Kitchen Nightmares -- Ali style

So, I tried a new recipe tonight, which, for reasons that will become obvious in a minute, I have chosen not to share with you.

I followed the recipe to a T: cut the chicken breasts in half to make them thin, added fresh sage and freshly grated fontina cheese, rolled them and stuck them with toothpicks.  Then I heated the olive oil and garlic and browned the chicken.  I took the chicken out of the lightly spitting oil and added the required 1/2 c of white wine.  WHAMMO! The next thing I know, I'm hiding in the pantry, wooden stirring spoon in hand as the wine and olive oil mixture EXPLODES on the stove.  I'm not talking spitting here.  I'm talking Mount Vesuvius.  It was bubbling up in the middle and then blowing ALL OVER THE KITCHEN.  I kept thinking that it would be over, but no.  Another wave of wine flew across my path.  Braving the danger, I reached out with my wooden spoon and shoved the erupting pan across the stove, spraying wine mixture in its wake.  The eruption had ceased, but the damage was done.  Wine and olive oil mixture coated my entire kitchen floor, the stove, the microwave, the utensils nicely placed in jars next to the stove, the cabinets next to and above the stove, the counter across the kitchen from the stove, the olive oil bottle that sat (laughing at me, I'm certain) next to the stove.  So, mid recipe, I added the tomato mixture that was called for and grabbed the mop.  I spent the next 30 minutes alternating between the recipe and cleaning the kitchen.

All in all, a lesson was learned here tonight.  When the recipe says "simmer" you need to read carefully, process the word SIMMER and then TURN DOWN THE STOVE.  If not, you too might find yourself hiding in your pantry wondering if you will ever get out but thankful you have a wooden spoon to lick.