One of These Crazy Ole' Nights

This was the second of 3 ideas I found for use of chicken breast on www.BonAppetit.com.  It's loosely based on the great Thai soup Tom Kha Gai.  I know!  Easy and ready in under an hour.  As with every recipe, I didn't fuss much with exact ingredients.  I had red bell pepper instead of jalapenos and no snap peas but it was great anyway.  And c'mon isn't it so great to eat well on a normal night that has no business being special?  I already had everything to make this except the fresh basil that set me back $1.69 at the corner market.

Like a squirrel I store nuts.  I wait for some of these specialty items to go on sale and will buy them randomly.  The pantry stuff, like coconut milk and fish sauce. I notice when the grocery stores need to reduce their overstock of these less popular items, the discounts are deep.  And to grab one during a regular run doesn't hurt the budget.  So when the urge hits and you get a wild hair, it's all there and free and ready.  And it's even better because you know you were smart about it.

Caesar Roasted Romaine w/Chicken Breast

This was a good dinner.  Somehow today the clouds parted and I felt clarity and openness to new ideas. New ideas regarding chicken breasts that is. It was very specific.  I had been staring at my family pack of chicken breasts.  Nothingness.  More silence.  And then a few minutes of web browsing. Bon Appetit.com gave me three brilliant ideas for dinner in a hurry. (www.bonappetit.com/recipe/parmesan-chicken-with-caesar-roasted-romaine).  I substituted the Panko bread crumbs for flax seed meal on the chicken.  But Roasted romaine wedges with garlic, anchovies and lemon!  I think I squealed with delight!  So good!  A must.  A must.  You're gonna be surprised at how great this is.

And I had just been thinking of how much I love anchovies.  And who doesn't love Caesar Salads?  But with the fatty dressing and the big ass croutons, this is such a great alternative.