I think Fenway could give Papelbon a run for his money with his "I am one scary dude, you don't want to mess with me" scowl. If he only had a baseball cap that he could peer out from under the brim of... Now if you are a passionate, die-hard, crazy fan of any sports team you will probably know what I am talking about here. Sports fans are superstition, period end of story. We knock on wood. We talk in whispers in case the tv can hear us. We pretend we don't read stats which quote things like the last time a certain team beat another team this many times was a long time ago (1.9.1.2) and that team went on to win the big championship game. We wear the same shirt every game because we believe it must have some good-luck-dirt on it. We cook food because we truly believe in Kitchen Karma and therefore our team could potentially do better if we are making delicious food.... And when said team wins 3 games in a row where you made some of the most scrumptious meals you could think of, it only encourages your superstitious craziness. Behold the reason the Red Sox won last night:
Pomegranate and Pine Nuts
Ingredients:
- 3 pomegranates (or 1 cup Pomegranate juice)
- 5 tbsp olive oil
- Half chicken, cut into 4 pieces
- 4 cups of cooked brown rice
- 1 sweet yellow onion, peeled, cut in half, and sliced thin
- Garlic salt
- 1 cup pine nuts toasted and chopped fine
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 3 slices of bacon
- 2 cups of fresh green beans
- 1 cup plain yogurt
- 1 tbsp powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 8oz crushed pineapples in a can
Juice the pomegranates by cutting them in half and using a citrus reamer, or scoop out the seeds and press them through a sieve. Remove the seeds from one pomegranate to use as garnish.
Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Salt and pepper the chicken and place into skillet. Cook the chicken just enough to lightly brown on all sides. Remove the chicken to a platter and set aside. 
Cook brown rice until tender then add handful of chopped onions, pinch of salt and pepper.
Turn the heat to medium and add the rest of the onions and a couple pinches of garlic salt. Cook until soft (about 3 to 4 minutes). Add half the chopped pine nuts and cook an additional minute. Whisk in the pomegranate juice, lemon juice, honey, cinnamon, and cumin. Add the chicken back to the pan. Bring the mixture to a simmer and continue to cook until chicken is done (about 45 minutes to an hour).
Meanwhile, cook bacon about ¾ of the way and chop into small chunks. Heat 3 tbsp olive oil over medium heat and add beans, bacon, pinch of garlic salt, and the rest of the pine nuts and cook until beans are desired tenderness. zIn a small bowl, whisk together the yogurt, powdered sugar, granulated sugar and pineapple juice. It should have the consistency of mayonnaise.
Place a serving of rice onto each plate. Add the chicken and spoon some of the pomegranate sauce over the rice and chicken. Add a dollop of pineapple yogurt on top and sprinkle a few pomegranate seeds around the plate. Place green beans in separate bowls and serve! 
And? Once again Chopped was a success! The best part was the amazing pineapple yogurt that topped the chicken. I had seconds of the topping! So sweet and wonderful! The green beans were delicious, the bacon was an excellent addition! The pomegranate rice was perfect. Chef Franscisco went above and beyond on this one, and the Red Sox benefited :)
Tonight we are headed to Eric and Nikki's (except Eric is out of town) for hockey game 7. Rumor has it that she is making a Mediterranean Tortellini and Sangria to drink! This weekend we are repainting our upstairs hallway and Sunday is a special day. It is Lily's second birthday!!! I think a trip to the dog park is in order (their favorite place ever) if it is nice outside. My puppy is growing up!
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