Two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese...

Okay, so technically this dinner does not have beef patties, lettuce or anything else that a Big Mac has, but for some reason that catchy little McDonald's slogan has been running through my head since dinner last night. I am currently preparing to take the GRE, and while I can not recall a single algebra or geometry formula, I have no trouble reciting lines from old fast food commercials on demand. That's a useful skill, right?

Anyway, the above slogan popped into my head after last night's dinner because this chicken definitely has some special sauce. In fact, I was leery about it - would a combination of ranch dressing and teriyaki sauce taste good? The answer? Yes! I found this recipe on one of my new favorite blogs, A Year of Crockpotting. I love using my crockpot so I was thrilled to come across a blog that featured nothing but crockpot recipes. I bookmarked a ton, and this Bacon and Cheese Chicken was the first one I tried. This was really good! The sauce is so unique and tangy and tasty. Joe, my brother-in-law and I all really enjoyed it. I made them both try to guess what was in the sauce but neither could nail it down. But Joe guessed "turkey gravy" so perhaps I played this game with the wrong people ;) Aside from the sauce, this chicken features bacon and cheese, both of which make everything taste good! I served this with some oven roasted potatoes (made by Joe!) and my favorite veggie side dish, Green Giant Steamers snow peas - yum! I'm looking forward to trying more recipes from the Crockpot Lady! I made just a few changes to the original recipe, which are reflected below.

Crockpot Bacon and Cheese Chicken

3-4 chicken breasts
12 pieces cooked and crumbled bacon (I used less)
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
1/2 cup Ranch salad dressing (I used fat free)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Place the chicken in the crockpot. In a small bowl, combine the teriyaki sauce and the ranch dressing. Pour sauce over the top of the chicken. Add the shredded cheese and the crumbled bacon to the crockpot, getting between the chicken pieces,if you can.
Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 3-4.

My Perfect Pasta

Sometimes you're lucky enough to come across a recipe that includes all of your favorite things, and when I saw this recipe on Lani's blog it was love at first sight. Pasta? Good. Broccoli? Good. Sun-dried tomatoes? Good. Creamy sauce? Goooood. (Bonus: Name the TV show this quote references. Go!) I've been adding sausage to a lot of my meals recently so I decided to go with grilled chicken for this recipe instead, but otherwise I kept everything the way it was. Why mess with perfection? Plus it gave me a chance to use the homemade sun-dried tomatoes we made earlier this week. This pasta was so good! Even Joe, who doesn't really like broccoli or sun-dried tomatoes, really enjoyed it. And it was super easy. Can't beat that!

Side note: Why can't I spell broccoli? Every single time I type it out I misspell it. Just an observation. And thank goodness for spellcheck.

Chicken, Broccoli and Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta

Pasta of choice (I used half a box of whole wheat spaghetti)

3 chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces

1/2 sweet onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 cup julienned sun-dried tomatoes (if packed in oil, drain as much as possible)

3/4 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup white wine

1/2 cup light cream cheese

1 cup chopped broccoli

Parmesan cheese

Prepare pasta according to package directions. While pasta is cooking, heat a large pan on medium heat and cook chicken. When the chicken is mostly cooked through, add onions and garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and saute for 1 minute. Add broth, wine and cream cheese. Cook for about 5 minutes, and then turn to medium-low. When pasta has about 4 minutes left of cooking time, add chopped broccoli. Drain noodles and broccoli and toss pasta with sauce. Sprinkle with cheese.

A Tale of Two Dinners

As I mentioned in my sweet and sour pork post from earlier this week, the leftovers from that meal can be used for a second dinner - pulled pork sandwiches. I am not really a big pork eater. I won't touch a pork chop, the only time of ham I'll eat needs to be in the form of lunch meat, and whenever possible I use turkey bacon and sausage. But I do love me some pulled pork and this recipe is a good one! And easy. Just take your leftover pork, dump it into a saucepan with a few ingredients, simmer 15 minutes and - presto - dinner! I topped the pork with a little shredded cheese and served Joe's on a toasted onion roll while I enjoyed mine on toasted light English muffin. And we both enjoyed the classic gourmet side dish, tater tots. Mmmm, tots.

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

12 ounces leftover cooked pork, shredded
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 kaiser rolls, halved

In a medium saucepan combine pork, chicken broth, vinegar, sugar, chili powder, paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper. Set pan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Cook 15 minutes, until liquid reduces and sauce thickens. Serve pork on halved kaiser rolls.

Better than Kashi - Granola Bars!

