What I Made for Dinner: September 8, 2009

Roast chicken and vegetables.

I loved the Everyday Food Sunday Strategy I tried last week! I loved it so much, in fact, that I resolved to plan one for myself. The only thing is, this week on Sunday we were here:


which is Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve outside Cottonwood Falls, Kansas.

I must digress a moment on the tallgrass prairie. I am a lousy photographer, but even if I had talent I think it would be tough to show in a photo what the prairie looks like. It's like pictures of the ocean taken from a cruise ship; all you see is blue. But when you stand there, looking out over the plains, you can see the swells and valleys of the land, and you can see how the grasses change color. You can imagine what it must have looked like to settlers when they came through on their covered wagons, when they didn't even have a road to follow, only the beat-down grass of earlier wagons. It looked to them like they were heading into nothing, into grasslands that went on forever, as far they could tell.

I bet they thought a lot of bad words privately to themselves as they drove through--or decided to stay put in--that prairie that just would not stop. And it is absolutely no surprise to me that the descendents of those people are as conservative and as religious as they often are. How else would a person ever have the courage to do such a thing? To cross the wide prairie, or to try to live on it? If not for complete faith in God.

Anyhow. For us, it was a great little road trip in our minivan on a beautifully-maintained state highway.

But it left me no time (or inclination) to cook anything in advance. Yesterday was a holiday, so I could have, but--well, instead I took a nap.

Never mind! Part of this week's plan is to reuse the chicken and vegetables I made tonight. And I managed to make some rice and roast some more tomatoes as I was cleaning up from dinner tonight. So I should be well set for the rest of the week.