Meh

One-Dish Chicken and Kielbasa Rice
Cooking Light Annual Recipes 2007 Copyright 2006

2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/8 teaspoon ground turmeric
8 ounce turkey kielbasa, cut into ½-inch pieces
2 cups long-grain parboiled rice (such as Uncle Ben’s)
2 teaspoon olive oil
8 ounces skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces I used white meat (tenders)
1 cup prechopped onion I chopped my own
1 cup prechopped green bell pepper I chopped my own
½ cup frozen green peas
¼ cup sliced, pitted manzanilla (or green) olives
1 tablespoon bottled minced garlic I chopped my own


1. Combine first 3 ingredients in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Stir in rice. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and let stand 5 minutes.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add chicken; cook 2 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally. Add onion and bell pepper; sauté 4 minutes or until tender. Stir in peas, olives, and garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add rice mixture; cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated, stirring constantly.

Yield: 4 servings.
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This were neither here nor there. There was nothing wrong with it, it just wasn't very exciting. I basically made it because I had everything but the rice on hand.

Maybe it was just me. My hives started coming back yesterday afternoon. Wednesday morning I was still itchy so I took a 24-hour allergy pill and I guess it finally wore off. I took another one and the hives went away so we'll see. I just feel compromised - my immune system is something I've taken for granted for so many years and now it's turning on me. My body is definitely in fight mode. My son has a cold and two co-workers sound like they should be home in bed too. I picked up some Airborne yesterday. Hopefully that helps. I've had good experience with Zicam.

This is one of the two cookbooks that Oxmoor House foisted on me. Yeah, they got me. I really would have eventually bought this one anyway but this is the last time. Now that I'm on to them I'll mark future books refused. Coincidentally, just a couple of days after I received this, I was in a meeting and during a break, the woman two seats next to me pulled out this cookbook and was looking through it. I thought I was a cookbook junkie but I don't carry them around with me!

Blast From The Past: Bourbon Chicken from December 2006. Exactly one year ago today, actually. I really liked this dish but I think thigh meat is key to it and I hate working with boneless thigh meat. By the time you trim it, you end up with only a fraction of what you started with.

Question of the Day: How do you avoid and/or deal with colds?