Restaurant Quality at Home

In these recent times of economic struggle, home cooking has made its way to the front pages of most of the dining sections I read. So, when I am invited to my friends, Stephanie and Aaron's apartment for dinner, I rarely turn down the invitation; especially considering they are some of the more daring home cooks I know.

When I lived with Stephanie in college, she often took the reins in the kitchen, so you can imagine my surprise when she told me that Aaron often played executive chef to her sous chef. Our meals in college were simple and good, but now, dinners at their house usually entail trying out a new recipe from one of their countless cookbooks with their own spin.

On a recent visit, they were busy in the kitchen creating a new twist on a common dinner ingredient, chicken. Cutting boards were a plenty with numerous vegetables spread out on their counter top. Tomatoes and onions were being chopped, mangoes were sliced and the pre-cut zucchini was drying out in a bowl while chicken was marinating in mango sauce. All the ingredients were going to be combined into Mango Chicken with Salsa and Sauteed Zucchini.

After the chicken had marinated for some time, the boneless, skinless breasts were sauteed on their griddle top. As the chicken cooked, the zucchini, which had been drying out in a bowl with some salt, pepper and chopped garlic were tossed into a large skillet with a little olive oil, red pepper flakes and herbs de Provence which was then cooked until tender. When it was all done, the raw tomatoes and onions were combined and lightly dressed in some oil and pepper and put aside until it came time put it all together.

This, is where I came in. As Stephanie and Aaron got their drinks and brought them to the table, I assembled the meal so their hard work looked as good as it tasted. With the zucchini as the perfect base, the chicken was placed on top with the slices of mango and the salsa finishing off the dish and creating a beautiful looking meal.

While we didn't want to mess up what we had all completed, our stomachs thought otherwise and we happily obliged. The chicken was light, with the mango adding a refreshing sweetness. The salsa placed atop added a spicy twist with the zucchini being the perfect crunch to the tender chicken and soft mangoes. As we ate, we all agreed, that, just because you're cooking at home, doesn't mean you can't feel like you're eating out!

For great home recipes, I visit: www.epicurious.com or www.foodnetwork.com