the refrigerator. If you don’t care to save it, pour it into a disposable cup and place it in the garbage.
When 15 minutes have passed, pour the contents of your saucepan into the same measuring cup you used earlier. If it is reduced by half of its original volume, it’s ready. If not, pour it back into the saucepan and continue to gently boil it until it is.
Place the celery slices in the bottom of your crock.
Lay the sweet onion slices over the celery.
Arrange the chicken thighs on top of the onion slices.
Sprinkle HALF of the black pepper over the chicken.
Arrange the shallots on top of the peppered chicken.
Place the carrot nuggets on top of the shallots.
Sprinkle on the contents of the frozen pearl onion package.
If the white mushrooms are large, cut them in half and arrange them on top of the pearl onions.
Sprinkle on the minced garlic.
Remember the bacon bits you cooked? Sprinkle them over the minced garlic.
Sprinkle the rest of the black pepper over the top of the bacon bits.
Add the 2 cups of chicken broth to the reduced wine in your saucepan.
Stir in the 3 Tablespoons of tomato paste.
If you are using fresh herbs, tie the thyme sprigs, rosemary sprigs, and basil leaves in a square of cheesecloth. You will want to remove them from the finished dish before you serve it. Alternatively, you can put everything into a tea ball, affix the lid, and remove that when your meal is ready to eat.
Hannah’s 2nd Note: If you are using powdered thyme, powdered rosemary, and dried basil leaves, simply sprinkle them all into the saucepan and stir them in.
Sprinkle in ONE packet of gravy mix and stir it in.
Pour the contents of the saucepan over the ingredients in your crock.
Cut the cold butter into several pieces and arrange them on top of your crock.
Put the lid on your Crock-Pot, plug it in, and turn it on LOW heat. Your Chicken in Cabernet Sauce will be ready in 7 hours, but it will hold for several more hours if your guests are late.
Check the progress of your meal 20 minutes before you’re ready to serve. If the sauce that had formed is too thin, add the second packet of gravy mix, stir it in, and put on the lid again. Then turn the Crock-Pot on HIGH and let it cook for an additional 20 minutes.
Hannah’s 3rd Note: If you invite Mike for dinner, be sure to put Slap Ya Mama hot sauce on the table for him.
Yield: A delectable dinner for 5 to 6 guests. It can serve 8 if you also offer a green salad and hot, crusty bread.
Chapter Five
When Hannah woke up the next morning, she felt oddly content. It was nice to have Michelle and the guys in the condo. She’d been anticipating being by herself for three or four days and although the prospect certainly didn’t frighten her, it was nice to have company when you knew you were snowed in and couldn’t get out because of the weather.
She flicked on the light, glanced at the alarm clock, and realized that it was almost seven in the morning. She’d slept for a lot longer than she usually did, especially on Sunday nights. It was great knowing that she didn’t have to go to work in the morning, and the prospect of relaxing all day on a Monday with people she liked was wonderfully appealing.
Her neck was unusually stiff and Hannah rubbed it. Then she glanced at the other side of her bed and realized that Moishe had given Cuddles his pillow and he’d stolen hers in the middle of the night. She thought fleetingly of telling him he was bad for taking her pillow, but the two cats looked so angelic sprawled out on their matching pillows, she just didn’t have the heart to complain.
Hannah was just pulling on her slippers when she realized that there was a delicious scent in the air. It took her a moment to identify it, but when she did, she began to smile. Peaches. And the scent of peaches was probably what had awakened her in the first place.
“Michelle must be baking something with peaches,” she said to the sleeping cats. “I’m going to take a quick shower, get dressed, and go see what Michelle has in the oven.”
Moishe opened one eye when he heard her voice. He gave a soft, rather kittenish mew and began to stretch. Again, Hannah was amazed at how long her pet was