Dang It Chiefs!!!

I went into last night’s watch-party fully expecting a Chiefs defeat.  Given that, it probably shouldn’t bum me out at much as it did.  What a drag!  They had me thinking they were actually going to pull it out.  Sigh, turned out just like every other playoff game.  We did have a fun afternoon of it though.  We went over to a friends house and watched both games while enjoying some good food.  Well at least we made it through 1/2 of the Chiefs game…  Nobody else was interested in that one so we bailed at halftime and watched the rest at home, where we could give our undivided attention to the inevitable outcome.

I made a big ol’ pot of bbq gumbo for the game, that ate up my whole Saturday.  I only make it once a year and it always catches me off guard just how long it takes.  Between all the chopping, 1.5 hours to make the roux, 1.5 hours of simmering (after spending nearly an hour to even get that much liquid to a simmer,) and cooling it down to the point you can put it away, it’s a 1/2-day project.  Didn’t have anything else to do I guess.  My favorite part of making gumbo?  When you add the veggies to the roux.  I’m gonna say that is my favorite smell in the entire world.  They should make candles out of that smell.  Cologne maybe, it would drive the ladies crazy.  Or make them hungry anyway.

Lemon Chicken Breasts

Another one off Food Network.  This is copied straight off the website.  I used boneless skinless chicken instead, as part of my ongoing effort to at least try and be a little healthier.  The real reason I made this was to use the lemons off my tree in the back yard.  Just doesn’t get much more exciting than that, at least in my world.

4 servings

Ingredients

1/4 cup good olive oil
3 tablespoons minced garlic (9 cloves)
1/3 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 boneless chicken breasts, skin on (6 to 8 ounces each)
1 lemon

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Warm the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, add the garlic, and cook for just 1 minute but don’t allow the garlic to turn brown. Off the heat, add the white wine, lemon zest, lemon juice, oregano, thyme, and 1 teaspoon salt and pour into a 9 by 12-inch baking dish.
Pat the chicken breasts dry and place them skin side up over the sauce. Brush the chicken breasts with olive oil and sprinkle them liberally with salt and pepper. Cut the lemon in 8 wedges and tuck it among the pieces of chicken.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken breasts, until the chicken is done and the skin is lightly browned. If the chicken isn’t browned enough, put it under the broiler for 2 minutes. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and serve hot with the pan juices.

Low-Cal Fettuccine Alfredo

From the Food Network, one of my go-to sources.  I added some crab I had leftover from my recent crabbing trip, it was pretty darn good.

4 servings

Ingredients

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1 cup low-fat (2%) milk
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons Neufchtel or low-fat cream cheese
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for topping
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
12 ounces fresh fettuccine
Freshly ground pepper
Directions

Make the sauce: Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and lemon zest and cook until the garlic is slightly soft, about 1 minute. Add in the flour and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon,1 minute. Whisk in the milk and 3/4 teaspoon salt and cook, whisking constantly, until just thickened, about 3 minutes. Add the Neufchatel and parmesan cheese; whisk until melted, about 1 minute. Stir in the chopped parsley.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the fettuccine and cook until al dente, 2 to 3 minutes. Reserve 1 cup cooking water, then drain the pasta and return to the pot.
Add the sauce and 1/2 cup of the reserved cooking water to the pasta and gently toss to combine, adding more cooking water as needed to loosen. Season with salt. Divide among bowls and top with parmesan and pepper.

Here We Go Again

Welcome to 2017.  Hope it’s a good year, can’t get any worse!  (Jinx.)  I’m kicking things off with my customary positive outlook.  We’ve got a few exciting trips planned, the weather has been decent so far, and I think things are looking up in general.  We had a relatively solid holiday season, all things considered.  Donette did some pretty heavy travelling, and I even left our circle myself a few times.  To kick off the New Year, we flew out to Las Vegas for the weekend.  Had I read about “New Years in Vegas” before we made those plans, I most likely would not have gone.  I had it in my head that nobody else would be there, and it would be a nice semi-relaxing weekend.  I quickly found quite the opposite; It’s considered one of the largest celebrations in the nation.  Eeeesh, it was crazy.  To top it off, I was pretty sick the whole time too.  If there’s a large outbreak of flu across the nation in the near future, you’re probably looking at Patient Zero.  I’m certain I infected several hundred people on the strip on New Years Eve.  Not my fault they kept bumping into me, serves them right.  All in all I rate the trip a success though, good times.

A Few Pics

And my holiday funk continues.  I don’t know why, I’m having a rather nice season actually, but I can’t seem to shake it.  Force of habit maybe.  I have some pics to post though, and so I shall.  Few more weeks of this mayhem, I’m gonna make it.  I think.