Fun in the Kitchen

My mother was the kind of cook who could throw some random shit into a pot and it would come out tasting like fucking heaven! With my mother, it was something she was born able to do. A gift. With me, it's a learned talent. It has taken a lot of work and a lot of patience, but over time I have learned what foods go good together and what doesn't, and today I am going to share a recipe with you that I totally just made up while cooking dinner because I didn't want to use anything but leftovers and readily accessible items.

What you need:

Pasta (you can cook it, or you can do like I did and use leftover noodles from the fridge. I had some left over penne from a Italian sausage Alfredo I had made a few nights back.)

Sauce (Either Alfredo or tomato will do, but I was out of Alfredo and used tomato)

Chicken (I prefer dark meat, and had enough to feed two people but not four, which is why I used it tonight, because the Jelly Beans are at their grandmothers.)

Two Small Apples, diced/chopped/otherwise mangled

1/4 Onion, diced/chopped/otherwise mangled

Shredded Mozzarella

Shredded Parmesan (and not that powder weird shit you get in a shaky can, I'm talking about SHREDDED Parmesan! Like this:

 If it came in a zippy plastic pouch thing from Wal-mart, that's fine, but the only thing you should ever, EVER put powdered Parmesan cheese on is a greasy pizza!

What You Do:

Smack a little Olive Oil in the bottom of a pan or wok and turn the heat up. Add the onion and the chicken at the same time (you want the onions to caramelize a little and you want the chicken cooked all the way through.) Salt, pepper, and some fresh Oregano/Rosemary/Mint (or, like in my case, a couple shakes of the Italian Seasonings Blend.) Let that cook for a while, then squeeze in some lemon juice (fresh is better, plastic lemon shaped container from the fridge is fine), one of the diced apples (so that it will soften and lends it's flavor to the chicken), and if you like (some don't, I do) a couple splashes of red wine or red wine vinager. Stir and let cook until the chicken is done, reduce heat to low or warm setting. Heat sauce in a separate pan. If the pasta is previously cooked and refrigerated, add a few splashes of water (so it doesn't dry out) and a few splashes of olive oil (so they don't stick), stir and microwave for about a minute, then check and microwave in 30 second intervals until warm through. Add the remaining diced apple to the chicken dish (doing it last so they will stay crisp and juicy), stir, remove from heat. Pile the pasta on a plate, top with sauce sprinkle on mozzarella, cover in chicken mixture, sprinkle with Parmesan and VOILA! 

(Pardon the crappy pictures, I don't have a fancy camera and these where taken with the phone.)

~Served with grapes because nothing compliments a heavy savory dish like a juicy mostly sweet, kind of sour side piece. Plus, I just love grapes.~

And since we are on the topic of food, here is the cake I made for Anthony's 28th birthday party, back on April 13th. I'm proud of it!! XD