When I was an undergraduate dance major at Ohio State University, I found that I neither enjoyed nor excelled at improvisation. In fact, improvisation class was outright painful. I think it’s because I came from the world of ballet with a set vocabulary that you could move around into a somewhat amorphous modern dance world. To this day, I dislike role-playing, as it calls upon improve skills.

That’s all long ago and I’m finding that my cooking skills often mix the instructions with creativity, becoming somewhat improvisational. How ironic! Ingredients are tempered by the taste buds of my family; cooking methods are adjusted according to what I prefer. For example, piquant spices are banished because Daughter does not tolerate them and I have an aversion to filling a pan with oil to deep fry. Constant Companion enjoys almost everything.

With these thoughts in mind, I adjust recipes to suit my needs. Ttwo chicken dishes I prepared recently suffered a number of adjustments and the family chose them as keepers.

Sweet and Sour Cranberry Chicken Stir-Fry.* Here comes the inprov … The recipe calls for 1 cup of jellied cranberry sauce, 1 pound of skinless, boneless chicken breasts, and orange juice. I gave up using canned cranberry sauce long ago; it’s so easy and quick with far less sugar to make from scratch. I went to the freezer for a bag of berries and following the recipe on the package prepared homemade sauce. I’ve found that there only a few dishes I’ve been able to successfully make with boneless chicken breasts. I used whole legs and thighs, bones and all, for this recipe. Orange juice is not an item usually found in my fridge. I think I substituted white wine in its place.

*If you want the original recipe, simply google the title and it will show up on your desktop.And, apologies, I have no photos to share.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, a moderate temperature. Whisk the cranberry sauce, 3 Tbsp. unseasoned rice vinegar, ¼ cup white wine, 2 tsp. toasted sesame oil, and 2 Tbsp. soy sauce in a small bowl; set sauce aside. With some oil in a large skillet, brown the chicken pieces, 3-5 minute per side; remove.

If pan is dry, add more vegetable oil (up to 2 Tbsp.). Add 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped, and one ½” piece ginger, peeled, finely chopped, and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add reserved sauce; cook, stirring, until thickened slightly, about 1 minute. Return chicken and drippings to the pan; toss to coat. Season with salt. Put in the oven for 45 minutes. Top with  toasted sesame seeds. Serve with steamed white rice if desired.

One Pot Mushroom Barley Chicken Dinner. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Coat a large cast iron skillet or heavy bottomed saute pan with 2 tablespoons olive oil and set over medium high heat. Saute 1 large diced onion, 2 peeled, diced carrots, and 2 peeled, diced celery stalks until soft. Add 2 cloves of minced garlic and 8 ounces diced cremini mushrooms; cook until soft. Top with ½ teaspoon salt, pepper, 2 sprigs thyme, barley and broth to cover. Mix well. Arrange the chicken on top of the barley mixture. Season chicken with remaining salt, pepper and thyme. Simmer covered for 20 minutes, until barley is mostly soft and there is not much liquid. Uncover, place in the oven and roast, for 20 minutes until barley is cooked and chicken is golden. Serve immediately.

Roasted Cranberry Sauce.* While we’re using cranberries, here’s my new-found method to prepare cranberry sauce from Thanksgiving a few months ago. 

*From Saveur Magazine

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 450°F. Using a vegetable peeler, zest one orange, removing as little of the white pith as possible. Cut the zest into very thin ribbons about 1½ inches long. Into a small bowl, squeeze 1 tablespoon of juice from the orange and set aside. (Reserve the remaining juice for another use.) In a bowl, toss together the orange zest, cranberries, sugar, oil, salt, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, and jalapeño (I omitted this). Spread onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake until the cranberries begin to burst and release their juices, about 15 minutes.

Transfer the cranberry mixture to a serving bowl and stir in the port and orange juice. Set aside for at least 1 hour to let the flavors meld. Remove and discard the cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon before serving.

In our household, we enjoy cranberries year round, not just at Thanksgiving. I purchase the fresh berries and keep them in the freezer for whenever I have a taste for them.