I had a hard time deciding what to write for this post.  There were too many choices – Halloween, changing the clock weekend, the Breeders’ Cup, Trick or Treating, first frost, fall festivals.  I couldn’t decide. So I did what I always do when I’m stumped. I turned to food.

I don’t normally share recipes. It’s not because I hoard those magical formulae for myself. I even shared my pizza dough in this very blog. No, I rarely share recipes because I rarely know exactly what it is I toss into those pots and bowls when I’m slaving over a hot chopping board. My daughter would say it’s the Italian in me. I say it’s because I can never lay my hand on a measuring spoon when I need one. For whatever reason, she is the reason that I actually can convey an entire recipe and know that is actually what I did to make that dinner.

Let me start closer to the beginning. My daughter will come over for dinner at least once a week every week whether we need it or not. Last week’s offering was to be chili. But not a heavy beef based version. I was going to create something a bit lighter but still warm and flavorful and just right for a fall evening – a chicken chili.

Unfortunately, the morning got away from me. Because of a couple of appointments I was running behind. No way was I going to be able to cook a chicken, create a base, mix the spices, and do the requisite chopping and hopping along with the slicing and dicing a chili would require. But I still wanted it! So I turned to the pantry.

I pulled out two cans of white kidney beans, a carton of chicken stock, a small can of sliced green chilies, and a jar of prepared salsa. I checked the hanging baskets and found a slightly larger than medium yellow onion. I pulled smoked paprika and adobo powder from the spice drawer. I had everything I needed for a quick chili, just open and dump. Everything except the chicken. Fortunately the supermarket was only a 5 minute drive away where the rotisserie chickens are right by the front door.

So the beans were chucked into a big pot, a cup and a half of stock followed. Then in went the chilies, salsa, and the onion diced into decent sized chunks. The bird was skinned then separated meat from bones and joined the party. The jumble simmered over medium heat for about a half hour then dinner was served. Shredded cheese, sour cream, and tortilla chips made guest appearances and a quick slaw of shredded iceberg, carrots, radishes, olive oil mayo and celery seed completed the meal. All done with everything just laying around (save the pre-cooked poultry) and all done in less time than it would take brown the beef in a traditional chili.

Every now and then, haste doesn’t make waste. This time it made leftovers.

That’s what I think. Really. How ‘bout you?