Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo

I guess the news of the weekend is the Texas A&M (Aggie) win over Alabama. Although, College Station is astir with the unexpected win. To be honest, though, I am just not a sports fan- at all. The only time I may get slightly excited, is when dealing with the Steelers and the Lakers :)

And, I get the love for one's alma mater though people tend to be most loyal to their undergraduate alma mater. And for me that would be UCLA :) I think its because College is a really important time in many people's lives, a time where people learn to grow and learn who they are. For me- I got to expand my horizons, learn my passion for children, reasearch and human sciences. I met people from all around the world, with different perspectives, life experiences and wonderful things to share. And that is the case for so many- the first time where you get to branch out away from your parents. And although graduate school is also a wonderful experience where you meet new people- you usually know better who you are and what you are planning to do (hence being in graduate school)- and so its more of a hard work experience than a marvelous time of expanding your horizons. And thats why when reflecting- your undergraduate university tends to bring out more sentiment.

This was a gloomy weekend- which naturally lended itself to long naps and extended time watching televion. It was a wonderful and needed wind down from the week and time for me to really re-coop from comments that made me sad :( Well, for me, I love comfort food to soothe my emotions and so I chose to make Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo. Actually, I think-- since I planned by grocery list feeling a little blue-- my whole weeklyk menu might be comfort food :)

CHICKEN FETTUCCINE ALREDO

Adapted from Six Sister's Stuff

INGREDIENTS

1 box Fettuccine noodles
4oz of cream cheese
2 c. milk
3 tbsp. flour
1 tsp. salt
2 chicken breasts (cut into strips)
1 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. garlic
1 c. parmesean cheese (+ some for garnish)
1/2 c. shredded yellow cheese
Green onions and cilantro for garnish

DIRECTIONS

Cook noodles according to package directions. In a food processor combine cream cheese, milk, flour and salt. Set aside. On stove top, heat skillet on medium heat. Heat butter and brown garlic (1 tbsp)- then add chicken breast and cook thoroughly. Also on medium heat, in pot- combine olive oil and garlic (1 tbsp)-sautee garlic. Once sauteed, add alfredo sauce and bring to slightly boil (until begin to bubble). When this occurs, reduce heat to low and add parmesean cheese and shreddeed cheese- sauce should thicken. If the sauce it too thick- just add milk.

Pour alreado sauce over noodles and top with chicken, cilantro and parmesean cheese.

Enjoy,
Chika

Spicy Sausage Pasta

I am going to annoy you to no end by being yet another reminder to go vote. Being For the Love of Dessert :)...I will be keep my political affiliations to myself but encourage you all, regardless of who you prefer, to vote. Why? Because we can and there is something wonderful about that.

Though I have to agree with most of my friends in that I am by far tired of the abundance of political messages (other than the encouragement to vote) on my Facebook feed- I AM OVER IT. Frankly, I am all for freedom of speech but sometimes have a little respect for who is our president (you can always state your opinion in a respectful, tasteful fashion). But being someone who studies children- I feel like the Presential Candidates do not provide the best examples of modeling appropriate behavior.

Well- with everyone else going politics crazy- I find solace in my kitchen, because I have enough cray-cray ;) coming from school. But today was Sunday Funday, which simply means that not only do I make dinner but I also make dessert (I usually make one dessert to last for the week so the hubby and I do not indulge). Though the hubby pointed out- For the Love of Dessert needs to have just a For the Love of Food agenda :D

SPICY SAUSAGE PASTA

Adapted from Amanda and Kevin

INGREDIENTS

1 pound of Turkey Sausage (cut in medallions)
1 c. of diced onions
2 tbsp. crushed garlic
1.5 c. of chicken broth
1 c. of heavy cream
1 (10oz) can of diced tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste
8 oz. of bow tie pasta
1 c. of shredded cheese
1/2 c. of green onions diced

DIRECTIONS

On medium heat cook turkey sausage and onion until brown (about 4-5 minutes). Then add garlic and brown slightly (abotu 1 minutes). Add in chicken broth, heavy cream, diced tomatoes, pasta and salt/pepper and bring to boil. Cover with lid and then reduce to medium-low heat. Cook for an additional 20-25 minutes, unitl no liquid is in the pan. Mix is 1/2 of shredded cheese. Use remainder of cheese and green onions as garnish.