It honestly never occurred to me to try to make something like granola bars at home. After all, there are tons of yummy, conveniently packaged bars on the shelves at the grocery store. But yesterday I was really in the mood to bake, but I'm trying to limit junk food so I knew that a weeknight brownie or cookie binge would be out of the question. I had spotted this recipe for peanut butter granola on Everybody Likes Sandwiches a few weeks ago and it had been on my mind ever since. I originally planned to make that, but then decided I was more in the mood for something with nuts and fruit. I went to the Food Network website and found Alton Brown's recipe for granola bars. I am not a fan of Alton Brown's Good Eats, but I've yet to encounter one of his recipes that I didn't like. (My brother-in-law makes Alton's awesome soft pretzels and I'm hoping he'll make them again soon so I can get them on the blog!)

Score another for Alton. THIS is why it's worth it to make granola bars at home. These are so, so good. Shortly after baking (because who can ever wait to "cool completely?") they were soft and chewy, but once cooled they are nice and crisp. The honey and brown sugar adds the right amount of sweetness to complement the hearty crunch of the oats and nuts. I made a few changes to the original recipe that are reflected in the recipe below. I did not have sunflower seeds, nor do I really like them, so I added 1/2 cup of Fiber One cereal in their place and I really liked the way it worked in with the granola. I used a mix of sliced and whole almonds and used craisins and raisins for my fruit. I also used quick-cooking oats rather than old-fashioned rolled oats and they were fine.

I can't wait to make these again. And I can't wait to eat the one I brought to work for my afternoon snack...

Granola Bars

Butter flavored cooking spray
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats or quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup Fiber One cereal
1 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1-ounce unsalted butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup chopped dried fruit (I used raisins and craisins)

Spray a 9 by 9-inch baking pan with cooking spray and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the oats, Fiber One, almonds, and wheat germ onto a half-sheet pan. Place in the oven and toast for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. In the meantime, combine the honey, brown sugar, butter, extract and salt in a medium saucepan and place over medium heat. Cook until the brown sugar has completely dissolved. Once the oat mixture is done, remove it from the oven and reduce the heat to 300 degrees F. Immediately add the oat mixture to the liquid mixture, add the dried fruit, and stir to combine. Turn mixture out into the prepared baking dish and press down, evenly distributing the mixture in the dish and place in the oven to bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Cut into squares and store in an airtight container for up to a week.

"Sun" Dried Tomatoes

All hail Joe, lord of the tomatoes! (I promised Joe he would receive proper credit for his contribution to these tomatoes - how was that, baby?) Anyhow, my brother-in-law John planted several tomato plants last spring, which grew like crazy leaving him with tons and tons of tomatoes. Among them were these little cherry tomatoes which John said were perfect for drying. I love sun-dried tomatoes (although I will go nowhere near a raw one) and actually had a pasta dish on the menu for this week that called for sun-dried tomatoes, so John and I decided to make some. Unfortunately neither of us thought to do it on Sunday when we were home - the tomatoes need to be in the oven for 6 hours so you have to stay close to home- so we ended up making Joe the official tomato cooker yesterday (and yes, he was THRILLED to help). John already knew how to roast the tomatoes - cut them in half, place cut side up on a baking sheet, sprinkle with salt and bake for 6 hours at 200 degrees - so we cut them up Sunday night and left them for Joe to salt and bake the next day.

These came out fantastic! They are so sweet and soft - yum! I can't wait to try them in pasta. My suggestion is to watch them closely towards the end of cooking. I ended up having to throw several away because they got too crisp in the oven. John's tomato plants are still flourishing so I'm sure we'll be making more of these soon!

Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Pork

Below you will find the one and only Robin Miller recipe I've tried. I've never been one to turn one meal into two (or three or four in Robin's case) but this meal is the exception. I came across it a year or so ago when looking for roast ideas for the crockpot. This one is a winner - the meat comes out so tender and juicy and the tangy, sweet sauce is perfect. The best part is that the leftover pork is shredded and can be turned into pulled pork sandwiches later in the week (currently on my menu for Thursday so be on the lookout for the post!). Even if you choose not to recylce the leftovers into sandwiches, this recipe is still a great one.

Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Pork

3 cups cubed peeled potatoes (Idaho or Yukon gold)
1 cup chopped onion
3 pound pork roast, trimmed
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup water
1/2 cup ketchup
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Salt

Arrange potatoes and onion in bottom of slow cooker. Place pork on top of potatoes and onion. Spread garlic all over pork.
In a medium bowl, whisk together water, ketchup, vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, mustard, black pepper and salt. Pour mixture over pork.
Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours.
Slice pork crosswise into thin slices and serve 12 ounces for this meal. Serve with all of potatoes, onions, and sauce.
(I reserve a little of the sauce to store with the leftover pork to just to ensure that it doesn't get dry.)

