Tonight's dinner was better than most. It was
use up leftovers night. So what made this dinner special? I made it with my 7year old grandson. We made chicken soup.
Ingredients: 1 quart chicken broth
1 large chicken breast half, raw
1 large chicken breast half, leftover, roasted, already seasoned
1/2 onion, minced
1 pint water
2 tbs. Better Than Boulton chicken base
dried herbs - sage, bay leaves, granulated garlic, thyme, salt
I fried the raw chicken breast in the enameled Dutch oven in a tbs. of olive oil until lightly browned on both sides, and just barely cooked through. The cooked chicken was removed and set on a plate to rest. The diced onion, and broth were added to the Dutch oven, along with leftover rice, and spaetzle.
I got out a 6 inch chef's knife and made sure it was very sharp. I placed a damp paper towel under the cutting board to make it firm, explaining to my grandson everything I did, and why it was done. I cut the meat into long strips that could easily be diced. I shoed the boy the claw grip for holding the meat, and the pinch grip for holding and controlling the knife, stressing safety, and technique were much more important than speed. I made sure that he understood hoe to curl his fingers back in the claw, and tuck the thumb behind his fingers. I made a few slices to demonstrate, and gave him the knife. He did everything nearly perfectly, cutting same size cubes from the chicken. The knife went through the meat like it was soft butter.
I removed the lid from the simmering pot, showing, and explaining how steam rushes from the part of the lid that opens first, and so open the back side oft the pot first to avoid steam burns. I gave him a wooden, long handle spoon and had him stir, and taste the broth. He said it was ok.
I gave him the herb canisters shoed him which part to open so as to control how much he was adding, and had him sprinkle them into the broth, letting him know when there was enough. We let it simmer a few minutes and the tatted it again. He loved his creation.. We then put the diced chicken, rice, and spaetzle in, stirred it to get everything well mixed, covered, and let it all simmer for ten minutes, again with me telling him how the herbs, and chicken needed a little time to make the broth taste right. He set the table, with his sister's help. Parents got home just as we were sitting down. .My grandson gushed how he and I made dinner, and how he was able to use a sharp knife very well. Of course my son had to tease him just a bit, telling him to hold up his hands and show his fingers. After that, he praised his son for making a very tasty soup, as did his mom.
Both he and his siblings had three servings each, with the adults each having a bowl full. It really was a tasty soup. It was an even better experience. The boy and I are going to make some kind of desert on Saturday, and tie some fishing flies tomorrow. This is what life is supposed to be like.
Seeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
