What's For Dinner Wednesday (and then some)

I'm glad that we're in the habit of buying multiple packages of our favorite cuts of meat when they're on sale. It does create a tendency to repeat several meals over and over. Since the beginning of the year, and since I've started doing WFDW, I've worked harder on getting out of the rut of a dozen meals.

I'll start with yesterday's meal. Ed asked what was for lunch and I decided that the cold cuts I bought in preparation for Fay weren't substantial. Instead, I used some of the fresh pork sirloin and was inspired by the Olympics.


Representing Israel, Kosher Salt. Don't let the small size fool you, China as the Five Spice Blend is the star of the show. Representing the USA, Garlic. Mexico brings the Cebolla Powder and rounding out the competition, Japan with Teriyaki.

(Don't let the spices fool you, this is clearly an Asian powerhouse meal!)

In the pan, there was a slurry of about 2 tablespoons of oil, a teaspoon and a half of five spice, a tablespoon each of onion and garlic powder and a quarter cup of teriyaki. In retrospect, I was a little too cautious with that five spice, because it normally packs a huge punch of flavor in a small amount. Then, I sauteed the pork, green pepper, 2 slivered onions and then added a half can of pineapple chunks and a bag of Publix's Japanese Blend veggies.

The finished product was served over rice. It was GOOD! A pound and a half of meat and there was easily two sit down meals for four hungry people. Even Gameboy, the pickiest of the bunch, ate all of his pork and left the rice (his favorite) on the plate!

The reason why this is important is that the freezer is full of pork, boneless chicken breasts and chicken legs for the boys. There are also two huge briskets, but they have to be thawed before I do a rub, so they don't count.

Anyway, I promised Ed that there would be dinner for him when he got his break tonight and I'd just made the pork. So, it was time to come up with something that A. Hadn't been featured in WFDW and B. Didn't take hours to prepare, since I'd been out on the job hunt. I came up with pan fried Rosemary Balsamic Chicken and my oven roasted Rosemary Potatoes.

The chicken was soaked in a variation of my basic marinade for 20 minutes. I downsized it, so to speak, just using about 1/3 cup of balsamic vinegar, 3 tablespoons ground rosemary, a tablespoon of onion powder and a large pinch of salt.

They were pan fried in about 2 tablespoons of olive oil, so it's relatively healthy.

If you see how caramelized that chicken is, you can understand why I just had to deglaze the pan and make a wine reduction gravy. I added a cup of burgundy to the pan juices and baked on stuff and then a corn starch slurry, some salt and pepper. (Don't use the cheap crap wine, because it'll be bland)

Ed, Chef and I had the reduction on our chicken, I left it off Gameboy's. Irony here is that he ate the chicken first!

So, you got two meals for the price of one.

I'd show the dessert, but no one wants to see the devastation of a nearly empty rice krispy treat pan, do they? Especially when they were made with chocolate marshmallows...