Chicken Boob

I went to Costco and bought the multimillion pack of chicken breast. packed into 2 packs for convenience.

So... after seeing Reeni's post for Asian Chicken Salad... I attempted to make it too.
However, I had no romaine, and when I pulled out a cucumber... it was sad and broken and squished. No bueno. I also didn't have ALL the ingredients. I flubbed this recipe... but it was still yummy!

Instead of the fresh ginger, I used about 1 tsp. of ground ginger. I think that was actually PLENTY. I didn't have any seasame seeds, so I just skipped that. And the soy sauce I have is just regular old soy sauce - I would definitely do the low-sodium one next time.

My FAVORITE part though is the caramelized sauce... SO good. It turns into that sweet teriyaki that we all know. It was lots of fun running the chicken breasts around the pan to get each and every bit of that sauce.

I wish I had a cucumber to go with it... or romaine. Something to complete the "salad" part of the recipe.

Friday Fat Day

Thanks to my lame ankles I haven't gone jogging in about 2 weeks now.
And gradually I am eating like crap again.

Cookies have started to sneak into my tummy ever since I made them...
but by far, today is the worst since my whole health kick began.

Started like usual with a nonfat yogurt with sliced strawberries and almonds.
For lunch, I planned to just have a small bowl of leftover brown rice and grilled chicken and veggies from FlameBroiler.
BUT I was still hungry, and when half a bean and cheese burrito was offered to me, I took it and INHALED it.
Then I had an orange.
Couple hours later, a chocolate chip cookie.
I was given a torta since a co-worker forgot to take it with him when he left work and insisted I should try it. So that was dinner.


It (barely) survived the trip home in a non-descript brown baggie... a quick reheat in the microwave and ta-da. It was definitely a knife-and-forker for me. I can only assume it is better fresh. Not several hours old and soggy. So I must say... I was not all that impressed.

And then to top off the insanely unhealthy day, I had... *gasp* a SODA. Oh coke zero... I missed you. I see you and your buddies tucked away in the back of the fridge everyday...

So with that... I fully intend to watch more carefully what I shovel into my mouth. and for gods sake to show some friggin restraint when it comes to cookies!

2 days - 2 quesadillas - one plate

I can never get enough of cheese. Hence my love for quesadillas, cheese omelets, grilled cheese sandwiches, and "extra" cheese on everything!

Been relatively lazy... so I've had quesadillas for the past 2 nights. easy peasy hand held food.


Sauteed Mushroom & Cheese in Garden Veggie Tortilla


Eggs & Cheese in Garden Veg Tortilla

The last stand...

So I'm leaving for the weekend, and I didn't want any of my produce to go to waste while I was away... so I ate it all.

Breakfast as usual... yogurt + fruits. This is the last of my fresh fruit (hence the frozen peaches), and the last of my almonds.

Then I realized, I still have to eat dinner tonight and then breakfast the next day!

With a thawed chicken breast, and no "fresh ingredients"... what the hell was I going to eat?

How about Chicken with Cayenne Peaches, Diced Onions, and Baby Corn?
Just a mish mash of random ingredients... frozen peaches, canned baby corn...

Chop/Dice 1/2 Onion - however size you like. ( I think I shoulda gone bigger.)
Saute in olive oil with 2 cloves crushed garlic.
Add peaches (however much you want) and let soften. Sprinkle cayenne pepper - depending on how much heat you like.
Cut chicken breast into bite sized pieces. Season with salt and pepper. Cook with onions and peaches. Add in two Dorot cubes of cilantro.
Add baby corn to the pan just to heat through.

Eat up!

The combination of all the flavors actually worked well for me. The sweet peaches with the savory onions, and an underlying tone of heat... with the cilantro that wakes up the tongue... you taste each flavor! Not a bad creation... if I do say so myself.

Portobello What?

