Soup

However briefly, I'm cooking again. I'm enjoying it. Tonight I didn't know what I was going to do with the teriyaki chicken that had been malingering in the fridge for, um, a little too long.

Here's what I did with it:

Found out I still had some (near death) jalapeno peppers, garlic, onions, celery, and carrots. I poured olive oil into a stock pot, chopped these things up, and threw them in the stock pot. While they were sizzling away, I cut the chicken into tiny pieces. I dug around in the pantry and found a big can of black beans and a jug of balsamic vinegar. I liked the way this way shaping up.

When the veggies were wilty-looking, I took them out of the stock pot and then browned the chicken. And when I say "browned the chicken", I mean I cooked it until it turned brown. Took the chicken out.

Next I poured balsamic vinegar into the pot until the bottom was covered. I have no idea how long this has been lingering in my cupboard, because it was very pungent. Turned up the flame, stirred it around, and when it was the consistency of cream, I poured in chicken broth.

Back in went the chicken and veggies. Next went in the can of black beans. I found an elderly but not moldy whole wheat roll. I'm going to cut it up and make it into croutons.

The kitchen smells wonderful. The only mistake I made was putting potato in the soup. It should have been a handful of rice instead. I put in more pepper. I wish I had some Vietnamese chili sauce to throw in there, too.

When I'm done, I'll top it with croutons and some green onion. Y'all come on over. Soup's on.