A Really Good Teryaki Chicken Lunch

A Really Good Lunch

The other day, I spied some delicious looking teryaki chicken take out that I friend had ordered, she asked “want some?”

I did want some, but declined the offer-wanting to be polite. Since then, I had been craving something just like my friend’s take out. 

Using a wok, chicken, broccoli, mushrooms, and a simple teriyaki sauce, I made an excellent take out-like, high protein lunch for myself. 

First, I bought chicken breasts- they were on sale, cut them in cubes; put the chicken in the wok with a couple tablespoons of vegetable oil.Whenever I use my wok I think,

“Why don’t I use this more often?”

Wok cooking is fast, the high heat sears meat quickly locking in the flavor. The chicken cooked in 4-5 minutes, after, I removed it from the wok so I could cook the broccoli florets and mushrooms. 

After about 4 minutes the mushrooms and broccoli-my favorite super food, were cooked to firm yet chewable perfection.  It was all coming together, the chicken put back in the wok with the broccoli just waiting for the sauce. 

Making teriyaki sauce at home is easier than I thought it would be. After perusing the internet for recipes, I decided to concoct my own sauce using the bare minimum ingredients suggested in recipes on the web.

Bare Minimum Teriyaki Sauce

¼ cup low sodium soy sauce

¼ cup brown sugar

¼ cup cold water

2 teaspoons cornstarch

Whisk and toss with ingredients in wok until warm.

Serve over rice.

There are a lot of great teriyaki sauce recipes out there that will rival your favorite restaurant’s version. Next time I make teriyaki sauce, I’m going to add pineapple juice and ginger then use the mixture as a beef marinade.

What will you use your sauce for? What kind of ingredients will you try?

An Inviting Works Space at Home: Part 2

I am lucky enough to have my own dressing room.  It's a room where I keep my clothes, make up, and other personal things. My dressing room is also my office, and doubles as a guest room. It was the room I wanted to spend as little time in as possible, not only was it a mess with my clothes, jewelry, accessories and books; it is painted a barf beige, chilly in temperature, dark due to black out curtains, and there is no bedding that fits the daybed. Not a room I consider inviting.

Then I realized that everything I hated about this room could be changed!

My goal is to make this room -a place where I must work, into somewhere I want to spend time.

Step 1: Illuminate the room by replacing black out curtains with bright red and white curtains. (An Inviting Work Space At Home: Part 1, posted 11/8/12)

Step 2: The Little Things; hats and jewelry

Everyone has heard the expression that it is the little things that make the big differences. This statement couldn’t be truer when it came to the pile of hats and the pile of jewelry in my room. Things in piles, even if the piles are small look worthless and inaccessible.

Before; pile o' hats

I own about 10 hats, that I love wearing for the fashion and function. I had a designated “spot” for my hats but it wasn’t organized and it looked trashy, like someone had thrown a pile of hats on a shelf (and that is exactly what was happening.)

All it took was a trip to Marshalls, where I found an “over the door” hat rack for $7.99. The hat rack has 6 hooks, I had to double up on a couple of hooks, besides that it is exactly what I needed; looks great, accessible and it's hanging on my way out the door.

After

Throwing things in a pile is a reoccurring solution when organizing my belongings. I found that I was storing my jewelry the same way as my hats; in a pile on a shelf.

Again, at Marshalls, I found the solution to my pile o’ jewelry problem. A jewelry tree in the shape of a dress making manikin ($7.99) for necklaces and 3 compartment jewelry box for rings and bracelets ($5.99.) These items were the perfect solution to storing my small jewelry collection; and they are cute and decorative and make it easy to see my accessory options.

After

Before: pile o' jewelry

Those little things do add up. What do you do with the little things around your house?

Big John's Biscuits & Gravy

Watch out Paula Deen. . .

 Big John has 4 or 5 recipes that he makes, that's all the cooking that he does, but he does it well. Biscuits & Gravy is one of his specialties...

 1. Start by browning 1 pound of hot ground pork sausage, I used Jimmy Dean here. The cheaper the sausage the more juice it gives off for the gravy but don't go too cheap!











2. Put about 3/4 cup of flour into a tupperware container (make sure it has a lid too.)













3. Add milk to the flour, enough so you can still shake the tupperware
 once it has a lid on it. Shaking the the milk and flour together will insure a "lump free" mixture (a trick I learned from Jeanette.)














4. Add the milk-flour mixture to the pan with the cooked sausage.











5. Add black pepper, red pepper flakes, and Sriracha sauce for a kick. Stir.










6. Add milk as necessary for desired consistency. Stir frequently.











7. Serve over biscuits. I like to use frozen Pillsbury Grand butter milk biscuits.  They come frozen in a bag making it easy to grab and cook the number of biscuits you want for a meal.

Do you ever make biscuits? Gravy? Whats your secret?

Mama's Hamburger Hobo Sacks

As my weekend excursion to Savanna, Georgia, grows nearer I thought it appropriate to make food from Savannah's Legendary Mama, Paula Deen.

About two years ago, I bought this cookbook, The Deen Bros. Take it Easy by Jamie and Bobby Deen and Melissa Clark, after looking at a friend's copy. Admittedly, at that time, I had no idea who the Deen brothers were, or that their Mama was Paula Deen. I bought the book because of the beautiful photographs, witty quotations, and easy recipes using inexpensive ingredients. 

In this book you will find a lot of recipes Paula Deen whipped up for her sons when they were kids and her son's versions of family friendly meals. The recipes I have made from this book have been delicious and budget friendly, using affordable proteins like; chicken legs, ground beef, and canned tuna.   The following recipe, Mama's Hamburger Hobo Sacks, is according to the Deens and myself:

"better than it ought to be."

