Easy Coc au Vin; prepare in the morning, enjoy at night

    I finished supper for the family early this morning. I like cooking things that can be made in the morning and cook all day. Boston butts put on at 7 a.m., Pot roasts put on at noon, and one of my favorites, Coq au Vin, stuck in the oven at around 9:30 a.m. and allowed to slow cook all day. I hate crock pots; they food is cooked unevenly and looks awful. But roasting dishes turn out meals that look beautiful on the table.
    There is no greater hazard to the family budget than for the clock to strike 6 or 7 and dinner not be prepared. It’s just too easy to go out to eat, where even a cheap sandwich meal costs almost $40 for a family of four. So this is a meal you can do early and when suppertime arrives there is very little work involved. So you get a gourmet meal for around $8 instead of sandwiches for $40.
    In my opinion this is good enough for company (maybe TOO good for company!), but you be the judge. It easy enough to make. Note that in my photos I’ve used too large a roasting pan, as you want the chicken to touch so the juices cover it. I’m sure this batch will turn out fine, but as you can see you can easily cook 12 legs which can serve 12 if served on potatoes with a side. For eight (or four) legs, use a smaller pan.
    Enjoy!

Easy Coq au Vin

NOTE: Many recipes call for the chicken to be marinated overnight in the wine. You may certainly do this, but it really harkens back to the days when this recipe used a tough old rooster and the alcohol enzymes would help tenderize the meat. Marinate if you wish, but I don’t think it is necessary.

NOTE 2: If you use an attractive roasting pan, the chicken legs can be arranged so that you will have a very pretty dish.

For 4 legs, increase proportions as necessary

4 chicken legs
4 slices bacon cut into 1.5-inch strips (try fewer slices of really thick bacon)
Salt and pepper (additional seasonings if desired, used sparingly)
Cooking oil if needed
8 oz. fresh sliced mushrooms (or better yet, whole mushrooms quartered)
1 onion, sliced into rings
Optional: carrots or chopped celery (when I make pot roasts, I add the carrots two or three hours before serving so they won’t be mushy; I don't use carrots in my coc au vin)
½ cup red wine (pinot noir or burgundy or whatever you had leftover from last night)
1 clove or one teaspoon minced garlic
½ teaspoon dried basil
½ teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon dried oregano
Mashed potatoes or rice

Salt and pepper chicken. Fry four slices of the cut-up bacon in a large skillet and transfer to a large covered roasting pan or slow cooker. Add enough cooking oil to skillet to have 2 oz. of oil per four chicken legs.

Brown chicken on all sides and transfer to slow cooker or roasting pan. Saute onions and mushrooms in same skillet, starting with onions and soon adding mushrooms. After mushrooms have sauteed, add garlic and other spices, mix well and add wine.

Pour mixture over chicken in slow cooker or roasting pan. Be sure to scrape off and include any bits that are stuck to the skillet. Cover and cook on LOW in slow cooker for 8 6 to 10 hours or HIGH for 3 to 4 hours. I prefer ovens to slow cookers. You can cook this at 2.5 hours at 325 degrees, or put it in at 325 for one hour, then drop the temperature to 225 for about four or more hours. You be the judge of how you like your food roasted. This could cook all day at a low temperature if you wish.

When this is done, remove roasting pan from oven, and with a ladle remove enough juice back to your skillet to make some gravy. Re-cover chicken and return to oven to keep warm. Heat liquid, slowly add flour, mixing well. Stirring constantly, slowly add a little water. This will not sizzle up like a grease-based gravy, but there is still some grease in it and it will cook down to a nice, reasonably thick gravy. You can pour this back over the chicken or serve on the side from a gravy boat. (The gravy is optional, by the way).

To serve place some mashed potatoes (or if you must, rice) on your plate and place the chicken, mushrooms and onions on top of the potatoes. Top with some gravy.

FINAL NOTE: If you want to go a step more, take about a half cup of flour and “toast” it over low heat in a dry non-stick pan until it turns a light brown. Save in a jar and use this flour for thickening and it will not leave a “floury” taste, but more of a cooked gravy taste. I’ve used plain white flour and have not had any problem.

ADDENDUM, 1-21-2012: I continue to get weekly "hits" on this recipe, so I thought I would add a few tips. First, after you fry the bacon there is a tendency to want to have a little extra grease to fry the chicken. Well, this is fine, but be sure to discard most of this grease before sauteing the onions or your dish will be too greasy! Second, it is possible to "slow cook" this for too long. I'll leave it to your own experience, but if you cook this for eight hours it had better be at very low heat.

This is a really cheap, but nice meal.

