Hair of the Dog

Happy new year everyone! If you celebrated last night like many do, chances are you're ringing in the New Year quite literally with a pounding in your head and a ringing in your ears.

Originally I thought it would be quite fitting to prepare something pickled like my recovering liver, but instead I opted for the good old hair of the dog. We had a Spinach Salad paired with a drunken pear and White Wine Garlic Chicken. Accompanying that was a simplified Jambalaya since I failed to do any pre-emptive grocery shopping to kick start this project.

Each dish stands alone as well as they do together. I never get sick of jambalaya. It's such a hearty comfort food, it reheats well for numerous lunches and it's easy to make out of various leftover scraps. It's also quite easy to gauge the heat of a jambalaya since the seasoning is not primarily reliant on anything spicy. Whether you prefer your heat to be akin to a ballerina's toe tapping you on the bottom or a ninja walloping you with a fireball, the choice is yours!

The chicken is quite tasty in its simplicity and versatile enough to be paired with numerous side dishes for repeat dinners. The salad is easy to throw together for a quick lunch, providing your grapes are of the frozen variety and you have a poached pear handy (canned would do). It might be prudent to avoid breathalyzer tests on your way back to work, though.