Wednesday, June 04, 2008

Day 38



Well today has started off really good. I started taking new vitamins in hopes of having more energy in the day. Even with 8 hours of sleep sometimes, I still wake up so tired and groggy...maybe i'm just not a morning person..oh well. Anyway, so I started new vitamins cause let's face it....I am quadruple teamed everyday! I went to the Y, where I have a membership but haven't been in a couple of months, and started a new class. I loved it and came home feeling great! So in the spirit of feeling great I decided to share a recipe from the dinner I made last night. I'm sure like me, you all get stuck in the rut of making the same things every week and get excited anytime you hear a new recipe. I try hard to make something different every couple of weeks if not every week, and the one person I turn to for that is Rachael Ray. I love her and her simple yet very tasty recipes. My kids also love her and love when I try one of her recipes. So yesterday I decided to try her buffalo chicken chili mac, and I have to say it is really good and the kids loved it! Now my kids aren't picky eaters, but I was still excited that they enjoyed it. So here are a few pictures of it, i thought about taking them AFTER i served up the first helping, but you can see what it looks like. The store was out of whole wheat mac so i used rotini pasta instead. I hope you try it and leave me a comment if you liked it.


Rachael Ray's Buffalo Chicken Chili Mac



Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
2 pounds (about 4 to 6, depending on size) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into small bits
1 large carrot, peeled and finely chopped
1 large onion, chopped
3 ribs celery, finely chopped
5 large cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 bay leaf
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups chicken stock
1/4 to 1/2 cup hot sauce, depending on how hot you like it
1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 pound whole wheat elbow macaroni
1/2 cup pepper jack cheese
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
2 scallions, root ends removed and thinly sliced
Yields: 6 servings
Preparation
To make cutting the chicken easier, place it into the freezer for about 15 minutes until it firms up slightly but isn’t frozen through. This will let you cut it up quickly into small pieces.
Preheat broiler and place a large pot of salted water over high heat to bring up to a boil for the whole wheat elbow macaroni.

Place a large pot over medium-high heat and add 2 turns of the pan of EVOO, about 2 tablespoons. Add the chicken bits and brown them, about 5-6 minutes. Add the carrot, onion, celery, garlic, paprika, bay leaf and some salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook the veggies, stirring frequently, until tender, 3-4 minutes. Add the chicken stock and scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the hot sauce and crushed tomatoes, and bring up to a bubble. Simmer the chili for 8-10 minutes to let the flavors come together and thicken it slightly.

While the chili is simmering, toss the pasta into the boiling salted water and cook until al dente according to package directions. Once cooked, drain the pasta and toss it into the chili, then transfer everything to a casserole dish. Sprinkle the cheeses evenly over the top and place it under the broiler until the cheeses have melted and the top is golden brown, 2-3 minutes.



1 comment:

jazztam said...

This sounds tasty and something my older two might eat.. I'm with you I have to try new things.. Rachel Ray makes some good stuff!