A Chicken Bake Thursday

 

Plans fall apart sometimes.

You go to a site, set up, and wait. Then nobody shows up.

Turns out, a mistake was made and everything gets rescheduled to tomorrow.

It happens.

So, I pivoted back to the apartment to do laundry and things around home.

With the Renegades out of town and all sports currently off, I'm in a lull.

Which is a nice way of saying I'm not working enough.

Unless I actually go away, I don't handle these lulls well.

I'm counting the days until the next conference, football game, etc. I'm asking around for the next deposition.

It's been a disappointing summer in that regard and it needs to change. 

That, for the record, is what has been causing me sleepless nights.

OK, the recent heat surge hasn't helped but it's much cooler tonight.

I mean, the only other excitement of the day, other than the missed meeting and "Doubleheader" (because, of course) was our trip to Costco.

What could possibly be better than father and son strolling around a warehouse store, shopping for a 30-pack of toilet paper, orange juice, half and half, and whatever else grabs us? Well, the ability to shop as we please would be nice but, again, the concern about not working enough.

The whole "gainfully employed" thing would be nice, despite how hard I work and how busy I am.

But, under these circumstances, what could be better?

Dinner!

There is something to be said about Costco's cafe, with its ridiculously inexpensive offerings. 

I've long been a fan of the hot dog/beverage combo with a slice of their passable pizza. I went to the kiosk to order when Sean stopped me.

"You're getting a hot dog and pizza?" he inquired.

"Yes."

"I'll take a chicken bake."

Ah, of course. The chicken bake. That item that I've stared at on the Costco menu for years. I always convinced myself I'd like it but stuck with my tried and true combo.

"OK," I retorted, "but I want a bite."

"Deal."

So we ordered a feast for two kings at Costco, including a warm chocolate chip cookie for my 22-year-old Cookie Monster.

The hot dog was a standard issue. Always delightful, with a dollop of mustard on it. For as much as one can put a "dollop" of mustard on a dog.

But it's also the classic dog that will be repeating later, like now.

The pizza was...as always...fine. Nothing I'd ever find in a New York pizza place. Connecticut, on the other hand...

I even enjoyed a taste of the cookie, but I don't mess with them otherwise because Sean loves them and I don't need them.

However, the chicken bake was the star. While I've read that devotees say the taste has changed, Sean and I were both pretty content with it.

I always pictured it as a chicken Caesar salad wrapped in a crust. That's not far off from what it tasted like. The crust was crunchy and created a bit of a heft to it, thus making it more of a meal than you might believe.

Sean liked it a lot and I thought it was pretty tasty.

And it was cheap. I love that.

Who knew a chicken bake could help salvage a day?