Simple Foods II and Glass Cleaning

Another episode to show you that everyday food can look and taste wonderful; doesn't take a lot of time, and doesn't need a bunch of fancy ingredients.  Gourmet dishes are great.  But face it -- if we ate gourmet every day, we'd all be as round as we are tall!

Teriyaki Chicken Breast

The 'hard' part about this dinner is getting the chicken thawed and marinated at least 30 minutes, and preferably an hour, before you're ready to cook. Get the chicken out of the freezer and into the fridge before you head to work.  When you get home, place the package in cold water in the sink (it has been proven that cold water thaws things much faster than warm or hot water) for 15 minutes or so, while you prep the other components, to get rid of any lingering chill.

Put the chicken breasts in a zip top bag.  Add a 1/4 cup or so of bottled teriyaki sauce, and a splash of liquid smoke and toasted sesame oil if you have them.  Throw in some minced ginger and onion for added flavor.  Seal the bag to remove as much air as you can, and lay on a plate to marinate for at least half an hour before sauteing.   Brush with the marinade during cooking.  

The squash was simply cooked in a covered pot, in a couple tablespoons of water, and dusted with Emeril's Original Essence(tm) blend. The potatoes were quartered, rinsed, dusted with spice, placed in a bowl and nuked (covered) for about 6 minutes until fork tender. Total cooking time about 20 minutes.

Spaghetti Squash Two Ways

Paul Newman. Enjoyed him as an actor; applauded his investment decision with his daughter to create Newman's Own brand of foods, with the profits going to charity. 

 I really like the tangy Newman's Own(tm) Sausage and Peppers red pasta sauce combined with the Garlic Alfredo sauce to make a 'pink' sauce that's not so acidic. Combine the sauces in a skillet or pot and heat through to marry the flavors.  Doctor the sauce with added garlic, onion, mushrooms, tomatoes,  etc. if you choose.  I added about 3/4 lb of ground sirloin.

Nuke the halved and gutted squash 9-12 minutes depending on size. 

Total cooking time under 20 minutes.  Serve with crusty garlic bread if you like.

I like mine as a Spaghetti Squash Boat.  Rake the squash flesh into the sauce as you eat.

Sally likes her spaghetti squash presented as conventional pasta topped with sauce.

Tuna Melt Sandwich Dinner

Tuna salad, cheese, bread and butter. Pretty simple.

 I make my tuna salad with a can of tuna (one standard can makes two sandwiches), a stick of celery minced, and a couple tablespoons of both mayo and mustard. Sometimes I make it 'fancy' with a sprinkling of a curry powder or another spice blend.  Sometimes I add minced radish for a bit of tang.  Be creative.

Personally I prefer to buy Solid canned tuna, not Chunk;  in water not oil.  You get less Chunk meat for the same weight of can as Solid. The stuff is already expensive enough without paying for the water.

The hard part about making a grilled cheese or tuna melt sandwich is buttering both sides of the bread before you assemble things, then getting it off the work surface and into the pan.  A layer of cling film on the work surface does wonders for cleanup.  

Put the tuna salad on the bread, then add the sliced cheese (we like sharp white English cheddar), then the top bread. Transfer to the pan using your flipper. 

Cook a couple minutes until brown not black, Flip fast to avoid losing any filling. Cook the second side. Eat while still hot.  Serve with a simple salad if you need more nourishment.

Cleaning Decanters and other narrow-necked glass vessels

Sally inherited a bunch of old glass decanters from her Dad, and they were shipped here from Spain awhile back in a less than pristine condition (but nothing was broken!). 

Getting glass of any age clean inside is a special problem when you have narrow-necked decanters like the one shown. Sally learned this technique from a Spanish friend of her father's. A squirt of liquid soap, some warm water and up to a cup of uncooked rice (get the cheap stuff -- using jasmine or basmati would be a waste). Shake and swirl vigorously to remove yucky stuff from places where a brush can't go.

Weekly Groceries

Here's a few grocery things I try to keep on hand.

1 Lemon

Mushrooms

1 large Onion

1 Bell Pepper

1 thumb of fresh Ginger - break off only what you need, don't buy the whole hand

Fresh green veg - broccoli, green beans, snap peas, etc. 

Baby Carrots - I get 4 'lunch pack' bags for about $1.29

Celery

1 head of Garlic

Tuna -- I buy the 4-pack.  When I'm down to 1 can, I buy again.

Dried Beans

Dried Lentils

Rice

Whole Potatoes - 3 lb bag of white or red

Bread and/or bagels

Hummus

Greek Yogurt