Someone's in the Kitchen . . .
Oh, how I dream of wearing a size 4 again one day and never having to squeeze my heiney into a pair of jeans. I'd like to blame it on the baby weight but my youngest is now six. The truth is we don't go hungry in this house!
This past weekend, I attended a cooking class at Matthew's, a high-end gourmet restaurant. So even though I've never been mistaken for a gourmet chef, I learned a thing or two from one. This afternoon, I got started on one of the dishes we made. It needs two hours in the oven and the boys are hungry by 4:55 p.m. so I started early (I'll have to give them a banana 'cause it won't be done until 6 -- oh no, all the bananas are green.)
First things first . . . I need a conundrum. No really, a glass of Conundrum. And none of its cold. Well, I guess that's why they named it that - you'll be in a conundrum if none of its chilled. I popped a bottle in the freezer. Next, I peeled and chopped all my ingredients. I washed and seasoned the chicken. While the pot heated up, my OCD took over. I had to clean and bleach the sink and anything else the chicken might have touched. I know, I'm funny like that. Most of MY family is a little touched that way; my husband's on the other hand . . . let's just say I would only use a baby bottle brush to clean baby bottles, not the turkey pan from Thanksgiving.
With the cleaning done, I plopped the chicken in the pot to brown and screwed open the bottle of Conundrum. Yes, you read that correctly, "screwed open." This is the best white wine I've tasted. Before this, I was exclusively a red girl. By before this I mean since I was old enough to take communion. Back then, there was no first communion class. I was probably about three, maybe four. I had never seen a wino before but I used to tell my mom that I was scared I'd become one. Well that was a self-fulfilling prophecy! Anyway, you've got to try it. I browned the chicken on both sides, added all the ingredients and shoved it in the oven. Oops, I forgot the red pepper flakes so I pulled it back out and sprinkled in a little too much. Oh well, we like spicy.
Damnation. My husband just called to remind me of a dinner we're supposed to go to. I told him the situation and he said he didn't mind if I sat this one out. Then he came home early and smelled what was in the kitchen! THEN I told him I had invited my parents since there was so much. With his puppy dog face/voice, "Is there going to be any leftovers?" Since we never know if Boy #3 is going to like something or not, I guaranteed there would be. I hope I don't have to eat my words. It sure doesn't smell as appetizing as what's in the oven.
Are you dying yet?! Here is the recipe:
Ginger Chicken Adobo with Red Potato
6 ea. chicken thighs (with bone)
2T sesame oil (I used Crisco vegetable oil with Omega-3 DHA. Got to pump up the boys' brain cells now so they aren't deflating our wallets when they're 25.)
2T flour (Matthew skipped this step because one of my BFs - yes, you Smelly Melly - is wheat-intolerant. No one missed the flour.)
salt and pepper to taste
1/4C ginger, peeled and minced
2 cl. garlic, minced (I've never prepped real garlic in my life. I used the already-done kind.)
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
4 ea scallion, sliced (His scallions were huge. I'm only talking about scallions here. Mine were scrawny so I used about 6-7.)
6 ea. red potato, peeled and quartered (OK, as you see in the pic, I only halved them. That's what he did.)
1/2C soy sauce (I used reduced sodium. My only complaint about the dish we made as a group was that it was a little salty.)
2C chicken broth (As I said, I am not a gourmet chef. I used canned broth.)
1/4C white wine vinegar
1ea lime, juiced (Matthew threw the whole lime in after juicing it so that's what I did.)
1 bunch cilantro leaves
Wash and season chicken with salt and pepper. Dust with flour (it was great without this step.) Heat heavy saute pan to medium high and add oil. Brown the chicken for 5 minutes then turn. Add remaining ingredients, cover with lid of foil and bake at 375 degrees for 2 hours. (What is this straying from the directions? He used the regular pot lid so that's what I did.)
Viola! Mmmmmm, so good. Still pretty salty even though I used reduced sodium soy sauce and low-sodium chicken broth. One other thing . . . a little dab'll do you with the red pepper flakes. I must've given a full-on shake, not sprinkle, of the red pepper flakes. As you can see below, the flakes were concentrated in one spot so I should have stirred it around. That was the only complaint from the boys - too hot. We all drank lots of water. OK, I lie. They drank lots of water. Me? Conundrum.
