The Roller Coaster

Today I am once again unsure about work. The contract that I had moving forward is currently on hold. I am trying to stay positive but it's getting difficult. I had high hopes, and right now they're being smooshed.

I believe that as a Mom, I try to do things a certain way to support my family. I pride myself in a good job, a clean home, nutritious meals, and fun family experiences. When one of those things gets out of whack, I take it pretty hard. So now I feel out of sorts yet again. All I can hope for is the best, however, and believe that it will work out in the end.

They say that some day I'll look back on all of this and laugh. "Remember the layoffs back in 2010? Hahahaha..." Yeah, I'm not so sure about that. I suppose that I should take this as a learning experience. I've gotten more organized, cut more coupons, reduced my grocery trips to once a week, and tried to see this as an opportunity to spend more time with my son.

Tonight I need some comfort food. I watched Melissa D'Arabian a few weeks ago and she made this chicken cassoulet that looked amazing. This also gives me the opportunity to open a bottle of wine to cook with and drown a few of my sorrows at the same time. So tonight Cassoulet is on the menu.

Weekday Cassoulet
courtesy Melissa D'Arabian

4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, cut in 1/2 through the bone
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound slab bacon, sliced into large lardons (I couldn't find this so I got salt cured pork, found near the ham & bacon ** NOTE - I just tasted salt pork... it's salty.. very very salty. So I might just use regular old bacon)
1 large onion, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup white wine
2 cups cooked Northern white beans
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 tomato, sliced very thinly
Garlic Bread Crumbs, recipe follows
1 baguette, sliced, for serving (I have a Pillsbury french bread in the fridge that I'll use)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Rinse and dry the chicken well and season with salt and pepper. Let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes.

In a large Dutch oven, over medium-low heat, add the bacon and slowly render the fat. Remove the bacon to a plate when crispy, leaving the fat in the pan (** Note, reviews said to drain some of the grease here). Raise the heat to medium-high and add the chicken, skin side down. Brown the chicken on both sides and then remove to a plate. Add the onion, celery, carrots and garlic and saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Deglaze the pan with white wine and reduce by half. Stir in the beans, bay leaf and thyme. Nestle the chicken thighs and bacon into the pot. Add the chicken stock, cover and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, remove the lid and top the cassoulet with sliced tomatoes and the Garlic Bread Crumbs. Return to the oven and bake, uncovered, 15 minutes longer. Serve the cassoulet with baguette slices.

Garlic Bread Crumbs

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
3 slices slightly stale or dried bread, pulsed into crumbs in food processor
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a small saute pan over low heat, add the oil and the garlic. Stir until the oil is fragrant, about 1 minute. Toss in the bread crumbs and cook until the bread crumbs start to turn golden, about 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and remove from heat.

~M