• Tried a new recipe from a low-glycemic index website last night and it was surprisingly yummy!
  

Chicken Hash
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium red onion, diced
3 cloves minced garlic
10-12 small new/red potatos, quartered
1/2 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp paprika
1 tbsp tomato paste
salt/pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Season chicken with thyme, basil and salt on both sides. Bake for 20 minutes or until no pink. Dice the chicken into large cubes and set aside.

Boil the potatos for approximately 10 minutes and drain.

Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Cook onion and garlic until browned and soft. Add the potatos and cook for another 10 minutes. Add black beans and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.

Add chicken cubes, paprika, salt, pepper and tomato paste to skillet. Combine well and heat through.

*Editor's note: This recipe didn't call for any additional liquid, but I easily added over a cup of water because while stirring, it felt very dry. I also added a little extra tomato paste, but it all worked out well. Just use your best judgement and add liquid (water and/or oil) until it feels right. Shredded sharp cheddar and sour cream made great toppers.

• Madison's Bistro update: The owner, George Argue, is facing criminal charges on selling booze sans permit, and now the investigation has caught up with its distributors, Bonbright and Arrow Wine. The citation against the distros aren't criminal charges, but could results in "administrative actions." I sure hope the Ohio Department of Public Safety is nothing like my middle school, otherwise these guys are in for a paddlin'!
  

• Currently, there is a peanut butter pork loin a-brewin' in my crock pot. It smells delicious, but I'm apprehensive. I rarely cook with loin because it can dry out so easily due to the lack of fat and marbling. Full report tomorrow.
  

• Soda, Pop, Coke? Sodapopcoke? Pop vs Soda painstakingly took the time to create a map of how your geographical vernacular contributes to how you refer to soft drinks. I always said "pop," until I hit about 19, when I suddenly started using "soda." Maybe I secretly long to live on the coast.

• Starbuck's new Skinny Cinnamon Dolce lattes are the BIZ. I'm normally hesitant to pay $3+ for a cup of coffee, but when you're expensing it for a business meeting, it takes the sting out. This soothes the heartache from when they took away my precious sugar-free mocha syrup and I could no longer order a skinny mocha latte. My preciouses!
  

Time for another installment of Table Scraps, all of the little food news bits and blurbs from the last few days.

• Madison's Bistro in Kettering got busted and raided for not having a hooch license. Had I known they were bootlegging that whole time, I would have went in there wearing a fringed dress and a feathered headband yelling stuff like "You dumb mug, get your mitts off the marbles!"
• The most googled recipe of 2009 was "chili." Maybe it's just me being old-timey, but this seems like something for which every family should have a handed-down recipe of their own.
  
• Serious Eats (via CakeSpy) posted a recipe for Donut Upside-Down Cake that I want to make sweet, sweet fail with. Um, one of you guys should do it first and tell me if you went into any sort of diabetic coma or had a seizure after eating it.
  
• Girl's Night Out on Friday - we're planning on getting dinner and drinks. Any suggestions for Indian food, so Ginger doesn't have to be admitted to a 12 step program? Anyplace that meets this criteria and has a bar within walking distance wins bonus points and all of our love and affection. We're open to non-Indian food suggestions, too. Just keep it around $10-15 per person sans cocktails. We're not the damn Rockerfellers, you know.
• Dayton Restaurant Week is next Monday through Saturday, so gear up and peruse the menu selections here! If you're unfamiliar with DRW, it's a great time to try out Miami Valley Restaurants that you may not otherwise splurge on, since you get a three course meal for $20.12, and a good portion of the proceeds to go local charities.
  
• The Oregon District's new German joint Boulevard Haus is getting a head start on Restaurant week by offering a super sweet deal of TWO meals for $20.10, plus you get to pick a boozy beverage to share! Peep their massive amount of selections here. But hurry, the offer is only good tonight through Thursday!