winners and loser

It's been a very busy couple of weeks at the store. Two nights I didn't get home until after 10 p.m. 

However, despite this challenge, I have been cooking some new recipes. The one "loser" in the bunch was the Peanut Chicken recipe from Garden and Gun Magazine that I made on April 25th. The ingredients were creamy peanut butter, green onions, soy sauce, rice vinegar, cayenne pepper, fresh ginger and garlic. While the chicken came out moist and juicy, it was just blah. It looked pretty on the platter, but taste wise it needed something to give some pow!

The next, new recipe I prepared was on April 27th, when I made Grilled  Asian Pork Chops and Baby  Bok Choy, a recipe from Bon Appetit Magazine, August 2004 issue. Wegmans carries pork chops from local farms for $7.69/lb. My husband and I just love these chops. They are flavorful and cook up moist and tender. I took a gamble with this Asian inspired recipe and it was a hit! The other ingredients for this recipe are black bean garlic sauce, garlic, soy sauce, oriental sesame oil, lime juice fresh ginger, cilantro (I omitted), lime and baby bok choy. 

The pork had to marinate for twenty minutes and then cook approximatley five minutes per side. While the pork was grilling, I charred the baby bok choy. Oh my gosh, this dish was terrific. The flavors of the marinade made the pork chops succulent and tasty. The same marinade was brushed on the bok choy while it grilled. The baby bok choy was nice a change for vegetable side dish. In approximatley 45 minutes, I had dinner on the  table. 

Another meal I created ahead time was stir-fried sesame beef. It's another 45 minute or less, fabulous recipe from Gourmet Magazine, September 1996. I purchased a package of stir fry beef slices at Foodtown in Sea Girt for $5.99/lb.  The beef needed to marinate for fifteen minutes prior to sautéing  garlic, red onion, red and yellow bell pepper and scallions. Lastly, the meat is cooked; then everything is tossed together. 

As I pulled out of work, I called my husband to start the water for the rice. When I got home I finished the rice and gently reheated the stir-fried beef in the microwave. It all worked out perfectly. Finding recipes that you can prepare ahead is a lifesaver, especially if you get home around late evening.

One of the last meals during this hectic time frame was chicken murphy.  As I didn't read the recipe beforehand, imagine my surprise when I discovered I had to marinate the chicken for eight hours. As I didn't have time for this step, I improvised and mashed two recipes together. I combined a Merle Dunson's (Greenville, SC) chicken murphy recipe from Southern Living Magazine with the chicken scarpariello recipe from Gourmet Magazine. Believe it or not, it worked out great, we loved the dish.