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DIshing Up Dinner at Don's Rad Bachelor Pad |
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Written by Nancy Horn with assistance by Megan Gilman Photos by Peter Spain
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Thursday, 03 July 2008 |
Imagine your single guy friends’ house. Bikes in every corner, laundry piled up on the coffee table, lawn chairs in the living room, empty pizza boxes stacked on the top of the fridge, labe-free beer bottles littering the counter next to the “pizza cheese” packets, something resembling ranch dressing in the fridge (with a 2006 expiration date), and a big hairy dog who barks low when you ring the doorbell. The dog and your friend smell the same.
Now imagine your single guy friend’s house gone clean and modern. White everything, clutter-free surfaces, a gear room, organized sleep space, laundry and bathroom spaces hidden behind closet doors, soaring ceilings. The wood floors swept clean and an oversized bean bag the size of a bed taking up residence in front of a flat screen TV. The greeter is a cat. The fridge and freezer are equally clean and, um, clutter free; each object occupying its own visual space. An apple sits primly next to a bag of pine nuts, which politely keeps its distance from the baby carrots.
As we opened the fridge, freezer, and cupboards, a small wave of panic washed over us. Where was the butter? The spices? The fresh vegetables? The vinegar selection? This was truly a Dishing Up Dinner disaster waiting to happen, but then inspiration struck. And here are the delectable results.
Nancy Horn opened DISH Café & Catering in 2002. Megan Gilman has been spicing up the DISH for three years.
Zesty Greek Chicken
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, rinsed and patted dry
• 1 cup Greek yogurt
• 1 package McCormick Grill Mates: Garlic, Herb and Wine flavor
• olive oil
• salt
• greens in a bag
• pine Nuts
• sliced sourdough bread
1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. 2. In a glass Pyrex 9- by 9-inch square baking dish put the chicken. 3. Season with salt. Toss in the yogurt and smoosh the chicken around to cover both sides of all the breasts. 4. Add the seasoning mix and smoosh again, covering all of the breasts again with the new mixture. 5. Add about 4 tablespoons of olive oil to a pan big enough to cook all the chicken and set the pan over medium high heat. If you have a pan that does not heat evenly (Don?) then set the heat at medium, or you will burn your breasts. We don’t want that. Not after all the effort you have put in so far. 6. When the oil begins to shimmer carefully, add the chicken, laying each breast down away from you to avoid being splattered with hot oil. 7. Once all 4 breasts are in the pan, do not move them! That’s right. 8. Let em’ rip for a good 3 to 4 minutes till browned, then carefully flip with a tongs. 9. Cook another few minutes. 10. Transfer the pan to the oven until the internal temperature is 160 degrees. If you don’t have a thermometer, cut a piece of choices in half and see if the middle is cooked. Should be white not pink.
11. Remove to a cutting board and let rest for five minutes. 12. Slice each breast into thick pieces on the diagonal. 13. This will give you more surface area for the dressing you are about to make while the chicken is resting. 14. Shake the pine nuts in a dry pan over medium heat until they begin to brown. Toast the bread, one piece per person. 15. Arrange the greens on plates, add the sliced chicken, spoon with dressing and sprinkle with pine nuts. 16. Serve the toast on the side.
Yogurt makes a great marinade for chicken, lamb, and turkey. It’s a fast tenderizer and adds moisture and zing, and, bonus, it’s good for you.
Mod Red Treat (Serves 4 ultra cool dudes)
• 1 package strawberry Jell-O
• 2 cups boiling water
• 1 banana
1. Boil the water. 2. In another 9- by 9-inch glass Pyrex add the Jell-O and the boiling water. Note: this is 2 cups less water than the package calls for. 3. Do not fret. 4. Stir until the powder is dissolved. 5. Put the dish in the freezer. 6. In 15 minutes the Jell-O will be set. 7. Slice the banana and arrange in a clean, modern design on the shiny surface. Or make a smiley face.
8. Eat with gusto.
Any fruit can be used, especially berries this time of year. Just be sure to lay them on top of the Jell-O. Do not mix in. This would make your fruit gushy.
Dude Dressing Straight from the Fridge (Makes 1 cup)
• 2 tablespoons almond butter
• 4 tablespoons hummus
• 4 tablespoons white vinegar
• ½ cup olive oil
• pepper
1. Stir the almond butter and the hummus together (being that there was just about 2 tablespoons left, we did it right in the almond butter jar!). 2. Add the vinegar.
3. Stir. 4. Add the oil. You can use less if you want to. 5. Taste and add some pepper. 6. Drizzle over chicken and greens.
Use what’s left for dipping raw veggies or as a marinade for chicken another night.
If you’d like “Dishing Up Dinner” to ring your doorbell, contact new editor Lisa Ericson at
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