delicious:Thai Basil Chicken

I went to Arizona to visit my girlfriends last weekend, and one night we got to talking about how our eating and cooking habits have changed since college. The woman who was my college roomie is currently living at home, and is enjoying her mothers fabulous cooking. Lucky girl. The rest of us....fend for our selves, and when applicable our significant others.

In college we would have dinner together every monday night. We would trade of whose apartment it was at. Oh we were cute thinking we were "cooking." We usually George Foremaned (it's a verb ok) up some sort of meat. Opened a can of green beans, and usually popped open a cardboard tube of biscuits. Now, don't get me wrong, it was probably better than going to Taco Bell everynight.

I wish though, that I had been a better cook then. It's amazing what you don't know until you try things on your own...like how to plan meals for a week and grocery shop accordingly.

Anyway..I found this recipe in my trusty Betty Crocker cookbook last night:
Thai Basil Chicken.

There it is with white rice. I bought white rice and white flour tortillas for my husband this week. He said "can't why have white? Just once in a while? Wheat is so.....healthy!"

Anyway..Here is the list of ingredients:
Chicken Breasts
Jalapenos
Garlic
Fresh Basil
Fresh Mint
Sugar
Soy Sauce
Peanuts.
And olive oil for cooking chicken in.

I'm normally intimidated by fresh herbs, but I knew I could buy basil and we actually happen to have mint in our yard from the previous owner. My first use of fresh herbs from my own yard.

Anyway...you just slice the chicken up thin, and cook it with the seeded and diced jalapenos and galic. Betty thinks you should use fresh garlie..but i used the preminced stuff. Then after it's done, add the soy sauce (1 tablespoon) and the Sugar (1 teaspoon). Top with Basil, Mint and Peanuts. All chopped...and I decided...to taste..not to follow the recipe.

And it was delicious and flavorful. I guess that I know flavorful food can be easy, that chicken doesn't just have to be done on the foreman...but I can never quite translate that in recipes.

Anyway..this is now joining our "repetoire."

Bloody Lunch!

At the beginning of my lunch break I went to the bank, and the bank is located in Fred Myers (the nice walmart). I can't walk in there with out looking at the produce..they always have good choices. Just yesterday I read on www.elise.com about blood oranges...and they had some at the store! I know the name is a little off putting..but aren't they beautiful? I wish I had a pretty setting for them..and not a styrofoam (bad environmentalist!) plate.
And..they are good! Sweet and tangy!

The standard veggie container..with the end of this weeks veggies. I could have added cukes..but i'm getting SUPER sick of them.

Whole wheat pasta and baked chicken. My husband's job has a bbq each Friday for lunch, the employees rotate whose responsibility it is to bring the meat. Today was his turn, and he bought the cheapest chicken he could find (how thoughtful) and it ended up being bone-in, skin on chicken thighs. When I was packing my lunch last night, I couldn't find any protein to go with my left over pasta that I wanted to use up. He magnanimously donated one of his chicken thighs to me. I was inspired by Jenn at www.eatliverun.com and baked it in the oven.

My recipe/process for one piece of chicken!

Rinse and pat dry-this probably wasn't necessary..but I feel compelled...

Preheat oven to 400

in a baking pan, I drizzled (with out measuring..i'm notorious for "eyeballing") olive oil in the pottom of the pan and stirred in some pre cut out of the jar garlic.

Under the skin of the chicken I stuffed in some more of the garlic and plopped it down in the pan.

I baked for about 25 minutes rotating about every seven minutes. The house smelled delicious, and the chicken tasted great!

This whole lunch was a little low cal for me, so I am def. going to need a snack.

Tonight We are going to our Chi-Chi little grocery/wine and beer bar. They are having a beer tasting..and my husband wants to partake. I'm hoping we are eating dinner there too..they have the most delicious looking organic food...I'll be sure to take pics!