Tuesday's Tale

Tuesday dawned with some clouds in the sky. It's supposed to be nice, though with a high near 66 degrees F. I got the trash out by 7:00 AM and then got dressed for work.

The trash wasn't gone when I left for work at 7:15, but it was when I went home for lunch. I warmed up the last of the eggplant Parmesan for lunch (or what we called dinner, back in the day). I know, I know, its confusing. But, when I was a little kid, there was breakfast, dinner and supper. How dinner and supper became interchangeable, I'll never know.

Back at home after work, I changed into my outside work clothes (as opposed to my "go to work" work clothes). I messed around a bit with the mail, email, etc., but before 6:00 PM I was outside with my line trimmer and a 100-foot extension cord.

I need to get everything done during the week as its supposed to rain and be cold both Saturday and Sunday.

I worked at a steady pace and trimmed the entire front yard. About half-way through, the original line (I just bought this last summer when my old one crapped out) separated from the spool. Damn!

I'm not sure if I mentioned this, but the Owner's or Operators guide that came with it was rather vague. So, it took me quite a while to figure out how to put more line on it. This slowed the whole operation down. But, I finally prevailed and by 7:00 PM, I had coiled up the extension cord, put away the line trimmer, brushed off my pants and shoes and was back in the house. It looks good!

Then I started dinner. I put two chicken thighs on a plate and sprinkled them all over with one tablespoon of flour. I heated up two teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil in my large nonstick skillet (medium-high heat). When the oil shimmered, I added the chicken (shaking off the excess flour) and cooked them, turning once, until they were browned on both sides (4-6 minutes). I must say they already look great (or I'm just really hungry). I pulled them out and put them on another plate, covered with tin foil to keep warm.

I added another teaspoon of oil, one large leek (sliced) and four ounces of fresh shiitake mushrooms (also sliced). I cooked those, stirring often, until the leaks were tender (say 6-8 minutes).

Then I sprinkled the veggies with the excess flour and stirred them to coat. Then I added 1/2 cup of chicken stock, 1/4 cup of dry white wine and a pinch of salt and brought it to a simmer. I returned the chicken to the pan and, turning it occasionally, simmered it until it was cooked through (another 4-6 minutes). Then I stirred in 1/2 teaspoon of dried tarragon (one teaspoon if you have fresh - I didn't).

I had also "baked" a sweet potato in the microwave and that, with a little butter and salt served as my side dish.

It was EXCELLENT! This recipe is a keeper. This dish is supposed to serve two, but I must admit I ate it all!

I watched a little TV, but gave it up early. Both my back and right shoulder hurt from the trimming, so I went to sleep.