Slow Cooking

As predicted, we had a slow kind of day.  The grommet was clearly not feeling well, but he did his best to destroy the living room, terrorize the dog, and find breakable objects, per usual.  Yesterday, he pushed his toy farmhouse against the child gate and then climbed on top of it, using it as a step, and was well on his way over the gate before we caught him.  I'm fairly certain that this is evidence of genius-level intelligence.  If anyone reading this can confirm, please email me so that I can make sure he gets into the right preschool.  Ah, I jest.

Anyway, after lunch we went to run errands so that I could replenish boring things like baby wipes and trash bags.  The outing seemed to keep baby grommet happy and occupied, but on the way home I broke a cardinal rule of parenting and let him fall asleep in the car, HALF AN HOUR BEFORE NAP TIME.  Panic, right?  I tried to transfer him into his crib but he woke up and then refused to take an afternoon nap altogether.  Foiled my dinner cooking plans?  Wrong!  I had already prepped dinner and put it on the stove before we left.

Here is the spread:

I basically made a chicken cacciatore by browning the onion, garlic, and peppers, then adding the seared chicken thighs and legs, tossed it all in our heavy stock pot, poured the tomato puree (that's what is in the suspicious/gross looking ziploc) over the top, and simmered with herbs on low all afternoon.  By the time the afternoon nap had come and gone without happening, the chicken had fallen off the bones and I diced the eggplant and added it.  I didn't end up using the pattypan squash.  

Instead of serving it with polenta, like I had originally planned, I decided to use the gorgeous spaghetti squash I had picked up at the farm, so I steamed it, shredded it, and used it as a base for the cacciatore.  I am always a little in awe of how much spaghetti squash resembles its namesake.

Here is the finished product.  I topped it with some crumbled goat cheese.  Grommet wasn't in the mood for spaghetti squash but he devoured the cacciatore.   

And, bonus - there is plenty left over for lunch tomorrow!  I also have some yogurt incubating in the crockpot set at warm right now, so that should be ready to go first thing tomorrow morning.  Yum!