Laundry Day or I'm a Nattering Nabob of Nincompoopery

I have observed over time that there are two kinds of people in the world; those that can fold laundry and those that can't. Those that can are almost always women or those few men around who made a career of the military. In the case of women I'm pretty sure it's one of those XY chromosome things. For those men that make a career in the military I've often wondered what came first; the ability to fold laundry or the career in the military?

You may be asking yourself "why is he writing about folding laundry?" Well the answer is that I'm sitting in the laundromat on this damp Superbowl Sunday. I come to the laundromat two or three times a year when I have items too large for the superduty large capacity Maytag at home. I'm washing a comforter that was barfed on by a cat in the middle of the night - something that happens, oddly enough, two or three times a year.

One thing I have discovered about barfing cats; when they start to barf, all you can do is sit back and let it happen and when it's over clean it up. The worst thing you can do is try to grab them. If you make a move towards a cat in the act they dash under the bed or behind the couch. The net result is more work, because now you have to move a piece of furniture to get to the damn mess. The up side to this is that I probably needed to clean under the bed or behind the couch anyway.

Notice the upper right hand corner of the drawing

Back to folding laundry..... I'm formalizing my observations about the two kinds of people after several years of observation and conversation with folks here at the laundromat. Women and retired military types always fold their laundry before they leave and they seem to do it quickly and effortlessly. The rest of us pile it into our baskets and quietly scurry away to fold our laundry, at home, in shame. When I fold my laundry each lumpy item bares little resemblance to the similar item I've just folded. Quickly hidden away in drawers; it's out of sight and out of mind. The only satisfaction I derive from this operation is that I don't have baskets full of wrinkled and unfolded laundry strewn about the house.

It's Super Bowl Sunday and it feels cold and damp. I'm making soup to ward off the chill.

Super Bowl Chicken Stew

Based on a recipe from the Kitchen Parade Blog

• 1 really large onion, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 pounds bone in chicken thighs - skin removed
• 3 carrots sliced into 1/8th inch coins
• 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into 3/4 inch cubes
• 1 apple, cored and chopped in 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 cups dry riesling
• 1 can chicken broth
• 1 can stewed tomatoes
• 1/4 teaspoon summer savory or sage
• 1/4 teaspoon basil
• 2 or 3 tablespoons of flour

Brown the chicken thighs in olive oil until they're cooked through and remove to a platter

Briefly saute' the carrots, celery and onions until they're just softening up a bit.

Add everything else but the flour into the pot and bring to a simmer.

Cook until the sweet potatoes are done.

Fish out the thighs, while they cooling do the step below and then remove the bones and shred into bite size pieces.

Mix the flour with a bit of water and then mix in some of the broth from the stew - stirring constantly to avoid lumps - add the mixture to the stew and cook for another five or ten minutes to thicken and cook out the flour taste.

Return the shredded chicken to the pot and serve.

I'm going to drink a 2007 Bethel Heights Gewurztraminer with this, but you could go with a Riesling or the beer of your choice.

The Cocktail of the Day is the Mythic Wood, which I wrote about here 

A note on the Day after Superbowl - I don't know why I didn't pick the Sazerac as the drink of the day yesterday - it would have been appropriate as it is the national drink of New Orleans!

The Map of the Cats Brain Cartoon was Originally published in MS Magazine, Vol III, #1, July/August 1992