It’s after midnight and I’m awake.
I was asleep. I was sleeping peacefully, snug next to Michael in our big, comfy bed. I think I may have even been at the edge of a really good dream. But now I’m awake.
No, I do not have insomnia.
I have kids.
Kids who don’t have school tomorrow, so they think it’s okay to be wide awake right now.
When I woke up, I knew it was because I’d heard something. I didn’t hear it anymore, but I knew that I’d heard something that woke me up. I waited a few minutes and then got up to investigate. As I stepped into the hall, I could see light coming from around the corner. That meant the living room lights were on. As I got to the living room, I saw the kitchen lights were on. I found Elizabeth there with the refrigerator door open and a container of cantaloupe chunks on the counter. She was startled to realize I was standing there, but then she smiled and said, “Sorry! I just needed some cantaloupe.” I put the container back in the refrigerator and informed her that the only thing she needed was to go back to bed. She flounced back to her room unhappily – as only an 11-year-old girl can.
Just as her door shut, Christopher’s door opened. I looked at him questioningly and he said, “My knee hurts. I need to ice it.”
At midnight?
Apparently.
So now, I’m wide awake – and not too happy about it. Mostly because they can both sleep as late as they want tomorrow and I can’t. Because I’ve reached that crazy age where my body simply cannot stay in bed past 7:30. Even while it’s on summer vacation. I can try to stay in bed, but I can’t. I get restless. I start making lists in my head of all the things I need to get up and start doing. I even try to prolong the staying in bed by reaching for my phone and checking all of my social media stuff. And then, I fling back the covers and stomp angrily out of bed because I actually miss those lazy, delicious mid-mornings when I used to awaken and stretch and then go right back to sleep. I can’t do that anymore because I’m…
an adult.
Ugh!
I should be happy about this because it means that I get to share this awesome dish with you! But I’m not happy because I could have done this later.
When the sun is up and the birds are singing.
And the kids are asleep.
But I digress.
This started out as an experiment and ended up with one member of my family licking his or her plate. I won’t say which member – although I should just to get even with him or her for waking me up.
But again, I’m the adult.
All Gone Chicken and Sausage
- 3-pound bag of frozen, boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2 pounds of smoked sausage, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 2 cups of chopped onion
- 2 8-ounce packages of cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 3 cups of chicken stock
- 6 tablespoons of whole grain mustard
- 4 garlic cloves, grated
- 2 teaspoons of salt
Later:
- 1/4 cup of cornstarch
- 1/2 cup of cool water
- Cooked white rice to serve over
Place frozen chicken breasts, sausage pieces, and onion into your crock pot.
In a bowl, mix or whisk together cream cheese, stock, mustard, garlic, and salt until smooth. If cream cheese is lumpy, you can use a hand mixer or immersion blender. Pour this mixture over the chicken and sausage. Cook on high for 6 hours.
Remove chicken and sausage with a slotted spoon and place onto a baking sheet. Broil on high heat until meat is browned.
Pour sauce mixture into a saucepan and place over medium high heat. Taste for seasoning and add more salt, if needed. Combine cornstarch and water in a small dish. When sauce mixture bubbles, stir in the cornstarch slurry and cook and stir until sauce thickens to a gravy consistency.
Serve chicken and sausage over rice and top with sauce.
Well Duh #1: You can use reduced-fat cream cheese, but NOT fat-free. It will not melt.
Well Duh #2: If you don’t have time to bring cream cheese to room temperature, place it in a microwave-safe container and heat on high for a minute and a half.
Well Duh #3: You don’t have to broil the meat, but browning it does make it prettier and brings out more flavor.
Well Duh #4: You may drink the sauce with a straw, if you’re so inclined.
This is not necessarily a pretty dish, but don’t be deceived by its appearance. It is delicious! It makes a lot, so you can, of course, cut everything in half – or you can have yummy leftovers the next day!
Okay, I’m going to try to head back to bed now. Although I just got a whiff of Elizabeth’s Twisted Peppermint body spray, which means she’s still up. Her door is closed, so she must have sprayed a lot of it because I’m down the hall in our office and I can still smell it. Christopher is back in his room. I’m about to confiscate phones and t.v. remotes and go to bed.
So glad it’s summer!
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