Monday, July 12, 2010

Bulgur Shila: Freezer Cooking Recipe #2

Today was a tough day. It must be that fun post-baby-hormone-dip that I was too exhausted to really feel last time around rearing it's ugly head. I spent the second half of Mass sobbing silently in the front row of our parish. It took a massive amount of self control to keep from saying "thank you for being so kind and charitable today" to the mean 80-something year old woman behind us after she'd yell/whispered (did you know you could yell and whisper at the same time?) during the liturgy of the Eucharist at us, because Sadie wasn't completely silent today (which she is nearly 90% of the time when we're at Mass).

I had so many people come up and say kind things after Mass, but I was in the sort of place where kind words only made me burst back into tears and want to crawl under a rock. It wasn't the greatest start to the day and it brought on a full out migraine by the time that we got home (that the hydrocordone I'm on for the incision didn't even touch... although I've noticed that hydrocordone just doesn't work on my migraines at all). Still, when the headache finally did go away with the help of a coke and an ice pack and a quiet, snugly baby (Sadie was out playing in her little plastic pool with Nani and Grumpa) I was able to do one of my newly favorite things!

Cooking a bunch of food to freeze.

Doing anything with my hands, from woodworking to quilting, to knitting and crocheting, just helps calm me down and slicing and dicing and stirring is no different. So, despite the rough start, now, at almost midnight (when I should be asleep!) I'm feeling pretty good. Here's today's recipe:
Bulgur Shila

6 cups water
4 cups dry bulgur
olive oil
4 onions
1 garlic
3 lbs chicken breast
salt and peper to taste
garlic salt to taste

In a large saucepan, bring the water and the bulgur to a boil. Stir, turn the heat off, and cover with a lid. Let the bulgur sit for 10 minutes. Drain the excess water and set aside. Meanwhile, sauté onions and garlic in olive oil until tender. Add onion mixture to bulgur. Mix in chicken and season with salt and pepper. Serve hot.

I originally saw this recipe in a free healthy cook book I'd been given, but I changed it so much that it doesn't have very much in common with the original recipe. This recipe has a lot more onion and chicken (and garlic) than the original. And the garlic salt is completely my addition too (I love garlic salt a little too much!).

I had never had bulgur until I tried this recipe last month and it's quickly become a family favorite. I love that it's healthy, inexpensive and that I can make it last for so many meals. Today's recipe easily made enough for four dinner's at our house and I'm hopeful that we'll have leftovers because in the past when I've made smaller batches the leftovers have lasted for an extra two meals, making this recipe very cost effective (Sadie may be a little tired of it after we had bulgur for dinner one night, lunch the next day and breakfast the third day!).

Now I need to get some sleep. My eyes won't stay open!

4 comments:

  1. So sorry to hear the day was rough! Those hormones get you when you least expect them, don't they? Last week and this last weekend were FULL of sob-fests in this house, and I think my husband is officially scared since my reason for crying is, "I DON'T KNOW WHY I'M CRYING! I JUST AM!" Children are the future of the Catholic Church. Some people just need to remember that. Great job on getting two freezer meals made POST-PARTUM! Everyone looks great, too! Maggie is adorable!

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  2. (((Cam))) I went through the post-baby hormone dip big time after I had Henry. Just take it moment by moment, as you're doing. It will pass, but it is TOUGH. Getting up and around and doing things with your hands is exactly what helps me too, so keep up the good work :) You are a real inspiration to so many of us Catholic ladies out there; you are appreciated and special :) I hope you have a better day today!

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  3. Obviously that 80 year old lady came from a time and place where families didn't bring their little ones to Mass until they were older (or so I hear tell, I'm a convert, and my Protestant mother took me to church from my first week home from the hospital as I did with my little ones). Apparently, there is no Sunday obligation for mothers caring for infants and obviously no Sunday obligation for 2 year olds. I think it was a dumb practice. Kids learn to go to Mass by going to Mass. It's not always easy, but if we are going to have a next generation of faithful Catholics some of these old ladies are just going to have to get used to something less than silence around them. The only time a child a church bothers me is if a. they truly are old enough to know better (the 10 year old who continually pokes a younger sibling for example) or b. a baby who screams incessantly and whose parents don't remove him from the congregation until he's settled back down. When example b has happened it's always been with two parents sitting there and never more than the baby and one other child. The parents seemed to feel that their right to sit through the whole Mass was greater than the rest of the congregations right to hear. Other than that, sort of scenario I am the first to encourage parents with little people to keep bringing them, keep trying, and to even offer suggestions for ways to distract a squirmy little person. Those ways work better at some points than others. I've spent a good many hours not in the congregation because I had a little one who was not in a church mood that day, but my kids grew up at least starting every Sunday in church. The result (well read my daughter's post at writing living epistles).

    Post partum hormones plus an eighty year old grump. Sounds like you deserve a big hug and congratulations for not being rude right back.

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  4. I have a similar recipe that has raisins in it.. is very good. We usually use the stuff (bulgar) for tabouli or kibbe though. I was almost afraid when I saw the amounts of it in the chicken recipe like that, but yeah... its good.

    Oh and I'm sorry to hear you're going through that rough patch. I remember it w/ Kalila. I hope you get to feeling better soon and don't feel bad about seeing someone if you need too. I didn't when I should have.. .luckily I got through it, but it would have been better for me if I'd gotten help.

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I love comments and I read every single comment that comes in (and I try to respond when the little ones aren't distracting me to the point that it's impossible!). Please show kindness to each other and our family in the comment box. After all, we're all real people on the other side of the screen!