Yo Yo

Sometimes my feelings rise and fall like a yo-yo. The yo-yo is spinning at the top. I am filled with great appreciation for that what I have. I am lucky compared to many and I know it. I feel financially comfortable, loved and satisfied. Then, slowly the yo-yo slides to the bottom leaving me whiny, wanting and tearful (you remember, I cry a lot). The yo-yo moves smoothly up and down allowing me to wallow or rejoice for a reasonable amount of time. Then there is a flick of the wrist which causes the yo-yo to fly up and down, out of control. Fortunately, the yo-yo cannot sustain the energy required and eventually it sinks to the bottom, spinning slowly and eventually comes to a rest.

How do I "feed these feelings"? With the yo-yo diet of course! I looked yo-yo diet up on Wikipedia and here is what it says,

Yo-yo dieting or yo-yo effect, also known as weight cycling, is a term "yo-yo dieting" coined by Kelly D. Brownell at Yale University, in reference to the cyclical loss and gain of weight, resembling the up-down motion of a yo-yo. In this process, the dieter is initially successful in the pursuit of weight loss but is unsuccessful in maintaining the loss long-term and begins to gain the weight back. The dieter then seeks to lose the regained weight, and the cycle begins again.

That would be me, folks, and I guess many of you. I am getting better though, in that I eat healthier now than ever before. Portion control is not what it should be but what I eat is pretty darn good. I am now thinking about what to make for dinner.

I have a zillion leftovers in the fridge but cannot face any of them again. I have a serving of yummy mushroom soup made from the pound of crimini mushrooms hiding in the fridge that needed to be put to use NOW, before they turned to a slimy mess. I had sauteed them with onions and some garlic, simmered them in some Swanson chicken broth with parsley, rosemary and cayenne, added a little milk and finally whirred them into soup heaven with the use of my fabulous immersion blender.

There is some leftover Asian pasta salad made with rotini and loads of sauteed farmer's market veggies, coated with a dressing comprised of sesame oil, fish sauce, balsamic vinegar and honey. I made some shrimp and threw them in there as well. A perfect quick dinner before we headed for American Players Theater. I ate it again yesterday for lunch and heated it in a pan. It was equally as good hot.

So now I am faced with making dinner. My guy Tariq will be here around 8pm. I decide to use a recipe for cooking my boneless/skinless chicken thighs.. Often I read 10 recipes and then make it up myself. But tonight, I will try the following recipe from Cooking Light. I am always happy to use a well-reviewed recipe. I read a bunch of the comments, integrate them into my approach and then make it my own. I will let you know how it goes. I will be back in an hour....

Well Tariq was late but that is another blog entry. Despite that, the chicken was excellent and very easy. I roasted some quartered herbed Yukon Gold potatoes to have on the side. Thank you Cooking Light!

Photo by: Photo: Randy Mayor; Styling: Jan Gautro

Spicy Honey-Brushed Chicken Thighs

One of the most popular Cooking Light chicken recipes, these sweet and spicy grilled chicken thighs are flavored with chili powder, cumin, garlic and cider vinegar.

Cooking Light MARCH 2007

• Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 2 chicken thighs)

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon paprika

• 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
• Cooking spray
• 6 tablespoons honey
• 2 teaspoons cider vinegar

Preparation

Preheat broiler.
Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl. Add chicken to bowl; toss to coat. Place chicken on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Broil chicken 5 minutes on each side.
Combine honey and vinegar in a small bowl, stirring well. Remove chicken from oven; brush 1/4 cup honey mixture on chicken. Broil 1 minute. Remove chicken from oven and turn over. Brush chicken with remaining honey mixture. Broil 1 additional minute or until chicken is done.

Very hard to eat just two thighs!

