Food is good

A few days ago I got home to Provo after a summer with Sam and Mollie. When I got home, I realized that I needed to step it up on the food I'm eating. Mollie made such good food that now bachelor food seems like such a step down. So I went shopping and spent a lot of money on good food (instead of the usual junk I buy) and have tried to make one good meal every day.

These recipes are all adapted from a cookbook that Mom bought me for Christmas. It's good. I say adapted because I feel about cooking a lot like Calvin feels about puzzles: I don't want my dishes to turn out like something somebody else made. Where's the fun in that?

Monday: marinated chicken sandwich

Mix some olive oil and balsamic vinegar with spices for the basic marinade (Did you know that marinate is a verb and marinade is a noun? I just learned that). It's basically like making a quick vinaigrette. Add to the marinade some freshly chopped rosemary (somewhere in the neighborhood of 1T). Pound 1 chicken breast to about 1/2 inch thick (it's thinner than you think) and let it marinate for an hour.

Turn on the broiler, remove the chicken from the marinade, and broil it on both sides. While that's going, chop 1/2 tomato into chunks (mostly because I like tomato better that way- slices would work too). Slice up 1/2 an avocado. Dice a little bit of red onion. Slice a hoagie bun and toast it in the oven. It doesn't take long because the oven is really hot for the chicken.

Stack: Bread, avocado, tomato, SALT (I forgot this on one sandwich and it was way less delicious), onions, 1/2 of the chicken, then bread. This is enough stuff for two sandwiches. Eat. Yum.

Tuesday: Different marinated chicken sandwich

It was so good the first time I just couldn't resist. Actually, the truth is I marinated the chicken for something else and realized that I didn't have any rice so I thought fast and made a sandwich with it. Good nonetheless, despite sounding a little weird.

Mix a bit of Bulldog sauce (sweet teriyaki) with soy sauce. Add a teaspoon or so of sugar. There's your marinade. Do everything else as on Monday. Yes, even the avocado. Avocado goes with everything.

Wednesday: Beef and tomato stir fry-ish thing

This was super easy and really good. Buy the cheapest, thinnest steak you can find at the store. Slice 1/2 a pound into thinnish strips. Chop up a tomato and a half or so into wedges. Dice about
1/4 C red onion. Throw all that into a hot skillet till the beef is done. (The next time I make this I will also use some hot peppers). Salt, pepper, and garlic (as if I have to say this).

Cook 1 packet of ramen noodles without the salty flavor packet. Drain them and set aside.

Mix 1T black bean sauce (from the Asian isle of your grocery store) with about 1T water. Add to beef mixture. Add noodles. Stir together till everything is warm through and everything is covered in sauce.

This recipe was really easy and pretty darn good (considering how easy it was).

More updates as the week of delicious meals continues.