Today tasted nice

I ate beautiful things today: Things that made me 'mmmmmm' out loud.

For breakfast I made fancy oatmeal. The oatmeal itself was basic: 1/3 c quick oats, 2/3 c water, a pinch of salt and a couple shakes of cinnamon, bring to a boil, reduce and stir for 2 minutes. The fancy happened when I sliced up a banana and fried it in a bit of butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. I spooned those piping hot bananas into a deep bowl and topped them with the steaming hot oatmeal. Then I poured over some warm milk, chopped roasted almonds and brown sugar.
It pretty much tasted exactly how Saturday mornings should taste.

Then tonight I got creative with my left overs. I roasted a beautiful chicken the other night and I still had a bunch of the nice meat left over, so I decided to make shredded chicken tacos with refried beans and guacamole.

I chopped up a white onion, three cloves of garlic, half a jalepeño pepper, and a large tomato, all into a fine dice. I heated up a saucepan on medium heat, added a bit of oil when the pot was hot and added the onions, garlic and peppers, seasoning with salt and pepper. After a couple minutes when the onions had softened, I added a generous pinch of ground cumin and the tomatoes. I cooked that for another couple minutes and then added a can of pinto beans, including the liquid. I brought the mixture to a boil, reduced the heat and cooked for about 10 minutes, stirring often. Then I mashed the beans up with a fork until almost smooth, leaving a bit of texture in them.

For the chicken, I sliced some onions, peppers and mushrooms, and minced up a clove of garlic and a small red chili. I added the onions to a hot, oiled pan and cooked until soft and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Next came the mushrooms and some salt and a minute later the peppers. Then I added a chopped tomato and about a cup of shredded, cooked chicken. I seasoned it with cumin, chili powder, and a bit of pepper. I sauteed this chicken combination for about 10 minutes, until the chicken was crunchy and golden.

Quick guacamole with ripe, smashed avocado, crushed garlic, lime juice and salt.

I made one hard and one soft, layering the beans, then the chicken and then the guacamole, topped with a crisp cilantro garnish.

One word: yum.

Actually, two words: Try it!