I FINALLY have found and currently have in my possession
a NEW GARLIC PRESS!! Cue the angels! Logan is soooo thrilled to be eating
again, let me tell you. He was starting to eye Chewy’s pellets. If he would
have been eyeing Chewy (our plump little lop eared rabbit) I would have fed the
boy, promise! I’m still slightly shaking that I finally feel complete again
with my garlic press. Losing our last one was such a shock but I persevered
because I knew another press would be coming home and joining the overstuffed
drawer of kitchen tools soon. Well soon was not soon at all.
I scoured on Amazon just as I said I would – it’s my
normal go to for everything. You can get a subscription to toilet paper on that
site. I mean really!?!? They will deliver toilet paper to your house in
intervals of your choosing. Why would I shop anywhere else? Right well, this
time I had to. I just wasn’t feeling any of the presses. This is a long term
commitment after all. And we both have to be up for a lot of work, so I need to
make sure this press is the right press. When Amazon failed I took to the
streets. Every grocery trip I checked the store I was in for that perfect
little friend I was so desperately needing and every time I was shut down.
Today, I had had enough. I ventured to a place I rarely
go. It’s kind of like Voldemort from Harry Potter, the place we do not speak of…
“you know where.” I went to Wal-Mart. I promise there is a happy ending to
this. After multiple shallow breaths, brief steps and my arms held close to my
sides I entered the kitchen tool aisle. I was scanning so fast and nervously I
almost immediately ran for the doors since my press was nowhere to be found.
But then… something caught my eye. It was a garlic press and it was a beautiful
garlic press at that. I searched for a non-scratched I came from “you know
where” looking one and there in the back, second to last in the row I found my
garlic press.
So now that all is right in the world, and you understand
the lengths any normal person should do through for a garlic press… let’s talk
noms!
Chicken, Broccoli and
Smoked Mozzarella Pasta Bake
INGREDIENTS
2/3 cup bread crumbs (store-bought or make your
own)
1 bunch cooked broccoli (about 1 ½ pounds),
stalks cut off, florets trimmed into 1-inch pieces
16 ounces noodles (I used shells)
1 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, minced
6 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 heaping teaspoon dried thyme
¼ heaping cup all-purpose flour
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1¼ cups heavy cream
1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
Additional Salt & pepper to taste
1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
(about 3), trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces
1 cup smoked mozzarella, shredded
DIRECTIONS
Lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking dish and set
aside.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a large
pot, bring water to a boil for the noodles. Cook noodles until done. Drain and
set aside.
While noodles cook, add butter to a pan and
melt over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened and beginning to
brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and thyme; cook until fragrant,
about 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add the flour, salt and pepper, and
cook, stirring constantly, until golden, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the
broth and cream; bring to a simmer, whisking often. Add the chicken and cook,
stirring occasionally, until cooked through, about 6-7 minutes. Stir in smoked
mozzarella. Taste! Add your extra salt and pepper here if you feel it needs it.
Add the cooked pasta and broccoli to the sauce;
stir to combine. Transfer the pasta mixture to the prepared baking dish and
sprinkle with the bread crumbs. Bake until the casserole is bubbling and the
crumbs are lightly browned, about 15 minutes. If the top of your casserole isn’t
brown and bubbly enough, turn the broiler on and watch every second until it’s
just as you like it. Serve immediately.
***********************************
I have made my changes to the original, and what you see
is what I did. The original had excess oil among other things I wasn’t keen on.
When it comes to the broccoli this time around I went the steaming route.
Actually, I super cheated and used those steamer bags from Zip-Loc – I am not a
huge supporter of cooking anything in plastic, but like I said – I cheated.
After cooking I let the broccoli sit out on paper towels and patted them dry
before throwing them in the dish, so that most of the liquid would be absorbed
and not make for a mushy bake.
This dish overall wasn’t bad. I wish the smokiness of the
mozzarella had popped more – this could just be due to the strength of the
cheese. But still I was a little sad. I referred to it while eating as “Lazy
Man’s Alfredo.” Thankfully I enjoy a
good alfredo so all is not lost. I would make this again perhaps try to add
some more excitement to it flavor wise.
I would also like to add that I learned a very valuable
lesson today: To never write part of a blog entry or to brag about how
wonderful a kitchen tool is BEFORE I try it. Needless to say my garlic press is
heading its useless little self back to “you know where.” It’s a piece of crap. It's more of a garlic holder than a press. Clearly it was mislabeled. I'll be sure to let "you know where" know when I return it. Lesson learned.
Noming Score: 3.0/5