Mangia!

By now you've probably realized that Joe and I love Italian food more than any other type of cuisine. Joe is Italian so he grew up with pasta, meatballs and "gravy" (sauce to us non-Italians) and I love carbs, so we're a match made in heaven! I made these stuffed shells from All Recipes for the first time over a year ago and Joe and I both loved them, however due to the huge array of Italian recipes I have to try I never got around to making these shells again. Until tonight, that is. I saw this recipe in my recipe binder when I was organizing things a few weeks ago and realized it was time to make more shells! These are so delicious! The combination of sausage and spinach with creamy ricotta is absolutely perfect and makes these shells a little unique. I used a can of Hunt's tomato sauce (as a non-Italian I refuse to attempt homemade sauce since my husband grew up on his grandmother's amazing sauce and nothing I could make would ever come close - trust me, I've had her sauce) but I'm sure it would be even better with sauce from scratch. I ended up having to throw away about a dozen or so empty shells because I used up all my filling, an act that pained Joe greatly because, "You don't throw out pasta!" But for lack of any better ideas for what to do with them, I ended up getting rid of them.

Once these babies came out of the oven though, all past sins were forgiven. These are definitely must make. I don't think it will be another year before these are on our dinner table again!

Cheesy Stuffed Shells

1 (16 ounce) package jumbo pasta shells
1/2 pound Italian sausage (I used Italian chicken sausage)
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach - thawed, drained and squeezed dry
1 cup ricotta cheese (I used part skim)
1 egg
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 cups spaghetti sauce
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (I used 2%)

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add shells and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain and rinse in cold water.
Place sausage in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Drain and crumble. In a large bowl, combine cooked sausage, spinach, ricotta cheese, egg, garlic, lemon juice and Parmesan cheese. Season with salt, pepper and oregano.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Stuff pasta shells with the sausage and cheese mixture and place in a 9x13 inch baking dish.

Top with spaghetti sauce and mozzarella cheese.

Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until the pasta is heated through and the cheese is melted.

To go along with the shells I made some fresh Italian bread. I've made this bread before, however this time I was talking while I was mixing the dough and accidentally put the egg and tablespoon of water that were meant for the egg wash in the dough. I didn't realize my mistake until the dough was mixing, but I figured the egg couldn't do too much damage and I was right. In fact, I think I like the bread with the egg in it better - it had a softer and springier consistency from previous loaves which I really liked. Mmmm...bread. It was so yummy that I had three good-sized pieces, which is why poor Tucker had to then suffer a 30 minute power walk in 95 degree heat with me after dinner. It was so worth it though - at least I think so. Tucker, who is currently panting at my feet, may disagree ;)

Incredible, Edible Egg (Beaters)

Joe and I both really like having breakfast for dinner. It's funny because I basically never make breakfast for breakfast, but in the evenings we love to have pancakes, eggs, bacon, etc. So when I saw this recipe for ham and cheese strata on Julie's blog I thought it would be fun to try out for dinner. I'd make a baked egg dish only once before, for an Easter brunch, so it felt experimental. I made several changes to original recipe. I used a carton of Egg Beaters instead of eggs and subbed Swiss cheese for the Gouda. I also left out the sun dried tomatoes (Joe doesn't like them) and the chives (neither of us like them). I baked this for 35 minutes at 375 degrees, as my oven gets very temperamental and sets off the smoke alarm if you try to cook anything above 375. I really liked this dish, I was picking leftovers from the pan as we were cleaning up, but Joe wasn't too thrilled with it. I think I'll keep it on hand as a brunch dish to serve for company, but Joe and I may be sticking with plain old omelets for breakfast for dinner :)

Ham and Cheese Strata

1 carton of Egg Beaters (equivalent of 8 eggs)
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
4 cups Italian bread cubes (1 inch)
6 ounces Virginia ham, cut into 1/2-inch dice (1 1/2 cups)
6 ounces Swiss cheese, cut into 3/4-inch dice (1 1/2 cups)
1 cup coarsely grated Cheddar cheese (about 4 ounces)

Preheat the oven to 450°. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with the milk, salt and pepper. Stir in the bread until evenly moistened, then stir in the ham and Swiss cheese. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and pour in the strata mixture. Sprinkle the Cheddar cheese on top. Bake for about 20 minutes, until puffed and golden. Let cool slightly, sprinkle with the remaining chives and serve.

