KFC

Christmas 2022

Leftover KFC casserole (again)

Dear Reader,

Hello, I hope you’ve enjoyed a good week. In case you’re wondering, my post from last week has vanished. It was published, and then I saw an error message from WordPress, and it was gone. I had written about my fabulous weekend in Brisbane, visiting a couple of my daughters and my parents. Last week’s post focussed on the meal we enjoyed on Saturday evening.

The weather is finally feeling like summer. This is Lake Ginninderra from my balcony. It was a glorious day. It was warm too.

It’s a time to reflect on 2022.

The end of this year has been different to the end of 2021. Last year the workload and the pace of work were close to being uncontrolled. It was frenetic. The nature of the work resulted from policy decisions made by different authorities, and the ramifications culminated in unforeseen and challenging to execute procedures. This year, the volume of work and the pace have been manageable. Yet, I feel exhausted.

It’s been a year of ups and downs. The highs have been extraordinary, and the lows have been painful physically, mentally, and psychologically. I will not expand here. That’s why I have a journal. Suffice it to say even though I’m on-call over Christmas; I’m looking forward to a week of escaping.

What about 2023?

There’s a lot on the horizon at work next year. There will be significant changes, including changes in the organisation’s structure. There will also be new ways of working. I usually approach substantial changes with a good measure of cynicism and some scepticism and apply as much sarcasm as possible. At least I do this internally. The only time I can let loose with dark, cynical sarcasm is with some colleagues in my unpaid gig who have a similar dark outlook. I battle the inner Gary and go with the changes in my paid job.

Next year, I need a break and a change in thinking. If I review my approach to life through a SWOT analysis, I tend to find comfort in my strengths and monitoring threats. Next year needs to be about weaknesses and opportunities. This year I’ve seen how I can hurt and be hurt. I have regrets and need to make amends and be a better human.

Through another lens, like the outdated comprehensive approach[i] to emergency management, I like to live and work in “preparation” and “response”, and I tend to eschew “prevention” and “recovery”. Hats off to the people who relish recovery. That’s hard work.

Next year I need to think about prevention and recovery. That will mean more consultations with my general practitioner and heeding his advice more. I also plan to read more, go beyond the clarity of physical pathology, and explore psychological pathologies.

What about blogging?

This year, more than most, I’ve considered deleting my blogs. Some family members have asked me to remove and delete some references to them, considering privacy breaches that have occurred with some large companies in Australia. I’m grateful they are becoming more cybersecurity aware.

I’ve all but ceased to write in one blog, and I sustain Yummy Lummy and Random Yummy because of the interaction with people who read the posts. Yummy Lummy is for the weekly recipe, while Random Yummy will be for the short form of a weekday meal. That said, social interaction on social media is limited and limiting.

I still regard blogging as a hobby, and I need a hobby. We’ll see; I may post less frequently.

Recipe

I’m currently in a contrarian mood. Usually, at Christmas, I think about poultry and joints of meat plus custard and pavlova[ii]. This year my mind is feeling a little differently. I’m home alone and ate a seafood extravaganza last weekend. I plan to watch TV and relax with a simple meal.

One of the most viewed posts on this blog is one for leftover KFC casserole. It gets visited every month. I must have hit a search engine optimisation sweet spot with that post.

YearJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecTotal
2017      673211528125
2018389273449623761245826398
20191217248131318503754053290
2020551110301651961131491681501381221,307
20211681871981531411431832061741381051251,921
20221401741471271401411251341107274441,428
Views per month

I’m guessing during COVID-19, there was a lot more KFC being ordered and delivered during the period of restriction.

KFC Casserole views

Ingredients

  • Leftover KFC pieces. I use the breast pieces because they are usually tough and dry, and I figure stringy dry breasts could do with some extra moisture and slow tenderisation. Besides, I ate all the thigh pieces on Christmas eve. I’m very much a thigh person. I always have been.
    • Parsley. The parsley is for the garnish.
    • Portobello mushrooms[iii]. I like the big brown ones.
    • Green peppercorns. These peppercorns add a nice zing to the dish.
    • White wine. White wine helps. I think water would be fine. I’m guessing there would be friends who would prefer red wine.
    • Queensland nuts[iv]. We’ve discussed this before on the blog. Queensland nuts are native to southeast Queensland and found in northern New South Wales. The trees which grow the nuts are in the genus Macadamia. The genus contains at least three species. Hawaiians imported the nuts, and Americans popularised “macadamia” to avoid referencing Queensland.
    • Cream of chicken soup. A tin or packet of this soup is a time saver, so you can avoid making cream of chicken soup from scratch.
    • Celery. Slice roughly.
    • Celeriac. Dice roughly with a sharp meat cleaver.
    • Onion. Chopped or sliced.
    • Carrot. Diced into chunks.

