I was off from work at the nursing home last night, so I thought I’d get a little wild.
Hold your breath… wait for it… what did I do?
Got real crafty in le kitchen.
Ok, so not crafty to the point of impressing all you pros and vets out there, but crafty for me who usually just has time to throw some stuff in the crockpot and then complete a meal of said stuff around 8:30 p.m. for a ravinous hubby once I get home from work. So when I realized that I wasn’t working Monday night and that I literally had nothing to do (what a glorious feeling), I decided to turn to trusty ol’ Pinterest for some recipe ideas.
You see, I love to cook. I really do. When I was younger, I would come home from school every day and watch the Food Network for a substantial amount of time. I would then venture into the kitchen and try to recreate what I learned from the cooking shows. Everything I know about cooking, I owe to the Food Network. And I mean everything.
Making food for people I love is a passion of mine that started around age 14 and has grown ever since. Yesterday, I knew Dave would be working a little later after working an entire weekend, so I decided to surprise him with a dish that is good for the soul, you know?
Intro Cajun Chicken Pasta.
I tell you with all sincerety- it is the best Pinterest recipe I have ever made. No exaggeration. It was delicious. I wanted to eat some for breakfast. (But don’t worry, I used all my arsenals of self-control to avoid stooping to that level.)
The recipe is for a “lighter” cajun chicken pasta (hence the skim milk and whole grain linguine). The original recipe also calls for light cream cheese and low sodium chicken broth, which I chose to forgo on accounts that we already had the full-flavored stuff at h.o.m.e.
First, you’ve got to cut the veggies: 1 medium red bell pepper, 1 medium yellow bell pepper, 8 oz. fresh mushrooms, 1/2 red onion, 3 cloves of garlic, and 2 medium tomatoes.
Next, cut and season one pound of chicken breast strips with salt and cajun seasoning. Throw that in a pan with some olive oil. Once it browns, remove the chicken and recoat the pan with oil.
Veggie time! Next in the hot tub are the peppers, garlic, and onions (yummmmm).
Once those are almost tender, throw in the tomoatoes and mushrooms. let them all get cozy until tender.
Next, add 1 cup of chicken broth and a “slurry” made of whipped milk, cream cheese, and flour. Stir for a few minutes until it thickens a bit.
Add the chicken back to the pot and let that all heat up again. Season more to taste with salt, cajun seasoning, and freshly cracked black pepper.
Cook the linguine as per usual. Once everything is finished, combine the sauce and the noodles (oh my goodness, at this point it smells ever-divine). Top with a couple of chopped scallions and devour to your heart’s content.
We both might have had seconds. Maybe thirds. But just maybe.
