Using up stuff in the fridge

It's really not that hard to come up with an off-the-wall recipe that will make people think you're a culinary genius, or the worst chef on the planet. Just pick a couple main ingredients you want to use up (for me, it was chicken and asparagus) and go to your favourite search engine or recipe website and see what pops up.

Today I went to Rachael Ray's website and found a recipe for Chicken with Grapes, Couscous and Roasted Asparagus. I must admit, I cringed at the thought of grapes and chicken in a creamy mustard wine sauce. But I had all the ingredients, so I figured I'd give it a shot.... in a half-batch, so my kids won't have to touch it with a ten-foot pole.
I made a few changes, just because I didn't have exactly what Rachael calls for:

-I didn't have any thyme, so I used a little bit of Tuscan Rub on the asparagus and just left it out of the couscous.

-I used 1 large chicken breast sliced in half (or 2 small chicken breasts) instead of chicken tenders.

-I used green grapes instead of red grapes.

For the kids (and my husband's lunch tomorrow) here's what I made:

"STUFF FROM THE FRIDGE" CHICKEN
2 chicken breasts, seasoned with salt
1/2 c. baby spinach leaves, chopped
2 tbsp. Red Pepper Jelly
grated mozzarella cheese

Cut a slit into the chicken breasts, and stuff in the spinach. Put some jelly on top, and sprinkle with grated cheese. Bake at 400 F for 20-25 minutes.

I didn't actually think they'd be too thrilled with this little concoction, but when they saw the alternative on my plate, they were surprisingly quiet about their meal. My son's been having temper tantrums all day long, so needless to say, he took one look at the chicken and burst into tears. But my daughter ate all of hers, and I ate all of mine, and they were both much tastier than I expected! Who knew grapes and mustard and asparagus could actually taste good together?