Penne in a Garlicky Butter Sauce with Chicken, Sun Dried Tomatoes and Artichokes

What a recipe title.  But I couldn't leave anything out, it was all so good!  So here's what happened. It was either go out, and we were both pretty exhausted from a long weekend of singing and performing, or stay in and wing it. I just couldn't force Pianoman to go anywhere. And I really didn't want to go anywhere either. I gathered together all the things I needed for this recipe right off my shelf and refrigerator. You probably have most of them in your kitchen right now too. And for those of you who own the cookbook, the recipe is there already for you.  It's one that you might pass by and not think too much of.  Think about it one more time. It's the best, I mean best, and easiest sauce for your pasta. And the add-ins are endless.  Try this one evening, and tell me if it isn't just delicious!

PENNE IN A GARLICKY BUTTER SAUCE WITH CHICKEN, 

SUN DRIED TOMATOES AND ARTICHOKE HEARTS

Start with one whole chicken breast. Mine was partially frozen, which I like better for slicing or cubing.  I cubed mine and tossed it with lemon pepper seasoning, some crushed dried rosemary, a little paprika, salt and pepper. Into a little bit of hot olive oil it all went until cooked through and beginning to brown.  Remove this to a bowl, cover with foil and set aside. And p.s., if you want meatless, by all means skip this step!

Boil 8 ounces of penne pasta or whatever kind you like according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

In a saucepan, melt 1/4 cup of butter. Saute a medium onion and 3 large cloves of garlic that have been very finely chopped. When I say very finely, I mean it.  I do mine in my food processor until it is really finely chopped.  This way, when you saute it you'll get all the flavor in the sauce and no chunky pieces  when you eat the dish.  Seriously.  So, saute the onion and garlic until soft but not browned. Add to this 1/2 cup of chicken broth, 1/4 cup of olive oil, a good handful of chopped fresh parsley, salt and pepper to taste. Heat all this through. Then add whatever suits your fancy.  I added 1/2 cup of sun dried tomatoes and 1 small jar of artichoke hearts which were thoroughly drained. Gently mix these into the sauce. Add the chicken back in as well.  Then add the drained pasta.  Toss everything together well.  Distribute onto your dinner plates.   Sprinkle with freshly shredded or grated Parmesan cheese. This will serve more than 4 generously. 

Things you'll need at a glance:

• 1 chicken breast
• 8 oz. penne pasta or your favorite
• Butter
• 1 onion
• 3 cloves of garlic
• Chicken broth (I used Better Than Bouillon Organic. It's convenient, easy, I can make as much or as little as I like, I don't have to open a big box of broth, it's very good)
• Olive oil
• Fresh parsley
• Your choice for add-ins, or none at all! (Some of my favorites are black olives, sun dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, fresh spinach, toasted walnuts or pinenuts, etc.)

Enjoy and let me know how you loved it!

Hot Habanero Mac and Cheese

Never one to leave well enough alone, I even had to take dear old Fannie Farmer's classic baked macaroni and cheese and do something different with it. You see, I had this block of Cabot Hot Habanero Cheese around and part of a box of corkscrew pasta and got a brainstorm.  This was really, really good. Definitely not for you if a little heat turns you away from a dish. And definitely not for you if you're counting calories this week. Thankfully, I do not make these kinds of calorie-laden dishes very often. But there comes a time in everyone's life when nothing else will do to accompany that main course except a helping of crunchy-topped, creamy on the inside, and spicy through and through, mac and cheese.  Of course, you can make this recipe without the habanero cheese and enjoy it just as well.  

HOT HABANERO MAC AND CHEESE

3 cups of corkscrew shaped pasta

4 Tbs. butter

4 Tbs. flour

1 whole clove of garlic, peeled

1 1/4 cups milk

1 cup half and half

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 cup Cabot hot habanero cheese

1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs

1 Tbs. butter, melted

• Preheat the oven to  400 degrees.
• Shred the cheese and pack into a 2-cup measuring cup. Set aside.
• Toss the Panko breadcrumbs with the melted butter. Set aside.
• Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain well and pour back into the pot. Set aside.
• In a large saucepan melt the butter, and add the whole clove of garlic to flavor the sauce.
• Add the flour, salt and pepper, using a whisk to stir until well blended.
• Pour the milk and half & half in gradually, whisking constantly.
• Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook, stirring constantly, for a few minutes until very thick. Discard clove of garlic.
• Remove saucepan from heat and stir in the shredded cheese until completely melted.
• Pour this sauce over the pasta and stir to coat well.
• Transfer the mac and cheese to a buttered baking dish (or just use a cooking spray)
• Sprinkle with the Panko breadcrumbs.
• Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

Tortellini Soup With Chicken and Spinach

Looking for a delicious soup that is quick and easy to make? The idea for this soup came from my sister's friend. But as with most things I make, I can't leave well enough alone. Having made a few changes, here is the simple recipe for a great meal in a bowl.  This is so good, it's a must try!

Tortellini Soup with Chicken and Spinach
1 lb. boneless chicken breast tenders
2 32 oz. cartons of chicken broth
2 cups water
1 large onion, peeled and left whole
1 clove of garlic, peeled and left whole
1 pkg. fresh spinach
3 or 4 carrots, shredded or sliced thin, your choice
1 pkg. (I used a 9 oz. pkg.)  tortellini

Heat a small amount of olive oil in a frying pan. Season the chicken tenders with your favorite seasoning. Today I used Emeril's Original Essence. It's a good all purpose seasoning to use for just about anything. Season the chicken liberally and brown it well on both sides. Remove to a plate to cool.

In a large soup pot, pour in the two cartons of chicken broth and water, add the whole onion and garlic clove, and the sliced or shredded carrots, cover, cook slowly and allow the onion and garlic to become soft. In the meantime, shred the cooled chicken into bite sized pieces.

When the onion and garlic are nice and soft, remove and discard them. The idea here is to flavor the broth but not have any pieces of onion or garlic floating around in your finished soup. Add the shredded chicken and spinach. Give it a gentle stir, cover and let it simmer through until the spinach is all wilted, just a few minutes. Boil the tortellini separately and set aside.  Some of the Emeril's Essence will come off the chicken and will flavor the soup such that you won't have to add any extra salt, pepper or any other seasonings. How easy is that?

When you are ready to serve, place as many tortellini in each bowl as you like, then ladle the soup over the top of the tortellini and offer a sprinkling of Parmesan if you like.  From start to finish you can have this on the table in less than an hour.  This is a keeper.

Note - I originally dropped the tortellini into the soup and cooked them along with the spinach. It was delicious, but the next day my small tortellini had grown to the size of small donuts!  LOL!  They soaked up quite a lot of the liquid.  Unless you think you'll be serving the entire recipe, it might be best to cook them separately and add them to the soup when you're about to eat it.