I outdid myself this time

 

Times are tough. I'd say things are about as bad as I can remember, and I became an adult just in time to encounter WIN (Whip Inflation Now, for you youngsters) buttons. Passing a gas station these days causes a spontaneous clenching of the rectum, even if you own a small, 4-cylinder car like we do, having always eschewed SUVs. Food prices are soaring and "specials" are becoming fewer and further between.

There's really not much comfort in knowing that everyone is feeling the pinch these days. In my book, misery really doesn't love company because then misery has to listen to company complain about all of his/her problems and, seriously, I hate to whine just to be pre-empted by someone else's tales of woe. Sure things could be a lot worse, but that sentiment really takes the winds out of the sails of the bitch ship, doesn't it?

So when Lindsay said she and Ryan were coming over for dinner and that they would bring the salad, I looked for the least expensive way to make a really tasty meal for us without paying much money. One thing Rob and I have noticed is that it's often less expensive to buy 15 pounds of meat than it is to buy 2 pounds. So we often end up with the "family" sized packages and I make enough for us to eat for two or three days, but we still end up throwing out an inordinate amount of food.

I went shopping for a meal by looking for what's on special, which is how I plan meals in tough economic times. Boneless, skinless, chicken breasts were selling for the same price as boneless, skinless thighs, which were also on sale. Since we're all also trying to eat healthier, I got the breasts. I also noticed pineapples were on sale and, using a trick from Cook's Illustrated (you pull one of the leaves from the top of the crown and if comes out easily the pineapple is ripe) I picked out a good one.

There had also been a sale of Trader Joe's Soy-yaki sauce, which is a version of Veri Veri Teriyaki. I'd also picked up some Trader Joe's grill seasoning because it really looked good (it has garlic, onion and all kinds of pepper flakes and cumin seeds).

Some neighbors had also stopped by a few days ago with a big bag of apricots they were looking to unload. Ventura County use to be one of the top apricot producers in the country. In fact, one of our local towns, Moorpark, was named after an apricot. With a surfeit of fruit and a teryaki theme, my idea of making a warm fruit salad seemed a logical extension.

The resulting dish was really quite tasty, if I may say so myself. In fact I outdid myself this time.

We use the phrase "outdid yourself this time" in memory of a repulsive friend of my nephew Sean who came to stay with us for a few months after we bought our house back in 2001 (the best investment of my life -- even AFTER the market crash).

Kyle was a smarmy ass who wove fanciful tales about his acting and pretty much everything else. One day I'd prepared a meal and invited the boys down for a taste. Kyle came up to me, his sunglasses dangling from his shirt in that completely asshat way of the clueless. He swung his arm around my shoulders -- a very unwelcome gesture -- and proclaimed, "Anne, you've really outdone yourself this time," in his best, booming man-voice. OK Kyle? I don't even KNOW you so how the hell would you know if I've even "done myself" this time, much less "outdone myself." Of course the phrase is now part of the family lexicon.

This recipe combines ease of preparation with wallet-friendliness.

Teryaki chicken and grilled fruit salad

4 whole skinless, boneless chicken breasts cut into two pieces
6 chicken legs (these are usually inexpensive and people love them)
Veri Veri (or Trader Joe's Soy-aki) Teriyaki sauce (the kind with sesame seeds)
Trader Joe's barbecue grill & broil seasoning (this is salt free with mustard, red pepper flakes, garlic and onion flakes, thyme and whole cumin)
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

Place chicken in container and cover with teryaki, seasoning and ginger and let marinade for a half hour in the refrigerator. Remember, the chicken should be always refrigerated as it is a veritable petri dish of bacteria. You should never marinate chicken breasts more than about a half hour or the meat gets mushy; chicken meat is pretty delicate. Grill over low flame (I preheat the grill on high and then lower it just before I put the chicken on) for about 10 to 15 minutes a side (start with 10 minutes on each side and then turn and cook as needed to cook the chicken through)

Fruit salad
1 whole fresh pineapple, cut up into 8 spears, with each spear cut in half
10 whole apricots, pitted and cut in half
2-3 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon grated ginger
Juice of 1 orange
1/4 cup coarsely chopped mint leaves

Put the fruit in a plastic bowl. Mix the honey, mint, ginger and orange juice and pour over the fruit. Let sit for about 15 minutes. Take the fruit out, leaving the juice behind, and grill using either a grill skillet, which we have (it's a skillet with holes all around the bottom, that's designed to be used on a grill) or make an aluminum cooking tray by folding a sheet of heavy-duty aluminum in half and poking holes through it. Grill over high heat for about 5 to 10 minutes or until the pineapple just starts to color. Put fruit back in with the juice and toss. Place mint leaves on top.

But you might not want to serve this just after someone has passed a gas station, because I don't know about you, but I lose my appetite each time I see how much the stuff costs.