Chicken Taco: The new girl

Son started pre-school yesterday and at the meet and greet (parents and child meet teachers and hang out in the classroom) I had a very strange experience. I was once again the new kid on the block.  Mind you, Daughters attended this same preschool and I was an active part of the campus for the four years prior.  I knew Daughter's classmates, their friends, their friends' parents and all the teachers that the girls had.  I'm on a first name basis with the head of the school and all the staff in the office.

But in the classroom I suddenly felt alone.  Son walked in and started playing and I had no one to play with me.  Prior years I had parents to talk to, mingle with and laugh with and suddenly I felt alone.  Quite a few parents had other parents to talk to but I had no one.  Son even deserted me so that he could play with his beloved trains.  I stood alone in the corner just watching the action, when a mother came up to me and asked, "Is this your first year here?"

"No.  My older two were here before.  This is our fifth year here."

"Oh!  I have never seen you before."

It felt strange being the "new" girl in the class.  The others knew each other from years before and I knew no one.  It made me stand a bit straighter, smooth my unruly hair, and straighten out my work out t-shirt.  I put a smile on my face and pushed myself to meet the other parents.  "Hi, I'm Joanne.  This is my son.  Has your child attended here before this year?"

All the while I met the new parents, a part of me ached for my old mommy friends, the ones who have moved on to other schools and left me behind, simply because I had an additional child who had to stay at the school longer.  I missed the smiles, the laughter, and the years of friendship that had been built from being at the school together.  I missed going to school with my friends.

It was akin to moving to a new school and being the new girl.  I feel like I am starting over.

I made this "taco truck" inspired chicken taco today, because it was something totally different from anything on the blog. It is, in essence, the new girl on the blog.   It is easy, with the most time consuming thing being mincing the chicken.  Everything else is simple and it was a crowd pleaser at our home this evening.  The new girl on the blog...she made some friends it seems.  Hopefully I can too.

This is great in a salad, or in a tortilla with your favorite taco fillings.  Have fun and go wild!

Chicken Taco
Serves 4

Ingredients
1 lb chicken thighs, minced (best way to cut is to freeze them a bit and slice the meat while it is super cold. It’ll be easier.)
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon oregano
1 tablespoon cumin
¼ teaspoon cayenne (omit if you’re concerned about spiciness)
4 cloves of garlic, minced
juice of one lime

Choice of taco or salad fixings - tortillas, salsa, lettuce, tomato, cilantro, cheese, sour cream, avocados

Method
Mix minced chicken with olive oil, chili powder, oregano, cumin and cayenne. Add minced garlic and lime juice and mix very well together. Refrigerate and set aside until needed.

Heat a large fry pan over very high heat. Drizzle a little bit of oil into the pan. Add chicken in a single layer and cook over high heat, browning meat.

Serve any way desired - in a taco or in a salad.

Printable recipe

So attractive...she'll make friends soon, don't you think?