Category: Rice Pilaf


Inspiration is everywhere! Muse is a fickle friend. I got the inspiration for this dish from seeing a marinade bottle.

I seasoned this chicken breast in ground and fresh grated ginger; a little thyme, sage, and ground mustard; with a dash of garlic with sea salt and cajun seasoning. I injected it with injectable marinade and then coated it with just a little sesame ginger marinade. I then baked it.

The rice is a mixture of long grain and wild rice. I added a small amount of sesame seed oil, sliced almonds, and a hand full of sesame seeds to give in a more Asian flavor. I also seasoned it with ginger, garlic, sea salt, and a splash of soy sauce.

I made a dipping sauce out of a little of the sesame ginger marinade, teriyaki sauce, fresh ginger, garlic, and sesame seeds. I also paired this dish with a Japanese beer Kirin Ichiban. If you like beer and haven’t tried it, What are you waiting for?

It may not be authentic or found in a hibachi grill, but this Asian inspired dish was delicious and very easy to make!

Dinner with Friends

I have recently discovered a wonderful invention….. Oven Roasting Bags! Not only does it keep food from cooking into and caking onto my pans, it helps my food cook evenly and keeps on the juices and seasoning locked into the meat. I honestly used to think that to be a good cook I had to do everything the long or hard way. If I still thought that, I’d never do anything but cook! I have a job, a family, school work, and a life! So I realized, you can take some short cuts and the food still tastes wonderful. Which is what really matters anyway…. Not how you got there.

So last night I had some wonderful long lost friends come over. I made a chuck roast and potatoes marinated in garlic and herbs in an oven roasting bag. I also served long grain and wild rice pilaf with almonds and a nice simple side salad. I felt that the roast came out a bit tough and I wish I had the time to marinade it over night like usual. There was a comment that the rice tasted buttery (which isn’t necessarily bad thing if you like buttery). This comment lead to several minutes of trying to figure out why, because I had not added butter. 🙂 I’m not sure if we ever came to a conclusion…. But I love you anyway Brandon. All in all it was a good meal and a great evening with friends. I couldn’t have asked for a better night!

20120630-092348.jpg