A Little Summer Skillet

Sometimes people ask me where I find the time to cook all these fabulous dishes. My secret is gainful unemployment. The past month has taught me the true meaning of Christmas: poverty and shame. The best part of this week's installment is that with the right equipment and fire-making skills, even a hobo can be culinary! Seriously though, if it weren't for my tiny kitchen I'd probably be on the floor in the fetal position singing Grease 2 numbers quietly to myself. Luckily I haven't had a night like that since last night. I'm finding that the job hunt is a lot like dating, it's a waiting game until someone comes along who can live with my apparently numerous flaws. For my unemployed guests who also have a liberal arts degree, cook with wine and start your own cooking blog, someday it might save you from having to return to sex work.

Rainier Cherry Skillet Chicken 

Am I just poor or have cherries been really cheap this summer? Every time I walk into Aldi, cherries are cheaper and cheaper. I find myself compelled to buy them and then compelled to make a cherry pie, and then compelled to eat that entire cherry pie. This time, I thought, no. I'll make peanut butter fudge and save the cherries for my chicken. Lately I've been obsessed with the idea of combining rosemary and cherries. Must be all the mood stabilizers I'm on, 'cause of the unemployment. This is sort of a rift on a Smitten Kitchen recipe I'm quite fond of. 

you will need the following: 

2-4 chicken breasts (tenderized and floured)

2 tsp olive oil

1 c pitted cherries 

1/2 c pitted kalamata olives (or black if you're on a budget)

1 clove garlic (sliced thin) 

2 tsp dried rosemary (or 2 tbsp fresh) 

1/2 c beef stock 

1/4 c red wine 

salt & pepper 

Step 1: Set oven to 450. (Yepp, this sucks in an apartment without AC). Also heat olive oil in your skillet on the stove top. 

Step 2: While you brown your chicken on each side for 3 minutes, pit cherries and olives. 

Step 3: Arrange cherries and olives around chicken. Pour in stock and wine. Season to taste. Bake skillet uncovered in oven for 30 minutes or until chicken seems cooked.