Thursday, August 10, 2006

Chicken and pasta after a day of cleaning



Chicken Pasta Italiano
America’s Quick Cuisine Copyright 2004

¼ pound sliced bacon, chopped I used a little bit less
4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
¾ pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into ¼-inch wide strips I used more
4 medium-size tomatoes, seeded and chopped
½ cup dry sherry or regular-strength chicken broth I used the chicken broth
1 tablespoon Italian herb seasoning or ¾ teaspoon each dry basil, dry oregano, dry thyme, and dry marjoram
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)
6 ounces dry spaghetti I used more and I used Dreamfields
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. In a wide frying pan, cook bacon over medium heat, stirring often, until crisp. Lift out, drain, and set aside. Discard all but two tablespoons of the drippings.
2. Add garlic and chicken to drippings in pan. Cook over high heat stirring, until meat is lightly browned (about 3 minutes). Remove chicken from pan and set aside.
3. Add tomatoes, sherry, herb seasoning, and red pepper to the pan; boil over high heat until mixture is thickened (7 to 10 minutes).
4. Meanwhile, in a 4 to 5-quart pan, cook spaghetti in 2 quarts boiling water just until al dente (10 to 12 minutes); or cook according to package directions.
5. Return chicken to tomato mixture; stir until heated through. Drain spaghetti and arrange on a warm platter. Spoon chicken mixture over pasta and sprinkle with bacon. I added the bacon to the tomato mixture instead of sprinkling it on top. Offer cheese to add to taste. I sprinkled it all on top.

Makes 3 servings.
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While I was making this, I was thinking this might be a disappointment. Once the tomatoes broke down, I started to have hope. It actually turned out pretty well. It was flavorful but not too heavy. Bacon always makes food taste better. There were no leftovers.

I spent the entire day cleaning my kitchen yesterday - top to bottom, inside and out. Now I don't want to cook in it! I filled the garbage can up about three times. Wow. It wasn't all food - I also tossed plastic containters, shoddy baking pans that have long been replaced, old cat food that got pushed to the back of the cupboard, etc. I still can't figure out how I filled up so many trash bags. On one hand, it felt good to clear things out, but on the other hand, I feel incredibly guilty about throwing all that stuff in a landfill. But what's done is done.

Question of the Day: How often do you give your kitchen a thorough cleaning?

5 comments:

ThursdayNext said...

Having a spotless kitchen is the best feeling!

I clean it thoroughly, top to bottom, with each season. So, four times a year I take out the contents of my freezer and fridge and clean the shelves, do inventory in the pantry, and also clean the oven!

Pasta and chicken were meant to be together...
:)

Anonymous said...

I was just thinking about clean kitchens this morning. Last Saturday, like you, I did a massive kitchen purge - and today, it's a mess already (partly my roommate's fault)... sigh...

I do a major cleaning about once every two months. Now if only the roommate would pitch in occationally...!!! :)

Ths chicken looks delish, by the way.

Unknown said...

NOt that often, although I do wipe it down every night. Just yesterday I was saying that I need to go through the cabinets and reorganize (ORGANIZE!!) them and get rid of what I don't need. Because of the size of my cabinets, it feels like everything is just thrown in there even thought that's not the case.

Anonymous said...

I clean my kitchen A LOT because I live with two men who are completely incapable of cleaning up after themselves. Consequently, stuff gets put in the wrong place or just not put away at all. They also drip and spill everywhere. It drives me insane!! I feel like all I do is clean, clean, clean.

The Cookbook Junkie said...

DLS- That's surprising. This wasn't outrageously good or anything but I'm surprised that you found it lacking in flavor since it had bacon, 4 cloves of garlic, a tablespoon of seasoning and lots of parmesan cheese.

Did you try spending several hours cleaning your kitchen beforehand LOL? I may not have enjoyed it as much without the raging appetite I worked up that day.