“Mmm. . .” he said, picking up his glass of water and taking a long swallow. “That’s really good”

AS a newlywed, I thumbed through the Quick and Kosher cookbook my mother-in-law had given me at my wedding shower. I needed something easy, and since I often didn’t feel like shopping, I needed a dish where  most of the ingredients were already in my fridge.

Coq au Vin — too difficult.

Veal meatballs — I didn’t have ground veal handy.

Spaghetti — too simple.

Then I saw it. Coca-Cola chicken. Five ingredients. Five-minute prep time. Perfect. I could get it into the oven and have it ready by the time my husband got home from work.

The cookbook said that the Coca-Cola would caramelize the chicken and, together with onions, ketchup, and Worcestershire sauce, create a sweet and savory coating. Topped with scallions and sesame seeds (optional), I’d have a delicious dinner with five minutes of prep. The oven would do all the work.

I looked in my fridge. I didn’t have Worcestershire sauce or scallions, but I had all the other ingredients, and really, what was Worcestershire sauce and how important could it be?

An hour later Yehoshua walked through the door with a smile. “Hi, honey! Something smells good in here.”

“Thanks! How was work? I made Coca-Cola chicken for dinner.”