As you know, I love to cook. Love love love it. I refound this recipe recently and thought it was perfect for the Ace of Pentacles because it is a sumptuous solo meal. The Ace of Pentacles is the seed energy of the suit of earth. Some things that come up with this card are to remember to take care of yourself. You might be in line for a promotion or seeking a new job. Perhaps you have just moved to a new community. By honoring the energy of earth, you foster it within yourself.
Here is a simple meal written very tongue-in-cheek that I am assigning the Ace of Coins.
Ace of Coin’s Squashed Chicken Ala Arwen
1 yellow squash, sliced
1 frozen chicken breast
3 cloves garlic
Balsamic Vinegar
Olive Oil
Tabasco
Salt
Pepper
Go to the Farmer’s Market and be seduced by the lovely sunny yellowness that is summer squash. Buy some garlic because it’s 2 for a buck! Get three lovely sunny yellow summer squash for a buck. Do a little jig in the middle of the market because HEY you got such a deal! Accept all the knowing nods from those others who are smart enough to join you at the market.
Turn the oven on to 400.
Now scrub one of those squashies. I know, I know, the sign said organic, but you know what? Manure is organic. That’s right, manure. Now now, don’t scrub the skin right off!
Slice the squash into not-thin but not-fat slices. I don’t do measurements. Guess. Break a nail on the glass cutting board. Wail and cuss and stomp around the kitchen. Hey! The oven has to preheat anyway and there is no one here who will laugh at your angst over losing a nail. Pout about not being able to have fake nails until after your surgery.
Now place the squash into an 8×8 glass pan. Smash one clove of smallish garlic up. Laugh at yourself for being so anxious to smash the garlic that you forget to take all the papery stuff off. Apply garlic that you have carefully removed from papery stuff to the top of the squash. Now pop the chicken breast on top.
Properly peel the other two garlic (which are large) from their papery stuff. Slam the flat side of the butcher knife on them and giggle at the way the garlic crumbles. Make bad puns about that being the way the garlic crumbles. Dump garlic on the chicken.
Now toss about 2 TBS maybe 3 of the olive oil on the chicken and squash. Follow with about twice as much of balsamic. Now fling some Tabasco after it. Hit it with salt. Chastise yourself soundly for not buying any peppercorns. Use the sad already ground up pepper that just doesn’t taste nearly half as good as the freshly ground stuff.
Throw it all in the oven and set the timer for 1 hour but know you are going to check it at 45 minutes and see how it’s doing. 50 minutes is all this supper needed.
Repeatedly sniff fingers to enjoy that marvelous smell of garlic. Remind self that next partner must also think garlic an aphrodisiac. Remind self that this is, indeed, a deal breaker.
If I had it, I would serve this with a tangy red wine or a very tart white. I tend to go for red over white any day even when it’s fish or seafood. Oh the horror. Someone call the Sommelier Swat team!
