Chicken Alfredo Classico

I said when I first started this blog that I was going to try and change it up a bit from week to week (and, yes, the goal is to post weekly now...not necessarily on any particular day though, maybe Tuesday? idk...). So this week, I'm going to post a recipe. It's fairly simple, but it's one that I love and is cheaper to make - convenient for me being on a college budget.

But before I get into the recipe, I'll give you a little insight into what's been going on in my life since my last post. First of all, I'm addicted to this song I heard on the radio the other day called "Say Something" by A Great Big World. Love it! I think it may have been on Dancing with the Stars or something like that. But anywho, I started my new job last week, and I actually do enjoy it. I like getting to talk to the people who come in and just ask them simple questions like "How's your day going?" or "What are you doing this weekend?" It's amazing some of the responses I've already gotten; like, one dude went skydiving over the weekend. I also have enjoyed getting to know some of the people I work with. It's refreshing to see and talk to some new faces in a new environment. Also, I got a ticket for the game this weekend! It's vs N. Texas, but it's the only game I think I'm going to be able to go to this year... My other highlight was probably playing IM volleyball on Sunday night. Man, I've missed that SO much! It felt great to play on a team again and scream out "MINE," "FREE," "SHORT," "AAAAAH-ACE," etc. You fellow vball players out there will get it :) So I think that pretty much sums up my end-of-last-week and weekend highlights. Exciting, right? Oh, and I had my first pumpkin spice latte of the season this morning!

On to the recipe --

INGREDIENTS:
- Sauce:
   - 1/2 cup butter
   - 1 package (8oz) cream cheese
   - 1 cup half-and-half
   - 1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
   - 1/4 tbs garlic powder (optional)
   - 2 pinches of pepper
- 1 Chicken Breast
- 1 Box of (Rigatoni) Pasta
- 1 Pinch of Parsley

WHAT TO DO:
(1) Sauce it Up
     1. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan (on a medium stove-top burner setting). 
     2. Once the butter is almost completely melted, add the 8oz of cream cheese.
     3. Mix the butter and cream cheese well together. Add the cup of half-and-half, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder (optional), and pepper. Stir all of the ingredients until they are mixed well together.
     4. After mixing, turn the burner down to low and allow the pan to sit for about a minute or until the mixture has slightly thickened. Stir approximately every 20-30 seconds. 
     5. Then, remove the pan from the burner and set it aside so it can finish thickening. 

(2) Cooking the Chicken
     1. Fully de-thaw and cook 1 chicken breast.
     2. Cut the breast into slivers/slices.
     3. Finish browning the chicken on a stove-top pan. (Grilling is another option here.)

(3) Prepping the Pasta (al dente)
     1. Cook the desired amount of pasta on the stove top.
     2. Follow the cooking directions on the box for complete cooking of pasta. (usually ~10min)

(4) After each section of the meal has been cooked, put the pasta onto a plate or in a bowl and pour the desired amount of sauce over the pasta. Then, add the chicken to the mix. Sprinkle a pinch of parsley over the plate for color and a little extra flavor. 

(5) ENJOY!

The Final Product

Ciao & Happy Cooking!
Megan