dinner

I adapted this from a cookbook from Magnolia’s restaurant in Charleston. Mine is more of an alfredo, theirs was more soupy.  This is one of my husband’s favorites.

1 lb farfalle
4-5 slices of prosciutto cut into small pieces
2 cloves of minced garlic
1 cup asparagus, cut into 1/2 in slices
1 lb skinless boneless chicken breast, diced
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan
Cracked pepper 

Cook the pasta according to package directions. While the pasta cooks, saute the garlic in oil add the diced chicken and cook til almost done.  Remove chicken, add a little oil and more garlic if needed, add the prosciutto and the asparagus.  Once the asparagus is tender, add the heavy cream and Parmesan.  Cook, stirring occasionally until the cheese is melted and sauce thickens.  Add the chicken back in and cook til done. Add the cooked pasta to the pan. Add cracked pepper to taste.  Stir and let cook a little more til sauce thickens.  Serve with more Parmesan.

This recipe is based on one from Jo Cooks I started making when my daughter had a vegetarian phase. She is since back to eating meat so I now include chicken.

1 box pasta

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast cubed

1 clove minced garlic

1 avocado

1 cup fresh spinach

1/2 cup almonds (original recipe uses pecans but my son is allergic to them)

1/4 cup basil

1/4 cup grated parmesan

3/4 to 1 cup pasta water

garlic powder, salt & pepper to taste

Cook pasta according to package instructions

Season chicken with pepper and garlic powder to taste. Sauté til done.

While the chicken is cooking, add the rest of the ingredients to a blender and blend until it turns into a smooth sauce. Start with 1/2 cup of pasta water and add more as needed to get the consistency you want.

Toss the pasta with the sauce and chicken and serve immediately. Top with shredded parmesan

Have you ever had one of the recipes where you know it has the potential to be really good, but you just can’t get it right?  For me that was Cajun chicken.  A friend had posted her recipe on Facebook and no matter what I did it didn’t turn out like I wanted.  I loved the idea of the spice with the creamy sauce but her recipe called for sour cream and mine always curdled.  Then I stumbled upon this recipe from Comfortably Domestic  I combined the two and finally got what I was going for.

• 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts cubed
• 1 ½ Tbs. Cajun blackening spice (you can buy it in the spice aisle but I make my own using this recipe)
• 2 Tbs. butter, divided
• 1 Tbs. olive oil (or more if needed)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 C. (1/2 pint) thinly sliced red bell peppers
• ¼ C. dry white wine (or chicken broth)
• 1 ½ C. heavy cream
• 1 ½ C. freshly grated Monterey Jack cheese 
• 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper (or more, to taste)
• 1 pound cooked pasta
  

1 Cook pasta according to package directions

2.  Season the chicken with the Cajun seasoning.  Add some EVOO to a warm skillet and start to brown the chicken.  Don’t cook it completely as it will be cooking more in the sauce later.  

3.  If the skillet looks dry, add a bit more olive oil. Re-heat the skillet over medium heat.

4.  Pour in the dry white wine (or chicken broth) into the skillet to deglaze the pan. (1-2 minutes)

5.  Add the garlic and peppers to the pan and sauté to soften and lightly caramelize, stirring occasionally. (1-2 minutes)

6.  Reduce heat to medium-low and pour the heavy cream to the pan with the pepper mixture, stirring constantly for 1 minute.

7.  Add the salt, pepper, and the remaining tablespoon of butter.

8.  Continue to stir the cream mixture while it simmers for 3-4 minutes. The cream will reduce slightly.

9.  Remove the peppers from the pan. Add the Monterey Jack to the cream sauce. Stir constantly until all the cheese has melted, and sauce is smooth.

10.  Add the chicken and peppers back into the sauce and cook until done (another minute or two).  Serve over pasta.