nightfall8705 Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 Dear Fyora, I think I just made the most delicious dinner... I mean it was so good that it got demolished before I could even snap a photo, but just imagine if you will... I made an alfredo sauce from scratch with cream and butter that I got from a farm. I used a small block of aged parmesan that I grated myself and mixed it with a bit soft country cheddar. I added some fresh garlic, parsley, and a small palmful of mozzarella that I got from the deli and grated myself. It adds a certain "je ne sais quoi" to the dish, I think. After a pinch of white pepper, black pepper, and a dash of nutmeg, my sauce was nearly complete. I lightly pan seared some boneless, skinless, free range chicken that was seasoned lightly with salt, pepper, and ranch dressing mix. I then deglazed the pan with a little white wine and braised the chicken along with some diced panchetta. I later sliced up the chicken in to a dice. I threw it all together at the end with some al dente spaghetti, and some fresh baby sweet peas for good measure. I cut up a French baguette, and smeared the country butter and garlic on it, and broiled it until crispy. Tossed some salad on the side. And oooooooooh, was it good. I don't eat like this often, but when I do, I go ALL out. I do apologize if I've made you all drool, but I couldn't keep a dinner this good to myself. <3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lia Seeya Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 Please excuse me while I wipe the drool from my mouth... Oh my goodness, that sounds SO GOOD! I absolutely love cheesy pastas with chicken, or any cheesy pastas! Probably why I love reading The Pioneer Woman's blog, haha! Kudos on making an awesome dinner! :D nightfall8705 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nightfall8705 Posted June 10, 2014 Author Share Posted June 10, 2014 I love cheesy pasta too, Tivsy. What's so great about this alfredo is that is tastes equally as good with pork as it does with chicken. I usually make this with thin pork chops, but tonight, I decided on chicken and it just works. Also, if you replace the alfredo sauce with some homemade fajita mix, switch the panchetta for regular thick bacon, and switch the pasta for tortillas, you could have a shredded ranch chicken taco. Switch the parm/cheddar/mozz for a smoked cheddar or even colby jack, and serve with salsa. I love recipes that are versatile like this. :D If you wanted to be really lazy though, you could season the chicken with the ranch and pan sear it in the fat rendered from a couple slices of thick bacon, then finish it in the oven, and use jarred alfredo sauce, and it would be fit to eat. I actually like Prego's new bacon flavored alfredo sauce, so you could use that too if you didn't feel like cooking bacon, and you could just throw the chicken in the oven. while the pasta noodles cook. Penne, bucatini, and fusili make good pastas to use instead of spaghetti. That Ree sure is something. She and I make mashed potatoes almost the same way. I like to watch her show but I can't watch it when she's making really country dinners, because then I get hungry, lol. She has a interesting blog too! And thanks! Wish I could send some over the internet and share with everybody. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lia Seeya Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 It's so nice to find someone else who loves to cook! :D Thank you for all the ideas, they sound so good. I'm going to go grab a snack now because of this thread! :) I love using fusili pasta in cheesy recipes. All the little nooks and crannies are perfect for some thick sauce It's also nice to find someone else who reads The Pioneer Woman's blog! I don't watch her shows, but I just love reading her blog. Not just the recipes, but just her ranch life. Everything's just so fascinating (and really pretty)! As 3-D printing technology gets better, it might happen! ;P nightfall8705 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nightfall8705 Posted June 10, 2014 Author Share Posted June 10, 2014 Same here! I do love to cook! I think Ree's life on the ranch is interesting. Sure, there's a lot of hard work to do, but at the same time, I'd love to be out in the country in the middle of nowhere and just do whatever I want to. There's nothing lke the rolling hills and the mountains and the peace and quiet. I think I'm gonna grab some popcorn myself. I got a little hungry all over again with this thread. And I truly think fusili gets under-appreciated. So much less boring than plain macaroni noodles! Every time I eat macaroni, I feel like falling asleep. Same goes with rotini. The whole rotini mac idea has been buried into the ground so much, that even that is boring too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
agrinwithoutacat Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 Ooh! I love cooking and baking, and I love alfredo sauce! I've never made one from scratch before, but it sounds delicious. It it possible for you to send me the recipe, or did you just wing it?One of my favorite pasta dishes is from my boyfriend's family, it's their take on pasta fagioli. Usually it's a soup but theirs is literally "pasta and beans", with a little (ok a lot) garlic and some olive oil. Top with cheese and crushed red pepper and you have a simple, cheap, and delicious meal. Unfortunately I don't get to make it very often because my dad isn't a fan. If I add chicken he likes it better, but then it's not really the same thing and it's sort of an abomination according to my boyfriend. xP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nightfall8705 Posted June 10, 2014 Author Share Posted June 10, 2014 Ha, I just winged it, but you can make a basic alfredo sauce from scratch easy with a little butter, heavy cream, garlic, parsley, and good parmesan, but any good melting cheese works. (You could even use gruyere if you wanted!) You wouldn't really even have to make a roux unless you wanted it super thick. But don't forget the black pepper, and at the risk of sounding like Rachael Ray, a small pinch of nutmeg in white sauces makes it a bit special too. I like the pasta fagioli soup, so that meal you mentioned actually seems delicious to me. The addition of chicken (protein) makes it sound even better! Some people can't understand why beans/rice and beans/pasta go so well together, but all they need to do is ask Mexicans and Italians! That combo shows up so much in their respective cuisines... if anybody knows cheap, but simple and delicious meals, it's them! I think that in most pasta dishes though, the stars are the olive oil, the garlic, and the cheese. Some people skimp out and buy that cheap olive oil, but in order to get a really delicious (and authentic) dish, you have to deal out the good stuff. I'd love to try that chicken fagioli sometime. It really does sound great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lia Seeya Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 One of my favorite pasta dishes is from my boyfriend's family, it's their take on pasta fagioli. Usually it's a soup but theirs is literally "pasta and beans", with a little (ok a lot) garlic and some olive oil. Top with cheese and crushed red pepper and you have a simple, cheap, and delicious meal. Unfortunately I don't get to make it very often because my dad isn't a fan. If I add chicken he likes it better, but then it's not really the same thing and it's sort of an abomination according to my boyfriend. xP Oh gosh, that just sounds so delicious and simple! Adding chicken also sounds great. Definitely saving that for when I need a quick pasta dish. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nightfall8705 Posted June 10, 2014 Author Share Posted June 10, 2014 MMM, tonight's dinner was somewhat inspired by this thread. We had rice tacos tonight. Homemade taco mix in rice with asadero cheese, crushed red pepper flake, corn, and skirt steak, piled onto tortillas with fresh pico de gallo and handmade guacamole salad. Delish! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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