Dinner notes...

[jenk]

Last night I read Catherine's latest column in Widdershins, which includes 5 paragraphs on onions. I smiled in memory of the passage in Paris To The Moon about starting dinner "by, inevitably, chopping onions".

I thought of this today when I started making dinner by - of course - chopping onions. :) Tonight's dinner was my second attempt to make &/or improve Pasta Ya Gotcha's Texas Taco Penne, so I'm going to jot down tonight's recipe for future reference....

Start water boiling
Chop 1/2 an onion & saute in a different pan with some olive oil
Add a can of sliced mushrooms (yay costco)
And a can of cooked chicken
Rinse the cans with water for recycling, add the water to the pan
And some taco seasoning
Put in 4 slices of american cheese
Stir it all til the cheese has melted
Dissolve about a tablespoon of corn starch in a glass of water, stir that in. Let simmer.
Put about a pound pasta into the pot of boiling water (remember that?) - I used twisties, but penne or macaroni would work well
Taste the sauce, add cumin, chili powder, cilantro & pepper to taste
Spend about 5 minutes loading the dishwasher, washing pots & pans, and otherwise emptying the sink so the colander will fit into the sink
Chop a couple green onions, stir the onions and a can of diced tomatoes into the sauce. Don't forget to rinse out the can for recycling - add the water to the sauce if it's not liquid enough. Turn heat down to low.
Grate cheddar for garnish
Drain the pasta (when done) and mix it into the sauce.
Serve in a bowl topped with with shredded cheddar cheese.

Notes: 1st try at this was simpler - skipped mushrooms, tomatoes, green onions, and cheddar; used 1.5-2 lbs ground hamburger instead of chicken.
Consider for next time: corn, bell peppers?

Signed all the paperwork with the listing agent on the condo today. Don't expect it to sell right away, but it'll be okay.

Skipped the grind - Jesse's feeling a wee bit sore. Watching Melissa Etheridge's new DVD, "Live...and Alone"