When I say quick...I mean quick!

Well, I think I set a record for the quickest dinner of all time tonight. Within a half hour of walking in the door, dinner was on the table and we were eating. I had some things in the fridge that I needed to use before they went bad, so I strayed from the "Journey Around the World" menu, in lieu of something quick, easy, and economical.

I had some leftover Greek salad from last night's dinner, and even though I had it with my leftovers at lunchtime, there was still enough for both of us for dinner. I used that, with the EVOO and lemon juice dressing as a bed for ... chicken! Pounded out chicken, seasoned with salt and pepper and sauteed in just a touch of butter!

With little prep time, minimal cooking time, and the easiest plating possible, this meal is a fantastic go-to if you have no time to dilly-dally in the kitchen. I pounded the chicken out between two pieces of plastic wrap, seasoned them with the salt and pepper, and into the pan they went. Five or six minutes later, I turned them, and 3 minutes later - tah-dah!! DINNER!!!

Tomorrow night, we have reservations for another Restaurant Week dinner, but on Wednesday night, we'll be traveling back to Asia for a Japanese dinner, courtesy of one of my favorite chefs, Morimoto! See you then!

Scrambled Leftovers?

No, I haven't gotten to the grocery store yet. Yes, it's been a hectic sort of week, and tomorrow night will yet again be food shopping night. I had to get really creative with tonight's meal because I'm really running on empty over here. I found the perfect amount of eggs for the two of us though, so I pulled a whole bunch  of random ingredients out of the fridge and got to concocting!

from Flickr - by el_vigilante

I found a spicy pepper, a red bell pepper, some grated cheese, prosciutto, a little bit of spinach and some chives. I chopped them all up, heated them with a little bit of butter and started scrambling some eggs. Once the eggs were almost done, I threw all of my add-ons into the mix, sprinkled with cheese and tossed it all together.

Served with a green salad, it makes for a very filling dinner that also uses up those ingredients that are left over in the fridge, right before a trip to the grocery store. And with that, I bid you adieu - until I have a fridge full of crisp veggies and fresh-cut meats!

Dim Sum for Dinner

On some of my trips to the Asian market, I get a little carried away in the frozen aisle. The frozen aisle, you ask? I know...I'm all about fresh veggies and just-cut meats, freshly caught fish and locally-made condiments. However, sometimes, it's nice to steam up some dumplings and enjoy a little Asian fare in the comfort of our own home! I've made dumplings from scratch, and they are delicious...but it takes quite a bit of time. Tonight, I got creative with what I found in my freezer, fridge and pantry - tomorrow, I will be grocery shopping.

I've talked about dim sum before, but for those of you who missed that post, dim sum (usually served as brunch/lunch) is the definition of instant gratification. When you enter a dim sum establishment, you are escorted to a table, and left with a blank check. Carts come around the room, toting their many different flavors and textures, and you take what you want. As you gather dumplings, sticky rice, and spring rolls, your blank check gets filled with stamps equivalent to the price of each plate you take for your table!

Once in awhile, I like to plan a little dim sum of my own. I don't have a cart, and I'm sure not going to roll it around, but I love to pile a plate high with different dumplings, shumai, sticky rice, and bao...all steamed straight from my freezer! Tonight, I also used up some broth from the fridge to make a little egg drop soup. I added some scallions to the broth, swirled in some beaten eggs and served that up with all the delicious dim sum delicacies. I also made a few dipping sauces: one with soy, ginger and scallions; the other with hoisin and Sriacha sauce.

My eyes were definitely bigger than my stomach this time around ... but everything was delicious - and dim sum is all about sampling a little bit of a lot of different things. Mission accomplished!