When making pasta dishes, match the pasta to the sauce.
If you're making a hearty, chunky sauce, pair it with a short chunky pasta like penne, rotini, gnocchi, fusilli, rigatoni, etc.
If the sauce is thin, creamy and clingy, use a pasta that is long such as spaghetti, spaghettini, linguine, fettuccine, taglioni, etc.
I first made this recipe to impress AJ when we were first dating. I had recently purchased a new cookbook from a lady's garage for three dollars while nannying out in CA. It was Le Cordon Bleu: Complete Cook Home Collection. It was my first time really cooking for anyone and I think it was the start of a ruminating passion for food and cooking that really took off the summer I met AJ. As for the dish, it was so yummy, he married me!
As a matter of fact when I made this again the other night AJ had more than one helping, he loves the sauce and took all the leftovers for lunch the next day leaving me a small cut of chicken to have for my own lunch.
Here are a few cooking/ baking tips I use and figure if it helps one person out ever, it's worth sharing. Feel free to add your own tips along as a comment!
I will subsequently add more as they resurface in my mind, and kitchen.
* When using Crisco or greasing/buttering a pan for a cake or something or other, use a plastic sandwich bag as a little glove to scoop out a dollop of the greasy stuff, wipe it where you need it, then roll the baggie off your hand in toss it in the rubbage bin!
* When baking a chocolate cake add 1 teaspoon of vinegar to the baking soda. The cake will come out moist without any vinegar taste.
* Let bread dough rise in a clean grocery sack instead of with a damp towel on top, saran wrap works too.
* If your cake sticks to the pan, set the pan on a damp towel - the moisture will help release the cake. (haven't tried this one yet, let me know if it works!)
* Before slicing up an onion, let it sit in a freezer for ten minutes (already peeled) and then slice away.
If you want extra protection, wear swimming goggles! haha I read that one and couldn't help but pass it along. I can imagine AJ coming home to me standing there with swimming goggles on, chopping up onions!
One of my favorite breakfast foods, toast with ambrosial ricotta.
My sister, Tryn & I stumbled upon this new word, ambrosial. It means delicious. As well as a fruit salad and "food of the gods" in Greek mythology. Anyway, I like expanding my vocabulary. Now you have too, unless of course you already knew what it meant; smarty pants.
I love cooks illustrated, all the science behind their recipes.
I also love light recipes, my tummy is a bit temperamental towards unknown foods. Fast food throws it through a loop!
I also love bread, and about a week ago I gave AJ options of some recipes from my latest Cook's Illustrated issue. It was between their "Guilt-Free Cinnamon Rolls", "Guilt-Free PB Cookies" or my mother's lemon bundt cake, (soon to debut!) as our Sunday dessert. I think because I had made quite a few cookies the week before for various people in our neighborhood, with some to spare for my love, he chose the cinnamon rolls. I think also because the lemon bundt is definitely not a light, meaning "guilt-free", dessert.
This is AJ's all time favorite recipe. His mother handed it over to me and AJ is the one that makes it all the time! It's great to have over rice, pasta, tots, anything! Although I would be a bit wary if you're thinking about serving it over cake or something of the sort! ;)
I bake the chicken @ 375ยบ F for a half hour, then I check it to see if the chicken's done. If it's not I keep it in checking every 5-10 minutes until it's finished.
Super easy and yummy!
