Hello, out there. Sorry about my hiatus last week. I was home on vacation, during which — many of you already know — I used to clean and reorganize my kitchen. Yes, I really know how to live.
It was one of those things that could not wait another moment. I was tearing my hair out trying to get bowls and dishes out of the cupboards, getting the cupboards to close, stepping over Matchbox cars, finding utensils, using counter space. Those, and everyone’s favorites: finding pot lids, keeping plastic containers together, opening drawers without destroying my whisks, losing track of small children.
▀ Kids toys went first. My kitchen is no longer a play room.
▀ Everything came out of the cupboards while I hung new shelves.
▀ Garage sale box, filled.
▀ Kids bowls and cup, gone.
▀ Nylon utensils, gone. I was sick of melting the handles next to the stove.
▀ Swore off small appliances forever.
▀ Recipes saved “to make sometime” gone to a better place.
▀ Bread box, purchased
▀ Cookbooks, downstairs.
▀ Fancy table cloths, downstairs.
▀ Blender and espresso machine, downstairs.
▀ Picnic supplies, downstairs.
▀ Booze moved to higher ground.
▀ Spices inventoried, labeled and alphabetized.
It was beautiful.
Then I cooked for a few future Loaves & Dishes columns, apparently while channeling a Tasmanian Devil. Took me hours to clean up. I might never cook again.
But if I do, Sesame Chicken Salad will be my first dish.

In the meantime, I’ll give away a couple of new cookbooks.
I got a lot of response to “Simple Shortcut Recipes,” from Gooseberry Patch. Linna Turner is the lucky winner. I’ll pop it in the mail today.

Next week’s drawing will be for a great-looking book from Weber, the grill company, written by one of my favorite cookbook authors Jamie Purviance. It’s called "Weber's Smoke: A Guide to Smoke Cooking for Everyone and Any Grill"
Smoking food is really trendy, and I’m sure it’s tasty, but if I said I’d have time to try a recipe from it, all I’d be eating would be my words.

If you’re up for a challenge, send an email to jennie.geisler@timesnews.com with your NAME, MAILING ADDRESS and NAME OF THE COOKBOOK. I’ll draw next week. I promise.

In the meantime, here’s a good-looking recipe I came across this week.

SESAME CHICKEN SALAD
Vinaigrette:
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
1 teaspoon bottled minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
Salad:
2 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast
2 cups thinly sliced napa (Chinese) cabbage
1 cup red bell pepper strips
1 cup fresh bean sprouts
1 cup grated carrot
2 tablespoons chopped green onions
1 teaspoon sesame seeds, toasted
1. To prepare vinaigrette, combine first 6 ingredients, stirring with a
whisk.
2. To prepare salad, combine chicken and next 5 ingredients (through
onions) in a large bowl. Drizzle with vinaigrette, tossing gently to
coat. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Makes 4 servings
Per serving
Calories: 256
Calories from fat: 31%
Fat: 8.8g
Saturated fat: 2g
Monounsaturated fat: 3.6g
Polyunsaturated fat: 2.5g
Protein: 31.9g
Carbohydrate: 12.1g
Fiber: 3g
Cholesterol: 74mg
Iron: 2mg
Sodium: 654mg
Calcium: 54mg

– Recipe du Jour