I Stole an Avocado...

And I just ate it. And it was good.

OK, so I didn't mean to steal it. It wasn't even my fault. I picked up a few things at the grocery store last Sunday and as the guy was bagging my stuff, one of the bags broke and a bunch of stuff fell. Luckily, I didn't have eggs or anything breakable in that bag...and luckily he had cat-like reflexes and managed to juggle most of it and dump it back on the counter. However, in the process of re-bagging everything, he apparently grabbed the next woman's avocado and threw it in my bag. And today I threw it down my throat via a lovely turkey sandwich.

Does that make me a bad person? Because I didn't jump right back in the car to return it to the store? Or turn myself in to the police? What would you have done?

Yum!

I had the most amazing chicken last night! It was quick, easy, and delicious and definitely something I will make again. It was a pretty simple marinade, but it packed quite a punch! AND it made the chicken very tender and moist. Yum!

Here's the recipe, in all it's simplistic glory:

1 Tablespoon of Balsamic Vinegar,
3 Tablespoons of EV Olive Oil,
the Juice of half a Lemon,
and a pinch of Black Pepper

I got the recipe for Balsamic Chicken from my new fave food blog, though as usual, I tweaked it a little. Originally the chicken was served with a salad, but as I didn't have any more salad greens on hand, I ate it with a baked potato instead. Since I didn't have a whole lemon for fresh lemon juice, I used the lemon juice I had in the fridge (I didn't measure exactly how much, but you want approximately that of half a lemon). I did use a bit less olive oil and increased the vinegar, but I really love balsamic vinegar. I also added a little salt after I threw the chicken in. I tend to like my chicken cut in strips (it's faster to cook) and last night was no exception- I trimmed any fat off the chicken breasts (I used 2), cut it in strips, and tossed it into the marinade, closed the container, shook it up and let it rest in the fridge while I did a few things around the house. I only let the chicken marinate for a short time (probably no more than an hour) and shook it a few times before throwing it into a really hot pan. There was a lot of liquid still, but it reduced quickly, so be careful not to burn!

Yum!

I've been eating a lot of soup lately, but tonight I made one of my favorite, quick dinners that my friend Erin taught me to make. It's got a few of my favorite things- cheese, pasta, and butter!

Here's what you'll need:
Cheese ravioli or tortellini (frozen or dried), made according to the package,
Butter,
Salt & pepper to taste,
Balsamic vinegar.

Once you've cooked the noodles according to the directions, drain them and warm a non-stick pan on low heat. Add some butter (a tablespoon or so) to the pan and allow it to melt and let it brown lightly. Be careful browning the butter! Turn off the heat before the butter burns. Add the pasta and coat it with the butter. Sprinkle some balsamic vinegar over the noodles, so that you have a nice coating (not too much) and let it warm slightly. Remove from the pan, add salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

I cooked some chicken breast and added it, which was also quite good. Steamed broccoli compliments the dish nicely!