Trying something a little new...

So for dinner tonight I was going to use our new pots and pans...we just got them yesterday and they make me drool just thinking about what can be cooked in them! However...I didn't use the new pots and pans, instead I used a new recipe. I did this with an old, large skillet because I wasn't sure how big of a recipe this would be.

I tend to find one thing I like and then stick with it. Why not? If it's good, you don't need to risk eating something mediocre. Or do you? This isn't my food motto by all means. I love to try all sorts of food. Sticking with what works mainly applies to what I cook. I'm not very good at inventing recipes, I'm much better at preparing food based on established recipes. And herein lies my trap.

Recently I started reading a book entitled "Secret Ingredients" which is a collection of stories, essays, poems, and cartoons from the New Yorker all about cooking, food and anything related to the culinary world. It's an amazing book full of delicious tales and it is inspiring (except for the chapter on tripe...you'll never ever see that near my mouth).

As a result of the inspiring read I was sitting on the couch surrounded by a variety of my cookbooks and magazines with recipes, looking for something that I could cook that might taste as good as what was written in the book. Felipe paged through one of my Real Simple magazines and mentioned that he thought one of the recipes looked nice. So with my new found intrigue for recipes we haven't tried and food in general, we gave it a go tonight. It was a success! Felipe enjoyed the food as much as he enjoyed the picture of it in the magazine, and I like the taste in addition to the ease of cooking it. Here's the recipe:

Chicken Cutlets with Tomato Saute
Real Simple August 2008 (p.154)
Time: 45 minutes | serves 4

1 ½ lbs small chicken cutlets (8-12)
Kosher Salt and Pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 ½ pints grape or cherry tomatoes
½ cup dry white wine (Such as sauvignon blanc)
4 scallions, sliced
2 tablespoons fresh tarragon leaves, chopped

Season the chicken with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in two batches, cook the chicken until browned and cooked through, 2-3 minutes per side; transfer to plates.

Add the tomatoes to the skillet and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until they begin to burst, 2-3 minutes.

Add the wine and simmer until the liquid is reduced by half, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the scallions and tarragon and serve with the chicken.