House hunting and pasta

Man, it has been quite a busy weekend! Dan and I drove up to Milwaukee yesterday morning to see three more houses in Wauwatosa. We actually had some luck - we found a house we really love near the village and are working on putting together an offer...I wasn't going to write that in the blog as I was afraid it would jinx us but oh, well. The house is definitely way overpriced, so we are low-balling the heck out of this place. It was a foreclosure in 2009, and the seller has pretty much doubled the price he purchased it for just for updating the kitchen and bathrooms. I'm trying to stay positive, but also not get my hopes up too high. And ... a casting producer for House Hunters emailed me, so I could get my second bout of 15-minutes of fame pretty soon!!

We ended up driving back to Chicago last night since there were rumblings of yet another winter/ice storm to hit Milwaukee at midnight, lasting through Monday. So with this free time today, Dan and I were able to get some *fun* things out of the way - some offer stuff, budget spreadsheeting, lots of to-do lists and to-buy lists ... now we just need a winning lottery ticket.

On the upside, not working has given me some free time which equals cooking time! And not just a box of mac & cheese stirred with pan-fried chicken or a frozen bag of Bertolli plopped in a skillet.

One of my favorite cooking blogs is http://annies-eats.net. I really love this blogger because her recipes are always do-able (you don't see pages and pages of ingredients) and she is so incredibly creative - whether it's her food, her photography or her awesome party-planning ideas.

I found her recipe for Pasta with Garlic, White Cheddar & Wine Sauce a few months ago and had to make it. It turned out awesome - and when I made it again today, even better!

For those of you who like to cook, here is my adapted recipe from Annie's Eats for 2-4 servings:

Ingredients:
Box of penne pasta
1 1/2 tbsp butter
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tbsp flour
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 cup shredded white cheddar cheese (also tastes great with a gruyere)
1/2 - 1 head of broccoli, cut into florets (boiled)
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, grilled + cut into strips or bite-size pieces
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
Bring large pot of salted water to boil. Cook pasta until al dente. Meanwhile, in a large skillet set over medium heat, melt the butter. Once the butter has melted, whisk in the minced garlic, cooking until fragrant not more than minute. Whisk the flour slowly into the mixture and cook, stirring constantly until the mixture begins to turn golden brown. Stir the broth and white wine into the pan and simmer, stirring frequently until slightly thickened, about 3-4 minutes. Whisk in the white cheddar until melted, seasoning the sauce with salt and pepper to taste.

Mix in the broccoli florets and grilled chicken pieces, cooking until just heated through. Mix in the cooked pasta until evenly coated with the sauce and wallah!

Enjoy and happy Sunday Funday for those who have off tomorrow!