I’ve not thought much about food since returning from vacation. Our adventures in Costa Rica had far more to do with adrenaline and critters than our tastebuds. I relished that feeling of moving freely throughout the day, with nary a thought of “What’s for Dinner?”
I’ve managed to persist in a non-cooking fantasy for the last two weeks. Some sort of nutrition made its way to the table most nights (check out the meal plans if you don’t believe me). But meals lacked any concerted effort until I tried to reconstruct a casado – a simple plated meal of beans, rice, salad and meat – for dinner Saturday night. My version featured BBQ ribs, which were a hit, but the rest of the meal was a disaster. The boys spurned the simple lettuce salad and merely tolerated the beans and rice. I should have known better, having failed at “meal re-creation” in the past with everything from Greek coffee to Irish soda bread. Sure enough, casado tasted better near the Equator.
So it’s back to my own version of simple food for weeknight dinners. Tonight’s was a keeper: Spiced Chicken with Couscous Salad from, you guessed it, Real Simple. Sugar snap peas and basil from our garden boosted the flavor.
(I’m laughing at how horrible the color is in this photo. My summer goal is get smart with my new digital SLR – obviously I still have much to learn about white balance!)
Chicken and couscous - boosted by snap peas and basil from the garden.
You Ate That??? 