I LOVE mushrooms... but I've never myself cooked anything other than white button mushrooms and enoki. And since I always pick out the portobello pieces in the sauteed veggies at work... I figure, SURE! I can make it too!

Not so much...
So, how exactly do you clean portobellos? and how am I even supposed to prep it?

Seems good enough... I suppose.

But at least I succeeded in flipping my "over easy" eggs without any issues.

Portobello-Spinach Saute on Fried Eggs

Breakfast of Champions... almost

I love fruit and yogurt parfaits. damn you mcdonalds. but since i hear (somewhere) that granola is "pretend" healthy... i can't sprinkle the oh-so-delicious-crunchy-sweet-goodness over the fruits and tart yogurt.

HOWEVER, almonds have come a close second. I tried both slivered and sliced. Both are good... but I think I like the slivered more. It tastes more 'meaty'. So rather that the usual strawberry+misc. berry mix+granola, I went for blackberries+blueberries+orange pieces+almond pieces.

For dinner, I made Chicken Breast stuffed with Ricotta, Spinach and Gorgonzola, with a side of Sweet Potato Fries (out of the bag).




Not much of a recipe for this... I just mixed some ricotta, gorg and spinach in a bowl to whatever proportions I felt like. If you don't like gorg much that you can skip it, of course.
For the spinach, I sauteed fresh spinach in olive oil and garlic. Nothing fancy.

Top with Parmesan for a little extra flavor. But you can skip also. I wanted to top with shredded Parm and broil it in the over for a nice top layer... but... didn't.

Now obviously I am not the best chicken flattener or roller... and I used breast steaks (whatever that means). So they were larger and thicker than what I'm used to.

All in all, it wasn't a hard dish to prepare. Came out dry, but I'm sure those who cook chicken more often than my "never" would know how to avoid that.

Baked at 350 for 60 min.

I LOVE CHEESE

I do I do! (selected cheeses however)

I'm a BIG fan of smoked gouda...

and ALWAYS Sharp Cheddar...

melted mozzarella is to die for...

and who doesn't love a smorgasbord of mixed cheeses in ANYTHING?

So, I had a Smoked Gouda and Mushroom Omelet egg-crepe thing for dinner...


followed shortly after with chunks of cheddar. YUM.

How bad would it be if I had another omelet? (pity I already washed the dishes)

Still got nothing...

So, I haven't baked anything in a while... and my excuse is that I've run out of butter and have been too lazy to go buy more. Tomorrow! I promise.

On a slightly more positive note, I was able to take some pictures in NATURAL LIGHT!
Its been a while since I've been in the kitchen during the day to do anything but grab something from the fridge and GO.

So... meet my basil plant. Still alive. But still small. :(

It looks pretty happy in the sunlight.


I LOVE MEATLOAF. (I should make some for myself some day... any simple recipes anyone?)
While I ADORE the meatloaf you can get from Costco... I never fail to order the Meatloaf Stack from Memphis Cafe/Bar in Costa Mesa:
southern meatloaf stack angus beef, sharp cheddar, mashed potatoes, haricot vert, red wine gravy


Here are the DELICIOUS leftovers I had this afternoon, which after inhaling I promptly fell into a deep nap. All in all, a fabulous Sunday...

what am i supposed to eat?!

Look. I live alone (basically). I shop for myself. I cook for myself. I don't need to have rotted once-fresh produce to remind me that I have only me to cook for. Hence the freezer full of frozen foods and a pantry full of instant/canned goods.

I eat curry from a pouch.


I drank a milkshake for dinner tonight.
And... I'm happy. (maybe?)

Now, do I invest in a bigger and better bed? Or buy that Kitchenaid Mixer I've been saving up for?

ohio is for lovers

I successful medicated off another impending headache today. Maybe its from stress?

Anyways, so after a long day at work, then a long class AFTER work... I was in one of those moods to stuff my face and be grumpy.

