's Motd Fri Feb 22, 2008

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TODAY'S SPECIAL

Friday, 22 February 2008

I love to look through cookbooks and magazines finding delicious and unusual recipes. Sometimes, I take a little from this recipe and a little from that recipe and concoct my own unique dishes. Last night, I made one of my own special concoctions and I want to share it with you today. It's called Pasta In Pink Sauce and here's how you make it.First, take three chicken breasts and steam or lightly saute them. When they're done, put them on a plate, cover with plastic and place them in the freezer for about 15 minutes. And why do I freeze them ever-so briefly? Well, because they need to be thinly sliced. And you can't slice them thin when the chicken breasts are still warm. Freezing them makes them much easier to slice. When they're warm, they tend to crumble as you try to slice them. So after that quick freeze, cut the breasts into very thin, about a quarter-inch thick strips, in preparation to use in this recipe.Next, you take two slices of cooked bacon and with a pair of scissors cut them into quarter-inch strips.

I don't know if you have ever cooked with sun-dried tomatoes or have ever tried them. But they have a very unique flavor. They are usually sold in little jars, (near the canned tomatoes), and are packed in oil. So you want to be sure and drain them of the oil before adding them to this dish. Take a half-cup of the drained sun-dried tomatoes and cut them into quarter-inch slices, too.

In a pan, add the bacon, the sun-dried tomatoes, your sliced chicken breasts and sauté them all together for a little while. Next, you want to add two teaspoons of minced garlic and saute all the ingredients a bit more. Then add a half-cup of white wine and stir for a few minutes. Lastly, add a half-cup of chicken broth, and a quarter-cup of fat-free milk. Let all of those ingredients simmer for just a few more minutes.To thicken the sauce, I mix a little cornstarch with some water and slowly pour the mixture into what should now be a pink sauce. Add four teaspoons of parmesan cheese and a pinch of white pepper. Turn the heat off the dish, cover and allow all of the flavors to blend in the pan.

While that's happening, boil up some rigatoni noodles and after they're done, drain the noodles and add them to the sauce. And for that little extra-special touch, chop up about 15 pistachio nuts and sprinkle them onto the dish.And, oh my...what a taste, it's just heavenly! The sauce is pink thanks to the color added by the sun-dried tomatoes. And it's a pretty pink, I should add. I had this fabulous dish last night with a colorful tossed green salad.Give this recipe a try and, I promise, today's special will be a real family pleaser!Love,