Monday, January 9, 2012

Moxie...and Pappardelle w/Chicken & Mushrooms in a Red Chile Cream Sauce


"By perseverance the snail reached the ark." 

~ Charles H. Spurgeon


My daughter Sophia's got moxie. 
She doesn't give in.
She doesn't care what anyone else is doing,
she wants to do her own thing.
And all the while, 
she's got a lil Punky Brewster style going on... 
and she totally owns it. 

I couldn't help but think of this simple unpretentious quote the other day.
Without doubt, she has the tenacity and persistence of that snail.

Listen in, see what I mean...

Sophia: Mom, can I have a snack.
Me: no.
Sophia: Just a little snack.
Me: no not now, it's going to be nap time in a few minutes.
Sophia: Just one snack.
Me: noooo.
Sophia: Pleeeease. Just one snack. Oneeeee snack. *holding up one finger*
Me: *smile* oooook, just one.
Sophia: How about one marshmallow.
Me: *holding back laughter* that's not a snack, that's a sweet.
Sophia: Pleeease. How 'bout one marshmallow. Just one. *holding up one finger*
Me: One Marshmallow huh? ok.
Sophia: How 'bout two marshmallows.
Me: *trying not to laugh* One for you. One for brother.
Sophia: How 'bout two for me, two for brother. Just two. I promise. *head tilted, holding up two fingers, eyelashes batting*
Me: Just two?
Sophia: promise.
Me: ok ok. Two for you, two for brother.
Sophia: * beaming smile* oh these are SOOOO wonderful mommy. 
Me: good, ok let's clean up toys and get ready for nap.
Sophia: how 'bout one more snack....

sigh...her passion and steadfastness inspire me. 
I'm reminded me once again that these are all extremely rare 
and valuable qualities to possess 
amidst the predictable, stale and mundane.

Speaking of stale and mundane...time to get out of that dinner rut. No more of the same ol' thing. I insist! Mix it up a bit. A little of this and a little of that, improvisation is the key. Whatever you have on hand. That's what inspired this entree. Since I'm not making a trip to the grocery store for another week, I threw together whatever ingredients were lying around the back corner of the fridge and pantry and breathed this dish to life. 

I diced up 6 oz. of leftover cooked chicken breasts and set aside, sauteed 6 oz. of baby portabello mushrooms with garlic in butter and extra virgin olive oil, a dash of sea salt, 1/2 a cup of white wine, and once cooked down, added 4 oz. of softened cream cheese, a tablespoon of red chile powder, 1/2 cup of chicken broth, and boiled some pappardelle. Once drained, I added the diced chicken to the spiced mushroom sauce, poured that atop of that delicious pappardelle, and topped it with some freshly grated parmiggano reggiano and some italian flat leaf parsely. Steamed some broccoli for the side, and tossed together a fresh tomato salad. voila! Dinner is served. 

And I just may have a marshmallow for dessert. 
Maybe two.....definitely two :)

8 comments:

  1. Ha ha! I'll join you for dessert...but will you toast my marshmallows... pleeeese!
    She certainly does have moxie and she's so hard to resist! Your meal has moxie too! Great job improvising...sometimes those make the best meals don't they?! xoxo

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  2. Definitely have two marshmallows! Thank you for sharing you precious Sophia with us. That moxie is a gift from above. It will be fun to see what she does with it going forward. I love how you took what you had and made this lovely meal for your family. It looks absolutely delicious!

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  3. Aww Sophia sounds like such a cutie. I bet she's precious. :)

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  4. Such a cute post ... and your pasta looks like it came out beautifully!

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  5. Aw, love these sweet conversations with Sophia...both my daughter AND dog have a thing for marshmallows, too :) Gosh, you sure keep yummy foods around for delicious impromptu meals...how yummy!!! I think I'd eat any pasta that had mushrooms and a cream sauce...mmmmmmmm.

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  6. Your daughter is such a delight! That is one fantastic through together whats on hand meal, bravo!
    Wishing you a most amazing new year my dear friend, hugs!

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  7. Oh, bella Jaime-loved reading your post about Sophia. She certainly is persistant, with a mind of her own. Two marshmallows can't be as bad as some "junkie candy!" Your delicious pasta with the chicken and cream sauce is amazing, and so comforting. I think the pappardelle is perfect for this creation. I can just smell, and taste all the flavor combinations. I, sometimes make a cream sauce similar to yours with chicken or shrimp, with mascarpone, instead of cream cheese.
    Perfect gourmet meal you whipped up in a jiffy:DDD
    Thank you for all your kind words, and encouragement...I love reading each and every line of your comment!
    xoxo

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  8. A delicious dinner and a delightful daughter...what a joy it was to read this tonight. I hope you are doing well. I'm enjoying an unseasonably warm night here in Austin and about to start baking a chocolate cake. Thank you for sharing another delicious post!

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