Pasta

Lunchtime is usually (if I'm good and thinking ahead) when I plan dinner for that evening. Lunch time is a good time to pull something out of the freezer, if necessary, or run to the store, if desperate. Since moving into the new place, our goal is to eat at home as much as possible.

Eating at home is often much tastier than going out. I love to cook and create new things and often get cranky because I'm not cooking more. I'm constantly glued to Food Network via the tv and the internet. I have shelves full of cookbooks and magazines full of recipes.

Today, at lunch, I was craving the Ravioli di Portabello from Olive Garden. Seeing as how we're void of going out money until payday (a week and a half away), I would have to create this dish at home... and with stuff I had. Thankfully, I had some baby bella mushrooms left over from this weekend, pasta (always on hand), a jar of Alfredo (not sure where that came from) and some chicken tenders I cooked up last Friday because they were going to go bad otherwise.

The mushrooms got sauteed with some onions and garlic from the farmers market. A few secret ingredients (i.e - whatever seasonings you like - I chose Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and a bit of nutmeg) were then added. Then I added the chicken in to heat it up. The Alfredo sauce went in next, then cooked pasta (I used rigatoni). After I mixed it up quite nicely, I poured it into a casserole dish, topped it with a mixture of mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses and fresh, diced tomatoes. Into the oven it went to melt and brown and boy was it delicious.

Fattening, yes, tasty, YES.