something that went completely right

I really am not sure what to call this, but I am so excited about the sauce that I made. It is a tomato sauce simmered with Turmeric, a Large Black Cardamom pod, and a little Cumin. There was also some Garlic and Shallots in the sauce as well. The taste is pretty much what I was looking for. I didn't want an herby tasting tomato sauce, that Oregano would give but I wanted strong flavors that are representative of the middle eastern territory. The combination came completely out of no where, and I really was not sure about whether it would work but luckily it was a god combination. About 45 to 1 hour simmering was all I did, though if I had given it a longer time it definitely would have shown more in taste and flavor.

The mashed potatoes had 4 different cheeses mixed in. I had 2 artisan cheeses that I unfortunately cannot remember the name of, one of them was a saltier style cheese made around the bay area and the other was a type of cheddar that actually was made in Santa Rosa, CA, where I grew up. The third was a Parmesan cheese, and the fourth was Mozzarella. I probably didn't have to add the Mozzarella because the strong taste of the other 3 was enough for the potatoes and turned out really good.

The vegetables were an assortment of carrots, squash, and shitake mushrooms that were lightly sauteed in a pan with some salt & pepper, white balsamic vinegar and olive oil. They turned out so good, crispy, light and full of flavor. The balsamic vinegar gave them a little bite that actually went well with the vegetables as far as being refreshing.

Lastly in between the mashed potatoes and chicken is sauteed spinach, which I like to add to meals to help break things up a bit and give some hearty tastes meals.