On Monday I mentioned that I spent less than $25 at fresh & easy and got enough for two dinners. The first dinner was good - this one was great. Like the first, this was all packaged food but, you wouldn't know it by the end result.
The chicken was straight from the package to the pre-heated grill. The folks at fresh & easy did the heavy lifting of the marinade - so six minutes on each side and you are good to go. The veggies are also simple, it includes the herb butter - just poke a couple of holes in the plastic and toss in a microwave for three minutes.
The pasta was easy but, modified - instead of boiling the whole wheat shells in just plain water and olive oil, I added a some basil and garlic (with my favorite Dorat cubes) to kick-it up a notch. One tip I'll share for when you work with stuffed pasta, don't dump the package in, gently place a few at a time into the water. Oh, and though you start with a rapid, rolling boil, reduce slightly to prevent them from tumbling around and breaking open (which is not good eats).
Twelve minutes - great meal - and none of it was faux food. I dare you to get that from a drive thru.
First full day back from the vacation is a reminder that there is a small price to pay for emptying the fridge prior to leaving for the Toastmasters International Convention in Cincinnati. Given that this is a short week (I fly out to Oakland on Thursday), I solved this with a quick stop at a fresh & easy near the site in North Phoenix that I have been working from...
For under $25, I managed to grab enough for two dinners (tonight and Wednesday - have a PDG Advisory Committee on Tuesday). Tonight's dinner featured Chipotle Mango Chicken. Nothing complicated from my end - preheat grill, open package, place chicken breasts on grate, flip after five minutes, remove after five more minutes.
The sides are just as easy - first up, remove the plastic cover and label from the metal tray. Place on grill - jostle contents a couple of times with a pair of tongs, remove when you pull the chicken. The rice was a pre-packed, chicken flavored, brown rice. Vent the top and place in a microwave for 90 seconds.
There you go - dinner in just twelve minutes...
I find that activities, like cooking help me process the world around me. Today, was a rough day for some good friends - in some instances, I just don't have the words to express how much I want them to know that I support them unconditionally. Tonight's dinner wasn't a quick one but, I could do a lot of processing and the end product was certainly worth the wait...
Start with the tenderloin. Follow the instructions for preheating your oven, what type of pan to use, etc. Ignore the timing instructions - remember, we cook meats to temperature - not time. If you haven't done so, go and buy a decent digital probe thermometer. You do not need to spend a zillion dollars but, you will love the way this investment pays off with perfectly cooked, juicy meat. insert the probe into the center of the loin and put in the oven (in this case 375 degrees) - cook to 160 degrees (which means you should pull it from the oven when the internal temp reaches 155 degrees.
While the loin is cooking let's turn our attention to the squash. Heat a couple tablespoons of EVOO to high heat. Add sliced squash and/or zucchini, some diced red onions, butter, and seasoning. Reduce heat to medium and cook to the texture you desire (in my case, medium firm). The brown rice is my simple, boil-in-the-bag brown rice (from fresh and easy of course) that was cooked with three Dorot basil and three garlic cubes.
If you paid attention to the cooking instructions for the tenderloin, then you pulled the meat from the oven about five degrees before the final temp. Once you hit that temp, you are ready to slice and enjoy...
