All parents want their children to learn and succeed but the problem is to determine of the bazillion things out there to learn, what are the most important ones. Sure, reading, writing and arithmetic are key but what about the pantheon of arts, sports and even basic living?
When my boys were very young, the Ranting Wife and I decided that there were a few key skills that our boys needed to learn.
The first was to swim. We both loved the water and whether it was from a safety perspective or because we wanted our boys to enjoy swimming as much as we did, this was a requirement. Swim lessons when they were young and years of swimming after that filled the bill.
The second was riding a bike. We started with tricycles, then bicycles with training wheels and ultimately the moment preserved in time when running with the bicycle and holding it up to letting it go and watching your young son ride away.
One other item was skiing. Both he Ranting Wife and I loved to ski and we wanted our boys to learn so they could enjoy the mountains in the winter like we do. Whether it was skis or snowboards, we didn’t care, we just wanted them to learn.
I am a pretty decent skier. So I taught my eldest by both skiing behind him holding him up and later skiing backwards in front of him allowing him to hold on to a ski pole of mine. It took a couple of hours, but he learned and thrived.
When it was time to teach my youngest, I followed the same plan. Just when you think you have a plan that works, God loves to mess with you. My youngest tried, became frustrated and nothing clicked. All my tricks fell flat. His discouragement grew as my bewilderment also grew. My wife tried. That didn’t work either. We thought about a group lesson but knew that if he wasn’t learning from one-on-one attention, a group lesson had little likelihood of working. While sitting in the lodge, we looked at a brochure sitting on the table and saw the resort offered private lessons. It was expensive but we were determined that he needed to learn the skill, so we signed him up.
We met his instructor and left him to go to the slopes. Every chance we got, we looked for them on the slopes. The two hours passed quickly and when we went to pick him up the instructor said he did well and encouraged us to go up on the lift one more time. We took him up and the transformation was astounding. He was smooth and confident. We then named the instructor, the Ski Whisperer.
Corsican Chicken Recipe
There is no whispering about the flavor in this dish!
Pimento, sun-dried tomatoes and orange? Quite a few ingredients here.
Making the herbed butter can be a messy business.
The chicken is ready for cooking.
So much to this dish is awesome!
Delicious!
Corsican Chicken Recipe
Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 270 min | Servings: 6-8 servings.
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons butter, softened
2 tablespoons herbes de Provence
1 teaspoon salt
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, julienned
1 can (10-1/2 ounces) condensed beef consomme, undiluted
1/2 cup dry vermouth or orange juice
1/2 cup pitted Greek olives, quartered
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon cold water
2 tablespoons minced fresh basil
2 tablespoons diced pimientos
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
Directions:
1. In a small bowl, combine the butter, herbes de Provence, salt, garlic and pepper; rub over chicken.
2. Place in a 5-qt. slow cooker. Add the onion, tomatoes, consomme and vermouth. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours or until chicken is no longer pink. Add olives and orange peel. Cover and cook on high for 30 minutes.
3. Remove chicken to a serving platter; keep warm. Remove meat and vegetables to a serving platter; keep warm. Skim fat from cooking juices; transfer to a small saucepan. Bring liquid to a boil.
4. Combine cornstarch and water until smooth. Gradually stir into the pan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Pour over chicken. Sprinkle with basil, pimientos and parsley. Yield: 6-8 servings.
Nutritional Info: 1 serving (1 each) equals 287 calories, 16 g fat (5 g saturated fat), 89 mg cholesterol, 808 mg sodium, 8 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 23 g protein.
Rantings of an Amateur Chef 
Wow – I’ve seen anything like this recipe! I’m ‘pinning’ it immediately.
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Make that ‘I’ve never seen anything like’…. !!
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