I’m pretty sure Steve hated it. Something about his comment “Jesus, why’d you have to ruin it by putting in green olives?” tipped me off. There were other green olive haters at the table too. Violet picked out everything that even remotely looked green. She had quite a pile on the side of her plate at the end of the meal. Another comment was that the dish was bland - except for the green olives, of course, which ruined everything. Only April liked it - because it was bland.

I may try this dish again (without the green olives) with a few changes. I think replacing the diced tomatoes with Mexican style diced tomatoes might help spice it up a little. Maybe a few extra green chiles as well.

FYI, Steve’s not a big fan of minute rice so I doubled the chicken broth and used regular rice. The rice was cooked perfectly. Too bad it tasted of green olive juice.

Chicken Ole
Desperation Dinners

4 skinless, boneless Chicken breast halves, fresh or frozen
2 tsp Olive Oil
1 extra-large Onion (1 1/2 c chopped)
2 large Green Bell Peppers
1 can (14 3/4 oz) fat-free Chicken Broth
1/2 c White Wine
1 can (14 3/4 oz) diced Tomatoes
2 1/2 c “instant” (5-minute) Rice
1/2 c sliced Pimiento-stuffed Green Olives
1/2 c frozen Green Peas
1 1/2 tsp bottled minced Garlic
2 Bay Leaves
1 tsp dried Oregano
1/2 tsp ground Cumin
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Black Pepper

If the chicken is frozen, run it under hot water so you can remove any packaging. Place the chicken on a microwave-safe plate and microwave 3 minutes, uncovered, on high, to begin defrosting.

Meanwhile, heat the oil, over medium heat, in an extra-deep 12-in nonstick skillet that has a lid. Peel and coarsely chop the onion, adding it to the skillet as you chop.

Cut each breast into 3 strips about an inch wide, then add the chicken (fresh or partially defrosted) to the skillet and raise the heat to high. Cover the skillet and cook while seeding the bell peppers and cutting them into 1-inch wide strips. Cut the strips crosswise in half, and add the peppers to the skillet all at once.

Add the broth and wine. Cover the skillet and bring the liquid to a boil. Meanwhile, drain the tomatoes. Keeping the pan covered as much as possible, add the drained tomatoes, rice, olives, peas, garlic, bay leaves, oregano, cumin, salt, and pepper. Stir well.

Cook at a rolling boil until the rice is tender, 5 minutes more. Remove the bay leaves, stir well and serve.

Serves 4 generously

To make the Petro, place Frito corn chips in the bottom of a bowl. Top with a scoop or two of chili. Then add lettuce, diced tomato, shredded cheddar cheese and a dollop of sour cream.

Here’s my famous Chili recipe. It once won an award at a chili cook-off for Wimpiest Chili but I have to say that every drop of the huge kettle I made was gone by the end of the cook-off event. The chili that won 1st place? Too hot for most people to want to eat more than a taste so there was plenty of it left over at the end of the day.

Mom’s Wimpy Chili
Virginia

1 lb Ground Beef
1 large can Crushed Tomatoes
2 small cans Bush’s Chili Hot Beans
1 small can Pork-n-Beans (remove any pork chunks)
1 small can Light Red Kidney Beans, drained
1 pkg McCormick Mild Chili Seasoning

Brown ground beef in large pot; drain grease.

Add all ingredients to pot. Stir and cook until heated completely over medium heat - about 30 minutes.

Tuna Casserole
Linda Sisson

1 pkg Wide Egg Noodles
2 cans Tuna Fish, drained
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
1-2 cups frozen Green Peas (optional)

Boil noodles in large pot; drain. If making with green peas, add peas during last 5-8 minutes of cooking time.

Add tuna and soups. Mix well.

Put back on stove and heat thoroughly over low temp.

White Bean Chicken Chili
Melissa Summers

1 32 oz. carton Chicken Broth
1 large Onion, chopped
2 rounded tsp minced Garlic (or 3 cloves minced)
1 48 oz jar Great Northern Beans
2 tsp ground Cumin
1 tsp Oregano
5-6 dashes Tabasco (or more)
2-3 lg boneless skinless Chicken breast halves
1/4 cup orzo (optional)
Shredded cheese for topping
Salsa for topping
Sour Cream for topping

Boil chicken for 45 minutes - 1 hour. Shred with fork and set aside.

In a large pot, pour a bit of broth. Add onion and garlic, cook stirring until onion is wilted.

Add beans including liquid, cumin, oregano, tabasco and remaining broth. Bring to a boil.

Add chicken. Combine well and simmer covered for at least 30 minutes. If desired, add orzo in last 15 minutes.

Serve with tortilla chips, shredded cheese and a dollop of salsa and sour cream.