Beat the Winter Blues with my Mom's Chicken Riggies

I don't know about where you are, but here in Boston it's been absolutely FRIGID this week. We've had such a mild winter so far that once we did hit the low 20s, it was torture. And when the temps are that low, I need something hearty to warm me up. That's where this recipe comes in.


I'm originally from Central New York - specifically a tiny little town north of Utica. Utica is known for its amazing Italian food such as greens, pasticiotti and chicken riggies.


If you've never heard of chicken riggies, I suggest you get acquainted with them STAT. It's rigatoni and chicken in a semi-spicy pink cream sauce. Rachael Ray even featured them on her Food Network show! They're TO.DIE.FOR. And I'm happy to be able to pass my mom's recipe onto my readers.

picture from foodbuzz.com

What You'll Need:
4 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup butter
5 cloves garlic, minced
2/3 cup shallots, minced
2 lbs chicken breast (boneless, skinless -- cut into bite size pieces)
1 red or yellow bell pepper, cut into bite size pieces
2 cherry peppers (more or less for desired level of heat)
1/4 cup sherry
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 pint heavy cream
1 box rigatoni, cooked & drained


Directions:
Heat oil and butter together over medium-high heat until melted. Add shallots, peppers and garlic and cook until translucent. Add chicken, cook 8-10 minutes. Add tomato sauce and cook for another 10 minutes. Add cooking sherry and simmer for another 10 minutes. Add heavy cream and cook for 10 more minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add cooked pasta and let sit for a few minutes before serving to soak up the sauce.


Serve with good bread. (And a glass of red wine!)


Enjoy!
xoxo,
L

Nannie's Christmas Sprtiz Cookies

It's been a while since I've posted anything food related so I figured I'd post a special treat today... my Nannie's recipe for Christmas Spritz Cookies. These little bites of joy are my absolute favorite cookie. And for someone who eats/sleeps/breathes anything chocolate, that's saying something.


2 1/4 cups flour (all-purpose works just fine)
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup white sugar
1 cup butter
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl, combine flour, salt, and cinnamon and set aside.


In the bowl of a mixer, cream together butter and cream cheese. Add sugar and egg yolk and beat until fluffy. Add vanilla. In thirds, add the dry ingredients. For holiday cookies -- Divide dough into two sections. Color half red and the other half green. Use approximately 6-8 drops of food coloring to achieve desired color.


Fill a cookie press with dough and press cookies onto ungreased cookie sheet. Sprinkle with colored sugar to decorate. Bake for about 12 minutes, or until the cookies are golden brown on the edges and bottoms. Immediately remove from cookie sheet and cool.


This recipe makes about 4.5 dozen cookies. (And they're only about 70 calories each!)

Photo from Wilton.com (I'm kicking myself for not snapping photos of the cookies I made!)

It's a family tradition to get together and bake Christmas cookies so while I was home for Thanksgiving, my mom, sister and I whipped these up along with some sugar cookies. I love love love this time of year -- spending quality time with friends and family and enjoying the sights and smells of the holiday. What are some of your favorite holiday traditions?


Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do!
xoxo,
L