Dinner in Pan . . .

Dinner in A Dish

Or, I wanted something tasty, but couldn't face the grocery store.

So, I sautéed onions and garlic in an oil mixture -- olive, canola and grapeseed. (Bought right after I found out canola isn’t the Florence Nightingale I thought it was.)

Then I browned boned skinned chicken breasts, salting and peppering them too lightly according to Doug – I needed a heavier hand. But I threw in a heavy dollop of butter – because Julia Child said everything is better with butter.

Next, I added chopped green chilies, black beans, (1 can) cooked basmati rice (1 cup) and chorizo. I topped it off with fresh sliced cherry tomatoes – maybe 12-18. I added half a bag of frozen corn and the remains of some frozen mixed vegetables.  I covered it and stuck it in the oven (350) for maybe ½ hour.

I served it with bib lettuce topped with fresh avocado, pine nuts, and croutons. (or Krut-tons) I used a balsamic vinaigrette dressing – not the greatest companion taste choice.

It reminded me of a dish my mother made, and one my daughter sometimes make.  A loaf of yummy crusty bread and lots of butter might be a tasty companion, too.

Maybe it will be punchier after a spell in the refridge over night – Doug added a splash of habanera sauce to his.  He asked if I thought I could recreate it at some point – that’s why I took a picture of it and then wrote down what I think I did.

I am just not sure what spices I would add, if I made it again – maybe I would use a cup or so of salsa? I might even add some shrimp and call it a Maryland-Tex Paella?

·      “Every idea is my last. I feel sure of it. So, I try to do the best with each as it comes and that's where my responsibility ends. But I just don't wait for ideas. I look for them. Constantly. And if I don't use the ideas that I find, they're going to quit showing up.” ― Peg Bracken

·      Recipe: A series of step-by-step instructions for preparing ingredients you forgot to buy, in utensils you don't own, to make a dish the dog wouldn't eat. ~Author Unknown

The last recipe I thought I was concocting from memory turned out quite  differently than I anticipated – I was making lentil soup, and after sautéing onions, garlic and carrots, I added the lentils, and what I thought was chicken stock. Turns out I grabbed the wrong box from the cupboard, and added black been soup. But because I added German summer sausage from a German deli, it was a “keeper.”

Whoops!

Never say, "oops." Always say, "Ah, interesting." ~Author Unknown