Ug. This dinner was subpar. And took forever because I effed up the brown rice. And I think I also added too much paprika to the rub, or too much worchestershire to the sauce. Whatever it was, I wish this dinner kinda didn't even happen.... Orange Chicken with Golden Raisins and Figs (sounds good, right? wrong) Ingredients: Sauce 1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped yellow onions 2 cups peeled and cubed white potatoes 1/4 cup golden raisins 1/2 cup whole Black Mission figs 1 1/2 cups fresh orange juice, strained 4 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce 1/2 teaspoon curry powder 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce Chicken 1.5 pounds chicken breast, cut in pieces 1 teaspoon salt Several grindings of black pepper 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice 1/2 teaspoon paprika 4 1/2 teaspoons olive oil Preparation 1. Prepare the sauce. Combine all the ingredients in a medium-size bowl and set aside. 2. Prepare the chicken. Rinse the chicken under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels. Place on a plate. 3. Combine the salt, pepper, garlic powder, allspice, and paprika in a small bowl. Rub the spices into the chicken skin. 4. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. When the oil is very hot, add the chicken pieces and brown, cooking for 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Pour the sauce over the chicken and simmer, covered, over medium heat until the chicken is cooked through and very moist, 30 to 45 minutes. 5. Serve the chicken pieces over quinoa, with the sauce spooned on top. I cooked the quinoa in chicken stock and added parsley at the end. **** Can I just say how I'm totally not into this project anymore? I think I lost my interest a few weeks ago. I just want a break where I don't have to think about dinner, and I can just eat any old thing. Like tuna fish. Or a turkey sandwich. But no. I've given myself a goal, a task to complete, and my dogged determination will most likely win out. A few side effects: I have started empathizing with my mother. Back in high school, I just did not understand what it meant to hold down a job, and then come home and cook for a family of four. What if you didn't feel like cooking? What if you didn't like cooking in general? And then, what if your obnoxious teenage son gives you lip about washing the dishes? Tonight I talked with my mom on the phone. I asked her what I she thought I should cook for dinner- especially when I didn't feel like cooking. "Oh, Evan," she said "Just throw everything in a pot. Chicken Breast. Potato. Baby Carrot. I love that stuff." But. Somehow that didn't sound appetizing! So I asked my dad. "Just google "chicken" and "fruit" and you'll come up with something good." Hmm, Ok. So I looked up on a few recipe sites for chicken and kiwi, as dad suggested. Hmm, didn't see anything. Then, "chicken" and "fig" and came up with the above. "Oh!" Dad said, "That sounds good!" Tonight is day 79. I have three more weeks of this bullshit. I started this so I would get more interested in cooking. I live right next to a whole food grocer that's expensive, so out of convenience, I've ended up spending a pretty penny for some of these meals- probably comparable to what I would have spent eating out at a restaurant. What's the point, right? I mean, I still fuck up brown rice. I'm still making crap with raisins and figs and potatoes and paprika. For a while, the point was about being social with my friends. Making the event of eating a special event, and not just another night sitting in front of the computer eating tuna fish. I think now that I am starting to get busy with other projects- radio deadlines, things I want to get finished, other social events at night- I just don't have that much interest in making dinner, and photographing it, a priority. But. It still is. At least, for the next 21 days.

Prep. Follow me along on a 365 Days project and you'll see that I include my "self" in myriad ways. In 2007, I even included the snow angel imprint left by my body in the snow - stretching the rules, sure but I didn't mind. In this image, I'm there, just barely. My relationship with food is complicated, as it is for many people. I could probably write a post every day of this 365 unraveling the knots I've tied in my head over food. But right now, food and I are on pretty good terms. I have a sense of peace, of enjoyment, of creativity, of satisfaction and of control (not of the "white knuckle" kind, either) about food. One lifestyle change I made in 2009 was to reduce the amount of red meat my family and I consume, as part of an overall plan to generally reduce my saturated fat intake given my dad's family history of arterial blockage and arteriosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries. One big switch I made was to alter my interpretation of my mom's chili recipe - a favorite from childhood - using extra lean (99% fat free) ground turkey breast instead of ground sirloin (and that was a step down from ground chuck, which my mom still uses). My WHOLE family eats this - no small miracle given my ultra-finicky family. Here you go. If you try it, let me know how you liked it! Ingredients 2 T extra virgin olive oil 1 pound extra lean (99% Fat Free) ground turkey breast 1 medium raw onion, diced 1/2 of a red bell Pepper, Raw, diced 1/2 of an orange bell Pepper, diced 1 T cracked black pepper 1 t Kosher Salt 1 t ground cumin 1 cup (can) Hunt's Fire Roasted Tomatoes - not drained 1 can (40 oz.) Brooks Chili Hot Beans (Red Beans in Chili Sauce) 1 cup (can) Chick Peas (garbanzo beans), drained 1/4 cup Tomato Paste 2 T ketchup Drizzle olive oil in bottom of stock pot Add onion and bell pepper to oil and saute lightly Add turkey and spices and stir till cooked Add remaining ingredients, stir well, and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and cook 1 hour. Remember that chili is an art, not a science. Play around with the ingredients. I add black olives or corn some weeks, and you can top it with low fat cheese, sour cream or oyster crackers. I know those Brooks chili beans aren't available everywhere, but you can substitute kidney beans and your own chili seasonings instead. I use them mainly because it reminds me of the chili I grew up with. Also, the ketchup seems redundant with the tomato paste, but it works. I don't know why, but it does and it's another ingredient my mom always added so I kept it in there but use organic ketchup just because it tastes better. 01.06.10