Starchy Chicken Cesar Pasta

Chicken Ceasar salads are delicious. Especially when served with pita chips on the side or stuffed inside a warm pita pocket with a side of butter noodles. Not having access to delicious salad ingredients, a Chicken Cesar Pasta was made with a side of pan seared fresh zucchini.

Modifications Made:

Just one simple modification was made with no effects to the dish itself. Regular spaghetti was used instead of angel hair.

Scaled for Likability: No, Thank You

In reading this recipe, the opening paragraph secured my decision to make this meal. "So, the idea of Chicken Caesar Pasta is extremely enticing. That being said, the balance of flavors, amount of sauce, and the consistency of the sauce is key in order to make it work without it being overpowering."

Tender well seasoned chicken, perfectly cooked pasta, capers providing lovely bits of salt, a very rich, well coating sauce made with the absence of butter or cream.

Consistency of the sauce is KEY. Well, that is what she wrote but that is not what was achieved. What was achieved was wall putty. What went wrong? Cooking pasta in the sauce results in a gritty starchy sauce. Be it tomato sauce, milk/cream sauce, or a pesto sauce, when the noodles are cooked in the sauce the sauce will become thick due to the starch of the pasta itself. This starch then overpowers the sauce making for a paste pasta. Should have known from the start to cook the pasta on the side and created a rich, creamy sauce for the chicken to simmer in and then combined the sauce and the pasta before serving. Should have known.

Papas a La Mexicana (Ranchera)

It is a crying shame that there are six hens and not a egg in sight. What am I supposed to do with homemade ranchero sauce? Thankfully with a few quick searches of the internet a recipe from my hometown newspaper was discovered: Papas Ranchera . Not once in the thirty years I lived in my hometown did I ever eat at a local food joint serving papas rancheras. No time like the present to remedy this cultural dish. Because this recipe is hidden behind a paywall (grrr...) I have included it here for you: Servings: 4-6 Ingredients: 1 pound potatoes, diced 1/4 cup vegetable oil 1/2 large onion 1 1/2 medium tomatoes 3 jalapenos 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup juice from canned tomatoes Instructions: Fry potatoes in vegetable oil until lightly browned (about 4-6 minutes). Saute onions, tomatoes, jalapenos until soft. Add garlic powder and salt. Add tomato juice until vegetables are covered (may need to add water). Bring to a boil and then add po...

Better Than Campbell's Old Fashion Vegetable Soup

Went to the store with the hopes of gathering fresh produce for soup. With more than 45 people in line for two packages of any meat product and the produce section containing only avocado, orange, and most randomly, strawberries, I settled upon canned soup. Well not canned soup since that section was still void of food, too. Instead soup made from canned goods as the canned vegetable section had been mostly restocked. Soups like this 15 Minute Vegetable Soup are ideal in dire food situations such as current times. Modifications Made: Plain petite diced tomatoes omitted, frozen carrots instead of canned, green beans and corn undrained, peas omitted (gross, nasty little pods), one cup celery, three cups diced potatoes, one can tomato sauce, two beef and two pollo de tomate bouillon cubes, six cups water. Once onions were softened, carrots/celery/potatoes/juice of green beans and corn, sauce, bouillon cubes, water were added and allowed to simmer until carrots almos...

Sour Cream & Chive Scalloped Potatoes

Can't believe the Month of the Potato is over. There are so many more potato recipes saved. Guess I will have to work them into another month. Last week's scalloped potatoes were one of the best new recipes during the month of potatoes. With today being the last day in the Month of Potatoes, I decided to go out with a bang by cooking another batch of scalloped potatoes but this time sour cream and chive. The Best Scalloped Potatoes , or so they said. Modifications Made: Recipe was reduced by half. Mayo was omitted and one entire package of chives were chopped and added to sauce before pouring onto layers. Scaled for Likability: Good Betty Crocker Sour Cream and Chive Box Scalloped Potatoes were the standard for this recipe. These were a family favorite for years but have long since been discounted. Bummer. Trying to replicate this seemed easy enough. Alas, it was not. These had a nice texture but were too oily from the cheese ...

Eating Waffles

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