When I went to see Auntie Ina live in Hartford, she mentioned that there were three items that they sold at the Barefoot Contessa shop in East Hampton that kept them in business. One was coconut cupcakes, one was turkey meatloaf, and the other was Indonesian ginger chicken.
I had made the meatloaf and cupcakes before and they are both amazing. Such a pity that I will have to make them again as part of this challenge....wink, wink!
However, I had not tried the chicken recipe. I didn't even remember seeing it in all of the times I paged through the book. I guess it never stood out. After she mentioned it, I checked out the recipe as soon as I got home and I was surprised at how simple it was.
Five ingredients. That's it.
Soy sauce, honey, ginger, chicken and garlic.
The key is marinating the chicken. Of course I totally screwed it up and did not marinate it for as long as Auntie suggests, which is overnight. Honestly, I think I gave it about 5 hours in the marinade.
It's ridiculously easy, all you need to do it mix the marinade and pour it over the chicken...whole parts, not cutlets. Cover and marinade in refrigerator overnight, then bake.
I didn't see what all the fuss was about when I tried it. It certainly wasn't bad, but in the Barefoot Contessa shop top THREE? I don't get it. I will have to try it again and let it sit for the full overnight and see if that makes a difference, but I have a suspicion it isn't going to all of a sudden make me hear the angels sing when I try it.
Since I was on vacation when I made it, I only took one quick picture with my iPhone.
Way, way better than Auntie's Indonesian Ginger Chicken was one of her Food Network contemporaries recipes. Yes, yes. I cheated on Auntie again. With The Pioneer Woman. There was a time where I would say/sing that "One of these things is not like the other, one of these things just isn't the same" but now that Ina is slinging frozen slop in WalMart I can't be a snob about Pioneer Woman. I needed something fast and easy, and there was a potato recipe that I had seen on Pinterest that I wanted to try.
Crash Hot Potatoes.
Oh, yeah. Love at first sight! These are not difficult to make, and so delicious that they were the first thing gone at the dinner table that night. So delicious that I made them again a few days later...and found an easy cheat to cut out at least 20 minutes of cooking time.
The recipe calls for little potatoes to be boiled, then put on an oiled baking sheet. Using a potato masher, press down until they resemble the photo. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, pepper and herbs and bake. This is how I cooked them the first time.
The second time I did it, I picked up some potatoes at Target in the produce section. They were in a bag that could be microwaved, cutting out the boiling time and having to mess up a pot. I was able to cook them in 6 minutes and then proceed. So much easier! Again, gone before everything else on the table.
So my suggestion? Indonesian Ginger Chicken...try it. It isn't bad. It isn't the best. It isn't difficult or messy, so why not? Crash Hot Potatoes? MAKE THEM RIGHT NOW!
Here are the recipes:
Indonesian Ginger Chicken
Crash Hot Potatoes
I had made the meatloaf and cupcakes before and they are both amazing. Such a pity that I will have to make them again as part of this challenge....wink, wink!
However, I had not tried the chicken recipe. I didn't even remember seeing it in all of the times I paged through the book. I guess it never stood out. After she mentioned it, I checked out the recipe as soon as I got home and I was surprised at how simple it was.
Five ingredients. That's it.
Soy sauce, honey, ginger, chicken and garlic.
The key is marinating the chicken. Of course I totally screwed it up and did not marinate it for as long as Auntie suggests, which is overnight. Honestly, I think I gave it about 5 hours in the marinade.
It's ridiculously easy, all you need to do it mix the marinade and pour it over the chicken...whole parts, not cutlets. Cover and marinade in refrigerator overnight, then bake.
I didn't see what all the fuss was about when I tried it. It certainly wasn't bad, but in the Barefoot Contessa shop top THREE? I don't get it. I will have to try it again and let it sit for the full overnight and see if that makes a difference, but I have a suspicion it isn't going to all of a sudden make me hear the angels sing when I try it.
Since I was on vacation when I made it, I only took one quick picture with my iPhone.
Way, way better than Auntie's Indonesian Ginger Chicken was one of her Food Network contemporaries recipes. Yes, yes. I cheated on Auntie again. With The Pioneer Woman. There was a time where I would say/sing that "One of these things is not like the other, one of these things just isn't the same" but now that Ina is slinging frozen slop in WalMart I can't be a snob about Pioneer Woman. I needed something fast and easy, and there was a potato recipe that I had seen on Pinterest that I wanted to try.
Crash Hot Potatoes.
Oh, yeah. Love at first sight! These are not difficult to make, and so delicious that they were the first thing gone at the dinner table that night. So delicious that I made them again a few days later...and found an easy cheat to cut out at least 20 minutes of cooking time.
The recipe calls for little potatoes to be boiled, then put on an oiled baking sheet. Using a potato masher, press down until they resemble the photo. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, pepper and herbs and bake. This is how I cooked them the first time.
The second time I did it, I picked up some potatoes at Target in the produce section. They were in a bag that could be microwaved, cutting out the boiling time and having to mess up a pot. I was able to cook them in 6 minutes and then proceed. So much easier! Again, gone before everything else on the table.
So my suggestion? Indonesian Ginger Chicken...try it. It isn't bad. It isn't the best. It isn't difficult or messy, so why not? Crash Hot Potatoes? MAKE THEM RIGHT NOW!
Here are the recipes:
Crash Hot Potatoes
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