Magic Pot

If you read the title of the this blog post and are waiting for a long tirade about my high school years...you will have to wait for another time.  Or buy me a drink.

This Magic Pot I speak of today makes my life bearable.

This Magic Pot really is "Mothers little helper".

This Magic Pot frees up time in a busy mothers day.

This Magic Pot I speak of comes in different varieties, you get to pick the one that suites you best.

Really this isn't that magic pot.

I am speaking of this Magic Pot.

I love my Magic Pot so much!

I used it yesterday to make a yummy meal that my family loves after a long day of work, school and chilly autumn practices.

I don't have a name for this dish...maybe you could post some ideas if the mood strikes you.

This is what I did.

I dumped all this stuff into the Magic Pot.  Olives are the key here.  I picked up lots of different kinds at my local olive bar.  Plus my favorite manzanillas.  Capers bring a tangy saltiness.  Crushed tomatoes bring it all together.  The dried Turkish apricots balance out the acidity of the tomatoes and everything else.  The garbanzos are a nice non-animal protein.

I do like animal protein though...sorry vegetarians!  I used thighs because they hold up much better in the Magic Pot than their white meat relatives.  I sliced an onion, a ton of whole garlic cloves and threw on some rosemary because that is what I had fresh. I have used basil and oregano too, both good.  Dried herbs work well too...think Mediterranean spices, Italy, Greece...that sort of thing.  I put plenty of salt and pepper and then drizzled with olive oil.

I broiled my chicken on the middle wrack of my oven and kept my eye on it until just the right moment to golden crispy color appeared.

In the mean time...all my other stuff hopped into the Magic Pot.  My secret ingredient?  See the little wedge with the numbers?  It's a parmesan rind!

You can pick one (or many) up at any good grocery store.  They really are simply the rind of the King of Cheeses.  It's cheap, it keeps forever and adds so much flavor and depth to soups, sauces and stews.

I always have some in my fridge and put it in everything saucey.

I think it is beautiful.

The chicken joins the party in the Magic Pot.  Don't forget the onions, garlic and rosemary.  

Let the juices join too.

Then I let the Magic pot go to work for about 6 hours.

I made a pot of white rice to go with my Magic Pot creation. ( I know...brown is soooo much better for you!  But I am chinese...we like our white rice, so get off my back man!)

Brown rice would be good, polenta, just a salad, a nice crusty bread...whatever floats your boat really.

And this will be floating my boat for lunch today!

Hope you get to make this...it is a real treat at the end of a long day of work, apple picking, a day at the pumpkin patch, a chilly evening football game and it is really good as leftover lunch!

In Joy!  

(Get it ENJOY...In Joy...??)

Don't forget to shout out your name ideas for this Magic Pot wonder!