SO! I went to the nearby Albertson's... picked up a whole rotisserie chicken (Lemon & Basil seasoned)... grabbed a diet coke from the fridge and plopped down in front of my little room tv and proceeded to stuff face.


Yes, I ate off the floor. Right out of the bag. With plastic utensils. (Please excuse the art project in the back. oh and the mess.)


The end.

i'm dying

when i start to feel unwell... and there is no "obvious" reason for it... i start to worry about randomly dying and realize i need to give my nearest and dearest emergency contacts for any unfortunate events.

so, with that, i have been having MAJOR bad headaches these past two days (IN A ROW!). It starts off as a niggle at work... and I'm too busy to take tylenol until I get home, which by then it is a total full blow HELMET of pain.

did i cook any dinner? no. did i do any baking? no.

I did instant! Yay for instant - add water, heat and stir foods.

Instant Strawberries and Cream Oatmeal

and Spahetti O's with Meatballs

I have a couple blocks of cream cheese sitting in the fridge... so I hope to be making some cheesecake (or something) soon!

dinner without the digicam

Spaghetti Squash with Mushroom, Shallot, Meat Tomato Sauce

Microwave the spaghetti squash, 1 min.
Cut in half lengthwise. Place cut sides down in dish with 1/2C water. Microwave for 12 minutes, until fork tender.
Careful when removing! HOT!! Carefully run fork through the "meat" to get your spaghetti. EASY!

For sauce, I cheated and used store bought. But made it my own by adding my favorite stuff: mushrooms.
I sauteed 1 diced shallot with 4 sliced button mushrooms, then added to the sauce, and let simmer until the squash was ready.

always celebrate with delishness food

Anniversaries, of any kind, are relatively rare for me... so of course, I try to celebrate them when they come around. And so... out to eat we go!

Catal Restaurant @ Downtown Disney

[Forgot to take a picture]
Starter: Butcher Plate - Shaved Serrano, Coppa Ham, Spanish Chorizo, Olives, Caper Berries, and Grilled Bread


Entree for moi: Boneless Braised Short Ribs with Fontina Mac and Cheese and Mushroom-Black Truffle Escabeche


Entree for him: Slow Rendered Duck Breast with Sweet Potato, Parsnip Fondue, Licorice, and Toasted Almonds


Dessert: Caramel Chocolate Mousse Torte (with some ice cream and crunchies I can't recall from the menu)

Overall, yummy! I wasn't blown away by the Butcher Plate, but it caught our eye, so we gave it a try. Our entrees were delish. Dessert was not as phenomenal I would have hope. But that's ok! Still good!

Turkey Turkey Gobble Gobble

So, I realized I should have taken pictures of the Thanksgiving feast. But I didn't. Damn.
The fam usually gets a Marie Callender's Take Home Feast with the typical stuff:
Turkey (whole or breast), Mashed Potatoes, Stuffing, Yams, Veggies, Corn Bread, Creanberry, Pie.

This year we got only a few of the sides (stuffing, yams, salad, corn bread, potatoes) and had a glorious Chinese-style Whole Turkey.
Mom was explaining the whole prep process her friend taught her, but honestly, I was already inhaling all the sides off my plate while she was carving said turkey to pay any attention. It went something along the lines of a salt soak and soy sauce rub, then salt and peppering. And a massive amount of green onions and ginger stuffed into the cavity for flavor. The "chinese" stuffing was purple glutinous rice. Very yummy indeed. We used a Turkey Oven bag to cook the sucker, and it came out very nice and juicy. The bag stuck a little to the turkey, so I guess we should have floured the bird a bit before baking.

As typical trips home go, I came back with a pile of random stuff. Bars of soap, a ziplock full of candy bars, herbal vitamins mom force feeds me... but the holy grail of this trip was...

I've searched far and wide (ok, 1 store) for this, but either 1- its not carried there or 2-this is old and therefore not carried anywhere anymore.
But yay, I'm excited to make these! (20 eggs in a batch... so buddies beware (again). Eggs coming at 'cha!)

