Baking Chicken Sophia

(Sophia with *her* chicken)

I have been given the unfair distinction of being a bad cook. Why, I do not know. Actually, I love to cook (and am not completely terrible at it). I follow blogs with food (I love my friend Kelly's Land Locked (and in love). Mostly, I love to make things up - see what works and what doesn't. Sometimes things work; other times I'm washing the entire oven/kitchen down with vinegar.

The other night I made up a dish called "Chicken Sophia" -

it was a hit.

Henry, in the recent future, will get his own culinary titular dish - but he strikes me as a pasta-guy.

And so Sophia is chicken.

(Henry with the baby spinach)

Ingredients:

2-3 breasts of chicken
2 tb olive oil
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup long grain brown rice
3 cups fresh baby spinach
fresh chives - chopped
fresh oregano - picked off the stem-ish thing
fresh sliced tomato (I used cherry tomato, but any would do).

(going for the layered look)

Directions in 20 easy steps:

1. give Henry baby spinach to play with to keep him busy
2. bring broth to a boil
3. stir in brown rice - let simmer for 15 minutes
4. brown chicken in olive oil and season with oregano
5. talk to Henry about the importance of vegetables like Spinach
6. turn oven on (350 was perfect)
7. get out baking pan
8. take away spinach from Henry. bad idea giving a baby spinach. or a baby, spinach. there's a dangling modifier in there...
9. clean steam off camera lens (too close to the boiling food...stupid)
10. line bottom of dish with the brown rice
11. put fresh washed spinach on top of the rice
12. put browned chicken on top of the spinach on top of the rice (don't worry it looks high but the spinach will fall)
13. and down will come baby....
14. (consider having self committed)
15. put tomato and chives on top of chicken on top of spinach on top of rice lining the baking pan
16. cover with foil and bake in the oven for 20 minutes
17. put oven on warm while Tony walks the dog
18. tease your children for their inability to have solid food while eating a dish inspired by one of them
19. don't forget to sprinkle with cheese - never forget the cheese
20. enjoy!

(the resulting "Chicken Sophia" plated)