Honey Teriyaki Chicken with Ripe Pineapple Spears and Rice

When i make asian food, i try to choose recipes that include ginger because of its health benefits, but kevin tends to think every dish i make that uses ginger tastes the same. This recipe is one where there are enough other flavors working with the ginger to not give it an exclusive ginger taste. this is the best Rachel Ray recipe i have tried so far...

it took me 2 tries to make this recipe due to an unexpected ginger peeling accident. i now have a nice notch out of the corner of my finger. Be careful with sharp peelers, people!

Honey Teriyaki Chicken with Ripe Pineapple Spears and Rice

Original recipe from Rachel Ray

Cook Time: 25 mins
Level: Easy
Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 15 min
Inactive Prep: --
Cook Time: 25 min
Total: 40 min

INGREDIENTS

• 2 bags boil-in-bag rice
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
  
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• Vegetable oil, for drizzling
• Salt and pepper
• 1 cup chicken broth or water
• 1-inch ginger root, peeled and chopped
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 ripe pineapple

Directions

Preheat a grill pan or large griddle over medium high heat.

Bring water to a boil for rice. Cook rice for 8 minutes and drain. Set rice balls on a plate and sprinkle with black sesame seeds.

While your rice is cooking, lightly coat chicken with oil, salt and pepper. (pound super-thick chicken so that is doesn't take forever to cook). Place chicken on hot grill and cook 6 minutes on the first side.

While chicken is cooking, bring chicken broth and ginger to a boil. Stir in honey. When honey has dissolved into broth, add teriyaki sauce and sesame oil and reduce heat to simmer.

Turn chicken and coat liberally with honey teriyaki sauce using a basting brush. Cook chicken 4 minutes, turn again and baste liberally again with sauce, then cook 2 minutes longer. Remove chicken to a plate. Garnish chicken with sliced scallions.

Continue cooking sauce to thicken. drizzle chicken with more sauce if desired.

Slice pineapple into bite-sized chunks. Serve alongside chicken and rice, and steamed broccoli.

American Lasagna

Recipe from Allrecipes.com
makes: 4 servings
prep time: 30 mins
cook time: 1 hour 30 mins

INGREDIENTS

• 3/4 pound lean ground beef
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoons brown sugar
• 3/4 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 (29 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
• 6 dry lasagna noodles
• 1 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoons dried parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 pound mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. In a skillet over medium heat, brown ground beef, onion and garlic; drain fat. Mix in basil, oregano, brown sugar, 3/4 teaspoons salt, diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Simmer for 30 to 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add lasagna noodles, and cook for 5 to 8 minutes, or until al dente; drain. Lay noodles flat on towels, and blot dry.
3. In a medium bowl, mix together eggs, ricotta, Parmesan cheese, parsley and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
4. Layer 1/3 of the lasagna noodles in the bottom of a 9x9 inch square baking dish. Cover noodles with 1/2 ricotta mixture, 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese and 1/3 of the sauce. Repeat. Top with remaining noodles and sauce. Sprinkle additional Parmesan cheese over the top.
5. Bake in the preheated oven 25 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

I had some fresh parsley on hand so i topped mine with that, and served with some frozen cheesy garlic bread.

End of Summer

This weekend is Labor Day ALREADY! With the wedding and craziness surrounding it, I feel like I paid so little attention to summer. It just seemed to slip away so quickly this year. I think this is the first summer within my existence that i haven't had even an ounce of tan or sunburn (although that is probably a healthy thing!). Regardless, there are a few things that I still feel like I need to do before the weather changes. Here's my list... what's on yours?

• have a picnic in the park

• take a walk on the pier

• go out for ice cream

• watch the sunset from my balcony

• have a happy hour with my siblings

• take some nature pics

• get in as much outdoor exercise as possible!!!

Name Change progress!!

FINALLY!! After 2 months of marriage, 1 lost marriage license (lost in the mail) and 1 miswritten marriage certificate (they transcribed the date wrong), I was finally able to get the correct documents and visit the social security office and DMV. Now the next waiting game begins, for the SS card, new license, registration and car title!!!

Now I am just hoping that I don't look like a complete doofus on my new license. I opted for the new photo since my last one was taken on my 21st birthday, nearly 5 years ago. The DMV lady asked me to ok the new picture on the little screen Right after she took it, and the flash totally messed up my eyes, and all i could see what a big blind spot, so i just said it was fine, haha.

Other things left to change. Billing info for:

• electric
• cell phone
• visa card
• checking account
• macys
• jcpenney
• sears
• express

sweet jesus i have a lot of plastic!! i'll be one happy girl when this is all over...

A wonderful weekend of baking

We went to a BBQ over the weekend, and of course I opted to make dessert (my fav!). So I whipped up a batch of one of my old favorites... Everything bars!!, and thought I'd share the recipe...

Everything Bars

3/4 cup butter or margarine, melted

2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1 (14 ounce) can Sweetened Condensed Milk

3\4 cup semisweet chocolate morsels

3\4 cup butterscotch chips

1 1/2 cups flaked coconut

1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a mixing bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs and butter. Press crumbs into bottom of 9x13-inch baking pan.

Pour sweetened condensed milk over crumb mixture and spread to cover (be careful not to break up the crust). Layer evenly with chocolate chips butterscotch chips and nuts. Cover with coconut. Press down lightly with a fork.

Bake 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned on top. Cool until firm. Cut into desired sized bars.


I also made some basic boxed brownies, so needless to say i suffered from some stomach aches this weekend. Ohh the hard life of being a taste-tester...

Newlyweds: nearly 8 weeks in

So this friday it will be 8 weeks since our wedding. I am quite convinced that I am the only person who got married in June and still hasn't received their pro pics back. I guess I shouldn't complain because I've seen a few teasers online... and my photographers are awesome... I'm just a huuuge picture person, so I am super antsy and excited to see the rest. I guess the longer it takes the more convinced i am that some freak thing happened and they lost the rest of our pics and are afraid to tell us, but yeah, i'm sure touching up just takes a while.

I am attempting to pick this blog back up in hopes of recording bits of my life as a newlywed, as well as my attempts at creativity... between cooking, home decorating, designing and photographing...

Checking In:

Time is flying on the wedding planning front. There are less than 200 days to go now. But we have a lot of things done!

Checked off:

• ceremony/reception site
  
• Ordered my dress
  
• ordered bridesmaids dresses
  
• ordered flower girl dresses
  
• booked photographers
  
• booked florist and chose flowers
  
• booked DJ
  
• booked ceremony musician
  
• booked officiant
  
• selected dinner entrees
  

Left to do:

• save the dates (if we end up doing them)
  
• finish designing invitations
  
• sign up for letterpress class
  
• cake tasting & designing
  
• pick out tuxes/suits
  
• purchase my accessories
  
• pick out BM accessories
  
• decide on honeymoon spot and and book
  
• plan ceremony with officiant
  
• choose ceremony music
  
• choose order of reception and music
  

To give you a feel for our day, here are some pics I put together. I'm going for a vintage inspired wedding, with some modern elements as well. I want it to look simple yet elegant, taking the old and making it new.