All Aboard the Flavor Train

My belly is still full from last night's pasta extravaganza. My friend Laraine cooked us this ridiculously creamy, spicy chicken fettuccini. She set the massive bowl of awesomeness on the dinning room table right in front of me, I took one whiff, and almost did a swan dive right in the middle of the bowl. I started to picture myself doing the backstroke and sucking up one, long noodle, letting the tail end of it hit my nose-kind of like Lady on Lady and the Tramp. I had to sit on my hands to contain myself from following through with this absurd vision; the intoxicating smell was making it nearly impossible.

Thankfully Laraine and Greg went into prayer mode and I snapped out of it. After praising the Lord, I gingerly placed a big pile of this madness on my plate, picked up my fork to swirl around the most perfect bite, and placed it in my mouth with intentional elegance. Well, that's not exactly how it went.....I scooped out a big spoonful, slapped it on my plate, impatiently glanced around to see if everyone else had served themselves, and then jammed the fork in my mouth. O wow! I had just gotten on the flavor train and I did not want to get off. I ferociously scooped up more pasta and proceeded to stuff it in my mouth. All that was left for me to do was to lick the bowl, but Sydney (their daughter) said they were not allowed to do this, so I restrained myself because I certainly did not want to be grounded from coming over to their house.

So the meal was pretty good, well ok, insanely delicous if you couldn't tell, but honestly the time we all spent together was even better. Seriously, we really didn't want to leave, my son's tears when it was time to leave was somewhat of a testimony to how we all felt.

Laraine's Insane Blackened Chicken Fettuccini*

Ingredients

• 4 (5-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts

• 1 cup blackening spice (Laraine uses Zatarain's)
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 cup roughly chopped marinated sun-dried tomatoes
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound cooked fettuccine
• Tony's Creole Seasoning, to taste (optional, but o' so good)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cover the chicken breasts in the blackening spice and place in a cast iron skillet over very high heat. Blacken both sides of the chicken and place in the oven for 10 minutes, remember internal temperature must read 165 degrees. Slice chicken to bite size pieces.

In a large non-stick skillet, add 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil. Add garlic and lightly caramelize. Then add the sun-dried tomatoes and the sliced chicken. Deglaze the pan with the white wine. Add the heavy cream, increase the heat to a simmer, and reduce the cream sauce by half. When the sauce is at a thicker consistency add pasta, and stir till pasta is coated. Let sit for several minutes and the noodles will soak up some of the sauce; it will become even thicker. Add Parmesan.

*modified from Guy Fieri's Cajun Chicken Alfredo