Earlier this year I vowed that 2013 would be the year I’d consciously try new things.  Kind of like having a Bucket List, only not so bucket-y.  (Hey, I believe in baby steps. . ..)  So this was the approach that hit me one morning as I was heating up the kitty cats’ breakfasts.

See, some kitchen appliances are pretty straightforward.  Like the refrigerator and freezer combo.  One side freezes stuff, while the other side keeps stuff chilled.

Other appliances are way more complicated, so I tend to steer clear of them, except for the basics – like the microwave.  As far as I’ve been concerned, this scientific wonder nukes food so it’s warm enough to eat.  And it takes corn kernels and makes them fluffy (not that I’ve eaten the stuff in years, but whatever. . ..)

Anyway, it occurred to me that surely with all the potential buttons that could be pushed on this particular kitchen miracle, the microwave could do more than heat up cat food.  (Not that that isn’t important, of course!)

And that’s when that flicker of curiosity hit me, the one that quickly morphed into action.  What if it were true?  What if the microwave could actually cook something?  Better yet, what if it were actually edible and not like a piece of rubber by the time it came out?  Suddenly, I had to find out.

Enter the cookbook.  This isn’t just any cookbook.  Nope, this one swore it held the secret to making sure I don’t spend hours in the kitchen running my *bleep* over a hot stove while I lovingly prepared a hot, nutritious meal.  (Oh, drop your eyebrows already.  At least it sounded good. . ..)  This cookbook was for the convection feature on the microwave, the same one I’d shunned over the years for fear of botching dinner up so badly that I’d have to resort to a do-over — and anyone who knows me well knows that I don’t have time for do-overs!

Still, I decided to give it a try.  And since it was at a time when I had tons of “The World’s Greatest Pasta/Tomato Sauce EVER” shoved in the back of the freezer, I figured there was a back-up plan.

Enter the guinea pig – umm. . . the chicken.  After two days hanging out in the fridge, it was prepped and ready to go, complete with rosemary and sliced lemon in its cavity, ready to infuse flavor into the chicken – not to mention make the whole house smell yummy.  (Bonus!)  After some debating over the instructions, I followed the picture (don’t judge — we all have our process!) and kept my fingers crossed that dinner wouldn’t be a complete disaster.

And an hour and fifteen minutes later, voila!  We have chicken!

So, would I do it again?  Yep.  Would I try baking anything else in it?  Not sure.  As much as I’d like to stick to my plan to try different things this year, I’m thinking I’ve hit the end of the microwave line.

But at least it still heats up cat food.

-Melia