Baked Pierogie Casserole

Even though I'm the Polish one, Joe is the pierogie lover in our house. I usually just saute them with some olive oil and onions, but when I saw this recipe for baked pierogie casserole on Mary Ellen's blog I thought it would be the perfect way to change things up a bit. Joe bought cheddar and jalapeno flavored pierogies at the store, so I used cheddar cheese in my sauce to compliment them, and I used 3/4 cup skim milk and 1/4 cup light cream in an attempt to keep the fat reasonable. I also reduced the amount of onion in the original recipe because it seemed like a lot to me. This was very good. Creamy and cheesy but also very spicy. I couldn't tell if the heat came from the pierogies themselves or the sauce, but with 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes, my money's on the sauce. I may reduce that amount next time as it was too spicy for my tastes, but Joe really enjoyed it which was what mattered! I ate my pierogies with a grilled turkey sausage and grilled asparagus while Joe had a rare treat -a steak. For both of our dinners, these were a great side!

Baked Pierogie Casserole

1 package frozen pierogies (12 per package)
1/2 onion, sliced
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp flour
1 c light cream or milk (I used 3/4 cup skim milk and 1/4 cup light cream)
Approximately 1 c shredded cheese (I used cheddar)

Preheat oven to 375.
Bring a pot of water to a boil; drop in pierogies and let cook for 3-4 minutes. Transfer 6 to a baking dish (so they cover the bottom), and keep the other 6 aside until you are ready to assemble the casserole. (I cooked six at a time and timed it so my second set of pierogies were done at the same time as my cheese sauce)
Make the cheese sauce: Heat olive oil in a pot. Add all onions and red pepper flakes; saute 2 minutes. Add flour and stir. Add cream/milk and bring to a simmer. Add cheeses, and stir until creamy. Season with salt and pepper.
Pour some of the cheese sauce over the first layer of pierogies. Add the rest of the pierogies and top with more cheese sauce. Top with breadcrumbs.
Bake on 375 for about 15 minutes or until bubbly. Turn on the broiler for 3 minutes at the end.

Pasta in a Pinch

Pasta salad has become my new favorite summer side dish. It's perfect to bring to get togethers, everyone likes it and it couldn't be easier to make. However, I never actually tried to make it until I went to a recipe exchange party with my mom. Not being much of a cook, my mom asked a friend for a recipe she could bring and the friend supplied a tortellini salad recipe. The salad had chopped onion, chopped red pepper, olives, artichokes, cheese and Italian dressing mixed with cheese tortellini. It was a hit at the party and I began making it myself with some modifications. I leave out the raw veggies (I'm not a fan) and instead toss in roasted red peppers with the artichokes and olives. Sometimes I also add some meat, like salami chunks.

When Lauren invited us over for dinner on the grill tonight, I offered to whip one of these up. This time, instead of tortellini I used a bag of tri-color veggie pasta (Wacky Mac!) and left out the meat since Lauren was making chicken. I also used to fat free Italian dressing to balance out the yummy chunks of cheese. So simple -and it not only tastes great, it looks pretty too!

Crockpot Lasagna

It had been several weeks since I'd used my crockpot, and that was just too long of me! I wanted to try out something new, so I grabbed this recipe for crockpot lasagna from Kelly. I had tried to make lasagna in the crockpot once before, but my pot was small and it was hard to layer. But for my birthday this year my mom gave me a large, oblong crockpot that I thought would be perfect for this dish. And it was! The lasagna layered in perfectly and smelled fantastic while it cooked. The end result was a tiny bit dry, but I made it the night before and let it sit in the fridge before cooking so I think some of the sauce was absorbed. The only change I made to Kelly's recipe was to reduce the amount of shredded cheese. Overall it was a super easy alternative to an Italian favorite.

Crockpot Lasagna

1 lb lean ground beef
1/2 large onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
8 oz package of no-bake lasagna noodles
1 jar of spaghetti sauce
1/3 cup of milk (I used skim)
15 oz of ricotta cheese (I used skim)
1 egg
1 1/2 cups shredded Italian blend cheese

Using a little olive oil, add onion and garlic to a saute pan. Then add beef. Over medium heat, cook until completely browned. Add sauce to meat and simmer for a few minutes.
Mix milk with ricotta cheese, add egg and mix completely. Add shredded cheeses and mix well.
Using cooking spray, cover sides and bottom of crockpot.
Pour 1/4 of meat mixture into crockpot, then a layer of noodles (you will probably need to break them in order to fit), followed by a layer of the 1/3 cheese mixture. Repeat 3 times. Then top with remaining meat mixture. Make sure all noodles around the edges are covered with sauce. Cook on low for 4-5 hours.

Fourth of Ju-Fry!

