Weekend Update - Hogs for the Cause

Well, this little bunny rabbit has completely fooled me into thinking that all babies are awesome...

So I had agreed to babysit for someone who needed help while she went on a vacation. Kids are no joke. Sure they can be cute, but there is a little too much, snot, slobber, poop, and blood for my tastes. So glad to be done with that. 

Friday after I had babysat all day, I came home and noticed that the basketball courts were empty so I begged Joe to go play with me and he finally agreed. After balling by ourselves for a minute, a short little boy asked if he could play with us, and then his two friends came over and asked if we wanted to play a game with them. So me, Joe and Brandon played Jamal and Oscar in a friendly little game of hoops and I would like to say that the Granades have gained some major street cred. Brandon was not much of a help, as he was playing with his iPhone for most of the game and updating us on Beyonce's celebrity gossip. After we finished playing, the ice cream truck came around and Brandon asked Joe if he could have some ice cream? Joe said absolutely not, no hand outs here son.

When we got home and were covered in sweat and smelled terrible, our upstairs neighbors asked us if we wanted to go eat with them, so we hopped in the shower and went to Three Muses to eat and listen to Davis Rogan and Glen David Andrews, which was extremely entertaining. Joe was super jacked because a character on Treme is based on David Rogan, and Joe apparently loves celebrities these days.

A random man walked in off Frenchmen Street 

and started playing with Glen

Neighbors

We went to Fat Harry's afterwards, and then realized that it was 1 am, and I had to babysit in five hours. After I got finished with that on Saturday, I went to Hogs for the Cause with Christine and Deanna, and we met up with Joe and his pals. Joe was so excited about the BBQ cook off and wanted to stay all the way until the concert that night with Robert Randolph and Anders Osbourne, even though it was getting verrryyy cold and rainy.

Dixons at the festival

waiting for Robert Randolph

pals

Anders Osbourne in the rain

Sunday we walked to my new favorite place after church, Il Posto. For dinner, we made chicken and biscuits pot pie, which was a hit.

Chicken and Biscuits Pot Piesource: adapted from The New Best Recipe by the editors of Cook’s Illustrated

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 large onion, chopped fine
• 3 medium carrots, peeled and cut crosswise 1/4-inch thick
• 2 small ribs celery, cut crosswise 1/4-inch thick
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 2 to 2 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 3 tablespoons dry sherry (optional)
• 3 to 4 cups (about 1 1/4 lbs) shredded chicken
• 3/4 cup frozen peas, thawed
• 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Heat a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add the oil.  Once the oil is hot, sauté the onions, carrots, and celery until tender, about 5-7 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Transfer cooked vegetables to a bowl with the chicken; set aside.
2. Reduce the heat to medium and add the butter to the same pot.  When melted, stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute.  Whisk in the milk, chicken broth, and thyme.  Allow the sauce to come to a simmer and let it simmer for 1 minute to thicken.  Season with salt and pepper and stir in the sherry (if using).  Turn off the heat and transfer the vegetables and chicken to the pot, stirring until the filling is well-combined.  Mix in the peas and parsley.  If the filling is too thick (you’ll know), stir in the extra chicken broth, about 1/4 cup at a time up to 3/4 cup until the filling loosens up a little.
3. Pour the filling into a 13×9-inch baking dish and bake for 18 minutes.  Remove the dish from the oven (keeping the oven on and door closed) and top the filling with the biscuits.  Return the baking dish to the oven and bake for an additional 10-12 minutes, until the biscuits are golden brown and the filling is bubbly.  Cool for 5 minutes before serving.

I used a rotisserie chicken, and Pillsbury grand flaky biscuits, and made the whole thing in my dutch oven. Easy and delicious!