This past weekend, I attended a cooking class at Matthew's, a high-end gourmet restaurant. So even though I've never been mistaken for a gourmet chef, I learned a thing or two from one. This afternoon, I got started on one of the dishes we made. It needs two hours in the oven and the boys are hungry by 4:55 p.m. so I started early (I'll have to give them a banana 'cause it won't be done until 6 -- oh no, all the bananas are green.)
First things first . . . I need a conundrum. No really, a glass of Conundrum. And none of its cold. Well, I guess that's why they named it that - you'll be in a conundrum if none of its chilled. I popped a bottle in the freezer. Next, I peeled and chopped all my ingredients. I washed and seasoned the chicken. While the pot heated up, my OCD took over. I had to clean and bleach the sink and anything else the chicken might have touched. I know, I'm funny like that. Most of MY family is a little touched that way; my husband's on the other hand . . . let's just say I would only use a baby bottle brush to clean baby bottles, not the turkey pan from Thanksgiving.
With the cleaning done, I plopped the chicken in the pot to brown and screwed open the bottle of Conundrum. Yes, you read that correctly, "screwed open." This is the best white wine I've tasted. Before this, I was exclusively a red girl. By before this I mean since I was old enough to take communion. Back then, there was no first communion class. I was probably about three, maybe four. I had never seen a wino before but I used to tell my mom that I was scared I'd become one. Well that was a self-fulfilling prophecy! Anyway, you've got to try it. I browned the chicken on both sides, added all the ingredients and shoved it in the oven. Oops, I forgot the red pepper flakes so I pulled it back out and sprinkled in a little too much. Oh well, we like spicy.
Damnation. My husband just called to remind me of a dinner we're supposed to go to. I told him the situation and he said he didn't mind if I sat this one out. Then he came home early and smelled what was in the kitchen! THEN I told him I had invited my parents since there was so much. With his puppy dog face/voice, "Is there going to be any leftovers?" Since we never know if Boy #3 is going to like something or not, I guaranteed there would be. I hope I don't have to eat my words. It sure doesn't smell as appetizing as what's in the oven.
Are you dying yet?! Here is the recipe:
Ginger Chicken Adobo with Red Potato
6 ea. chicken thighs (with bone)
2T sesame oil (I used Crisco vegetable oil with Omega-3 DHA. Got to pump up the boys' brain cells now so they aren't deflating our wallets when they're 25.)
2T flour (Matthew skipped this step because one of my BFs - yes, you Smelly Melly - is wheat-intolerant. No one missed the flour.)
salt and pepper to taste
1/4C ginger, peeled and minced
2 cl. garlic, minced (I've never prepped real garlic in my life. I used the already-done kind.)
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
4 ea scallion, sliced (His scallions were huge. I'm only talking about scallions here. Mine were scrawny so I used about 6-7.)
6 ea. red potato, peeled and quartered (OK, as you see in the pic, I only halved them. That's what he did.)
1/2C soy sauce (I used reduced sodium. My only complaint about the dish we made as a group was that it was a little salty.)
2C chicken broth (As I said, I am not a gourmet chef. I used canned broth.)
1/4C white wine vinegar
1ea lime, juiced (Matthew threw the whole lime in after juicing it so that's what I did.)
1 bunch cilantro leaves
Wash and season chicken with salt and pepper. Dust with flour (it was great without this step.) Heat heavy saute pan to medium high and add oil. Brown the chicken for 5 minutes then turn. Add remaining ingredients, cover with lid of foil and bake at 375 degrees for 2 hours. (What is this straying from the directions? He used the regular pot lid so that's what I did.)
Viola! Mmmmmm, so good. Still pretty salty even though I used reduced sodium soy sauce and low-sodium chicken broth. One other thing . . . a little dab'll do you with the red pepper flakes. I must've given a full-on shake, not sprinkle, of the red pepper flakes. As you can see below, the flakes were concentrated in one spot so I should have stirred it around. That was the only complaint from the boys - too hot. We all drank lots of water. OK, I lie. They drank lots of water. Me? Conundrum.
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