Journey Into Deliciousness

Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo

Grade: A

Time it takes: about an hour - there was a good bit going on in the kitchen that night, so I'm sure you could finish up this meal in less time; also note that the chicken calls for being soaked in buttermilk overnight, but it isn't absolutely vital just start with the chicken and let it rest in the buttermilk while you prep everything else

Yield: Serves 4

Source: adapted from Kevin & Amanda - a food blog (perfect, creamy, fettuccine alfredo)

I got sick over Christmas this year - two days beforehand to be exact and still can't shake the cough or the runny nose. Grumble. I also was sick over Thanksgiving this year, so my immune system really just wanted to knock both those holidays down for me. I spent Christmas day as an exhausted lump on the couch, waking up for nose blowing and bouts of coughing. I am glad that Christmas Eve is my traditional make a special dinner day instead of Christmas day. I had much more energy on Christmas Eve!

I wasn't entirely sure if I was going to make anything at all for Christmas. Being sick I was of the let's just be lazy this year opinion, but I was swayed at the last minute that Christmas dinner must go on! We somewhat regularly make a honey glazed ham for Christmas, but we had made that just for shits and giggles only a short time ago. So, I read recipes until I finally thought "Eureka! I shall make alfredo!". Chris, not being a big pasta fan, was less than thrilled until I said "I'm making steak skewers too." Bam, he was sold. (recipe to follow)

This was my third attempt at making alfredo sauce. The first turned out well if I remember correctly, but I have no idea what recipe I had used - the days before I documented such things. The second was super thin. This one was thick and creamy and very good. It has a nice garlic flavour to it, and reheated most excellently. I made a double batch of it and covered my plate...the chicken, the fettuccine, the potatoes! The recipe below will be in original non-doubled amounts. Another example of why I love food blogs so much, the instructions tend to be much more thorough and this is how it worked for me in my kitchen-esque. I think that is the reason this recipe turned out better than my last.

Christmas Eve dinner with the family watching The Santa Clause followed by passing out around 9pm...good times =)

Click below to expand for the recipe!

Lasagna

Grade: A+

Time it takes: 1 hour and 25 minutes (40 minutes prep, 45 minutes bake)

Yield: 13x9 pan

Source: For the Love of Cooking - a food blog (lasagna)

Lasagna is a fantastic meal. It is one of Chris's favourite foods. The last time I made lasagna it tasted good, but not quiet like lasagna. It had a lot of flavours going on, and not enough gooey cheese sauce and meat-ness to it. For Chris's birthday this year, I decided to give a different lasagna recipe a try. I searched and searched for a recipe with just ground beef that seemed like the flavours would be simple, apparently ground beef with Italian sausage seems to be the meat combo of choice for lasagna, but I finally found one that seemed like a winner.

Sweet Jesus, it was! It tasted exactly how I wanted it to taste. It was wonderfully gooey and cheesy, with lots of sauce and ground beef. Mmm perfection. Chris loved it, I loved it, and I even got it on the table at a reasonable time - last time it took me a lot longer than I was expecting it to. I made the sauce from this recipe, and baked up some garlic knots to go with it. I no longer need to try out lasagna recipes because this one knocked it out of the park.

Click below to expand for the recipe!

Noodles With Chicken In Peanut Sauce

Grade: B

Time it takes: 1 hour

Yield: Serves 4-6

Source: Mrs Sac's Purple Kitchen - a food blog (Peanut Butter - Rediscovered)

I have a mild fondness for peanut butter. It is good stuff, but I wouldn't say I love it. I don't go crazy for Reese's Peanut Butter cups or anything. However, when it turns into peanut butter sauce I swoon. That stuff is delicious. I like to make it when I have fondue and make teriyaki chicken - and then eat my weight in it. So good!

When I came upon this recipe, I thought I should definitely give it a try. I'd never had peanut noodles before, but I figured they would be yummy. The recipe was good, but it was very noodle-y. It was easy to make though and good for a week night dinner. The next time I make this I will add more veggies and chicken, less noodles, and up the peanut sauce amount by half. My favourite way to have peanut sauce is still with chicken teriyaki fondue and some rice - that will have to make an appearance on the menu really soon.

I'm writing out the recipe with the original amounts, and if you desire to make the veggies and chicken the star of the dish it is simple enough to just add more in place of pasta.

Click below to expand for the recipe!

Spaghetti and Meatballs

 

Grade: A+

Time it takes: 3-5 hours (30 minutes prep, 2-4 hours cooking)

Yield: Serves 6

Source: Annie's Eats - food blog (recipe)

I love pasta, and I really love spaghetti with a meat sauce. But, I've never made spaghetti and meatballs. I usually boil some noodles, heat up a jar of store bought pasta sauce add some ground beef and call it a day. I normally don't plan pasta as a meal for a particular day because Chris isn't the biggest fan of pasta, so it ends up being something I make for myself when I want to eat right away and Chris has something I'm not interested in. Thus store bought pasta sauce. Obviously I didn't know what I was missing - ohmygosh this was incredibly tasty and well worth the wait!

Chris and I brought it over to a friend's house for dinner followed by house sprucing. It seemed to be a hit. Everybody liked how tender the meatballs were while still being firm enough to not fall apart. I really liked cooking them in the sauce on the stove, instead of in the oven - the one time I made meatballs I made them for meatball subs and in the oven, and they were okay. These meatballs, however, are not okay...they are delicious! Chris and our friend Atty, both not big fans of red sauce, thought it tasted pretty dang good.

Click below to expand for the recipe!

Lasagna al Forno

Grade: B

I have never made a traditional lasagna before. I have made, I think, two vegetarian lasagnas back in the day when I was a you-know vegetarian. I remember one of them turning out really well, and I wish I knew where I got the recipe from....but alas I do not.

Anyway, Chris' favourite food/meal is lasagna. But, he has never wanted me to make him one. We've made the freezer style ones whenever we've wanted lasagna. Anytime I've suggested making one for him he has said "no it takes too much time yada yada". That doesn't seem like a good excuse to me though - I make a mean paprikash and that takes all damn day. Maybe he doesn't want me to ruin his favourite dish? and then have to pretend to like it so my feelings aren't hurt? Well too bad, I am making a gosh darn lasagna this week. I am like so evil, no?

My mother made a lasagna for us for our wedding pot-luck style reception, and gifted us the dish as part of her wedding present for us. The same dish I am using to make this lasagna today! It is nice and deep, but the lasagna was still towering above the top edge - so the deeper the better.

I found the recipe on foodnetwork.com and it is one of Tyler Florence's.

Click below to expand for the recipe!