Chicken and Fish Post

After my Thanksgiving fiasco with the turkey breast and crockpot almost three years ago, I've been reluctant to attempt anything large again...like a whole chicken. But I really want to make my Moroccan chicken recipe. The one with green olives and lemons. The sauce is so amazing. I'm just not ready to turn the big oven on yet.

So I googled "whole chicken in crock pot" and found a link to what seems to be a remarkably simple recipe. Plus, it tells how to go one step further to make chicken stock! Now all I have to do is figure out how to adapt it to the Moroccan version. I should add this all came about because Stater Brothers has whole Foster Farm chickens on sale for $0.69/lb. this week.

One thing I noticed when reading this author's post was her observation "The problem with whole chickens is that no one wants to touch them or mess with them". This isn't the first time I've heard this. Now, I'm not big on eating chicken skin unless it's cooked to a total crisp but I don't understand this aversion to handling chicken. Maybe it's how you're brought up.

Photo courtesy of "gourmetsleuth.com"

The only way I can relate to it is that I'm not nuts about buying a whole fish and preparing it. I love fish but the thought of working with it (like a whole trout) is off-putting. No idea why since I like fishing and I've actually scaled a fish I caught (what a mess), maybe it's the eyes or whole head.

Please note here, when I say I like to fish, I need to be clear. I hate worms and will not thread one on a hook to save my life, rather I use bacon which always provides a good laugh for guys.

On a side note:  when I was at Von's today to pickup a rotisserie chicken on sale this weekend for $5.99, still a deal, I checked on bacon since I had a taste for eggs, sunny side up (yolks are runny...mmm) with bacon. I grew up with Oscar Meyer brand and it remains my taste-favorite. Last time I looked, about a month ago it cost $6.99, today it was $8.99! Holy smokes! Anyhow, back to fishing.

There's something so relaxing about spending a few hours in a row boat (with a motor of course, I only row so far) out on a lake. It's incredibly peaceful, floating there with your fishing pole, listening to the water gently lap at the sides of the boat. Clouds drift by and you can see the summer breeze in the trees on shore.

Ages ago when on vacation with my then husband's family in Door County, Wisconsin, I went out fishing with my husband and brother-in-law. Yes, I was the butt of that day's jokes in the boat, all because of my bacon bait, but guess who was the only one who caught any fish? Ha!

I should also be clear that I will not un-hitch my fish from the hook anymore than I will thread worms, so it's a good thing I fish better than most companions. Kind of obligates them to shut up and gallantly remove my fish for me. Double ha!