Enjoy,
Chika

Sour Creamy Chicken

Happy Friday! I'm excited that this weekend marks daylight savings time. I could use that extra hour of sleep for sure :) Though I have to say that I am bummed, though its my fault, because I wanted to take a cute family photo at the Pumpkin Patch but we ran out of time and did not get to do it! Darn! Well- hopefully there will be one that is open till a later date or maybe Ill just wait another year.

I wanted to load up on candy that was marked down after Halloween. But apparently everyone thinks that way, so (1) all the candy is gone by the morning after Halloween and (2) the grocery stores do not even discount the candy by that much. Plan foiled- though the hubby did get me some, because I found a lot of candy based cupcakes and cookies- and I am thinking a cute little series for this blog (but do not hold me to it because I am not for certain about this).

Even though I had some time today- the hubby really wanted to make this particular chicken which was inspired by a recipe on my Pinterest board- a quick and easy recipe to throw together (which is always a plus, though I wish I saved it for one of those days which I was super busy). I decided to pair it with a recipe for avocado cilantro lime rice and some veggies. It was yummy!

SOUR CREAMY CHICKEN

 A For the Love of Dessert Original Recipe

INGREDIENTS

Preheat Oven to 350F degrees

5 chicken breasts sliced in half

1/2 c. sour cream

1/2 c. mayo

1/2 c. shredded cheese + 1/2 c. for garnish

1 tbsp. onion powder

2 tbsp. minced garlic

1 c. panko crumbs

DIRECTIONS

Grease a 9 x 13 baking pan. Lay chicken cutlets in baking pan. In a small bowl combine sour cream, mayo, shredded cheese, onion powder and garlic. Evenly distribute the sour cream spread onto each chicken cutlets. Bake 30-40 minutes until breasts are no longer pink in the middle. Remove from oven and sprinkle additional cheese on top of each breasts. Wait 1-2 minutes until cheese has melted. Then sprinkle about 1-2 tbsp. of panko crumbs on top of each cutlet. Place under broiler for an additional 4-5 minutes, until top is golden brown.

Pair this with Avocado Cilantro Lime Rice!

Enjoy,

Thai: Pad See Ew

I must make one thing very clear. I am not a fan of Sunday nights. I mean I have nothing against Sundays- in fact its one of my most favorite days because its, well of course, a weekend. But the looming- its almost monday feeling is not something I enjoy. I could live without Mondays too, come to think of it- or maybe just a total overhaul of the week- in that lets work Monday thru Wednesday and have off Thursday to Sunday. Though not sure that would solve my dislike of Sunday nights, but I do think with the additional rest- people would be much more productive. I guess, overall, I get so annoyed at the fact that my weekend seems to fly by, my week only crawls by and I inevitably seem to be in school forever! Ill get back to you all when I know what "real life" is really like.

Ahh...so lets all sit back and enjoy the few hours of freedom before we have to prepare for the week and lets hope its a week that flies by with nothing too eventful. And hope that Thanksgiving and Christmas roll around quickly so I can dampen my burnout, just a tad. What did burnout Sunday ;) bring? Well I decided to attempt to make some Thai, specifically Pad See Ew. The hubby enjoyed it, though I think he's more of a Pad Thai kinda guy- but I cannot stand it when peanuts are in my food. Nothing against peanuts- just not in my food :)

THAI: PAD SEE EW

Adapted from Rachel Cooks Thai

INGREDIENTS

8oz wide rice noodles (I could not find wide)
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. of minced garlic
1/2 c. of chopped green onion
2 chicken breasts, chopped
7 eggs, whisked
2 c. chinese broccoli (I only found regular broccoli)

SAUCE

3 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tbsp. oyster sauce
2 tsp. white vinegar

DIRECTIONS

Cook wide rice noodles according to package instruction. I boiled for about 5 minutes and then rinsed with cold water to prevent from sticking. The original recipe called for the noodles to be blanched, but I do not like crispe noodles. While noodles are cooking, heat olive oil and sautee garlic and green onion. Then add in chicken breasts and cook. When chicken is almost cooked- combine wiht broccoli. Push broccoli and chiken to the side of wok. Drop in a little bit of olive oil and scramble eggs on the empty side of wok. Bring together chicken and eggs and stir fry noodles for a few minutes. Toss with sauce and serve.

