Angel Chicken

I'm not sure why this is called Angel Chicken. I got this recipe a while ago from a friend that said she got the recipe from allrecipes.com. The combination seems a little weird, but it's very tasty.

Angel Chicken Pasta
Serves 4

INGREDIENTS
1-2 lbs chicken breast, cut into strips
1/4 cup butter
1 packet dry Italian dressing mix
1/2 cup white wine
1 can cream of chicken soup
4 oz chive cream cheese
1 lb egg noodles

DIRECTIONS
In medium saucepan, melt butter. Add dressing mix and mix together. Add wine and bring to a boil. Keep at low boil for a couple minutes to burn off the alcohol.

Reduce heat. Add soup and cream cheese and whisk together. Let simmer.

Meanwhile, cook chicken and cut into strips. Add to the sauce mixture and stir. Simmer, covered.

While simmering, bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add pasta and cook to al dente. Drain and add to sauce, mix together so noodles are covered and cook for another couple minutes to complete pasta cooking.

Best. Alfredo. Ever.

Ok, that title might be a bit of a stretch. However, tonight I did make what was by far, the best Fetuccini Alfredo I've ever had - either home made or in a restaurant. I can't imagine finding a better one. It even got a "wow" from my only-red-sauce-loving husband. So, thank you, Giada de Laurentiis, for giving me what just might be the most fantastic Fetuccini Alfredo on the planet.

*Picture taken from foodnetwork.com*

Fettuccini Alfredo
From Giada de Laurentiis, modified ever so slightly
*Serves 6-8*

18 ounces fresh fettuccine
2 1/2 cups heavy cream (fat-free half & half worked fine, just was a TINY bit thin)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
12 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups (generous) grated Parmesan
Salt and freshly ground white pepper

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally. Drain.

Stir the cream and the lemon juice in a heavy large skillet to blend. Add the butter and garlic and cook over medium heat just until the butter melts, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Add the pasta and toss. Add the Parmesan to the cream sauce in the skillet. Add the salt, and white pepper. Toss the pasta mixture over low heat until the sauce thickens slightly, about 1 minute.

If sauce is too thin, add a cornstarch/water mixture.

Top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Chicken Stuffed Shells

I've been meaning to post this for a while. I made stuffed shells last weekend and froze them to cook during the week. I found this recipe in a cook book a while ago and I like it because, unlike most recipes for stuffed shells I've come across, this one doesn't use ricotta cheese. I usually half the recipe because it's huge.







Cheese & Chicken Stuffed Shells

INGREDIENTS
24 Uncooked jumbo pasta shells
1/2 lb shredded chicken (the original recipe called for ground beef)
1 jar Pasta Sauce (I use my own)
1/4 cup Water
1 1/2 cups Shredded 6 cheese Italian cheese Blend (be generous)
1/2 container (4 oz) Onion & chive cream cheese
1/2 container (4 oz) regular cream cheese
1/2 cup Grated Parmesan
1 Egg

DIRECTIONS
1. Heat oven to 350°. Cook and drain pasta shells as directed on package.

2. In 10 in skillet, cook ground beef over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly cooked; drain. Do not rinse. Cool slightly.

3. In large bowl, mix pasta sauce and water. Pour 1 cup of the pasta sauce mixture in bottom of ungreased 9x13 inch glass baking dish. In Medium bowl, mix cheese spreads, 1 cup of the Italian Cheese, the Parmesan Cheese, egg and shredded chicken. (use your hands).

4. Spoon heaping tablespoon mixture into each shell. Arrange stuffed shells over sauce in baking dish. Pour remaining sauce over top. Cover with Foil.

5. Bake 40 to 45 min or until bubbly and cheese filling is set. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup Italian cheese. Bake 10 mins longer or until cheese is melted.

Cookie Time

I honestly think I make the best chocolate chip cookies in the world. Now, I know people tend to favor whatever cookie recipe they make, but I think that's just cause they haven't tried this recipe yet. It's pretty basic, but I haven't found a recipe I like better.

Chocolate Chip Cookies
INGREDIENTS
1 cup unsalted butter softened (I usually use crisco sticks)
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed (I like to use the light colored kind)
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs (These should be at room temperature, or at least not "right from the fridge" cold)
1 tsp real vanilla
1/2 tsp water
2-1/2+ cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
Chocolate Chips (usually about 1/2 bag)

DIRECTIONS
Mix together butter, brown sugar, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and water. (Sometimes I cream together the butter & sugars first but I don't think it makes that much difference)

Add one cup flour, and the salt and baking soda and mix together.

Add one more cup flour. Mix together

Add 1/2 cup flour, mix together (you'll probably have to do this by hand - even my kitchenaid doesn't like this part)

Depending on how the dough feels, add more flour. If you use crisco sticks, 2-1/2 cups should be about right. If you use butter, you'll want closer to 3 cups. I usually judge by how the dough feels - if there's not enough flour, the dough will be very wet and stick to your fingers. If there's enough flour, it won't.

Add chocolate chips and stir in. I don't measure - just add and mix till it looks about right. You can adjust to your liking of chippy-ness.

Spoon onto cookie sheets.

Bake at 350. I usually start them out on the second rack from the bottom. Bake them there until the dough spreads out and takes cookie form, but haven't really started to brown. Then, move them up to the second to the top shelf in the oven and bake until just before your desired done-ness (you take them out just before they're done because they will continue to bake for 3 minutes once they're out of the oven - leaving them in til they look done will cause the cookies to be overdone). Let cool on a cooling rack.

Enjoy! And be sure to eat a few when they're warm - they're magical right out of the oven.