I don’t think you can overestimate the comfort we get from just being able to putter around our kitchen.  It’s not just the destruction of a stockpile that prevents family meals, but practical considerations, like where do we eat when the dining room is still covered in stacks of inserts (need another couple of totes)?  So last night I attempted to restore sanity and threw together a little one-dish meal.

One bag of frozen chicken breasts, liberated from the very bottom of Rachel’s chest freezer – God alone knows how long they’d been in there.  It was actually a blessing to take them!  Thawed in the refrigerator and then sauteed with oil and butter in a large fry pan until slightly browned.  At that point I tossed in a large can of mustard greens (use spinach or any other type of greens) and a can of stewed tomatoes with okra.  Once that was cooked I moved the chicken to one side, added water and some marinated garlic in oil and a box of linguine.  After about 15 minutes the pasta was al dente and dinner was a go.  If you try this, be sure the pasta has enough liquids to absorb.

I was extremely pleased with the way it all turned out and will definitely be making this again.  A one-pot meal that takes very little time.  You could also use any of the cut-up chickens we’ve been seeing on clearance lately – you’d just have to adjust your cooking time.