Enjoy,
Chika

Cajun Couscous

I do not think I have ever shared this but the hubster was born and raised in Lousiana, specifically Breaux Bridge, Lousiana. After meeting him and spending a few holidays with his family- I can say I am a little familiar with Cajun food or at least a bit more familiar with southern food. And I love it! I think my favorite food that hubster introduced me to was boudain. OMG! Delicious! I also love crawfish and oysters. I think I am already starting to drool.

With that being said, I cannot say that the title is accurate, but I wanted to keep ode to the original recipe. Let's hope that when the hubby comes home from a quick trip to work, that he will enjoy it. This recipe was something different for me in that I do not think I have ever made couscous or if I have- its been a really long time. The original recipe called for pasta- but I thought I would try something different since I had some free time on my hands. I have been greatly enjoying this very lazy saturday. And Ninja, well he enjoys sniffing the yummy food and whining becuase he cannot have any ;)

CAJUN COUSCOUS

Adapted from Budget Bytes

INGREDIENTS

Preheat Oven to 350F degrees

3 bell peppers

1 red onion

5.7 oz of couscous

1 lb. smoked, turkey sausage

FOR VINEGRETTE

1/3 c. vegetable oil

1/2 c. red wine vinegar

1 tbsp. garlic

1 tbsp. dijon mustard

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. red pepper

Cilantro for garnish

DIRECTIONS

Slice peppers into small strips and chop onions. Place on baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Bake for about 20-30 minutes. While peppers and onions are cooking- cook couscous according to package instruction. Also, slice sausage into small rounds, about 1/2 inch thick. Cook sausage in large skillet, over medium heat until browned. Once peppers, onions, couscous and sausage is ready, prepare vinegrette by combining all ingredients and whisking well. In a large bowl combine couscous, peppers, onions, and sausage and toss with vinegrette.

Enjoy,

Chika

Sushi: Philadelphia Roll

Happy- it is almost Friday :) Today was one of those few and far between days- where I got to spend my morning with Ninja, go to school for only a few hours and come back home! And since I came back home- I decided to make some sushi! I've been craving it-- actually I pretty much crave it constantly ;) So i made some sushi and had a great phone date with a friend. Ahhh....what I would not give to have more of these relaxing days!

I really want to enhance my sushi skills- so I can stop going to sushi restaurants as mush as I do. I've only made some basics, but I think in the future I would like to try to make a shrimp tempura roll and then maybe some more complicated rolls- like a dragon roll or a hurricane roll....mmmmm...::drool:: ;) Who knew, I would get so much use out of my Sushi Magic kit- awesome birthday present! And I would also like to make some shrimp and vegetable tempura. So stay tuned- becuase it will happen! Maybe I can do a sushi making night when my sister comes to visit (hopefully--that'll be one day soon).

PHILADELPHIA ROLL

For the Love of Dessert Recipe

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE RICE
2 c. uncooked sushi rice
3 c. of water
1/2 c. of rice vinegar
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. salt

FILLING
Nori Sheets
1 cucumber, cut into thin 5 inch strips
Smoked salmon cut into strips

Cream Cheese cut into strips (cut block lengthwise)

Sesame seeds for garnish

DIRECTIONS

Using a rice cooker, cook the rice with the specified amount of water. Once cooked, do not open the rice cooker right away, allow it to sit for 5 minutes. Then open the rice cooker and let rice cool completely (set aside). On the stovetop- combine rice vinegar, olive oil, sugar and salt- until completely dissolve, allow to cool completely. Once cooled, mix in with rice. Cut cucumber, salmon and cream cheese into strips.

