Christian Michael Killgore
personal blog
— next
My heart gets wrapped up in knots of worry, and guilt, and shame. It becomes this intertwined mass, that no one could ever make sense of, and I carry it around as a burden. Every worry makes a new knot, and every mistake make two dozen.
I sit with my heart, tying more and more knots into it as I perseverate on the things that I’ve done wrong. The tangled bunch becomes bigger and bigger, and it holds me back, as I cannot drag it on forever.
Then you calmly walk in, and without a word, you sit down with me. And you untangle the knots. You take a single heart string, and your follow it through the tangled mass until the knots are undone, then you start with another heart string. And everything begins to snap back into place.
The worry, the anxiety, is gone. You hold my heart in your hands, and you offer it back to me. “I fixed it,” you declare. But I decline. I would rather you hold onto it, because I trust you to take better care of it.
First draft (adapted from Tyler Florence recipe)
Chicken Stock:
Ingredients:
1 whole chicken (3 ½ pounds), rinsed. discard giblets.
2 carrots cut in large chunks.
3 celery stalks cut in large chucks.
2 large white onions (quartered).
1 head of garlic, halved.
1 turnip, halved.
¼ bunch of fresh thyme.
2 bay leaves.
1 tablespoon whole peppercorns (any variety).
Place the chicken and vegetables in a large stockpot over medium heat. Pour in only enough cold water to cover (about 3 quarts); too much will make the broth taste weak. Add the thyme, bay leaves, and peppercorns, and allow it to slowly come to a boil. Lower the heat to medium-low and gently simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, partially covered, until the chicken is done. As it cooks, skim any impurities that rise to the surface; add a little more water if necessary to keep the chicken covered while simmering.
Carefully remove the chicken to a cutting board. When it’s cool enough to handle, discard the skin and bones. Hand-shred the meat, and place into a storage container.
Carefully strain the stock through a fine sieve into another pot to remove the vegetable solids. Use the stock immediately or if you plan on storing it, place the pot in a sink full of ice water and stir to cool down the stock. Cover and refrigerate for up to one week or freeze.
Yield: 2 quarts
Soup:
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil.
1 medium onion chopped.
3 cloves garlic, minced.
2 medium carrots cut diagonally in ¼ inch slices.
2 celery ribs, cut lengthwise, sliced in ½ inch slices.
4 sprigs fresh thyme.
1 bay leaf.
2 quarts chicken stock (see above^).
8 oz broken fusilli.
1 and ½ cups shredded chicken.
salt and pepper.
1 handful fresh flat leaf Italian parsley, finely chopped.
Place a soup pot over medium heat and coat with the oil. Add the onion, garlic, carrots, celery, thyme and bay leaf. Cook and stir for about 6 minutes, until the vegetables are softened but not browned. Pour in the chicken stock and bring the liquid to a boil. Add the noodles and simmer for 5 minutes until tender. Fold in the chicken, and continue to simmer for another couple of minutes to heat through; season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with chopped parsley before serving.
