I had big plans last Friday. I had a hankering for grilled steak with fresh corn, green beans and some perfectly ripe cherry tomatoes. In fact, I even bought all of my ingredients while I was at work (yay for being a meat distributor — a good steak is easy to find!) and biked them all the way home. The bike ride was not fun, and might be why you do not see a picture of a fat grilled steak at the top of this post.
See, when you bike a backpack brimming with goodies uphill 8 miles on a sunny Friday afternoon it does something to your motivation level — like kill it completely.
As I was unpacking all the groceries, I spied a bag of chicken wings in the fridge and suddenly the thought of starting up a grill seemed like too much effort. And the thought of chicken wings sounded like the most brilliant idea ever.
I have talked before about my serious love for my grandmother’s chicken wings. They are Heaven on Earth. They are the reason I keep five-pound bags of frozen wings on hand at all times — because it just doesn’t make sense to make any less than that. I can eat about a third of a batch in a single sitting. It’s not pretty, but it’s true.
So…my grilled steak turned into this:
And my sautéed vegetables turned into this:
And even though that steak is still languishing sadly in my fridge, I don’t feel any regrets. Maybe today will be its day to shine…or maybe not. It’s hard to say.
Click here for chicken wing recipe — it’s so easy it’ll blow your mind!
Asian-Style Succotash
- Half of a yellow onion, sliced thinly
- 2 TB or so of minced ginger and garlic
- 1 TB or so of minced Serrano chili pepper (optional)
- 2 ears of corns (or about 1 cup of thawed kernels), taken off the cob — make sure you scrape the cob to get all of the milky goodness
- A half pound or so of blanched green beans
- Fresh lime juice to taste
- Soy sauce, sesame oil and fish sauce to taste
- White & black sesame seeds for garnish (and pretty edible flowers if you have them!)
- Ripe and delicious cherry tomatoes, halved (optional)
Sauté the onion, garlic, ginger and pepper until tender. Add the corn and beans and toss until everything is hot. Season to taste with the rest of the ingredients. Top with sesame seeds and tomatoes and dig in!
Hmmm! Those chicken wings look a whole lot better than when I cook them up and serve them. I don’t know how you do it!
So it’s the electric frying pan! That’s it…I wondered why they haven’t turned out the same since I got rid of the old electric skillet. Bad choice.
It is TOTALLY the electric frying pan. I tried making them once without it and they didn’t turn out at all. It was so sad. In fact, these wings are the only reason I actually own an electric frying pan! =)
Your vegetables look so vibrant and colorful! I love my mom’s sweet and sour chicken wings, but I haven’t made them in years. Thanks for the reminder! I can’t wait to try yours 🙂
Yum! sweet and sour wings sounds amazing! Do you have the recipe for them? I’d love to try something new.
That looks beautiful! I like that you have a good capacity for great food! Think: our dim sum visit.
And our visits to the Gilt! It is a really good thing I ride my bike to work, because I can definitely eat a whole lot of food. Though the first time I met you, I think you outlasted me — which hardly ever happens!
Well, it was the adrenaline rush of being in Portland for a visit and visiting with you and my wonderful son.
I’m anxiously awaiting your next visit!!
“I can eat about a third of a batch in a single sitting. It’s not pretty, but it’s true.” It’s the fact that you will admit things like this that makes me respect you. 🙂 Beautiful pictures, by the way!
I like that you find my honesty endearing! =) And thanks! I have been loving the summer sunshine for some natural light. Gotta get it while it lasts!
I imagine that bike ride would have killed my motivation, too. But you cooked anyway! this looks so delish.
It was fantastic. I love it when my laziness is rewarded! =)