You should know that I love to cook. Don’t worry, I’m not the kind of gal out for my own cooking show. The thing is I like to find recipes that sound good to me (a pretty picture helps) and I follow the directions well. I think this makes my MIL and my Mom giddy with laughter because when I first got married, Husband will tell you that the only thing I knew how to cook was spaghetti dinner.
Sometimes when I post on FB what I’m fixing for dinner, I get comments from friends saying that they get a complex from reading my dinner menu. It only sounds fancy. Really, I can’t do Martha Stewart (too complicated) and I don’t watch cooking shows. For the record, I shop at an ordinary grocery store (Stater Bros. – small San Diego chain, great prices!) Basically, I’m a big fan of Sunset magazine (I grew up with it in our house) and I like Cooking Light. There is a lot of variety, the recipes are easy to intermediate level, and the ingredients are healthy and seasonal. Generally, I can pull it together in about an half hour.
It’s one of my favorite times of the day. Husband comes home from work at about 5:30, I hand the boys over to him, turn on my iTunes, pop a bottle of wine, and I start cooking. It’s my time, but my family (and sometimes friends) are around. I enjoy it. Again, I can hear my Mom and MIL’s merriment.
And I confess, I’m a nerd. I plan meals in advance, but I don’t want to go into it for fear that you’ll think that I’m WAY too organized. But the truth of the matter is, I’m not that creative to open the cupboard and dinner ideas magically pop out at me. I’ve got to have the ingredient on hand. Therefore I gotta know what I’m buying. So I plan. Yes, I check the circular (we’re on a budget), I will even visit CouponMom.com occasionally (but I’m having less success there). I shop once a week; twice a month at Costco. Alas I confess. I do like organization and predictability.
So in the spirit of sharing, below is one of my favorites in regular rotation. It’s a little bit more on the intermediate level (great for guests!), but a great place to start because it’s so delicious. Cheers friends!
Notes: Hoisin sauce can generally be found in the Asian section of regular grocery stores. I serve this meal with Wasabi Mashed Potatoes (do your regular mashed potatoes and squirt in wasabi to taste), a green salad (mixed with whatever veggies on hand, but usually I include carrots is for color) and topped with whatever Asian-styled bottled dressing I have on hand (I like Newman’s Own Lighten Up Low Fat Sesame Ginger Dressing)
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