Smoked Chicken and the Hamster Wheel

Have you ever seen a hamster running on a wheel?  The faster the hamster runs, the faster the wheel turns, until the wheel is rotating so fast that the hamster can’t keep up with the speed of the wheel and ends up spinning dizzily hanging on for dear life.  Lately, I feel like that hamster.  I always talk about things being a little crazy here in the Matten household, but the past two weeks took crazy to a whole new level.  Without going into a lot of detail, by the middle of this week I literally felt like I was dizzily spinning – can you say vertigo?!!  Really.  Couldn’t even walk across the room!  I truly think that it was G-ds way of making me stop with no choice but to lie down and rest my weary self.  Mind you that a day or so later, I was back up and running on the wheel again (mildly dizzy doesn’t count!). For a short time I was forced to take a much needed break, and although I was sidelined, life still went on around me without slowing down and I’m back on the wheel again.

 

So, last week I had to take my boys in to the doctor’s office to take a test.  Of course I didn’t know that I was supposed to pick up a specific medication for that test, and of course, none of the pharmacies in the area actually had two doses of the medication.  So there I was running from pharmacy to pharmacy like a lunatic, rushing so that the physician wasn’t delayed.  (Picture the hamster again…)  During one of my sprints through a Walgreens, I passed pre-wrapped packages of mesquite wood smoker kits at 2/$3.00.  I grabbed two, raced to the pharmacy counter, paid for the medication and the smoker kits and sped back to the doctor’s office with not a minute to spare.  For those of you not familiar with wood smoker kits, a wood smoker kitis an aluminum foil package with wood chips inside and slits in the lid.  The kits I bought are used for smoking beef or chicken on the grill.  One of the easiest ways to grill chicken is to smoke it (do not put that in your pipe).  You can buy different types of wood chips that give different flavors to the grilled foods, like mesquite, hickory, or apple wood.  The idea is that you soak the wood chips in warm water for 30-45 minutes until they are saturated, then you place them in a smoker box directly on the coals or on the grill grates.   I have a small 4”x8” metal box that has holes on the bottom where I usually place my soaked wood chips.  As the chips cook on the covered grill they give off flavored steam which infuses the chicken with an awesome flavor.  Normally, I de-skin chicken when barbecuing, but when I smoke my chickens I don’t even bother.  After cleaning the chickens, I place them on the grill whole with the skin to help keep the meat juicy.  Easy, easy, easy, easy.  The bonus this week was that I didn’t even have to soak the chips!  It turns out that the wood smoking kits I bought were specially designed so that you just placed them on the grill, no soaking required.  Considering my fairly insane past few weeks, easy was really, really good!!  The chicken turned out fabulously with rave reviews (at least I think there were rave reviews…does it count if you pretendto be awake at the Shabbat table??).

 

Looking on the bright side of things (as I go flying past at high speed), in addition to finding the super time saving wood chip kits, our optimistic garden has had its first yield of a beautiful little red cherry tomato. The wonderful daughter that popped it into her mouth said it was one of the best she’s ever tasted! 

 

I have to admit that I’m truly blessed with an amazing family and especially dear husband (KIH).  He’s right beside me on that wheel, holding on to me as tightly as he can making sure I don’t go flying off, keeping me safe.  I know that, G-d willing, eventually the wheel will slow, and I’ll be able to run at a reasonable not-so-frantic pace…but until then…anyone have some oil so at least the wheel doesn’t squeak???!!!

 

It’s hard to believe that I am spending this Father’s Day without my father here.  Especially today, we are reflecting on the sadness of the empty place in our hearts, and can’t fathom that he’s not here with us.  I am going to try to be positive and focus on my children’s amazing father (KIH) today – my dear, wonderful, supportive husband.  And, yes…we did get him a tie!

 

Happy Father’s Day to all the terrific Dad’s out there!

 

 

Print