Pomegranate Sesame Chicken with Ginger Rice Pilaf.

Happy December first guys!!

And welcome to the best time of year (and the start to twenty-five days of Christmas on ABC family!!). I figured I’d start the busy month with an easy, healthy dinner and one I think you can get pretty much everyone to eat… if you separate the colors of course.

Speaking of everyone, my house is SO full. I mean, Thanksgiving is over, right? Yeah, apparently not around here. All nine Gerards are currently under one roof, which I will not lie, doesn’t normally happen until Christmas. So there is all nine of us, plus four (sometimes five and six) extras. PLUS during the day about ten to twelve extras. My brothers have built this mini snowboard park (@redsbackyard) in the backyard complete with rails and a few massive jumps. Our neighbor plows snow for local businesses so he helped them out and brought over some more snow for the big jump. This in turn has seemed to attract way too many snowboarders to our house. It’s basically a mad house over here and you should be so happy you are not our neighbors!

Pretty sure they hate us by now.

Heck, I sort of hate use right about now, it’s pretty Clark Griswold over here these days.

Complete with people showing up in RV’s. Trust me, you do not want to know.

So basically, I have been feeding the masses the last couple days and I am wiped clean. Like it’s definitely time for the grocery store and an easy dinner.

I made this chicken the other night, only my recipe was tripled to serve at least twelve. And if you are wondering, no, our table does not seat twelve, so people were squished in. It’s was a tight squeeze (get me outta here…nineteen days and counting until the barn…yes!) you should have seen Thanksgiving…freak show.

On Saturday, I actually had to serve three completely different dinners just to feed everyone. Makes me tired just thinking about it.

And my mom just cannot seem to stop inviting in more and more and more (she can’t help it) people with big appetites. And only one of the people happened to be tiny girls that eat close to nothing, nope, we are talking big guys. Jesh.

Anyway, enough with my venting. Let’s just chat a little about this pomegranate sesame chicken with ginger rice pilaf. Clearly I am obsessed with pomegranates in everything this season. You just wait and see, I have pomegranates coming up at least once a week all of December. I can’t help it, I love them to death.

Also, ginger. I am really getting into cooking, and especially baking, with ginger. Growing up, I don’t remember consuming, or at least being aware of consuming, a whole lot of ginger. This makes me kind of sad because I missed out on ginger all those years. The good new is – I plan to make up for those years all this month. Starting with this dinner.

The chicken is just so simple, and I love the flavor of pomegranates, soy and sesame together. It’s a favor combo that I think everyone can enjoy because it’s not complex, and in my family, complex is not good.

Of course you can’t do any kind of saucy Asian chicken like this without some rice. Making this a ginger rice pilaf though, I have to say, was one of my better ideas. I love the different textures you get from the orzo pasta and the ginger is of course spot on delicious.

Ok but, I have to ask, what are you crazy family stories. I mean, some of you must have some. My family can’t be the only freak show (and that is putting it nicely) out there.

Any Thanksgiving stories? We didn’t eat till around 7:30 again this year and I totally burnt the stuffing. All of my manner-less brothers ate dinner without even considering a blessing, or even talking about what we were all grateful for. The night did end on a good note though, Asher and I watched Miracle on 34th Street, best way to finish out Thanksgiving!

Can you tell it’s Monday? I am complaining like a maniac today, so sorry, at least I made you a good dinner – or gave you the recipe for a good dinner.

Oh my gosh, I am stopping now. Happy Monday. Eat some good food. Have lots of chocolate. Enjoy the season. Bye!