To assemble to the sushi, place the nori sheet on bamboo mat, wet your fingers and push down rice evenly over the nori (the water will prevent the rice from sticking). Place the smoked salmon in the center, making a 1/2 inch strip (no thicker as the sushi will not close). On the end closest to you, place the cucumber strip- placing the cucumber here, will prevent the salmon from shifting. Then on the other side of the smoked salmon strip, place the cream cheese. Roll sushi closed. The garnish with sesame seeds. To cut into pieces, wet the knife (for the same reasons you want to wet your fingers)- this will allow the knife to cut through nicely.

Enjoy,
Chika

Chicken Fried Rice

Check out my updated recipe: Chinese Fried Rice, Take 2

Today was a Chinese food kind of day. Why? Well I am not sure about you all but I eat Chinese Food-- well pretty much anytime--but especially when it has been a rough day. Remember when I shared that Ninja pulled a muscle in his leg and was doing a little resting? Unfortunately, I was very wrong and he did not pull a muscle. The love of my life, furry baby- tore is ACL and has a luxated patella (forgive me, if I did not spell that right). What do you think the odds are of both of those things happening. I luckily, have a aunt who is a vet, who got to explain (ie. vet "translate") to me all the things that were told by the vet, who looked over the x-rays (the miracles of iPhones and skype). But what was the conclusion at the end? Ninja needs some surgery :( A major surgery that takes 6-8 weeks of recovery time. He also cannot go up and down the stairs (and we live on the second floor- so the hubby has to carry him, because at 70 pounds, I cannot carry him), he cannot go to the dog park (which we pretty much have gone every day since he was 4 months old), and we need to minimize his overall movement (which playful Ninja does not understand).

I guess that is the most painful part. To see you little baby in pain and know that they have to have surgery. I promise to hold his little paw- the whole way through and take off any time- so that from the minute he wakes up to when he goes to bed- I will be there. And what is even more sad?! The vet told me that it is not a question of if Ninja gets arthiritis but when :( My poor, poor baby. So let's enjoy some Chinese food and let the sad sink in...shall we? I promise to be optimistic another day....


Check out my updated recipe: Chinese Fried Rice, Take 2

CHINESE FRIED RICE

Adapted from Iowa Girl Eats

INGREDIENTS



3 c. cooked rice

2 chicken breasts (diced and cooked)

2 tbsp. sesame oil

3 tbsp. garlic

1 bunch of green onions diced

1 bag of frozen veggies (peas, carrots. mine also had corn and green beans) (thawed)

7 eggs

3 tbsp. soy sauce

DIRECTIONS

Prepare rice and chicken breasts- set aside. In a wok- heat oil and satuee garlic and onion when oil is heated- about one minute. Then heat frozen veggies- for about 2-3 minutes. Once cooked, add eggs (pour on top of veggies). Cook eggs- constantly breaking apart egg into pieces. Once eggs are cooked- remove from heat. Add in chicken and rice- toss until evenly distributed. Finally mix in soy sauce.

Check out my updated recipe: Chinese Fried Rice, Take 2

Enjoy,

Chika

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Happy Monday! And so marks the beginning of another busy week. But I woke up in such a wonderful mood. Just knowing that some major projects are off my plate, feels so good! And I got about 7 hours of sleep last night. I just felt wonderful. Though I do have to say- I am not sure what Ninja has been doing lately- but I think he either pulled another muscle (this time on the opposite leg) or we need to take him to the vet for further investigation. Regardless, Im pretty sure we will be making a vet run. Ninja is not going to be happy- but seeing my poor baby hobble is just not an option.

I did not have the time to post Sunday dinner. Well the hubby got to enjoy some BBQ Chicken, Veggie filled pizza. The hubby and I love, love, love vegetables (minus your core hated: lima beans). So I packed this pizza with some yummy seasonal veggies. It was a pretty big pizza for two- so the exciting news is that there are left-overs and we all know how I love leftovers. A cooking free day for me- when I have those long days. I was pretty proud of this pizza since I made the dough from scratch too! My first all homemade dough (small victories...)