Mama's Hamburger Hobo Sacks

The Deen Bros. Take it Easy by Jamie and Bobby Deen and Melissa Clark

Serves 4
1 pound ground beef
1 tablespoon Lady's house seasoning (recipe follows)
2 large carrots peeled and sliced 1/8 inch thick
2 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/8 inch thick
1 medium onion cut into small chunks  
4 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into cubes 

1. Pre heat oven to 400 degrees F. Place 4 large sheets (12-15 in) aluminum foil on your work area.

2. Combine beef w/2 teaspoons of house seasoning and form 4 patties. Place equal amounts carrots,potatoes, and onion on the foil sheets  and sprinkle each with the remaining house seasoning. Top each sheet of veg w/a meat patty and dot w/butter. Seal the foil packets tightly and transfer to a baking sheet.

3. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the meat is cooked through and the veggies are tender.

Eat in the foil or on a plate.

The Lady's House Seasoning
Makes 1 1/2 cups
1 cup salt
1/4 cup fresh ground black pepper
1/4 cup garlic powder







Check out The Deen Bros. Take it Easy by Jamie and Bobby Deen and Melissa Clark,at your local library!

An Inviting Work Space At Home: Part 1

I am lucky enough to have my own dressing room.  It's a room where I keep my clothes, make up ,and other personal things one would have in a bedroom. I call it my dressing room and not my bedroom because I don't sleep there. However, it does have a daybed in it and doubles as a guest room. My dressing room is also my office, where a big table that I call my desk is. I do all of my work: writing, sewing, drawing, bill paying, job searching, and general correspondence at my desk in my dressing room.

There is one problem: I hate my dressing room.

The room has potential, and many nice features like big windows, roomy closet, a daybed, bureau, and desk, etc. But, Alas, like its occupant(me) it is disorganized. Organizing my dwellings has always been a challenge. My goal is to make this room -a place where I must work, into somewhere I want to spend time.

Until recently, I didn't spend a lot of time in my dressing room, just there to change my clothes. It was the room I wanted to spend as little time in as possible, not only was it a mess with my clothes, jewelry, accessories and books; it is painted a barf beige, chilly in temperature, dark due to black out curtains, and there is no bedding that fits the daybed. Not a room I consider inviting.

Then I realized that everything I hated about this room could be changed. I could make the changes and have fun by transforming my room into an efficient workspace, while making it cozy for me and out of town guests that lodge in it.

Step 1: Illuminate this dark room by taking down the black out curtains. Curtains (Ikea $15.00) with a fun white and red pattern give off a warm brightness, making the room look cheery while allowing the gorgeous window lattice work show.

It's a start

Before

After

 To be continued...

Plant Winter Cover Crops; it isn't too late!

Not planning on growing anything else in your garden this November? Think again.

 There is still time to plant Winter Cover Crops in many areas including Portland, Oregon, USDA Garden-Hardiness zone 8b. These hardy crops give the soil in your garden the protection and nutrients it will need to be ready for spring planting.

Field of Red Clover, at Oregon State University

There are several variates of Winter Cover Crops that will flourish in your garden over winter; when spring comes and cover crops are "turned under, – tilling or hoeing them into the soil where they decompose quickly".-their precious nitrogen will be released into the soil making it rich for the next crops that are planted.

Fava Bean plant

"There are four main categories of cover crops: grasses, other non-legumes, legumes, and mixtures. Examples of non-legume cover crops are: Rye, Oats, Wheat, Forage turnips, and Buck wheat. Examples of legume cover crops are: Clovers, Hairy Vetch, Field peas, and Alfalfa."   

http://www.mnn.com/your-home/organic-farming-gardening/stories/winter-cover-crops

Soil without anything planted in it can be stripped of nitrogen by harsh winter rain and snow. Cover crops act as a canopy shielding soil from precipitation. Besides, replenishing nitrogen,  cover crops also release other nutrients and microorganisms into soil, prevent erosion, attract earth worms, and pollinating insects-all good stuff for gardens!

Winter cover crops grow in most parts of the country, and can still be planted this late in the season. The gardening experts at Portland Nursery, Portland Or, recommend planting: fava beans, annual rye and  crimson clover cover crop seeds right now (November 7, 2012.)
Check with your local organic gardening center or nursery for more information and availability.

Photo credits:
smallfarms.oregonstate.edu
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vicia_faba

Making Quilts

I used to think that quilt making or quilting was the kind of activity reserved for elderly or pioneer women.  It wasn't until teaching a Third Grade class about quilting during a unit on the Oregon Trail, that I realized how historically significant, fun, and creatively satisfying quilting could be.

My current project (quilt #2)

Quilts have been significant in American history. Early American Settlers often collaborated to get big jobs done. Quilting "bees," made the huge job of hand stitching a quilt, a fun social event where women from around the community came together and lent a hand sewing, all the while, catching up with friends. Pioneers made patchwork quilts recycled from worn out clothing and flour sacks as they traveled westward on the Oregon Trail. Run away slaves depended on quilts displayed in windows or hung over porches by allies, to communicate when it was safe to travel the underground railroad.

Browsing in a fabric store is my idea of fun; its like a museum but- you can touch any fabric you like, feast your eyes on the colors, the patterns, feel the texture of the cloth. After choosing fabric, comes measuring and cutting, that requires precision and concentration, but can be accomplished while listen to your favorite radio station or book on tape. If you don't mind ironing, and you enjoy being in your own little world-I can sew for hours and think of nothing but the task at hand.

As a novice quilter, I am working on my second patchwork quilt right now. I choose my own color scheme and fabrics along with patterns designed by others,  Someday, when I have the basics down I'll start working with more complicated designs or start designing my own quilt patterns. For now, I just want my second quilt to come looking decent!