It's been, wow, almost 6 months since I relocated from my protective little bubble (I'll explain in a separate post). I won't say that I'm totally comfortable but this little 1 bedroom apartment is feeling a little more homey everyday.
This term, I have designated Wednesdays to be Grocery Day, as well as, Big Dinner Day. I have more time to cook and relax than I do on other weekdays so it's a perfect day to make a multi course menu. It also happens to be my No Pilates day so that also works out well.
So, I've had this bottle of yummy grapefruit balsamic in my pantry since I moved in. It's lovely but frankly, I don't know how to use it. Sure, I drizzle it on greens and occasionally on plain yogurt with strawberries but I can only do that so many times. Well, it so happened that I had a hankering for some Teriyaki Chicken and I figured, "This balsamic is pretty sweet so I can probably substitute the sugar and it'll give it the tartness that I love." And man, was I right!
Now, I'm not confident enough to morph this into a food blog yet. Hell, I just figured out a way to send my dad pictures of my dinner without it having an awful red glare. And I don't want my dishes looking like the sad discolored photographs at the Chinese takeout places (the ones without the backlight). Yeah, McDonald's photographers didn't work that gig!
I've bookmarked many of my favorite food sites and let me tell you, it's intimidating. Some bloggers call themselves, "Small kitchen cooks" but they've got some heavy duty equipment and counter space. All I have is a countertop big enough to put my dish rack in the back and my standard size cutting board up front! My poor mise en place is forced into the corners of my cutting board or stacked in containers that are balanced on the sink divider. Sheesh. Where's my blogger who writes about kneading bread on an IKEA side table where most of the space is taken up by the microwave and blender? I know you're out there!
Back to the food: My menu consisted of Grapefruit-Balsamic Chicken Teriyaki with Creamy Mashed Potatoes, Tomato salad, and Rice. It was perfect! That sauce was awesome! I used two chicken thighs so I'll be having an encore for lunch tomorrow. Can't wait.
Tomorrow, I've planned a Shrimp Pasta. Hope it's as satisfying as tonight's meal!
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