Molar Mayhem and Chicken in Riesling

Typing is fairly physically easy for me right now but come tomorrow, after Greg and I begin a workout program tonight, I may be typing gibberish (not that I’m not now) and leaving it because raising/keeping my arms up will hurt. I’ve slacked off the last few months with a regular workout routine and Greg wanted to get back into one as well (he says his arms are tiny) so we’re jumping into this (without consulting a doctor…we don’t have health insurance). I usually prep myself but I’m just jumping in (not recommended by even me)-wish us well.

January, to me, officially means eating healthier and working out more. This program, called ChaLean Extreme, will be 3 months of 4 different types of exercise and a follow-up routine to maintain whatever shape I form. The follow-up will probably lead to boredom and moving onto another form of movement…it will be spring by then and I do love getting outdoors. This 3 month plan, in theory, will help us get through the boring, cold winter; at least that’s what I’m telling myself.

So ChaLean Extreme begins tonight. I tend to stay away from things that have the word ‘extreme’ in them, mostly because it ends in disappointment and cursing. However, I know that I’ve had results with this trainer so I am putting up with all the cheesy, Valley girl crap. Greg will have to learn but he’s more tolerant than I so this shouldn’t pester him too much.

Update about the wisdom teeth (I know, super-exciting stuff): First off, I would like to curse the dentists in Indiana (and the one here) that scared me a few years back (and over a month ago), telling me that my wisdom teeth were basically poison to my mouth and that a rush was needed to remove the 4 molars. Notice how that didn’t happen-who knew it took money?

The oral surgeon told me Friday that my teeth were ideal, no rush, just when it’s convenient for me to remove them and that my procedure will be easy and that these teeth are at the perfect stage for removal with little worry. Suck it! The cost is also much less than we thought…well, once they find our dental insurance group number that is. They called while we were waiting and apparently, Greg is paying for the dental insurance but they don’t recognize him as a client at MetLife. Neat. Their office was going to call our regular dental office today to find out about this issue and then in a month, we’ll have the exact quote. The ballpark figure was a manageable amount so good news there.

Now, I have to find out if I need a root canal and Greg can have his jaw checked out. I did learn that I have early signs, in my jaw, of arthritis known as TMJ and that my 27 year old self has the (right side only) jaw of a 40 year old, which might be a problem with my bone density later in life. He recommended a mouth guard…which I made fun of Greg for because that’s what the dentist told him to use. We’re both going to click our jaws into old age and if he wears a mouth guard to bed, I might as well too…I’m laughing picturing this but soon it will be a horrible reality.

My sister’s birthday (Al, Allie, Allison) is Wednesday! She is the middle child of the 3 of us girls and I plan on talking about her and the youngest, Aud/Audra later this week. I know she probably won’t like that and that has put the kibosh on talking about my sisters but I won’t hold back any longer so tune in for all the horrible things I will say and the family feud I will start. (Just kidding, lady!)

You might have noticed that I’ve been using chicken thighs as the main attraction for the recipes over the past week. I bought a large amount of thighs (large and thighs are something I hear quite often in my mind/scream to my reflection when I jean shop) and was in the mood for chicken so don’t ruffle your feathers…yep, I just did that.

I have another chicken dish today, remaining in the rustic, winter-wonderful recipe realm. There is wine, Riesling which I love, that pulls it all together. This particular creation was originally from Gourmet but I found it at everybodylikessandwiches blog. Yum!

Don’t do like me and forget about the boiling potatoes (overcooked) which turned out a bit mushy when added with everything else. Keep an eye on those taters! The picture doesn’t do it justice because the taste and smell ranks up there with a number of my favorite things. It doesn’t do any good to attempt to tell you about the fragrance, just try it and think “yep, that’s the stuff.”

Chicken in Riesling
Serves 2 to 4

Ingredients:
1 serrano pepper, minced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp oregano
½ lemon, juiced or 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
½ tsp cumin
4 skinless chicken thighs
salt/pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
4 shallots, chopped
4 carrots, cut into 2-inch rounds
½ cup Riesling (or another dry white wine)
4 potatoes (your choice), cut into quarters
¼ cup heavy cream
½ lemon, juiced or 1/2 tbsp lemon juice

Rinse and pat dry the thighs, add to a bowl with garlic, serrano, oregano, cumin and lemon juice. Mix together and sit for 30 minutes. Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat; add the chicken and marinating liquid. Brown the chicken on all sides and remove from the pot to a plate.

Heat the butter in the pot and sauté shallots and carrots for a few minutes; add the chicken to the pot again. Pour the Riesling over the top and cover over medium/low heat until chicken is cooked through, 25 to 30 or so minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the potatoes in boiling water until just tender (don’t overcook these) and drain. Add these to the pot when the chicken is done. Add the heavy cream and lemon juice, stir gently so everything is coated.