It may not be the most technical, mind-blowing, absolutely amazing dish of the year but it was the last one for 2014. That counts for something. It did get hubby's double thumbs-up - a rare and therefore dearly coveted occurrence.
The chicken breasts were seasoned with olive oil, salt, pepper, and thyme. Grilled on the TV grill - it was hubby's and I admit I have no idea where he got it nor even if they are still available. I do know they work fantastic for chicken, fish, and beef patties - the meat stays moist without being oily.
The green beans were steamed for 7 minutes. While that was going on, I diced one brown onion and started browning it and one clove of garlic (with some olive oil, of course) in my trusty electric wok. Then I added a handful of raw almonds and stirfried the lot while waiting for the green beans to finish. Once the microwave beeped, I added the green beans to the wok, seasoned the mix with salt and pepper, and continued to stirfry for another minute or two. Put the lid on the wok and switched it off.
While the chicken and green beans were resting, I arranged the salad on the plates. It consisted of cocktail tomatoes, cucumber slices, pitted olives and feta cheese. By the time that's done, the chicken and veggies are ready to be eaten. Boy, did those flavours complement each other.
Simple, straightforward and foolproof. Exactly what a relaxed new year's dinner should be. Just what you need to get you through a wild night out.
Of course, I decided that I just HAD to give the cupcake maker I got from hubby a whirl and so I whipped up a batch of carrot cake mix. The same I documented in a previous post, but halved. It works great. Super fast, the cupcakes don't stick and they taste DELICIOUS. Highly recommended.
We welcomed in the new year reclining on a blanket laid out in the garden (under the stars and odd firework every now and then) with tummies full of yummy and a glass of MCC to top it all off. I have a feeling 2015 is going to be something special indeed.
The chicken breasts were seasoned with olive oil, salt, pepper, and thyme. Grilled on the TV grill - it was hubby's and I admit I have no idea where he got it nor even if they are still available. I do know they work fantastic for chicken, fish, and beef patties - the meat stays moist without being oily.
The green beans were steamed for 7 minutes. While that was going on, I diced one brown onion and started browning it and one clove of garlic (with some olive oil, of course) in my trusty electric wok. Then I added a handful of raw almonds and stirfried the lot while waiting for the green beans to finish. Once the microwave beeped, I added the green beans to the wok, seasoned the mix with salt and pepper, and continued to stirfry for another minute or two. Put the lid on the wok and switched it off.
While the chicken and green beans were resting, I arranged the salad on the plates. It consisted of cocktail tomatoes, cucumber slices, pitted olives and feta cheese. By the time that's done, the chicken and veggies are ready to be eaten. Boy, did those flavours complement each other.
Simple, straightforward and foolproof. Exactly what a relaxed new year's dinner should be. Just what you need to get you through a wild night out.
Of course, I decided that I just HAD to give the cupcake maker I got from hubby a whirl and so I whipped up a batch of carrot cake mix. The same I documented in a previous post, but halved. It works great. Super fast, the cupcakes don't stick and they taste DELICIOUS. Highly recommended.
We welcomed in the new year reclining on a blanket laid out in the garden (under the stars and odd firework every now and then) with tummies full of yummy and a glass of MCC to top it all off. I have a feeling 2015 is going to be something special indeed.