Kids in the Kitchen

I've resisted posting recipes so far because this is really supposed to be a weblog filled with interesting stories about my life and not one of helpful household hints.  But I've been puttering around doing decidely uninteresting things aside from cooking, so this is what you get.

Today for lunch I decided to toss some ingredients together and hope for the best.  Often, putting random foods together that I like doesn't seem to result in the delicious concoction I hope it will.  In many cases, the whole is much LESS than the sum of its parts.  However, today's lunch was an exception.

Without further ado...

Chicken, Zucchini, and Fennel a la Hoisin

For the chicken:
1 boneless skinless chicken breast
1/2 zucchini, sliced into thin rounds
1/2 small fennel bulb, sliced thinly
1 small piece of ginger
1 T sesame seeds
cooking spray

Heat a frying pan over medium heat and spray with cooking spray.  Throw in the chicken, zucchini, fennel, and ginger and cook at least until the chicken is cooked through or as long as you want to get everything nice and brown.  Sprinkle the sesame seeds in near the end so they don't burn.

For the sauce:
(please use your own disgression when interpreting the unconventional measurement system used below)
1 big dallop BBQ sauce
1 little dallop hoisin sauce
a few dashes soy sauce
a few dashes rice wine vinegar

Mix all ingredients together and microwave, covered, for about 45 seconds just to warm up the sauce so it doesn't go on your hot chicken icy cold (which it will be when you make it since the BBQ sauce and the hoisin sauce live in the fridge.)

I seasoned the whole shebang with salt and pepper just before eating it. 
I am now firmly of the opinion that you could mix fennel and hoisin sauce with cardboard and it would taste good.  I think I'll try the combination next with tofu as the protein, a substance some might be hard pressed to consider a close relative to cardboard (which is just not true.)

So happy cooking, bon appetit, and sweet dreams to all.