Armed and dangerous

I've come to the conclusion that my body is convinced that there will be an impending famine or that the earth will freeze over at some stage of it's life. It's the only way I can explain the food cravings I've had my whole life. Eat too much and I put on weight. Diet and I lose some of the weight but not all the weight and then we start again. Slowly building up this soft, cushion like reserve for when Woolworths Foodstore is not open or we experience a phenomenon like "The Day After Tomorrow" . The problem is that this fine summer's morning I discovered that most of my pants from last summer do not fit me. The elasticated ones do....but only at a stretch.

So I've spent the better part of this morning trying to get my mind around the reality of having to lose weight. Well, now my mind is rolling on the floor laughing hysterically at me, saying "yeah right, now pass a biscuit please". Yes, I know what I need to do to lose weight. Don't we all. My fridge is full of healthy stuff like raw veggies for a raw food diet and my very own website has an endless list of all the benfits of being healthy.

I think I need to try a different approach. A more holistic one. Hmm anything to make the pain of dieting go away. So while I poke my mind with a carrot stick and suck in the post-preganacy pouch, I'll try to avoid the urge to whip up some cheese sauce to pour over the veggies.

Yummy Alfredo Pasta

My greatest dietary downfalls are cheese, butter and cream...hmm all the main ingredients for Alfredo sauce. When I did a bit of research on this culinary delight, I found that the Italian version is actually called Fettuccine al burro - this is pasta tossed with butter and cheese, preferably real Parmesan also known as Parmigiano Reggiano. This morning while scouring my Chicken Recipes website for dinner ideas, I came across my Fettucine Alfredo recipe. Here it is for you to try:

Serves 4 - but I understand if you need to eat it all yourself.

Chicken Alfredo Sauce Recipe Ingredients

• 3 skinless chicken breasts
  
• 2 Tbs olive oil
  
• 2 tsp crushed garlic (optional for sauteing chicken)
  
• 4 Tbs butter
  
• 1 cup heavy cream
  
• 1 cup grated Parmesan (Parmigiano Reggiano)
  
• 8 oz Fettucine Pasta (or enough to feed 4 people)
  
• salt to your taste
  
• a little ground black pepper to bring out the taste
  
• a little sugar to taste
  
• dash of nutmeg
  
  

Chicken Alfredo Sauce Recipe Cooking Instructions

The Fettucine
You first need to get the pasta cooking and I'm assuming that
you know how to do so, so just follow the instructions on the
fettuccini packet. When the fettuccine is done, drain it and set
it aside.

The Alfredo Sauce

Melt the butter over a low heat in a pot that will be large enough
to hold the pasta at the end of the cooking.

Slowly add the cream and stir continually with a spoon until it is
hot but not boiling and has reduced slighty.

Now add the Parmesan cheese a little at a time and stir until it is all melted. The sauce may take quite a while to thicken, keep stirring and don't let it
boil. Add the seasonings (including the sugar) according to your taste.

The Chicken

While the Fettucine is cooking you can prepare the chicken breasts.
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and saute the chicken and garlic
until the chicken juice runs clear and the chicken is done.

Once the Alfredo sauce is done, stir in the cooked chicken and then add
the cooked pasta to the Alfredo and chicken.





For variations and tips you can visit the original site: Alfredo Recipe

Spicey Start

Weekends are now an interesting experience, since we've been sending Jesse to play group in the week. She's got used to being thoroughly entertained everyday and so I have to fathom out some kind of entertainment for Saturday mornings. It's quickly turning into summer here and the mid-mornings are so warm but not yet that unbearable Pietermaritzburg heat.

This morning I decided to go outside and water the garden while Jess rode her plastic motorbike in the driveway. Well, that was the plan. But she wanted the water so we both ended up soaked but happy and the garden watered. The resident troop of monkeys also provided some interesting antics as they foraged in the surrounding bush.

Now it wouldn't be a good day without some cooking so I decided to use those chicken pieces that I bought yesterday. I threw some glugs of olive oil in a baggie, added some garlic herb seasoning, a teaspoon of sugar and some salt and pepper. I put the chicken pieces (legs and thighs) in the bag and made sure they were well coated with the marinade / seasoning. I then put them in a baking dish and baked them in a preheated oven (190 dgrees C) for 50 minutes.

Some free advice: never leave a toddler alone with a beanbag....especially if the polystyrene beans are accessable through the zip cover. While I was cooking up a storm in the kitchen, Jess was making snow storm in the lounge. Oh bother...those foam ball are a mission to clean up cause they stick to everything.

The chicken was baking and those pieces were smelling oh so good. I tried to get Jess to sleep. This was a mammoth task as she was completely over-excited about the bird that we found flying round the bedroom. I suspect it was our ferocious hunter cat, Moses, that was the culprit. After managing to get the bird safely back in the garden and Jess to drop of to sleep, I ran for my chicken pieces. Yum, done to juicy perfection. Another great chicken recipe to add to my http://www.chicken-recipes-made-easy.com/ website.

The best part about grilled chicken pieces is that you can leave them to be eaten whenever cause they are nice hot or cold and go well with a salad and fresh rolls or any starch of your choice. I think tonight will be a pizza but I'll probably order out just to have a break.