Didn't know I needed one

“It should be able to do more than one thing.” Miz Margaret claims that any kitchen gadget worth buying should be multi-functional.  And, I agree.

I love my kitchen gadgets.  In fact, my kitchen gadget drawer is loaded to overflowing (which just sends my husband over the edge when he’s putting things away after their trip through the dishwasher – we have a deal, I load and he unloads). I like gadgets that are really useful. You know, ‘necessary’. I’ll admit there may be a thing or two way at the back of the drawer that doesn’t see much action. But, for the most part, I use them all. And, I like to make sure my friends have all the gadgets they need, as well.

I have discovered, however, that there are some gadgets that are not up to Miz Margaret's standards. Here’s a perfect example: Is it really necessary to purchase a ‘banana keeper’? I mean, what else could you use it for? It’s yellow. It’s the size of half a banana. It’s curved like a banana. What else would fit in there? And, really, wouldn’t a piece of plastic wrap or a zip top baggie do the trick?

Another example: Will my life be complete if I don’t buy an avocado scooper/slicer? Let’s think this one through. You’re holding an avocado in your hand. You have a small knife in your other hand. You cut stem-to-stern around the avocado. You swivel the two halves apart. You whack the knife into the seed and twist to remove it. Now you have a choice. Should you put down the knife (which already has avocado on it) and dig around in your overflowing utensil drawer to find the ‘Super-duper thing-a-ma-bob scoop-n-slice-all-at-once’ gadget? Or, I don’t know…just use the knife that’s already in your hand to slice the avocado and then give an ever so gentle squeeze to the release the pieces? Hm…

Or, how about this one: Can I live without lobster-shaped butter melters? You’re going to love this… I was shopping at a well known kitchen gadget/supply store and ran across these red lobster-shaped ‘dish’ that sits atop a blue stand that holds a tealight. The idea being that you load up the lobster with butter. You light the tealight, which warms the lobster dish, which melts the butter. And now you can dredge your lobster bits through the liquid butter in your lobster-shaped butter melter. Oh! Did I mention that these were sold in sets? Each person at your table should have their very own lobster-shaped butter melter! I got to giggling a little too loud and the very nice clerk in the store thought something was wrong with me. This prompted a phone call to Miz Margaret. After I explained the set up and she hopped online to see them for herself, we were nearly in tears laughing. I haven’t been back to that store since then. I’m afraid they still remember me.

So, with that background information, you’ll be surprised to learn that I gave Miz Margaret a cherry pitter for her birthday. (I know…her birthday’s in February but I didn’t give this to her until July…what can I say?...I was horribly LATE!) The reason I gave her a cherry pitter was so that we could make this salad. We like cooking together and trying new recipes. And, this calls for fresh pitted cherries. Well! What an opportunity! Of course, any new recipe requires a trip to the store for produce. But, a recipe that requires a trip to the kitchen gadget store? Well, that’s one hum-dinger of a recipe! The only problem was this gadget pretty much only has one use. I was able to rationalize it by figuring that if she ever needed to pit olives, it might work for that as well.

When I gave her the cherry pitter I got this look.  You know...the stare with the raised eyebrow.  I quickly started extolling it's virtues and explaining how useful it would be.  In truth, I wasn't too sure that it would ever get used beyond the one recipe we were planning to make that day.  But, I need not have worried!

We got started working on the recipe.  I made the dressing and washed up the Butter lettuce while Miz Margaret went to work on the cherries.  Oh!  You should have seen it.  She put that first cherry into the pitter and gave a might squeeze.  Out popped the seed and a spray of cherry juice splattered into the sink.  Her eyes flew open and she starting giggling in delight.  By the time she was done (two cups of cherries), there was cherry juice everywhere in that sink.  It looked like she had butchered a small animal  and she was laughing and waving that cherry pitter around as though she had conquered the world.  If there had been anymore cherries in the house, she would have pitted them, too.

The recipe turned out to be a new favorite.  And I've made it several times for a take-along dish.  Each time, I'd borrow the cherry pitter from Miz Margaret.  But then, she up and moved!  I had to go out a buy myself a cherry pitter.  I didn't even know I needed one until she moved away!

Well, whether you know it or not, you need a cherry pitter, too.  Especially if you plan to try this wonderful salad.  I've made it with and without the chicken depending on where I was taking it.  The dressing is mild and creamy and the cherries really are the stars of this recipe.

By the way...the cherry pitter works great on Kalamata Olives, as well.  So, there you have it.  A gadget that does more than one thing!

 

Cherry-Chicken Salad

INGREDIENTS

Salad:

2	T vegetable oil
1	lb chicken breasts
1	head Butter lettuce, torn into bite-sized pieces
½	lb (2 cups) Bing cherries, pitted & halved
¼	cup walnut pieces

Dressing:

½	cup sour cream
½	cup crumbled fresh goat cheese (2 oz)
2	T snipped fresh chives
2	t white-wine vinegar
	Salt
	Freshly ground pepper

Directions

1.     In a small bowl, whisk together sour cream, goat cheese, chives, vinegar, and two tablespoons water; season with salt and pepper.  Set dressing aside.

2.      In a large skillet, heat oil at medium-high.  Season chicken breast with salt and pepper.  Cook until opaque clear through (about 2-3 minutes per side).  Slice chicken very thinly crosswise.

3.     Divide the letter onto four plates; top with chicken, cherries, & walnuts.  Serve with dressing on the side.