Google Cooking: Chicken, Pineapple, Rice

As I believe I've mentioned, we've been trying to save money lately, and one way we're doing that is by actually cooking real food at home, rather that going out to eat all the time or buying a lot of convenience food.

Huh. What a concept.

I'm also trying to be smarter about our grocery shopping, looking at the what's on hand and what's on sale before planning the menu, and then looking for the best deals once we're at the store.

This week, I went all out, and even split the shopping between two different stores, to get sale items at each.

A couple of days before the shopping trip, was poking around in the cabinet for something, and came across some wierd stuff.

Well, not wierd-wierd, but stuff we don't usually eat. Ingredients we bought for specific recipes that we ended up not making.

So, I told Shrike that "We're Google cooking this week!"

"What the hell is Google cooking," you ask?

It's simple. You look at what you have on hand, think "How the hell is this a meal?" then type 3 ingredients (or more, but 3's probably the ideal) into Google.

In theory, it will come back with several recipes calling for those 3 things.

I got two or three meal ideas for this week that way. And - bonus - one of them called for a fourth ingredient that we also had on hand!

Googling "Chicken, Pineapple, Rice" (I think) gave me a recipe for Chicken Pineapple Stir-Fry, which I made for lunch today.

As usual, I modified it bit, based on what we had on hand and personal preference.

(Although, oddly enough, not leaving out the broccoli, even though I don't like it.)

It's definitely a "keeper."

Here's what I ended up doing:

Pineapple - Chicken Stir-Fry
Serves Two-ish

Ingredients
1/4 c. soy sauce

2 tbsp. cornstarch

Dash Cinnamon
(Recipe called for 1/2 tsp ginger, but I didn't have any. So I threw this in instead. Don't know if you could even taste it, but it seemed like a good idea at the time. Feel free to omit, or go with the ginger. Just don't let me find out about it.)

8 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1" pieces
(Recipe called for "chicken breast halves, skinned and boned." What the fuck ever. Saving money is great, but I'm more than willing to pay extra to get my chicken-titties already sans skin and bones, and chopped into nice little strips. Because I'm that lazy.)

Dash of garlic powder
(Recipe called for one clove, but we never have the real stuff, and Shrike's not a fan, so I try to go easy on it, for her sake, although I can't get enough if the stuff. The things we do for love. Feel free to use a clove, or about a teaspoon powdered.)

1 (8 oz.) can unsweetened crushed pineapple, undrained
(Recipe called for chunks, but I had crushed. I prefer it because you get the flavor with out big pieces, since there's something I don't like about pineapple chunks. Texture maybe?)

6 oz. fresh broccoli, cut into flowerets
(Despite the fact that I don't like broccoli)

½ cup onion, chopped

1 cup bell pepper, various colors, cut into ½-inch pieces
(I used equal amounts of green, red and yellow.)

1 cup hot cooked rice
(I'm all about the boil-in bags. I've no clue how to cook rice without them. Something about a pot, and water?)

1. Combine soy sauce, cinnamon/ginger and cornstarch in a small bowl, and let sit.
2. Stir-fry chicken and garlic in a preheated skillet or wok, 2-3 minutes until chicken looks done-ish.
3. Add pineapple and vegetables. Cover and cook 3-4 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender.
4. Add soy sauce mixture and stir-fry until sauce bubbles and thickens.
5. Serve over hot cooked rice.

"Whozat+In+The+Kitchen" "Money+Money+Money"