Professor Plum Chicken and Ginger Rice

We are at the beach for a week!  We decided to kick off the week with Professor Plum Chicken and Ginger Rice.  I did most of the prep work at home and threw it in the cooler for an easy (and might I say delicious) first night.

Chicken gets thrown in a marinade.  I used boneless breasts because that’s what we had.

 

Marinade has lots of ingredients but we had everything on hand aside from a jalapeño.  Not bad.  Plums, OJ, soy, vinegar, garlic, sesame oil, jalapeño, ginger, and mustard get whirled in a food processor.  Easy so far.

Next up- make the salsa.

 

This has more plums, cilantro, red onion, mint, lime, jalapeño and reserved marinade.  The book called for red plums which I think would have been a more attractive presentation may be- but again, I made this with what we had on hand.

 

It was still quite tasty.  And there won’t be any left if I keep eating it like this…

I digress- in the car and away we go!

At the beach, 30 minutes before we want to eat- pop some white rice on the stove in chicken stock and the chicken on the bbq.

 

Leave the chicken with hubby to attend to and sauté some ginger, carrot, garlic, and green onions to mix with the rice.

 

When the rice is done, mix with the carrots, add some soy, and put it on a plate!

When everything is done, slice up some plums for garnish on the plate (be glad you went to the store and got red ones) and sit down to a wonderful dinner.

Here’s the rice:

 

And the chicken:

 

OOPS- I nearly forgot the salsa.  That would have been tragic.

 

Lovely plate no?

I would definitely make this again.  These sort of recipes remind me that I don’t need a ton of time to make something tasty and well balanced.  Just a bit of organization can go a long way.

From Simply Classic

 

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Smoked Salmon and Artichoke Fettuccini

 

 

From Bev

Take some noodles…

 

Add a delicious sauce…

 

 

 

It’s a lovely dinner.

Bev said she would make it again.  It was a bit rich- may be less butter next time.  Ace said that he liked it better the next day.  

 

Looks good to me.  Pg. 153 from Simply Classic.

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Chicken with Artichokes, Peppers, and Capers

From Bev

Take a look at this sauce.

We decided to have it with these veggies instead of the white rice which was suggested.

Ace loved it.  “It’s a winner.”  was his comment.  He thought we should try it with a smidgen of lemon juice in the sauce.  We also thought we would butterfly the breasts next time.  

This is on pg 163 in Simply Classic.

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Pacific Rim Salad

This is a perfect salad to transport because you can make it a day ahead and then transfer in  ziplock bags.  Basic ingredients are pasta, shrimp, green onion, snap peas and celery.  The dressing is just as easy and is delicious. This salad is guaranteed to please.

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Picnic Extravaganza

The best (and only) sister and brother I have ever had are moving to Korea.  Tears.  As a truly Seattle send off, we had one last picnic at Gasworks Park.  What would be more fitting than bringing a Simply Classic menu?

Pasta Bella:

 

 

Pecan Crusted Chicken

 

 

Asparagus with Tarragon Mustard Sauce

 

 

 

 

Everything was GREAT for packing up- eaten at room temperature, and delicious.  (tarragon mustard was in the cooler)  everything else- in a bag.  It was great.  AND it looked nice on a plate which is always a bonus.

 

 

 

Camiguin and Steve- we’ll miss you!  AND look forward to hearing how Seattle Junior League fits into a Korean kitchen.

 

 

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Stir Fry Fettuccine

Start to finish- 28 minutes.  This includes water boiling time… easy easy.

 

Stir-fry chicken and veggies in sesame oil garlic and ginger.  Add soy and sherry.

 

 

mix with noodles (not home made)

 

Delicious!  Super easy, basic ingredients, fast, and lends itself to be deconstructed for the more finicky eater…

 

However, I find that the faster the dish comes together- the less time I have to clean as I go…

 

 

Yikes…

I’d make this again.  Stress… might not be company worthy, but a great pull together last minute dish.  Tasty and satisfying.

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Hearty Logger’s Chili with Sausage

We were going camping this last weekend to the Olympic Peninsula.  I decided to make this chili in advance and bring it with for an easy re-heat camp dinner.

 

 

On first blush, I thought the Kielbasa was a little weird in chili- made it taste like a cross between gumbo and traditional chili.

 

But after a day of hiking I can tell you, it was delicious.  I know that everything tastes better when you’re camping- but this really was pretty good.

 

 

We added sour cream and a bit of cheese and hot sauce because i like it spicy.

 

 

Mix it up- could anything be better?

 

 

I think not.

This is from Simply Classic.

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Better-Than-Mom’s Oatmeal Cookies

I am not sure that these are better than mom’s but they are very good. However, I am not a good judge of cookies because I have never met a cookie I didn’t like. Recipe can be found on page 218 of Simply Classic.

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Sesame-Crusted Salmon with Asian Noodles

In my quest to cook from all eleven categories in “Simply Classic”  tonight I was able to complete a twofer. The Sesame-Crusted Salmon with Asian Noodles was accompanied by Sesame Asparagus.  It may have been overkill with the  sesame seeds but Jerry doesn’t know the difference.  Besides Joye and I  had to go to three stores to find black sesame seeds so dog gone it I am going to use them. Again “Simply Classic” did not disappoint.  I would make this again.

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Sailor’s Skillet Bread

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In an effort not to be a slacker I started my Simply Classic cooking today.  I chose the skillet bread (page 62) because I had leftover buttermilk and the bread did not require kneading or much work.  I made half a loaf and used a small skilled because I only had a cup of buttermilk.  Now I need to get the bread out of sight because I have already eaten a third of the loaf and am thinking of having another slice.  This is pretty darn good stuff and it takes less than an hour from start to finish.

 

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