Precious China for Everyday?

I made an 'executive decision' just the other day. I inherited my Mom's Haviland china and it has resided in the china cabinet for many years. I used to bring it out on Thanksgiving, but was derided because of its small size...under 10" diameter. This past week I decided to start using it for lot of my everyday meals and it is featherweight and a delight to use. It is especially valuable because the factory where it was made was destroyed during WWII and the molds destroyed.

And guess what? The newest diet advice is to use smaller plates to encourage smaller portions. I measured plates in the dinnerware section of several stores and they are currently 11" in diameter.

It looks like my china from the 1930's is looking pretty modern.

Bon Appetit!

Why cook?

People want to know why I bother to cook. I tell them because I like to eat and don't like chain restaurants or prepared foods from the freezer section. Well, I forgot my own preferences and capitulated in the frozen foods aisle of Harris Teeter yesterday afternoon. I was hungry and Larry is out of town so I didn't have anybody to cook for.

I looked at the gorgeous photos on the frozen entrees and forgot that they most assuredly do NOT look like that on my dinner plate. I bought a nice asian bourbon chicken entree in a cute chinese takeout box. I did my usual add-ons, since there is never enough vegetables in these dinners. I put in more brocolli and some shredded carrot. Even steamed some fresh rice. Even with the add-ons it was pretty bad. Not sure what they do to the chicken in these frozen entrees, but it is pretty sad.

I should have thawed a Schwann's chicken breast (individually shrinkwrapped), chopped it up and stir fried it with some of my brocolli and carrots and onions and squeezed in some hoisin and soy sauce and it would have been wonderful with my steamed jasmine rice!

So NOW I remember why I never buy the name brand frozen entrees in the grocery store. My exception is anything Trader Joe's sells.

Waking Up

OK, so I've not posted since 2006 and it is now 2010. Am waking up, now that blogging is supposedly out of fashion! So stay tuned, I might even figure out how to post photos again.......

Chop-Chop

I have decided that from now on I am going to cut my boneless chicken breasts into chunks, stir-fry them and glaze them with something or pour a prepared sauce over them. I discovered a nice Indian style sauce that makes a wonderful meal. And as I was cooking it, I realized how much easier it was to cook these chicken chunks than it was to cook a whole boneless chicken breast. And you get a lot more browned surfaces. Here is a photo of the Indian sauce I purchased on the international aisle of my grocery store.