Average Jane in the Kitchen

Last night, The Cowboy stayed with us on his way to a rodeo in Chicago.  He’s a far better cook than I’ll ever be, so I wanted to be sure to make a decent dinner. For deliciousness and ease of preparation I chose:

Chicken Creole

2 whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 tbsp. oil

Cut chicken into 1-inch pieces with kitchen shears.  Toss with salt and pepper.  Heat oil in large skillet, add chicken and cook over fairly high heat until chicken is opaque and just beginning to brown lightly.  Remove chicken and juices and set aside.

3 tbsp. oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely sliced celery
1/2 cup finely diced green pepper
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 – 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. salt
Cayenne pepper to taste
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. cornstarch
1 tbsp. cold water

In same skillet, heat oil.  Add onion, celery, green pepper and garlic and saute until tender.  Stir in tomatoes and their liquid, add 1/2 cup water, paprika, salt, cayenne and bay leaf.  Bring to a boil, cover and simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes.  Stir in chicken and juices.  Mix cornstarch with 1 tablespoon water and stir into chicken mixture.  Simmer, uncovered, for 10 to 15 minutes.  Serve over steamed rice.

I somehow ended up timing dinner perfectly – it was ready about 10 minutes after The Cowboy walked in the door, even though I didn’t know exactly when he was going to arrive. I have enough food left that I’ll be having it for lunch today, too.

After dinner, I finally made an apple pie with the apples my sister gave me last weekend.  So far, only my husband has had any of the pie (he launched into a paean to its awesomeness), but I’ve packed a piece in my lunch.

Okay, this post sounds frighteningly like a letter from someone’s elderly aunt ("and then for breakfast we had…")  I’ll try to come up with something a little more interesting to discuss next week.

As you head into your weekend, here’s another free download from "Weird Al" Yankovic, "Don’t Download This Song."  Enjoy!