    Instructions

    1. In a casserole or sturdy baking dish, place the leftover pieces of KFC.
    2. Add some roughly cut mushrooms. You could also use tinned champignons in butter.
    3. Toss in the celeriac, celery, carrot, and onion, and poke the vegetables between the pieces of KFC.
    4. Give the can of soup a vigorous shake and pour over the food in the casserole. Rinse out the can with a bit of white wine, and run that in too. You want to ensure the liquid gets about halfway up the side of the baking tray, so there is sufficient water to keep everything juicy and moist.
    5. Add in a couple of tablespoons of green peppercorns. These will add a nice zing to the dish, which seems fitting, although the KFC Zinger® is hardly spicy. I think I’ve only ever eaten one KFC burger.
    6. Once everything is in the casserole or baking tray, add a lid if it has one. If there is no lid, use some aluminium foil. Make sure it is a snug fit. Tight is better than loose. The aim is to avoid moisture loss which will leave the breasts dry.
    7. Place in a hot oven at 200 °C for one hour.
    8. After one hour, remove the lid, sprinkle on a little grated cheese, and then return to the oven for 10 to 15 minutes without the cover.
    9. Once the cheese has become brown and crispy, remove the tray from the oven and allow the casserole some rest.
    10. Spoon the KFC casserole onto a dinner plate or into a shallow bowl and garnish with roughly chopped parsley.

    Variation

    • Depending on your circumstances, you can cook this a day or two before you plan to eat it. I’d stop at the adding cheese stage, transfer the casserole’s contents into an airtight container, and refrigerate it. When you reheat the food, use a thermometer to check the temperature of the chicken breast meat. I aim for about 76 °C.
    • The flavours will intensify.

    In other news

    Twitter has suspended my Yummy Lummy account. I was updating the profile section and received a message that Twitter is for people older than 13. I’m attempting to appeal the suspension.

    With Facebook banning this blog and not permitting an appeal, it seems social media platforms aren’t happy with this blog.

    A tweet about lunch
    A Tweet about eating 2 L of ice cream

    Final thoughts

    1. How did you celebrate Christmas in terms of food? What will you be eating?
    2. If you don’t celebrate Christmas, did you do anything special? I’ve read that Jewish people eat takeaway Chinese food or eat in Chinese restaurants in some parts of the world.
    3. Do you want to share any reflections about your 2022? Feel free to add some words in the comments section of this post.
    4. Are there Christmas movies or TV you like to watch?

    Photographs

    Here is a gallery of photographs. You can click on one and scroll through them.


    Endnotes

    [i] https://knowledge.aidr.org.au/resources/handbook-australian-emergency-management-arrangements/

    [ii] Mostly because my favourite Boxing Day breakfast is leftover pavlova. It feels naughty but at the same time, there’s usually fruit involved.

    [iii] Agaricus bisporus

    [iv] from the tree in the genus Macadamia.

    Christmas breakfast

    KFC Cream of mushroom Udon noodles pie

    KFC Cream of mushroom Udon noodles pie

    Dedicated to all the chicken sacrificed to be deep fried in flour with herbs and spices

    KFC Cream of mushroom Udon noodles pie to enjoy the last of a 21-piece bucket.

    KFC, Udon noodles, cream of mushroom soup, and frozen vegetables with crispy chicken skin and tomatoes
    Continue reading

    Yummy Lummy Leftover KFC cream of mushroom casserole recipe

    Saturday dinner. Leftover KFC cream of mushroom casserole with peas, corn and basil.
    Saturday dinner. Leftover KFC cream of mushroom casserole with peas, corn and basil.

    Yummy Lummy Leftover KFC cream of mushroom casserole recipe

    When I was a teenage boy, my mother would make trays of chicken casserole and lasagne for weekends for when she and Dad would go away and spend time with friends. The food was meant to be sufficient for me and my two younger brothers. It was never sufficient.

    We’d devour the large baking trays of chicken casserole and lasagne in one sitting and then we’d go out and buy pizzas and chocolate Bavarian desserts.

    The Temptress, aka Mabel, suggested in the comments of my diary blog last week that I should have a 21-piece bucket of KFC and eat the leftovers over the weekend. It got me to thinking about what to do with leftover KFC. I’ve shared many KFC leftovers ‘recipes’ here in the past, but then I thought I could make a creamy mushroom chicken casserole with KFC. It would be nothing at all like Mum’s but it would still be good.

    This is a Yummy Lummy original recipe.

    Continue reading

    KFC celeriac basil mashup

    Saturday dinner. Leftover KFC with basil celeriac mash plus sweet potato and pumpkin mash.
    Saturday dinner. Leftover KFC with basil celeriac mash plus sweet potato and pumpkin mash.

    KFC celeriac basil mashup

    The other day I was in a text message conversation with Dad. He and Mum eat pretty well, and by that I mean they eat lots of fruit and vegetables and their meals are not dominated by animal protein like that of their sons.

    Dad mentioned he ate a couple of pieces of KFC hot and spicy chicken and said he enjoyed it. It had been some years since he had enjoyed any KFC at all.

