Mmm, pasta

Just finished dinner...this reminds me of the Olive Garden's Garlic Herb Chicken Con Broccoli. Dan thought it was a little bland (it was), but that's easily remedied with a bit more lemon juice and some red pepper flakes, maybe more salt and pepper. Inspired by this recipe from Ina Garten and this one from Giada De Laurentiis. I approximated pretty much everything, so the quantities listed are suggestions only.

Chicken and Broccoli with Bow Ties
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 lb. bow tie (farfalle) pasta
3 heads broccoli florets
Salt and pepper
Grated parmesan cheese
Red pepper flakes, optional

Put large pot of water on to boil. Meanwhile, heat oil and butter in saucepan/skillet over medium to medium high heat. Once hot, add chicken and saute until cooked through. Cook pasta according to package directions. Add broccoli florets to the pasta water 3 minutes before the pasta will be done; drain. Add garlic and red pepper flakes to chicken, saute for about a minute. Add lemon juice, salt and pepper and toss with pasta and broccoli. You can also reserve a cup of pasta water to extend the sauce. Serve topped with cheese.

Crappy photo to come.

I'm good at blogging!

Two entries in a row, I'm on a roll! At least for tonight :) My wonderful husband was going to make us dinner tonight, but we came to discover that we were missing half the ingredients for his tator tot hotdish. So we swapped meals and I made mac and cheese tonight and he can cook for me tomorrow while I watch Grey's. This was my first attempt at homemade, and it turned out pretty good. I thought it was a little heavy on the breadcrumbs, but the husband liked them.

Looking at these pictures makes me realize that I need to learn how to use my camera. They're pretty horrible (as in, the top of the dish is not actually burnt like it looks!). It doesn't help that it now gets dark more than an hour before I even get to leave work :( Crazy winter in Minnesota...

Fannie Farmer's Classic Baked Macaroni and Cheese
(from Recipezaar)

1 (8oz) package macaroni
4 T. butter
4 T. flour
1 cup milk
1 cup cream
1/2 tsp. salt
fresh ground black pepper, to taste
2 cups good quality shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup buttered breadcrumbs

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Cook and drain macaroni according to package directions; set aside.
3. In a large saucepan melt butter.
4. Add flour mixed with salt and pepper, using a whisk to stir until well blended.
5. Pour milk and cream in gradually; stirring constantly.
6. Bring to boiling point and boil 2 minutes (stirring constantly).
7. Reduce heat and cook (stirring constantly) 10 minutes.
8. Add shredded cheddar little by little and simmer an additional 5 minutes, or until cheese melts.
9. Turn off flame.
10. Add macaroni to the saucepan and toss to coat with the cheese sauce.
11. Transfer macaroni to a buttered baking dish.
12. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs (I added some parmesan too).
13. Bake 20 minutes until the top is golden brown.