17 in 5.....

On the nights I cook dinner for 2nd shift, I am non-stop busy in the kitchen and around the house for at least 5-7 hours (sometimes more), never really knowing if they'll be able to come. It is a scheduled dinner, but their work will always take precedence.

Last night was one of those nights.

Right around 5:30 p.m., 30 minutes before they were supposed to start arriving, a Priority One call came in.  An officer called around 5:45 p.m. to give me a heads-up.  

At 7:50 p.m., almost two hours later, I received a text message from the same officer that said "17 in 5".  I took an uneducated guess thinking it might mean 'I will be there in 5 minutes'.  Uh....wrong! When three officers arrived (20 minutes later), I asked them about it.  17 means "en route", so 17 in 5 means "En route in 5 minutes."  With all the paperwork they still had to do, I was happy they could stop by at all.  The Sergeant was detained the rest of the evening, so I sent a To-Go box back with one of the officers.

The menu: Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo, Salad, Garlic Bread, and Tea.  For dessert: Cheesecake, Banana Pudding, and Root Beer Floats.

"Worth the wait", they said.  Perfect Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo.
P.S. This was my plate.  The officers plates had 4 pieces of chicken. Made this cook's heart smile. J

Today, I sent an email to the 2nd shift Sergeant to see if there was any interest in leftovers and, I am happy to report, eight officers stopped by throughout the evening.  I boiled two new boxes of fettuccine (so the pasta would be fresh), and every last piece of chicken and fettuccine noodle was GONE!!  

So here's my recipe for my Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo.  And I use the word (my) only because I made it, but I found it on the Internet.  It really is delicious and everyone loved it!

If you try it, I hope you enjoy it!  ♥

Here's what you need! Oh, and some chicken tenderloins (not pictured).  

Put about 8 tenderloins in a large ZipLoc and pound them with the smooth side of the mallet.  To save money, you can buy boneless chicken breasts and cut them yourself, but I didn't think about it until it was too late.  I'm not sure if there is a cost savings or not, but I'm sure there is.

After you pound the chicken, put it in an over-sized container and add some Olive Oil and salt and pepper.  Mix well.  Put it back in the refrigerator until you're ready to cook it.  I fried my tenderloins in a skillet with some Olive Oil.
I added more salt and pepper during the frying process.

Olive Garden Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo

Adapted from this recipe

Serves 6

Okay, so here's the thing....this recipe says it serves 6, but I would recommend (for the average family), that you at least triple it. That will give you plenty of sauce to stir into the pasta, and then more to drizzle on top.  For the troops I cook for, I made this x 8, and I had very little sauce left over.  One pint of heavy cream is really not all that much liquid, if you think about it.

1/2 cup butter
2 tablespoons cream cheese
1 pint heavy cream
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt
Black pepper
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese (preferably fresh)
1 lb. (one box) fettuccine (follow directions on box)

Note:  If you double, triple or quadtruple this recipe, be sure to double or triple everything (except for the salt and pepper -- that is still to your liking).  If you're not sure about the garlic powder, do it in increments, but I think you will find that you will need every bit of what it calls for. 

Directions

• In a medium saucepan, melt the butter.
• After the butter melts, add the cream cheese (use a little whisk if you have one to blend it well), but be careful not to whisk too fast -- you don't want the butter to jump out and mess up your your shirt (like it did mine)...I'm just sayin'.
• After the cream cheese is blended, add the heavy cream.
• Add the garlic powder (and don't underestimate this wonderful seasoning vs. using real garlic).  Some people think using garlic powder is a cop-out (no pun intended) and takes away from the 'real thing' (minced garlic), but I have to honestly say, I like it.  I really, really like it!  It seasons this sauce perfectly. So try it before you discard the idea.
• Add salt and pepper to your liking.
• Simmer for 15-20 minutes over low heat, stirring constantly. 
• Remove from heat and stir in grated Parmesan.  

I like to stir the alfredo sauce into the noodles before serving so the noodles have a chance to soak up some of this delicious sauce.  When you plate it, add the chicken and a little extra sauce on top.  

Enjoy!  ♥

Waiting on the troops!

Love my Cuisinart electric skillet!

Since I make so much at one time, I use my Cuisinart electric skillet to keep this dish warm.  Pictured is 2 lbs. (2 boxes) of Fettuccine noodles.  If you're making this much, add a little Olive Oil to the skillet before adding the drained pasta and toss the pasta around with a wooden spoon.  Add about 2-3 cups of Alfredo Sauce, toss some more to make sure the noodles are evenly coated, then sprinkle on some Parsley Flakes for a little added color (I'm all about easy.)