Chicken, and Life, Madness

Oh, today. I had such high hopes for you -- I got our the door on time this morning, I remembered my gym bag, I did not spill coffee on my dressing gown and I remembered my lunch (not in that order, of course). It seemed so promising: get to work, do some interviews, write an issue piece, catch up from being from gone last week, arrange a fashion shoot and call in all the product, plan the party/gossip column for the week, pop out the door at 6 and hit the gym, then come home and make a nutritious and delectable meal.

Clearly I was misguided. I did some interviews, and I did some catch up. I did NOT write an issue piece, so it came home with me. I caught up a little from being gone last week, I called in some product, I did a tiny amount of column planning. I left at twenty past seven and skipped the gym, needless to say. But the night was not past redemption. Thanks to a trip to the grocery store and some last-minute inspiration, I did manage to make a meal that was delish, and while not incredibly healthful was better than a kick with a frozen moccasin.

Anyone who spent any appreciable amount of time on the Georgetown campus has probably had the Chicken Madness sandwich from Wisey's, the deli just off campus. The Chicken Madness, assembled on the huge flat grill and served with chips and choice of soda, has haunted my gastronomic dreams since I graduated. And tonight -- a night where there was leftover chicken breast in the fridge and redemption being sought -- was a perfect choice to try and recreate it.

Thanks to Chowhound and my ever-more-hazy memory, I compiled a mental picture of the Madness: Grilled chicken, bacon and red, green and jalaepeno peppers all heated on the grill with garlic powder and cayenne, served on a sub role with mayo, tomato and lettuce with a slice of provolone on top. Mmmmmm. To make the Jen version, I chopped the roast chicken from the other night and sauteed it with red and green pepper strips (I thought we might have share jalapenos left in the fridge, but no such luck) and two slices of turkey bacon. After being seasoned with cayenne and garlic powder, the mixture was covered with a slice of provolone and served on a piece of leftover paesano bread with mayo, assorted cherry tomatoes and salad mix.

And it was a pretty passable, and yum, imintation, if I do say so myself. The turkey bacon acquitted itself nicely, and the jalapeno wasn't conspicuous by its absence. Salad mix, however, is a terrible choice for a warm sandwich, and the cherry tomatoes were only so so. But it was comforting and yummy, and a glass of TetraPak organic wine is even better than a can of Diet Pepsi. Take that, today.