I realized that I have cooking time of Tuesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I made those my "cook days" where I would cook for that day until the next day I had time to cook (ie. On sunday I cooked sunday dinner and monday dinner) so that way I knew the hubby and I would have homemade dinner each night, without having to go out-- we are not big fans of eating out. And for those times when left overs pile up- I will have a free cookign day :)

BBQ CHICKEN PIZZA

Adapted from Budget Bytes and CDKitchen

INGREDIENTS

Preheat Oven to 425F Degrees

FOR THE CRUST

1 1/3 c. warm water

1/4 c. non-fat dry milk

1/2 tsp. salt

1 (4oz) package of yeast

2 tbsp. olive oil

3-4 c. flour

FOR PIZZA

2 chicken breasts (cooked, diced)

1/2 bottle of BBQ sauce

1/2 red onion sliced

1 bunch of green onions

Tri-colored peppers (I pre-grill/bake these in the oven with onions)

1 1/2 c. shredded cheese

DIRECTIONS

For the Crust:
In a small bowl combine warm water, dry milk, salt, and yeast. Whisk together and let sit for 3-5 minutes (until it begins to bubble at the top), then add in oil and allow to sit for another minute. Then in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with dough hook- mix into 3 c. of flour.  Slowly add in the last c. until the dough comes together. If it is too dry add more warm water or if too wet add more flour. Place in large bowl coated with cooking spray and cover. Allow to sit for 1-2 hours. When dough has risen, "punch" dough to deflate. Cut dough in half, wrap one of the halves in saran wrap, and freeze for future use. Grease pizza pan.  Roll remaining dough (the half not frozen) onto a 12 inch pizza pan. Poke holes in crust with fork and brush dough with olive oil. Bake for 5-10 minute until begins to bubble slightly on top. Remove from oven.

To assemble Pizza:

Take diced chicken and shred slightly. Mix with 1/4 c. of BBQ sauce, set aside. Use remainder of sauce to spread on top of crust. Spread sauce over the surface of the dough with the back of a large spoon (spoon the sauce in the middle of the pizza and spread by making larger, and larger circular motions--moving outward). Then evenly cover pizza with 1 c. of shredded cheese on top of pizza crust. Place in oven for 10-12 minutes until crust is golden brown at edges. Remove from oven and spread chicken, onions, and peppers on top of pizza. Sprinkle remainder of cheese on top and cook for an additional 5-8 minutes.

Enjoy,

Chika

Pepper Jack Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Yes..you are correct- I have not posted in a week! Why? Oh my goodness- this week was horribly busy- I got maybe 3 hours of sleep a night. I was constantly working. It was gosh awful! Thankfully- some of the things I had been working on are now done and I spent all of Saturday sleeping! I had soo much sleep to catch up on and it felt so so so good! Today I woke up knowing that I was going to spend a good chunk of it doing what I enjoyed- some baking and some cooking :)

In all my cooking- I realized, with some help, that I had never made a grilled cheese sandwich. Actually I do not think I have ever eaten a grilled cheese sandwich- not really a traditional Sri Lankan food my mom ever made. But I thought- how odd! I attempt to make all these different things, and yet I have never made a grilled cheese sandwich. Well I brought it up to one of my professors and he helped me learn how to make a good grilled cheese sandwich and that I could make it with pepper jack cheese. I love pepper jack cheese :) So in my Sunday Funday of Cooking ;)...I though I could whip up a quick, never-tried lunch for the hubby of grilled cheese.

He actually really liked it! And so did I. Hmmm..who woulda thunk...one, that I had never attempted a grilled cheese-- two, that it would be so yummy-- and three, that I would actually post about it on a blog. But I figure- maybe someone else had never made a grilled cheese and wants to know how or maybe they want to know if you can make a grilled pepper-jack cheese sandwich.

PEPPER JACK GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH

A For the Love of Dessert Recipe

INGREDIENTS

Sour Dough Bread

Butter

Pepper Jack Cheese Slices

Tomato Soup 

DIRECTIONS

Take two slices of sour dough bread. Spread a thick layer of butter on one side on each slice of bread. The sides with the butter will be the outside of the grilled cheese. On the inside, place three slices of pepper jack cheese. On the stove top, heat a skillet on medium heat. Place grilled cheese and cook 1-2 minutes on each side- until cheese melts. Make sure not to over cook- because the bread will burn easily. Eat with some tomato soup (I hear its a good pairing).

Enjoy,

Chika