It's interesting having a few days of a water crisis. Even those who are fine, go crazy. (Case in point -- there is stored water at Zu'ul, and my housemate was STILL going ZOMG BOIL WATER NAO!) I know that a bit of preparation can go a long way... but I know that the majority of people who were buying water bottles by the case, will never store water. Apparently, what most people bitched about the most? The local coffee shop was closed. POOR BABY. Learn to make a pot of coffee -- it's not hard. I think I learned that at around age 4: we had made too many bad cups of coffee for mother's day.
But, crisis averted and everything's all hunky dory.
Which leaves me with a fantastic find. The local coffee shop couldn't sell their normal complement of coffee and pastries -- so had a bakery sale. I got a pre-sliced loaf of local, organic country white -- $2. I will be making toast and toast and toast. All kinds of toast! Cinnamon toast, toast with jam and tea, french toast (if I convince F to buy eggs...), the sky's the limit! And when the loaf is hard and dry, I'll make bread crumbs, and bread pudding (savory or sweet), or Ribollita soup.
So as I'm sitting here in F's apartment, I realize that lunch time came and went -- and that I hadn't eaten. I'd had half of a protein bar for breakfast, an orange for snack, and was hungry again. So, as I'd recently bought fresh ravioli (ricotta and pea), and a lemon/parm cream sauce, I figured I'd make that again. But, upon peeking into the fridge, I saw half a carton of tomato soup, and the last chicken breast from my TJ's shopping trip last Tuesday. So change of plan!
After a fruitless search for the garlic bulb (where the hell did cleaning lady hide it? And the scrubby brush!), I heated olive oil, added 2 frozen cubes of crushed garlic* and pan fried pieces of chicken. When the chicken was cooked fully, I threw in green bean pieces** (bought at the same time as the pasta), and let that cook a bit. When the green beans were appropriately crunchy yet cooked, I threw in the tomato soup, and a few dollops of the cream sauce.
I served it with a couple slices of bread, and will cook the rest as a casserole with some pasta for dinner tonight.
* I used to use this for cooking a lot, as I thought it was highly convenient. However, I find using regular garlic to not be a chore! I peel a clove, crush it with the side of my knife (basically, just put weight on it until it gives), and quickly chop. Works like a charm!
** Easiest way to use any kind of fresh long bean: snap both ends off, and snap into what ever size piece you'd like to cook with. Usually 2 or 3 pieces per bean. I use my fingernails to snap them, and it's never been an issue.
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