A Real Meal at Last!

Things are still decidedly insane around here (could have a little something to do with the paint fumes...), but I have managed to reclaim my kitchen. Perhaps that very act led me to prepare something very much like a real meal.

I confess: I almost never watch the food channel these days. I suppose I'm suffering from over-exposure from all the chef-lebrities; I'm just not as interested in watching Giada, Paula or any of the other shows.

With one exception. I luuuuv Ina Garten. I adore her. I love her recipes. And I want her to adopt me so I can hang out with her and Jeffrey in the garden of her beautiful Hampton home. Hey; I don't need braces, or have college tuition to pay for, and I'm already married...so no worries for her. I just think she'd make a cool mom.

So, unless I'm really busy, I make a point of watching (now Monday through Thursday) episodes of Barefoot Contessa. I love her approach to cooking, and that every time she's cooking during her show, it's for a reason. Someone is going to be eating that food!

A dish I saw Ina make a week or so ago was Indonesian Ginger Chicken, and I knew Matt would love it. I knew I'd love it for it's simplicity.

Ina uses whole chickens (apparently, everyone but us does), but it was boneless/skinless breasts for Matt, and Veat for me.

The beauty of this dish? Including the chicken, it uses a total of five ingredients! That's it. And boy, do they pack a punch.

Honey, soy sauce, minced garlic and grated ginger are cooked over low heat, just until the honey melts. It's then poured over the chicken, covered, and allowed to marinate...well, as long as you can stand it, I suppose. In the episode, Ina kept her's in the refrigerator for just a few hours, but overnight is best.

The next day, bake 30 minutes, remove foil and flip the chicken, bake another 30.

What a wonderful flavor! You can truly taste the soy sauce, and the ginger, and the garlic...yet each is perfectly balanced. It's really, really good.

Ina served her chicken with simple Roasted Carrots, so I did the same. There was basmati rice to go with, as well.

It was a brilliantly simple meal, but a very good way to get back into cooking again.

And Matt has lunch for the rest of the week!




Blog Party#9 has been announced, and for the month of April, we're turning our favorite desserts into bite-sized treats! Create sweet appetizers and drinks (non-alcoholic would be just fine), and get your entries to me no later than 20 April. You can leave a link here in the comments, or send an email to thehappysorceress at gmail dot com; and I hope to see you there!




Tagged with: Food and Drink + Chicken + Ginger + Indonesian + Carrots + Rice + Ina Garten + Barefoot Contessa + Food Network + Dinner