This entree took less than 30 minutes to prepare, and there was very little clean-up (even less if you’re not accident prone) and it tasted pretty good, too.

Pineapple Chicken Stir-Fry was hardly “one teaspoon from disaster,” although I did accidentally spill some of the marinade ... but only about a tablespoon or so.

The dish was light and healthy. The sauce isn’t too overpowering, and maybe could use a kick, depending on your tastes. I added a few squirts of Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce to give it some zip.

I give this dish three-and-a-half out of four cups on my own little scale for success.

Try this it and let me know what you think. You can post some thoughts on this site, just click on the "comments" link below.

Also, keep the recipes coming. (Thanks to Sally for this good one.) I’ll whip up some of them and post the results online. You can Submit them by CLICKING HERE

Pineapple Chicken Stir-Fry

Ingredients
1/4 C. soy sauce
2 Tbs. sugar
1 Tbs. cider vinegar
1 Tbs. ketchup
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
2 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 package (16 oz.) frozen stir-fry veggies
1 can (8 oz.) unsweetened pineapple chunks
cooked rice
Directions
In a small bowl, combine the first six ingredients; set aside. In a large skillet or wok, stir-fry chicken in oil for about five minutes over medium heat. Add veggies; stir-fry for 3-4 minutes or until crisp. Stir in pineapple and reserved soy sauce mixture; heat through. Serve over rice. Serves six.

Posted by · June 28, 2005 12:17 AM · Comments (1)

I've just returned from a journalism conference, and I may be worse off than when I left Abilene.

Let me explain.

The conference itself was wonderful -- enlightening and broadening. It was held in Oxford, Miss., home of the University of Mississippi, or Ole Miss. Also home of good ole high-calorie, the-richer-the-better Southern cuisine.

My week-long trip was filled with fried catfish, chicken tenders and lots of pecan pie.

I think my clothes are a little snug.

Can anyone recommend some light, fresh, healthy summer dishes? Send me your recipes for salads, grilled entrees or whatever!

I'll make a few and post the recipes and results online, here at EatAbilene.com.

With your help, we may all feel "swimsuit ready" after all. (If there is such a thing ...)

To leave a comment or question, click on "Comments" right below and follow the instructions for typing a message.

Posted by · June 22, 2005 4:07 PM · Comments (0)

Every night at my house, there’s a crisis.

My lack of preparation, time and skill faces off with my worst enemy: hunger.

Yup, dinner-time is a highly emotional endeavor each night.

When my husband and I finally get home from work, we’re tired, starving and short on time. I’ve perfected about a dozen (total) quick and easy recipes.

You know how it goes.

Can’t decide if it’s worth your efforts to try a new dish? Don’t want to spend hours by the stove? Not sure if those quick and easy recipes really are?

Send me your recipes, and I’ll pick a couple every month and prepare them, post the recipe online and let you know how it turns out.

Plus, you’ll get my own suggestions for success (a relative term.)

You can post comments to this blog and recipes to our related message board, too.

We may end up “One Teaspoon from Disaster,” but theses experiments in cookology may end up easing your meal catastrophes ... and mine!

So, watch this space for upcoming dishes and be sure to e-mail me some recipes to try at butlerb@reporternews.com.

If you’re stumped for a meal right now, type the word “recipe” in the search window on the left of this page. We have quite a few old recipes in our database.

Brye Butler is a reporter for the Abilene Reporter-News

Posted by · June 13, 2005 5:26 PM · Comments (0)