I prepared this recipe the other night and must say it was really delicious.  I wanted to not only share it but also get it up online in-case I ever lost it.  It comes from a recent issue of 5280 Magazine from Holly Hartnett owner of Venue.

• olive oil
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 6 cloves garlic, slivered (I used minced)
• 1 cup light cream (I used heavy whipping cream)
• 6 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
• 16 ounces frozen young peas, blanched
• 2 jars marinated artichoke hearts (I used 1 regular size can)
• lemon juice to taste (I didn’t use any)
• salt and pepper to taste
• cayenne to taste
• 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan
• 1 pound fettuccine, cooked and strained

In a deep saute pan, heat three tablespoons of olive oil and add chicken.  Sear until golden; remove from pan.  Once you are able to handle the chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces.  Lower heat and add more olive oil if necessary.  Add garlic and cook until lightly golden.

Add chicken, cream, and goat cheese to the pan and simmer until chicken is cooked through.  Add peas, artichoke hearts, lemon juice to taste, sale, pepper, and cayenne.  Add Parmesan to desired consistency.  Add cooked pasta to the pot and combine all ingredients.  Serve additional cheese on top.

Last night I was really looking forward to making these chicken tacos. I’ve made them a few times before and I’m really happy with the way they turn out. I started cooking it up, but when Kim came down to the kitchen she said that the chicken I was using smelled bad. We had just bought it on Monday, but I guess the store had it for too long? It was a major disappointment, but I quickly heated up some refried beans and had burritos instead. Regardless, I would highly recommend the recipe linked above. I look forward to trying it again in the near future.

With mixed results from my first homebrew, I’ve decided to move on and start on my second batch. My parents sent a kit for Big Ben Pale Ale for my birthday a couple of months ago. I cracked open this box and finally got around to brewing it a couple of Saturdays ago. I followed pretty much the same system as I used the first time in the brew process. Once again I was happy to find some bubbling in the airlock the day after brewing, so at least the fermentation started alright. I hope it does a little better this time around, and I’m thinking it should since the fermenter is at a slightly higher temperature than the first time.

I’m hoping the fermentation will be finished this coming weekend, and then this time I will transferring it all into a Cornelius keg (also a birthday gift) instead of bottling it all. This is supposed to be much easier than bottling, and I should be able to carbonate the beer really quickly with some forced CO2. I still have to make some modifications to my lines in the kegorator, but eventually that’s exactly where this brew is going. I can’t wait to have my own beer ready and waiting on tap at all times. I just hope I enjoy this batch a little more than the last, which I’ve started using in some of my cooking. I used a bottle of the beer in place of water in a recent batch of turkey chili. I think this really added to the flavor of the food, and I’m happy I’ve found a use for it!

We celebrated my birthday on Friday evening. My birthday was four months ago, but due to multiple reschedulings, we weren’t able to use my gift from Kim until then. She bought seats for both of us to attend a cooking class at the Cook Street School of Fine Cooking. Originally we were going to take a grilling class, but after missing that class we opted for an Thai cooking class.

First we were briefed on all of the different dishes we were going to prepare and enjoy over the next three hours. From there we were all actually able to get our hands dirty and involved in each phase of multiple dishes. For both Kim and I, it was great to learn some knife skills first, and then put them to use cutting and chopping all sorts of fresh ingredients. Later, we were involved in tasting and recommending additions that needed to be made to each dish. And finally, we got to sit and enjoy all of the dishes the group of around fifteen of us prepared.

Though we lost the recipe book that was provided to us for each of the dishes, I think the overall knowledge we gained will help both of us cook better than before. Now all I need is a decent chef’s knife to use as the techniques we learned are likely not going to work with what I’m using currently.

Something is really bugging me about my turkey sandwich from Subway that I’m currently eating. Where the heck are my tomatoes?!? I’ve always loved tomatoes, and this recent health scare has really been bothering me. I hope it all gets resolved soon or else I may have to start a garden out back or help the neighbors with theirs. Fortunately I heard that cherry tomatoes were 100% safe, so I used them in a grilling recipe last night that I found in a book called Patio Daddy-O at the Grill. The book was a recent wedding shower gift to Kim from her friend Amy, which translates to recipe books for me to use to cook for Kim. The results were so delicious! I wish I could find the recipe online, perhaps I’ll type it up later if I remember.

I made some delicious chicken enchiladas last night, loosely following this recipe. Typically I just take a can of enchilada sauce, combine it with some chicken and cheese and call it a meal. This time I wanted to find something to add to the sauce to make it even better. This recipe definitely did the trick.

Instead of using ground chicken, I baked a chicken breast and then shredded it. I didn’t have any jalapeños, but I did have the diced tomatoes with green chile peppers. I’m not sure it was exactly 10 ounces, as I had used one cup from a 14.5 ounce can earlier in the week for an Indian dish. Other than that I tried to stick to the recipe, although I did add extra onion, both to the inside mixture and on top of the enchiladas once they were rolled into the dish. Once they were done I topped them with some hot sauce and sour cream and they were fantastic! I’ll definitely be making these again.

Last night I made a pasta dish that I’ve made many times before and is still on the top of my list. If spicy sauce is okay with you, I would definitely recommend trying this out sometime. I like it so much that I just had it again for lunch today, minus the wine that we had with it last night. After we ate last night Kim gave me a gift for Christmas. I had been wanting a big pot to cook with, and that’s just what I got, along with a bunch of other new pots and pans. It’s a full set of hard anodized cookware from Kitchenaid. I can’t wait to cook again!

Trying to get back into the swing of things, I’ve been doing a bunch of cooking so far this week. On Monday I made some pasta that I’ve done before and loved. This recipe is the perfect balance of spicy and sweet. The first taste is sweet, but after it sits in your mouth and you begin to chew, the spiciness comes out. The only thing I’ve changed on the recipe is the addition of a chopped onion which I sauté before adding the garlic and crushed red pepper.

Last night I grilled some asparagus, which I blanched the night before and then let sit over night in Italian dressing. I also grilled up some marinated chicken to go along with it. But the highlight of the night, at least for me, were the mashed potatoes. It was my first time mashing potatoes, so I had to pick up a masher at the store, but I must say that it was really pretty easy. I didn’t boil the potatoes for the full 45 minutes, more like 35 minutes, but I was only using four pounds. I also added garlic in the last 10 minutes of cooking to seal in the taste. Other than that, I pretty much followed the recipe, and I would have to agree with their four and a half star rating. They are an excellent side dish. The asparagus was pretty good as well.

Last night I cooked up what could be my favorite pasta sauce yet. I found this recipe and pretty much followed it exactly. The sauce might have got a little dry before adding the cream and vodka. I had to run out to the liquor store since someone drank all of the vodka! This was also my first time using heavy whipping cream, and I must say that I’m a big fan. The sauce doesn’t have a strong tomato taste, but it’s there. It’s not very spicy, but there is a kick to it. I loved it and will definitely be making it again in the future. Next time I think I’ll add some garlic as some of the reviews say. Maybe even get crazy and try to get some chicken in somehow.

I haven’t written anything for the cooking category in a long time. That will likely change as working from home has given me the opportunity to plan out and spend more time cooking. Last night I made some homemade spaghetti sauce. I’ve done this a few times before, but this time I found and used a more complex recipe. The only thing I did not have in the house was the lemon juice. I also added extra tomato paste, since I didn’t want to waste almost an entire can. We ate it over some ziti pasta and the results were great! I cannot wait to have some more of it for lunch.