Man, I really love to prep for cooking!! I have such a great time cutting peppers (especially when I use different colors), mincing garlic, grating ginger, whatever it takes. Tonight's recipe called for quite a bit of prep and since I was doubling the recipe to accommodate feeding a guest and taking leftovers for lunch, our Cutco knives got their workout! We originally invested in Cutco knives (yes...invested) because Kevin did so much of the cooking that he needed good knives. Now I think I'm having more of the fun! Tonight was a first for a couple of ingredients. I had my first encounter with fresh ginger. I've never even smelled ginger by itself before...I've been missing out! It smelled SO good I wished I could have used it as a room deodorizer, haha!! And, the smell of it made me realize that I've had it many times before when we've eaten out; I just didn't know what that smell was! It was also the first time I've used wheat spaghetti, this time for lo mein. For this recipe, it was really yummy! Instead of being nervous about trying things new, I'm becoming excited when i get to use a new ingredient. :)
I paired the meal with jasmine rice, because I honestly didn't know if I'd made enough. Turns out it was plenty and the rice won't be something I'll need to add next time. But, it didn't hurt it either. The recipe turned out wonderfully, with Kevin saying it was "awesome." He makes a killer chicken teriyaki and I was afraid this would either be too close to that...or taste awful, but it really was good. With my variation of the recipe, I had to use six tablespoons of soy sauce (for three chicken breasts...) and it wasn't nearly as salty as I predicted it was going to be. I was very pleasantly surprised. :) Next time though, I will be adding water chestnuts. I love their crunch and mild flavors and when mixed with peppers they're delicious! I also used half of what was suggested for broccoli and that turned out just fine as well.So, yet another recipe that I can thank Mark for and try again soon! It's almost time to grocery shop again...I can't wait to see what's next!!!