Chicken Teriyaki

Chicken Teriyaki w/ White Rice

This isn't really a "true" teriyaki sauce (you know, with the glaze and kinda stickiness), but it has the salty and sweet qualities of it.

1/2C Soy Sauce
1/2 C Water
1 tsp Ground Ginger
2 Cloves Minced Garlic (or more if you like)
3 Tbsp. Sugar (2 if you like less sweet)

Heat in pot. Add chicken. (I use drumsticks.) Cook until chicken falls off the bone.

Notes: More water can be added since soy sauce may be too salty to taste sometimes. Cook time is usually an hour or so. I leave on the stove (even when its done) on low simmer.

Pumpkin Carving Day!

My fab friend threw a pumpkin carving party today... and it was great fun... and of course, there was yummy food!


Mini Breadbowls w/ Chili


Veggie Pizza Squares w/ Cream Cheese Spread and Garden Veggies

I contributed a Pumpkin Cake with White Chocolate Cream Cheese filling and Icing.
I used the Pumpkin Bar recipe was from Paula Deen that I've kept since first making it 3 years ago.

I made the frosting according to the recipe as well, but also stirred in a half bag of melted white chocolate chips (and food coloring, duh.) Not the most ideal pumpkin shape... but you get the idea. Sculpting and icing cakes at midnight really doesn't make me be much of a perfectionist.
For the "stem" I spread chocolate on plastic wrap- for that rough ribbed look. Then, I simply broke off chunks and stuck them in the top for a more "abstract" pumpkin stem.

>> As I'm browsing the 'net right now, I stumbled across this "Great Pumpkin Cake" on KraftFoods.com! Well! I could have watched this for pointers.

And after being inspired to make some really cute cake pops from Bakerella, I wanted to use the scraps left from shaping the pumpkin cake to make them. However, that didn't go quite as planned.

The crumbled cake was way too moist, and forming a ball out of it created this gross raw dough thing. So, I bagged that idea. I'll try again with boxed cake mix and see how that goes.

Anyways, happy carving! (and happy early Halloween!) Brush your teeth.

Wheelies

I have always been a fan of shaped pastas; It probably stems from those childhood Macaroni and Cheese (in the blue box!) of cartoon character shapes. They just taste different! So good!

I did have an unfortunate run in with "super" macaroni and cheese, seems it was fortified with vitamins and minerals (or whatever) for kids nowadays - needless to say, it tasted like CARDBOARD. I'm glad I grew up before all these "healthy" alternatives started popping up everywhere in kids' foods.

So, since I rarely have non-spoilt milk in the fridge to make macaroni and cheese with, I think I have found a nice alternative.

Rotelle with a little bit of butter and salt.

big o' breakfast

On days that I am fortunate enough to get breakfast at work... I LOAD UP! Well, today my co-worker set aside a plate for me. So sweet. And plated up better than I would EVER do for myself.


Sliced Grilled Honey Ham w/ Scrambled Eggs and Peppered Hashbrowns
Fresh Fruit and Homemade Breakfast Danishes


And... of course, I drop my only strawberry into the ketchup. Boooo.

Then for dinner, the boy and I tofu'd. (We're on a "health kick"- except it still includes soda and dessert).

I "made" my tofu w/ ponzu sauce, as I've already raved madly about before.

The boy had "marinated" his tofu in balsamic vinegar, sesame oil, dried basil, pepper, and olive oil. Then he blackened it. Not too bad, except I might be more of a tofu purist. Rarely is my tofu so "seasoned". Soy sauce and Thousand Year Old Eggs? HELL YEAH. Ponzu? FOR SURE. Blackened?... maybe.


All in all, relatively healthy eating day. (Minus the 40oz. Coke I got at the local AM/PM, and the several cups of Diet Pepsi I drank at work.)