Lesson learned #6- Just call me Paula Dean yall

Hello friends! I cannot believe I am going to say this, but I have learned that I actually enjoy cooking! This was not something I expected as I never cooked or had any interest in cooking while growing up. You can also ask my college roommates. My idea of cooking dinner for myself was ramen noodles and a tuna fish sandwich or my own personal invention of mini-chicken parm.

However, now that I have a kitchen of my own and my own pots and pans (I am obsessed with my calphalon pots and pans) I actually enjoy cooking. I love browsing the internet and cookbooks we received for wedding gifts to find something new and exciting to cook for dinner. This might be a reason why I take so many trips to the grocery store (refer to lesson learned #5). Greg and I also love to watch the food network every morning. Our favorites are Giada, The Neelys', and of course Paula!

As a result of discovering my new fondness of cooking, I decided that I will start providing you all with a recipe of the week. These will be recipes that I have tried and have given my stamp of approval. So here is recipe of the week #1- Italian Baked Chicken (recipe compliments on Giada at foodnetwork.com).

FYI- I added more sauce than what was recommended because I do not like dry casseroles and it turned out perfectly. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 cup pastina pasta (or any small pasta)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup cubed chicken breast (1-inch cubes)
• 1/2 cup diced onion (about 1/2 a small onion)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 1 tablespoon butter, plus more for buttering the baking dish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until just tender, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Drain pasta into a large mixing bowl.

Meanwhile, put the olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook for 3 minutes. Add the onions and garlic, stirring to combine, and cook until the onions are soft and the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes more. Put the chicken mixture into the bowl with the cooked pasta. Add the canned tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, parsley, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Place the mixture in a buttered 8 by 8 by 2-inch baking dish. In a small bowl mix together the bread crumbs and the Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle over the top of the pasta mixture. Dot the top with small bits of butter. Bake until the top is golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Our next big adventure in the kitchen...grilled lamb! Wish us luck :)

xoxo