Nervous Nellie Still Chickening Out With a Great Recipe for Leftover Chicken

Now that a plan to avoid default has been agreed upon in Congress, we can all stop worrying. Right? I was reassured when I read in the New York Times today that consumer markets are thriving. At Bergdorf Goodman in Manhattan, Louis Vuitton shoes priced at $1,495 are going like hotcakes. Nordstrom has a waiting list for a Chanel sequined tweed coat that costs $9,010 and Mercedes-Benz has had a banner year. Yes, we can party like it’s 1929!

Meanwhile, back at the United States Federal budget, no new taxes have been agreed upon and some cuts will have to be made. Medicaid, which provides health care to more than 50million low income people, is the most vulnerable of the entitlement programs. As I write this, I am thinking about Shelley (not her real name) who goes to the Center for Developmentally Disabled that I worked at. She has down syndrome and has several health problems that go along with it and uses Medicaid to get her medication and medical care. I referred her to a clinical that specializes in treating disabled people. Will the clinic have to close if there are more cuts? Where will she go instead. The special dental clinic that I used to refer her and her friends to had to close years ago. But as long as some people can still buy $9,000 coats and $1,500 shoes, we deem our society and economy safe. How long until this mountain of greed that our social structure is being built on comes tumbling down to strangle us all?

I had plenty of time to ponder all this last week because I had roasted a chicken that made plenty of meals. With time leftover, there was plenty of time to worry. When we got tired of chicken, I made chicken salad to change the monotony. Prep time was 10 minutes and it was a great summer meal.

                                                      Chicken-Cranberry- Orange Salad

            Cooked chicken diced

               Cucumber diced
               Fresh cilantro leaves
              Almond slivers
              Dried cranberries
              Mandarin oranges
             
                Dressing

            1 Tablespoon mayonnaise

               1 Tablespoon lime juice
               ½ Tablespoon Dijon mustard
               ground pepper to taste

 1.Put all the ingredients into a bowl and mix together

    2.To make the dressing, mix the ingredients together and pour over the salad.