Back in 2011, when NASA invited the public to join the astronauts of the final space shuttle mission in an “All-American Meal,” I had to participate. The meal included the basics of a summer backyard grill: grilled chicken, Southwestern corn, baked beans, and apple pie. This was also the first time I ever made an apple pie (I had to, for this occasion).
I also made a lot of modifications to the menu, using the basics, but in a different way. Instead of grilled chicken, I baked it because I think it was rainy that day. And instead of just corn, I decided to make a fun salad/salsa so I could use more vegetables.
Ingredients
Chicken:
- chicken (any kind – I used thighs because it was all we had at the time)
- herbs (I used Italian seasoning with an extra helping of oregano)
- olive oil
Salsa:
- 1/2 tomato per person
- 1/2 corn kernel per person (you can use canned too)
- red onions to taste (I like a lot of onions, but you can reduce or eliminate)
- 1 sprig of green onion per person
Instructions
First step is to thaw the chicken. Mix the herbs with just enough olive oil to make a mixture that you can smear. When the chicken is ready, preheat the oven to 375 degrees, coat the chicken with the herb mixture, and bake until cooked thoroughly.
While the chicken is baking, prepare the salsa. It’s just a fresh salad, so chop and mix the salsa ingredients, modifying the proportions to taste. I liked how light the salsa was – and it leaves room for the apple pie!
Here is the first ever apple pie I made (turned out quite well). I just (mostly) followed some recipe I found, but if I had to do it again, I would wait with the sugar topping until the pie has been in the oven for a while so it wouldn’t get so crispy.
