Boyfriend-approved Chicken Fettuccini Alfredo :)

My blog certainly does have a style problem... usually this is because I'm taking pictures of my actual dinner, cooked very quickly, which I then serve on my actual plates. I definitely should make an effort to take more pictures :)

Boyfriend-approved Chicken Fettuccini Alfredo*

*Not For The Faint of Heart.

(Anything with the world "alfredo" should bear this little addendum. So many dairy products....)

I'm sure this could be made lighter, though I wonder if it would be less awesome.

This recipe is quick and easy and makes about enough for four people.

3/4 of one stick of butter
3 cloves garlic
1 cup cream (I used heavy whipping cream due a factor known as "the store was restocking and had no other kind of cream".)
Salt
Pepper
1 1/2 to 2 cups freshly grated parmesan cheese
A small amount of milk (optional)

3 chicken breasts
Olive oil
A small amount of Cajun seasoning

One pound fettuccini noodles
.....................
Chop the chicken into one-inch chunks. Very lightly season with Cajun seasoning. (You don't want to overpower the sauce with seasoning--just enough to give it a little extra flavor.)

Heat about a tablespoon of olive oil and add the chicken. Cook the chicken thoroughly and set aside.

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Crush in the garlic cloves and stir and sizzle for a few moments. Add the cream, reduce the heat, and cook until thoroughly heated.

Add the cheese to the cream mixture by handfuls. Whisk constantly as you do this! Season with salt and pepper. If the sauce is too thick, thin it with a small amount of milk. Set aside, keeping the sauce warm.

Boil and drain the noodles in a large pan, returning them to the pan. Pour the sauce over the noodles, and toss until the noodles are coated. Add the chicken, and toss again. Serve immediately.

Next time I make this I want to add vegetables, too! I had a vegetable-less dinner which feels extremely decadent.

I served the dish with bread and a semi-sweet white wine for date night. A lovely evening staying home when it's cold and snowy outside. :) Here's a picture of my super-fancy table......... yes, the "super-fancy" part is just a little bit of sarcasm. :D

Super Easy Recipe to the Post-Holiday Rescue!: Enchilada Casserole

OK, so enchilada casserole isn't exactly a, er, particularly fancy recipe.

But hey, not ALL recipes can be fancy. It's delicious, fairly inexpensive, and can be made in less than an hour total, including cooking time. There are many, many possible variations on this recipe.... it can be made more or less onion-y, with chicken or beef, vegetarian, more layered, less layered, seasoned... Use my recipe or try making your own! :)

Enchilada Casserole

Ingredients:

One package corn tortillas
One large can vegetarian refried beans
One pound ground beef
One taco seasoning pack
One or more large cans enchilada sauce, according to taste
About half a block of cheddar cheese, grated
Half a medium onion, diced

Additional ingredients: guacamole, lettuce, sour cream, salsas, green chile peppers, sliced red and green peppers, etc.
..................
Lightly coat the bottom of a casserole dish with cooking spray.
Cook the ground beef and taco seasoning mix according to package directions.
Place a layer of corn tortillas on the bottom of the casserole dish. Layer prepared ground beef, sauce, beans, cheese, onion, and tortillas as desired, ending with a layer of cheese.
Bake at 350 degrees until the casserole is throughly warm and some of the liquid has cooked down, about half an hour.

Set out the additional ingredients to make your own plate with the casserole. :)

Mmmmm. :)

Maybe not picturesque, but definitely delicious. :)

New Years Food: Spinach Cheese Pastries; Tropical Martini, Melon Ginger Sour

Happy New Year!!

Thanks to both my father and my boyfriend for all the help in preparing the food for the party... it was absolutely wonderful and I couldn't have done it without you guys. :)

I was in such a hurry to make the party food that I don't have any photographs, but the spinach cheese pastries went over quite well!! :)

A Few Steps To Yummy:

Thaw 2 sheets puff pastry.

Crack one egg and mix with a tablespoon of water. Set aside.

Rinse, drain, and chop 5oz fresh spinach.

Finely dice a medium onion.

Crumble one block of feta cheese thoroughly.

Mix spinach, onion, and feta together with two eggs. Stir mixture thoroughly.

On a floured board, cut puff pastry into pieces. Fill each piece with mixture, fold the edges of the pastry together, and crimp.

Brush pastries with egg and water mixture.

Bake at 400 degrees on a cooking sheet sprayed with cooking spray until golden brown.

Mmmmm.

Next time I have a mind to add garlic to the mixture--not much, just a little. I think this is the sort of dish it would be very easy to overpower with seasonings.

*******

I like to be a bartender. :) The drink I made this year (in addition to pink and regular champagne at midnight) was a tropical martini. My friend Carly and I, looking for something different to drink, also made a lovely melon ginger sour.

-----------------------------------

Spinach Cheese Pastries

5oz fresh spinach, rinsed, drained, and chopped

1 block feta cheese, throughly crumbled

1 medium onion, finely diced

2 eggs, beaten

2 sheets puff pastry

Additionally, one egg mixed with water for brushing on the pastries.