Libya's lesson: Give up your nukes and perish

    If there is an nation I don’t want to have a nuclear bomb, it’s Iran. They scare me. That’s why the world has been encouraging Iran to give up its nuclear weapons program for years now. Iran certainly has nothing to fear from the West!
    Scary country number two is North Korea. They supposedly have very crude nuclear weapons. I certainly don’t want them improving of these weapons. North Korea says it only wants these weapons for self-defense, but I certainly would hope the West would have sense enough not to attack North Korea. They surely know they have nothing to fear from us!
    Libya used to have a nuclear weapons and Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) program. Libya insisted it only wanted these weapons for self defense, but the West assured Libya it had nothing to fear, and so Libya gave up these weapons in order to rejoin the company of civilized, friendly nations. Libya paid reparations for its past misdeeds and in exchange was to be accepted again in decent society.
    We all know how this story ends. As soon as Libya lost the means it had to defend itself, the West turned around and attacked. Not for anything Libya did to provoke an attack, but because the West decided that Libya had been a little too firm in quelling civil unrest. How would we, as Americans, like it if, the day after Bull Conner used attack dogs on black marchers in Birmingham the Russians had simply started dropping bombs?
    The message we have sent to the weak, despotic nations of the world is clear: If you have nuclear weapons or WMDs, don’t get rid of them. As soon as you do, the West will attack your country on some pretext and you will have no means to protect yourself. Keep the nukes and survive, or attempt to join decent society and perish.
    Make no mistake, Moammar Gadhafi is a dreadful, evil person. But our country made a deal with the man. He cooperated with us and had even been an ally in the supposed war against Al Qaeda. Now we’ve stabbed him in the back. The United States, as a nation, clearly cannot be trusted.
    What a message Obama has chosen to send to the world!

For Obama, it's Ohio or bust in the next election

    President Obama has kicked off his re-election campaign. Let the fun begin!
    The Mainstream Media is presenting this as a case where Obama is the overwhelming favorite to win re-election. I can't help but wonder, can these people read an electoral vote map?
    Obama was able to win in 2008 because people were sick and tired of George Bush, particularly his decision to embroil us in wars with no end. Obama has escalated the war in Afghanistan and attacked Libya for no reason. The middle east is now going to be embroiled in violence, gas prices will be through the roof, and it's all Obama's fault.
    We keep hearing that Obama isn't doing that well in public opinion polls. There is a bigger story behind these polls. In states like Vermont and Massachusetts, they still love the man. But in places like North Carolina and Indiana -- states Obama carried in 2008 -- he is as popular as smallpox.
    In short, you can count on the old Red State-Blue State map to return in the 2012 election. And because of population shifts have added votes to Red States and subtracted them from Blue States, it will return with a vengence.
    There is an interesting interactive election map at www.270towin.com. With this map you can make a few clicks and see what happens when states which almost always vote Republican return to the fold in 2012.
    I would give Obama zero chance of taking North Carolina, Indiana or Virginia. I find it highly unlikely that he will again take Florida. New Hampshire will likely return to the Republican fold. With that shift, Obama still leads 287 to 251.
    But the key is that Obama is highly unlikely to limit his losses to these almost-certain losers. He is left needing to carry lots of swing states that frequently go Republican. If he carries them all and loses Ohio, there is an Electoral College tie. This is a real possibility, although highly unlikely. If it should happen, the House of Representatives would elect the president, with each state getting one vote. So Obama loses here, too.
    I think the Republicans will take Ohio next time around. They should be able to pick up Colorado, New Mexico, Pennsylvania or Nevada to avoid an Electoral College tie.
    I think Obama has an uphill race. An Electoral College tie is considered the ultimate longshot, but right now I think it is more likely than an Obama win.
    STOP THE PRESSES! The above map and analysis fails to take into consideration Nebraska's split delegation in 2008. Obama squeaked out one electoral vote from that state but certainly will not get it again. So after accounting for Obama's certain losses, if Republicans take Ohio and Florida they win 271-269.
    Maybe it's time to go to Intrade.com, which takes political bets, and buy shares on Ohio and Florida govorners John Kasich and Mark Rubio for vice president. At this point I feel a lot more comfortable picking the Republican No. 2 man than the top gun.
    I can also guarantee that you will see a lot of campaigning in Ohio until election day. Ohio is the prize which wins or loses the next election.

Crazy Florida pastor may have found way to end war

    A nutty pastor in Florida, Terry Jones, decides to burn a few Korans and Afghanistan erupts into rabid rioting with scores killed. Is this not proof that we simply do not need to be keeping troops over there as "peacekeepers"? We won the war, let's leave right now.
    Perhaps Rev. Jones has given us a way to end the war. If lots of people started burning Korans, perhaps it would create such a turmoil that our troops would be forced to leave and come home!
    One way or the other, this thing needs to end.

