Septemberagus, Chicktember, Mashed Potembers

August deserves a B-. September, now September, deserves an A+. I always think it's hard to remain consistent and starting off strong isn't the point. The point is to keep a steady pace. I have to remember that life (uhhh) is a marathon, not a quick sprint for the finish.

I give September an A+ because today, unlike any other day so far this summer, I went grocery shopping. This time, I wasn't waiting in the car reading Me Talk Pretty One Day while my mom explored Valley Supermarket. Yeah, I started the book when Betty was still interning with me months ago. It's not boring at all. Don't blame the book. Blame me - I have a short attention span.

My choice of shopping is very limited in Asia Central. Trader Joe's is my go to market, but the nearby one is about a few miles too many for me to drive on an empty stomach. With a name like "Cali Mart" I presumed they'll sell asparagus and 2% milk. Lucky for me, I only had to shop at one market to gather all my ingredients! Side note: when I think of the word "gather" I always think of hunters and gatherers. Meh.

So let's look at this. Going to the supermaket deserves an A. Not an A+. The added + goes to me cooking!

Here it is, my first home-made dinner! I would have taken more photos of the process, but there was only one cook/photographer (me!) in the kitchen.

Chicken breast with lime juice, cilantro, chopped onions, salt, pepper. I would tell you the measurements if I knew them. Just eyeballed everything. I hate salty food, so I make sure I don't put too much salt. If it's too bland, I'll add it after. I
also created some indentations on the chicken because I think I'm such a chef.

The asparagus wasn't as fresh. I guess Asians prefer other tender greens like bok choy or green beans over asparagus.
 I ended up cutting the edges off.

I usually bake my asparagus, but I had to work with what I had! Before stir frying it in a pan, I added some water and placed a lid over it so it'll be softer. 

I boiled red potatoes (with skin) and garlic in salted water. After draining, I slowly added warm milk, cubes of butter, salt, and fresh chopped green onions. Mash away! 

Look at them breasts! 

Because them breasts were so big, I had to cut them up to make sure they were cooked all the way through! And good thing I did because the center was still raw. You can't always judge a chicken by it's outer golden skin. 

Bon Appétit!