Introducing....

Zombiemom & Fluffimama…..would like to (not really) introduce you to a third member of our crazy party.  Meet FutureMe. 

Thanks guys, for the lukewarm welcome!  FutureMe (that’s me) is the me in the future who tells everyone else what not do.  Or what to do.  I am the one who knows what’s going to happen and warned against it, but it’s not very often they listen to me.

For instance, today in the kitchen Fluffimama hit culinary gold and actually spent a large amount of time debating whether ‘Mouthgasm’ or ‘Fuckawesome’ were acceptable names for a plate of food.  But I digress (although my personal vote was for fuckawesome).

Knowing what I do, I would like to go back a decade, tell nerdy 15 year old me with braces that you got skills.  You can cook and have tons of potential.  Screw all your other plans, go to culinary school and cook your way up to the top and open restaurants and write cookbooks.

Except….

Like a lot of skills I have in life, I only like using them for my personal gain.  Obviously I enjoy the fruits of my labor, but I do these things for my family as well, because I enjoy it and so do they.  I love cooking for family and friends and I have my dream kitchen all planned out in my head. 

Cooking for strangers…..not so much…..

I’m not looking for critique, or money (LIES!), or fame.  I would love to write a cookbook, or even see some of my recipes appear in a restaurant.  I don’t feel like I have the time, energy or patience to be a chef at a restaurant.  I barely have enough of that to be a Mom!

So that’s where my knowing the future comes in handy, I could have zapped back there and told her what it was and that would be the end of it.  And since we’re already on that topic, I would have also told her….

Put the damn cupcake down….

You don’t look half as bad as you think you do….

That girl is NOT your friend….

DO YOUR HOMEWORK!

I tend to get off on a tangent, it’s because I know so much…ya know…the whole FutureMe thing?

So in lieu of a dirty, yet appropriate name for this dish which I am trying to eat my hubby’s share of in the fridge we shall merely call it….for now… ‘chicken with sweet pepper salsa.’ 

Because I know you’re all dying to know, I will share it with you.  But don’t steal it, I want to put it in my cookbook!

Chicken breast (4 pieces)

Salt & Pepper

4 tbsp olive oil

4 cups thinly sliced peppers (I used sweet yellow/orange/red)

1 medium onion thinly sliced (Vidalia)

4 cloves garlic

2 tsp basil + seasoning

3 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Season the chicken with salt, basil and pepper.  Sauté chicken over medium high heat in 2 tbsp olive oil until golden on the outside, remove to bowl.

Add remaining 2 tbsp oil and reduce to medium heat.  Cook bell peppers and onion until just softened (5 min).  Add garlic and cook an additional 2-3 minutes, stir in basil and vinegar.  Put in food processor and chop until it’s the consistency of salsa.  Return mixture to skillet.  Return chicken and juices to skillet.  Reduce heat to medium low.  Simmer till cooked through.  Remove chicken.

To serve I made a pillow of the salsa and rested the chicken on it and served it with garlic bread.  I imagine this would taste great with rice as well.

I am actually considering learning how to can so I can make this fresh and enjoy it all year.  With chips as salsa, on top of steak or fish, a spread on a sandwich.  Makes me wonder if I add some tomatoes if I can make my own pasta sauce as well.  Seriously delicious, I want nothing to eat this summer but pepper salsa.