Something New

Tonight's menu: teriyaki brown sugar glazed chicken breasts, quinoa, and a stir-fry mix of veggies that I chose not to stir-fry.

The chicken was easy enough. In a small bowl, combine 3-4 tbs teriyaki sauce (NOT the thick kind. It should be the same consistency as soy sauce), 1 tbs olive oil, 1 tbs brown sugar, garlic powder to taste, and onion powder to taste. Brush it liberally over boneless skinless chicken breasts and bake uncovered at 400* for 20 minutes. The glaze that runs off the chicken will probably burn a little on the pan, but that's okay. Still tastes good.

Be sure to cut into the thickest part. If there is no pink and the juices run clear, it's done.

I cheated with the veggies. Costco has a stir-sry frozen vegetable mix that I like. I didn't feel like stir-frying tonight, so I just boiled them and threw on some salt and pepper afterwards. They came out a little bland, and I probably could have spiced them up a bit by stir-frying, but I was tired and the Giant was demanding food by then.

They look pretty, even if they were boring for my taste buds.

And the thing that is new: QUINOA! Oh my goodness, why I haven't tried to cook this sooner I have no idea. For tonight, I did 1/2 cup quinoa, 1 cup chicken stock, a pinch of sea salt, poultry seasoning, garlic powder, and onion powder. Stir it all up and bring it to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Quinoa has a great nutty flavor and apparently it's considered a "super food". I'm loving it because it was delicious and a quick side to throw together. Quinoa will be gracing our table again for sure.

This may not look like much, but trust me. You have to try this. Your belly will thank you.

Now that tonight's meal is documented for posterity, I thought I'd talk about the importance of having a well-stocked spice cabinet. Investing in dried herbs and spices is the key to being able to prepare food that tastes good even if you have a slim budget. I always have the following things on hand (for this list, assume all herbs are dried):

Garlic powder

Onion powder

Rosemary

Thyme

Basil

Oregano

Sage

Ground ginger

Ground mustard

Cinnamon

Nutmeg

Chili powder

Cracked red pepper

Cumin (also called comino)

Sea salt

Black pepper corns

Seasoned salt

Various spice mixes

Olive Oil

White and Red cooking wines

Balsalmic vinegar

Corn starch

For baking, I always keep certain basic supplies on-hand as well. That way, I can whip up some cookies when a craving hits in the middle of the night, or make a mean loaf of bread in my bread machine. Here's the baking supply list:

White flour

Whole wheat flour

Sugars- white, brown, and confectioner's

Vanilla extract

Baking soda

Baking powder

Cocoa
Yeast

Various flavored extracts (lemon, mint, etc.)

If you can get things like these in your pantry, you might have a large expense once, but after you've made the initial purchases it becomes very affordable to keep them in stock as you run out. I buy the things I use the most in bulk at Costco.

What's your pantry must-have?