Mommy's in the kitchen!

I cooked something! I cooked something! Ohhh...I am just so proud of myself. You see, Davey is the cook in this family. I was a vegetarian for a number of very important, informative, years so I never learned how to cook meat properly. It was only when I became pregnant with my first daughter that I started to eat chicken again (I guess the zygote wanted something more than tofu). I still don't eat cow or pig, but I do eat chicken and fish. Problem is...I tend to cook the crap out of it. I'm so worried about giving someone food poisoning that I just cook it and cook it until the juices are not only running clear, but they've run out.

But I made this! And...it was really good. Dave was very excited but he was also becoming a little concerned. "Well, I want you to cook" he said, "I just don't want you getting better at it than me". I don't think that will happen, but in honour of my bestest cyber friend in the whole wide world, I will be making the effort to cook once in a while (like, once a week. baby steps. baby steps) and participate in the great "What's Cooking Wednesdays!!"

Here's how to make my fabulous "Chicken and Pasta avec Beuree D'arrachide" - that's "peanut butter" for those of you who didn't grow up in the Canadian school system.

(Oh, and as you can see from the title...it is not allergy friendly. But, if you don't have allergies and you do like peanut butter...you'll love this!)

Ingredients:

3 chicken breasts cut into bite size hunks (get your hubby to cut the meat if it grosses you out)

2 gloves of garlic

3 tbsps of peanut butter

2 tbsps of Honey-Garlic Sauce

1 lime (the juice of)

a dash of hot sauce

a sprinkling of curry powder

1 apple (cut into bite size chunks)...this was really good...next time I may add 2 apples

3/4 cup of coconut milk

1/2 cup regular cow milk

a little bit of cilantro (fresh would be nice)

a little bit of basil

and some broccoli florets

and some penne noodles (or, any type of noodles, really)

Directions:

Brown your chicken in some e.v.o.o. while the water for the penne noodles is coming to a boil. Add the rest of the ingredients, down to the broccoli florets, to the pan once the chicken is cooked (i.e., no longer pink in the middle, but not dried up into hard little nuggets). Let all of these yummy ingredients mix and mingle in the pan while you start cooking your noodles and get your broccoli florets into your steamer. Once the broccoli is cooked you can add that to the pan, too. You will *need* the broccoli because it is a very bland colored dish without it. Once the noodles have cooked, drain them and add them to the pan as well and kinda' toss them all together.

Put the food on a plate and wipe around the side of the plate so it looks pretty and clean. Add a sprinkle of fresh or dried cilantro around the edge of the plate. This is called "plating" and it will make your family think this is a super fancy meal. Oh, la-la. (yes, i'm being a smart a**). ;-)

FAMILY REVIEWS:

Dad: "It's good. really good".

Mom: "I don't care what you people say, this is good".

1st born daughter: "It's good Mom, but can I go lie down now, I'm tired".

2nd born daughter: "Ohhhh...this is really good, Mom!"

(I asked her after she got her ice cream for desert which she liked better....dinner or her ice cream...and she said, "Dinner!!". So young to be so good at sucking up).

Bon Appetit!