I know we are the few and far between, but come on folks! I? loved that challenge last week! And it's title was Common Grounds, so where are our common grounds?First, the QC with the rice in the bag? Ick. Just...ick. However, Antonia wins it with a dish her mom used to make for her as a child: rice salad with skirt steak.
In the EC, the chefs had to make an entree for a family of 4 that was healthy and with a budget of only $10!?!?!? That's a tough one, I must say. I have a hard time making dinner for myself for that much. And the surprise was that they had to cook the meal with what looked to be 8-10 year olds as sous chefs.
Andrew - a chicken paillard with basil and parmesan and a fennel, orange, and apple salad (looked fresh tasting)
Antonia - a stir fry of whole wheat noodles, chicken, bok choy, edamame, and cilatro (looked kinda ordinary to me)
Dale - turkey bratwurst with Dijon mustard, Granny Smith apples, potatoes, and sweet and sour cabbage (I would probably like it, but my 10 year old self would not have)
Lisa - chicken crusted with quinoy (I have no freakin' clue what that is) served with red beans and edamame (didn't even look good, IMHO)
Mark - roasted vegetables in red curry with a cucumber salad and garlic naan (again, I have no idea what a "naan" is)
Nikki - roasted chicken with apple and mixed vegetables and a tomato and cucumber salad (looked just like something my mom would have made)
Richard - roasted chicken with beets, avocado, apples, and cilantro (sounded delicious to me, but I lvoe beets!)
Spike - pasta in puttanesca sauce (one of my all time favorite meals and so it would have won it all for me, now and as a child)
Stephanie - braised chicken and veggie couscous with chive yogurt (looked like someone puked on a plate)
In the end, Antonia wins again!
Mark's crazy idea that a family of four is dying for a vegetable curry with not an ounce of protein sends him packing his knives.
Personally, I thought Spike, Richard, Nikki, and Andrew all made better dishes. But, since I can't taste them, I'll have to live with what looked like a very ordinary dish, even one that looked like it might have come in a frozen bag, winning the big one this week. And a fond farewell to our sloppy Aussie.
"Not this time." Barack Obama 3-18-08