If you have a problem such as this: "Oh no, I waited until the last minute again and my Halloween costume has so many parts and I had to order everything separately and everything is being shipped separately, some from private individuals as opposed to actual businesses in places like Iowa or London, and I don't think everything is going to get here in time and Halloween is going to be ruined and nobody is going to understand my costume because the parts that aren't going to get here in time are the crucial parts!"
Try this: Forget about the problem. Go on about your business. Worry about it when it's time to worry about it. Busy yourself with something way more important, such as, in my case, the career that I am completely, devotedly wed to, for better or worse. Or such as, in the case of everybody else, Hurricane Sandy (aka, per News 12 New Jersey, Frankenstorm).
And then: Without you even realizing it, little by little, boxes from all over the world will just miraculously arrive full of different pieces of your Halloween costume. And you sort of won't have even really noticed, because you've been so embroiled in the "Try this" section above. And then it will be time for Halloween festivities, and everything will be fine. And then you can sing to anybody and everybody who will listen, courtesy of Jay-Z, "If you having Halloween problems, I feel bad for you son. I've got 99 problems, but my costume ain't one. Hit me."
So, "Greek" chicken and string beans with shallots is the first meal I ever made for Tristan. I don't know why I was inclined to take a picture of it at the time, but I did (perhaps I was foretelling the inception of this blog, but probably not) and you'll see it below. The "Greek" chicken is from that high school classmate I sometimes reference who had the food blog but then sadly dismantled it. I am unsure of its source beyond that but I know that it's one of my favorite chicken recipes. And by the way, "Greek" is in "quotes" because I don't think this is actually from Greece but more a melange of Greek-ish ingredients, all Americanized. The string beans with shallots are from the Barefoot Contessa: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/string-beans-with-shallots-recipe/index.html
"GREEK" CHICKEN
Ingredients:
-1 lb thinly sliced chicken cutlets
-2 T flour
-1 t oregano
-3 minced garlic cloves
-1 c sliced red onion
-1 T olive oil
-1 1/2 c low sodium chicken broth
-1/3 c golden raisins (sounds weird, but just trust me here!)
-2 T lemon juice
-2 T capers
-1/2 c feta, crumbled
Instructions:
1) dredge the chicken in the flour and oregano and cook in the olive oil for 5 minutes on each side (medium high heat)
2) remove the chicken from the pan to a plate
3) add the onions and garlic to the pan and saute until starting to brown
4) stir in the chicken broth, raisins, and lemon juice and cook for about 3 minutes; stir while cooking
5) add the chicken back to the pan and simmer for about 10 minutes
6) remove the chicken to plates and add the capers and feta to the sauce, and stir it together
7) top the chicken with the sauce
STRING BEANS WITH SHALLOTS
Ingredients:
-1 lb string beans (or, if we're being a little snooty, haricots verts), ends removed
-2 T butter
-1 T olive oil
-3 large shallots, diced
-salt and pepper, to taste
-optional: some diced pancetta (I haven't actually made it with pancetta, but if anybody out there is looking for a meaty add-in, I would recommend going in the direction of diced pancetta)
Instructions:
1) blanch the beans in a large pot of boiling salted water for about a minute and a half; drain immediately and run under very cold water
2) heat the butter and olive oil in a large pot and saute the shallots on medium-high heat, tossing occasionally, until they are browned to your liking (I like making them really brown, as you will see below)
3) add the beans to the shallots, add the salt and pepper, and toss together in the pan only until the beans are hot
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