-----------------------------------

Throughly mix the spinach with the eggs, onion and cheese.

Cut the pastry into large pieces. Place filling in the pastry, fold over, and crimp with a fork.

Brush tops of pastry with egg and water mixture.

Bake at 400 degrees on a cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray until thoroughly golden brown.

********

Tropical Martini

Serve in Martini or Margarita glass shaken or on the rocks

1 1/2 oz coconut rum

1/2 oz vodka (optional)

1/2 oz melon liqueur 

1 oz pineapple juice

Fill with Sprite

*********

Melon Ginger Sour, by Carly and Rina

Serve in Old Fashioned glass over ice

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1 oz whiskey

Sugar or simple syrup to taste

1/2 oz melon liqueur

Splash sweetened lime juice

Shake together

Fill with ginger ale.

New Years Eve 2011 Menu!

My New Years Eve party will have to be composed of easy, not necessarily impressive, but certainly delicious things that can be put together quickly in one day! So here goes the plans, subject to change for time constraints...

Something for every taste:

• A whole bunch of wings from Buffalo Wild Wings with sauce and celery
• Potato chips
• Spinach feta triangles
• Various flavors of baked quesadilla triangles with dips
• Cocktail meatballs
• Vegetables and dip

Desserts:

• Mini apple pastries
• Spiced pecans
• Rum balls
• Fruit cake

Drinks:

• Soda and juice
• Champagne
• Caribbean martini (deemed the 2011 signature drink :) )

Merry Christmas 2011!

Christmas Blessings 2011....

... and adorable Christmas wishes from the Roses Christmas Kitty, Mireille. :)

Christmas Baking 2011

Lots of baking for Christmas :)

Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies--I forgot to ice them! :(

Orange Cinnamon Cream Cheese Cookies--a spritzer cookie recipe that I rolled out :)

Gingersnaps, without molasses, rolled in pretty-colored sugar. Delicious!

Quick white fruitcake made with orange juice instead of brandy for my boyfriend's family. Wonderful! Next time I'll add some nutmeg and pour some orange juice over the top. :)

Fruitcake Day 2!

I credit the base of this recipe to someone named Roxy, who said it was her grandmother's recipe.

It's simple. It doesn't involve beating egg whites.

It's also terrifying. Do not fear the recipe. The main ingredients (other than fruit) are... sugar and butter.

Put on Christmas music.

Prepare one of those pans with the hole in the center (like an angel food cake pan... what is the technical term?) by greasing and flouring it VERY well. (I learned my lesson on this the first time I made fruitcake.)

Mix together 2 cups packed brown sugar, 3 cups flour, 1 tablespoon baking soda, 2 tablespoons cinnamon, 2 tablespoons cloves, 2 tablespoons allspice, 2 tablespoons nutmeg, and 1-2 tablespoons ginger.

Now add FOUR eggs.

Add 1/2 cup brandy, 2 tablespoons vanilla extract, and ONE AND ONE HALF cups melted cooled butter.

Take a deep breath. Remember you only eat a small slice of fruitcake at a time.

Add the prepared fruit as well as some chopped candied orange and lemon peel (see below).

Stir very thoroughly. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.

Bake at 350 degrees until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. About halfway through the baking I recommend covering the pan with foil to prevent the top from overcooking.

Turn the cake out onto a platter. Poke holes in the cake and pour a small amount of brandy over the top.

Keep doing this every two or three days until Christmas. :)

--------------------------------------

Fruitcake Recipe!
-------------------------------------
2 cups brown sugar
3 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking soda
2 tablespoons cinnamon
2 tablespoons cloves
2 tablespoons allspice
2 tablespoons nutmeg
2 tablespoons ginger
4 eggs
2 tablespoons vanilla
1/2 cup brandy
1 1/2 cups melted butter, cooled
Prepared fruit mixture
Chopped candied orange and lemon peel
Extra brandy for pouring over the cake
--------------------------------------------------------
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour an angel food cake pan very well.
Mix together the dry ingredients.
Stir in the eggs, vanilla, brandy, and butter.
Add the fruit, orange, and lemon. Stir throughly.
Spread evenly into cake pan and bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cover the cake about halfway through the baking to prevent the top from drying out.
Pour a small amount of brandy over the cake every day to three days until you're ready to eat it. :)
-------------------------------------------------------
Making Candied Peel, Sarina's Recipe
-------------------------------------------------------
Lemons
Oranges
Water
Sugar
-------------------------------------------------------
Cut the fruit into four pieces and carefully peel off the rind.
Add the peel to boiling water and boil until the white part of the rind becomes translucent. Drain and pour cold water over the rind to make it easy to handle. Using a spoon, scrape out most of the white part of the peel. Pat dry. Cut the rind into strips and dredge in sugar. Allow to dry.

Preferably overnight.

Using a hairdryer to speed up the process doesn't work so well. I know.

And, uh, put waxed paper underneath if you use a wire rack so your counter doesn't end up looking like this:

Next step: Glaze and decorate the cake. :)