Several years ago Joe and I gave my dad a turkey fryer for Father's Day. I think it may be the best gift I've ever given anyone - my dad has gotten endless enjoyment from it. Each year my parents host several holiday cookouts, one of which is always a turkey fry. This year we fried on the fourth and it was a lot of fun! An 18 lb turkey was on the menu this year. My dad injected it with a Cajun marinade to give it some extra flavor and keep it juicy, then the bird went into the fryer for about 45 minutes. As always, it came out perfect - moist and juicy and soooo tasty! If you've never had fried turkey, you may be surprised to learn that it's not at all greasy - in fact, it hardly soaks up any oil at all. That means you can eat twice as much of it! Along with the turkey we enjoyed corn muffins and some classic picnic sides like tortellini salad, potato salad and deviled eggs. We worked off the food with some quoits - my teammate Jamie and I showed mad skills...even if we lost. Only one year until the next turkey fry - I can't wait!

Into the fryer

And it's done!

Mmmmmm...meat

Rockin' the quoits

Joe and I :)

Dog Days of Summer

In terms of classy dinners, this Rachael Ray recipe is up there with the cheeseburger and fries casserole I made a few weeks ago. Still, this dinner was a lot of fun and very delicious! So what if it's meant for kids? Both Joe and I really enjoyed it. I used turkey kielbasa instead of hot dogs and maybe a little more dough and chili per dog than called for, but I only made us one dog each so I wanted them to be filling. I would definitely make these again, and they were a fun summer evening meal.

Chili Cheese Dogs in Beach Blankets

1 tablespoon vegetable oil or extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
3/4 pound ground beef or turkey
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
2 teaspoons dehydrated onion
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/4 cup water
1 tube pizza dough, from the dairy aisle at the grocery store
8 beef, turkey, pork or tofu dogs
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Pre-heat oven to 400°F.
In a small pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the meat to the pot and brown it up, 6-7 minutes. Season the meat up with chili powder, granulated garlic, dehydrated onion and a little salt and pepper. Add the tomato paste to the pot and stir it around a minute, then add the water to help loosen the tomato paste up and get it everywhere. Turn the heat down to low and simmer for five minutes, then turn the heat off. Roll the pizza dough out into a big rectangle. Cut the dough in half lengthwise with a small knife. Cut the dough into four equal pieces across so that you end up with eight small, rectangular pieces of dough. Across the center of each rectangle, place a couple of spoonfuls of chili sauce and a small handful of cheese sprinkled on top. Set the dog on the dough and wrap and roll the pizza dough around the dog like a blanket, sealing in the chili and cheese too! The nubs of each end of the dog should be peeking out. Bake in the oven 18 minutes, until golden.

Chicken Picatta Pasta Toss

Both Joe and I enjoy chicken picatta, and we are firm believers that everything is better with pasta. So when I found this recipe for Chicken Picatta Pasta Toss on Rachael Ray's website I knew I had to try it. I was amazed at how quickly this came together - for some reason I expected it to take longer but the whole thing was done in less that 20 minutes! And it was very good. The sauce was tangy from the campers with a nice hint of lemon. I only made a 1/2 pound of pasta but kept the sauce amounts the same - I would double sauce if you are using a whole pound of pasta because I ended up with just the right amount for my 1/2 lb. I grilled the chicken in cooking spray instead of olive oil/butter to keep it light, and used only 1 tablespoon of margarine in the sauce. I served this with some roast broccoli and good ol' Pillsbury biscuits. This is a great weeknight meal!

Chicken Picatta Pasta Toss

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 1/3 pounds chicken breast tenders, cut into 1-inch pieces
Salt and pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 shallots, chopped (I omitted)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white wine
1 lemon, juiced
1 cup chicken broth or stock
3 tablespoons capers, drained
1/2 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped (I omitted)
1 pound penne rigate pasta, cooked to al dente
Chopped or snipped chives, for garnish (I omitted)


Heat a deep nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add a tablespoon of EVOO and the chicken to the pan. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Brown chicken until lightly golden all over, about 5-6 minutes.Remove chicken from pan and return the skillet to the heat. Reduce heat to medium. Add another tablespoon EVOO and one tablespoon butter, the garlic and shallots to the skillet. Sauté garlic and shallots three minutes. Add flour and cook two minutes. Whisk in wine and reduce liquid one minute. Whisk lemon juice and broth into sauce. Stir in capers and parsley. When the liquid comes to a bubble, add remaining 1/2 tablespoon butter to the sauce to give it a little shine.Add chicken back to the pan and heat through, 1-2 minutes. Toss hot pasta with chicken and sauce and serve. Adjust salt and pepper, to your taste. Top with fresh snipped chives.