This time I didn't chop my fingertip off. I decided to use the proper chef's knife that Joe gave me, and to practice the proper cutting technique that I have been taught so many times. It was slow going. But I do know how it is supposed to work. If I did it enough I'd learn how.
Today was the first day that I forgot to wear a bandaid on the finger. It's healing up quite well. There's just one little circle where I sliced past the epidermis completely. When you remove all of the skin cells, I'm not sure how it grows up. Happily, that spot will be covered with fingernail. I wonder if the nail will bind to it.
So now is the true changing point of the recipe, because I do not have the tomato sauce base in the house. And one of my rules of cooking is that there are no last minute runs to the store. I use what I have. If I don't have something, I cook without it. If I do have something, I see if I can use it.
I could go two directions, because I have two food supplies that could possibly be the "sauce" ingredient. It will be either Herdez brand salsa, medium, or a can of coconut milk. Or none of the above. I think I'm going in the coconut milk direction, just because I suspect it's already screamin' HOT.
Next, I'm cooking Mexican. 'Cause that's what I have left to use up. Enchiladas verde con pollo.
EDIT: I ended up using the coconut milk and the curry came out orange and rich. It also didn't have any lemon in it, which the tomato version did. It was good, but I think I like to tomato version better. I have yet to replicate the local Thai restaurants' Gaeng Kari--yellow curry. No idea what's in there but damn it's good.