Gov. Winter to speak at Lenten Luncheon

    Former Mississippi Gov. William Winter is the scheduled speaker for this Wednesday's Lenten Luncheon to be held at noon the Oxford University Methodist Church. A number of other churches also participate in the Lenten Lunch program.
From Wikipedia:

    William Forrest Winter (born February 21, 1923, in Grenada, Mississippi) is an American politician from Mississippi. He served as the 58th Governor of Mississippi from 1980 to 1984 as a Democrat. He is known for his strong support of public education, racial reconciliation, and historic preservation. Winter is best remembered for the passage of the Mississippi Education Reform Act. The law was the first serious attempt at improving state education in over 20 years and, among other things, established public kindergartens.
    He is a graduate of the University of Mississippi and the Ole Miss law school, where he served as Editor of the Mississippi Law Journal. During his time at Ole Miss, he was an active member of the Phi Delta Theta chapter. During World War II, Winter served in the United States Army infantry in the Philippines.
    Winter first entered politics in 1947. While in law school, Winter was elected to the Mississippi House of Representatives. He was subsequently re-elected in 1951 and 1955. He served as Tax Collector of the State of Mississippi as well as State Treasurer. He ran for the Democratic nomination for governor in 1967as a segregationist although one who wanted to focus on "bread-and-butter issues, not the old emotional ones—not racial issues." He eventually lost the bitterly contested race in the runoff to John Bell Williams. He was then elected to and served as Lieutenant Governor from 1972 to 1976. He again lost the Democratic nomination for governor in 1975 to Cliff Finch. He won the nomination in 1979, serving as governor form 1980 to 1984.
    After finishing his term as governor, he unsuccessfully ran for the United States Senate against Republican incumbent Thad Cochran.
    Founded in 1999, the William Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation on the Ole Miss campus is named in his honor.

In 2004, NPR conducted an interview with the former governor, which can be heard here.

Campbell talks of days with Waylon Jennings at Lenten Lunch

    I attended the Lenten Luncheon featuring Will Campbell on Wednesday at the Oxford University United Methodist Church. I must say I was surprised by the crowd. I would guess there were at least 300 people there. They gym was full.
    Although Campbell is most known as a trailblazer for civil rights, he spoke about his relationship with Waylon Jennings, for whom he got a job as a "roadie." He said he wasn't really sure what he was supposed to do, at which point Jenning's wife, Jessi Colter told him that if Waylon hired him he was to just find something to do.
    Campbell shared a few funny stories, told of his conversations with Jennings concerning his religious faith, Of Jennings kicking his drug and seven-packs-a-day cigarette habit, and finally of Jennings death and funeral.
    I recorded the talk on my Iphone. I was a good distance away and the sound quality is mediocre at best. I think I was able to turn up the volume to make it audible, although when he tells a joke and everyone at our table laughs it may burst your eardrum. At any rate, it's here and you can listen or not. I had to present it as a movie because blogger won't allow me to upload an audio file. Waylon's funeral is described in the last five minutes.

Noal Akins retiring from Mississippi House of Representatives

    The Oxford Eagle reports that Noal Akins is will not be a candidate for re-election to his District 12 House seat. Akins, a Republican, has held the seat for eight years.
    “I’ve been down here eight years and although it’s been a good eight years for me and we have accomplished a good bit, there are some things we didn’t accomplish that I would have liked to,” Akins told the Eagle
    Akins said he is most pleased with the tort reform changes made in 2004 and the work done toward developing economic growth. Education is one area he said he wishes more could be done.
    I talked to a legislator in another state recently, and this has been a tough year to be an elected official. It simply is not a pleasant task to deal with the kind of budget problems that states are facing these days, and I'm sure lot's of elected officials will be headed home to get some rest.
    My first memory of "Coach" Akins was when he served as coach of the newly formed Marshall Academy in 1968, back when we held classes at the First Baptist Church. The old parsonage was still standing and the Harrisons lived there. Anyone remember the old Chinese chestnut tree that would drop its spiky balls onto the playground, and how we would throw them at each other?
    Anyway, back to my first memory. Coach Akins had our third-grade class for P.E., which was held behind the church where the parking lot is now. Everyone was cutting up and finally he had enough and shouted, "That does it, I don't want to hear another peep out of a single one of you."
    Naturally I hesitated all of one-half second before giving a loud "PEEP!" A paddle wasn't available so he used a yard stick. I don't think it really hurt, but I guess it made the point, because I remember it to this day.
    Coach Akins led the Marshall Academy Patriots to several basketball state championships. He loved coaching basketball, although his doctors told him it wasn't the best thing for his heart. He later became headmaster at M.A. and we were told to call him "Mister" Akins, but we will always think of him as Coach Akins, and it is with great respect.
    He has served Marshall County, Northwest, Oxford and Lafayette County well. He says he will continue to be active in the community after he retires, and that is a lucky thing for all of us.
    So, to Coach Akins, I offer my congratulations on retirement, and a thank you for many jobs well done.