    Continue reading

    What I ate and did this week

    Thanks for visiting. Please check out the rest of Yummy Lummy. I’d love it if you shared this site with your friends.

    It’s been a good week. A busy week but a good week. Yesterday an election was held to determine the Australian government. Unlike the previous election when the conservative coalition (Liberal Party and National Party) won convincingly, we still do not know which party will govern and who our Prime Minister will be. Under our ‘caretaker’ conventions, a new government, the 45th government, will not be sworn in until the result is clear. Counting will resume on Tuesday so we will continue to wait. Last week I mentioned how I voted early to avoid crowds and queues. I had thought I may attend a polling venue or two to check out the sausage sizzles and cake stalls. It was interesting to read on Twitter how many people went for a #democracysausage Twitter was pretty cool in that when #ausvotes was used a little character of a sausage on a piece of white bread would appear in the tweet.

    Yesterday a Facebook friend and I were discussing VLOGging so I had a go. I’m sorry about the volume changing midway. I’m not sure if I’ll do more, but it was pretty easy. My only problem is that the upload speeds I get with Telstra ADSL is pretty slow and it takes hours to upload a short video to YouTube.

    Gary Lum mullet
    Gary Lum mullet

    Friday was a funny day (funny in a good way). I turned up to work (Fridays are my clinical duties day, I’m an Honorary Visiting Medical Officer in ACT Pathology at The Canberra Hospital) and noticed my laboratory coat was hooked over three hooks. I thought that was a little unusual. I continued to my work area and then I saw an old photograph from my Facebook profile on a whiteboard. It’s an old photograph that had been altered by a former work colleague in 2010. A mullet had been added and my head was put on another person’s neck. It looks pretty funny. As I continued I found copies in all sorts of unusual places, behind doors, on doors, in draws, under keyboards, on staplers, and you guessed it behind my laboratory coat. It’s nice to be considered by my work mates as someone worthy of having fun.

    I don’t have a heap of food photographs from this week. I was a little unwell early in the week and didn’t feel like eating much or photographing my food.

    Toasted pulled pork with cheese on raisin bread
    Toasted pulled pork with cheese on raisin bread

    Salmon and avocado
    Salmon and avocado

    Woden wind tunnel subzero morning
    Woden wind tunnel subzero morning

    Cheesy potato gems with caramelised onions and spring onions
    Cheesy potato gems with caramelised onions and spring onions

    Toasted slowly cooked oyster blade steak with cheese and a pear
    Toasted slowly cooked oyster blade steak with cheese and a pear

    Good morning Woden wind tunnel subzero morning My ears hurt
    Good morning Woden wind tunnel subzero morning My ears hurt

    Chicken Maryland with the last of the leftover pulled pork and avocado plus chilli, spring onions and caramelised onions
    Chicken Maryland with the last of the leftover pulled pork and avocado plus chilli, spring onions and caramelised onions

    KFC with vegetables
    KFC with vegetables

    Lake Ginninderra on Saturday 2 July 2016 Google Nik Collection HDR
    Lake Ginninderra on Saturday 2 July 2016 Google Nik Collection HDR

    Lake Ginninderra on Saturday 2 July 2016 Google Nik Collection
    Lake Ginninderra on Saturday 2 July 2016 Google Nik Collection

    Pelican on Lake Ginninderra on Saturday 2 July 2016 Google Nik Collection filters
    Pelican on Lake Ginninderra on Saturday 2 July 2016 Google Nik Collection filters

    Cold leftover KFC
    Cold leftover KFC

    Crispy fried ramen noodles with garlic prawns, chilli and caramelised onion
    Crispy fried ramen noodles with garlic prawns, chilli and caramelised onion

    Frost around Lake Ginninderra
    Frost around Lake Ginninderra

    Toilet block on Lake Ginninderra. What happens if I need the dunny. I have IBS.
    Toilet block on Lake Ginninderra. What happens if I need the dunny. I have IBS.

    Frozen leaves on Lake Ginninderra
    Frozen leaves on Lake Ginninderra

    Fog on Lake Ginninderra
    Fog on Lake Ginninderra

    Frozen faeces on Lake Ginninderra
    Frozen faeces on Lake Ginninderra

    Reflections on Lake Ginninderra
    Reflections on Lake Ginninderra

    Misty morning on Lake Ginninderra revealing colours of the lake.
    Misty morning on Lake Ginninderra revealing colours of the lake.

    Lake Ginninderra Sunday 3 July 2016
    Lake Ginninderra Sunday 3 July 2016

    Smashed avocado on pumpkin seed roll with black pepper and lime chips and balsamic vinegar
    Smashed avocado on pumpkin seed roll with black pepper and lime chips and balsamic vinegar

    KFC chilli quinoa congee
    KFC chilli quinoa congee

    Fluff and Nutella treat
    Fluff and Nutella treat

    I hope you had a good week and enjoyed some fine food.

    If you’d like to see more please follow me on Twitter here and here, on Instagram here and here and on Facebook here and here.