may have the bachelorette version using toaster waffles and chicken added to pre-made waffles. probably won't taste as good but that is how we bachelors and bachelorettes roll.

Anonymous said...

I'll take a side of funnel cake with that chicken and waffles....