Back to Basics

Back when I used to live with Admiral Bonesaw we were learning how to be adults. With that came many nights exploring the culinary arts. We’d been imparted bits and pieces of knowledge from various elders, etc. and we’re looking to apply it. He came up with this early “signature” dish that he’d make almost once a week. If I try I can still think back to the smell of it coming out of our terrible yellow stove. He would coat a baking sheet in tinfoil and place four unseasoned chicken breasts on it. Unseasoned only because we hadn’t learned to properly season meat yet, too focused on not burning. On this he’s later some salsa about half way thru cooking then a liberal sprinkle of cheese towards the end. After brief experimentation he got the timing figured out pretty well and was getting consistent for quality. Recently I decided to take a run at that classic dish of his. I decided off the top that I’d put it on a bed of spice rice and just consume one chicken breast rather than the traditional two, allowing the rice to be a substitute. I had chicken on hand from my Instant Pot adventures so it was a pretty quick process. I cheated further and used the microwave to warm it all up and melt my cheese. It wasn’t the same because the meat was seasoned properly but it was a tasty treat and a nice memory to relive from simpler times. Easy enough that even YOU could make it.