Nutritional Information

Amount per serving

• Calories: 321
• Calories from fat: 31%
• Fat: 11g
• Saturated fat: 3g
• Monounsaturated fat: 4.1g
• Polyunsaturated fat: 2.5g
• Protein: 28g
• Carbohydrate: 27.9g
• Fiber: 0.6g
• Cholesterol: 99mg
• Iron: 2.1mg
• Sodium: 676mg
• Calcium: 21mg

Frenzy

 I was hired to do some training. Today I observe someone else teaching the same curriculum. I become increasingly anxious as masterful presenter makes it look easy. Why did I agree to do this? What do I know? I have no memory cells.  I am going to make a fool of myself. I have no idea how to prepare. Everyone hates me. I am too old for this. I should lose ten pounds in the next two weeks. The masterful trainer is really fit and always wears great clothes.

Finally it is over. Time to go home. It is 4:15 and I have a 40 minute drive. I listen to the end of a Walter Moseley, Easy Rawlins mystery. I am having trouble concentrating as I am still freaking out.

Stop at Jenifer St Market to buy a boneless skinless chicken breast and a jar of salsa verde..

Drop everything on hall floor. Barrel into the kitchen.

Hyperventilate.

Wash hands.

Frantically place on kitchen counter: The chicken breast, Penzey's Cajun Spice,ground Chipotle Pepper, kosher salt, olive oil, large sweet onion, a few min-peppers, bag of Creamers (little red new potatoes), package of Gitto's whole wheat tortilla's (purchased at the Farmer's Market).

Take off my shoes.

Take from cabinet, All-Clad 12" skillet (NOT non-stick), trusty small cast iron pan, small sauce pan.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Take slower deeper breaths. Start to feel the muscles in my neck begin to relax ever so slightly.

Wash hands.

Take off my pants and shirt. Put on comfy shorts and top.

Season chicken with loads of Cajun spice and chipotle pepper. Sprinkle generously with salt.

Wash hands.

Using my favorite Mac brand chef's knife, I peel onion and make fat slices.
Slice mini-peppers.


Place 5 little potatoes in small saucepan with cold salted water to cover. Place on high flame.

Pour a small amount of Tito's vodka over ice in my favorite glass (something I never let anyone else use), and take a big sip. Notice I am humming Ray Charles tune.

Heat All-Clad skillet on medium flame, add about 1T of olive oil, swirl, when hot, add chicken breast. Do not touch it. I trust that the breast which is now glued to the pan, will release when it is ready, all by itself, leaving behind a beautiful fond on the pan and crust on the chicken. When the breast releases, I flip it and do the same on the other side.

Eat two raw mini-peppers.

While the chicken is cooking, I get the small cast iron pan pretty hot and add 2 t of olive oil. I add onions and peppers, salt, pepper and the Cajun spice. Let the onion and peppers get soft and brown.

When the breast releases again, it is by no means cooked through. Now is the time to place it in the oven to finish cooking. Whenever the onions and peppers are done, I add them to the skillet in the oven.

When I can pierce those little potatoes with a sharp little knife, I drain them and cut them in quarters. I reheat the little cast-iron pan and pan roast the potatoes in there for about 10 minutes, getting them good and brown. I add a pinch of salt.

Using a meat thermometer,  I see the little dial reads 162 degrees. Out comes the chicken from the oven.  I let it rest 3 minutes and then slice it on the bias. I am too impatient to wait any longer.

I take my favorite dinner plate and cover it with one tortilla. I arrange a few slices of chicken in the middle of the tortilla and top it with some onions and peppers and a dollop of salsa verde. I fold it the best I can but it is a messy package. I place the little brown potatoes neatly beside my little bundle of joy.

I place the plate and my vodka on the kitchen counter. I hop up on my stool, push away some odds and ends and totally settle in. It is 5:45 pm.

My breaths come slowly. I let my cat climb on my lap. I open the newspaper and work on the puzzle. I take a bite. The chicken is moist and tender. The veggies are sweet and slightly charred. The salsa verde is just acidic enough. The potatoes are crisp and the vodka.... perfect.