Amazing Cream Sauce made easy.

If you're anything like me, you love alfredo but never want to take the time to make the sauce from scratch and alfredo in a jar is just not gonna cut it. I came across the most amazingly delicious and gourmet tasting cream sauce that is the easiest thing to make.

This recipe again came from Real Simple, and did not disappoint me in flavor or simpleness.

I made this sauce twice this past week and I ate the leftovers, so I ate it three times in a week. That's how delicious it is.

So, the basic original recipe is as follows:
Directions
1.Season 8 thin chicken cutlets (1½ pounds total) with salt and pepper. In batches, cook in olive oil over medium-high heat until golden; remove.
2.Add 1 pound sliced mushrooms to pan, season with salt and pepper, and cook until tender. Stir in 1/2 cup heavy cream, 1/2 cup goat cheese, and 1/4 cup chopped parsley. Serve with the chicken.


My boyfriend picked up the 4 ingredients at the store: chicken, goat cheese, cream, and mushrooms. He got a garlic and herb goat cheese that was extremely delicious, since we both love garlic. I cut the recipe in half, using 2 regular breasts, which I cut up into 4 total cutlets. Instead of parsley I threw in some green onions I had left in the fridge which added a nice crunchiness. I also roasted some asparagus to go on the side which was great with the dish. I forgot to take a picture but believe me, we were oohing and aahing over it.

The second time I made this, I used shrimp instead of chicken, cooked some onion with the mushrooms, and added some steamed spinach in at the end along with some pasta. So so so good. We agreed, better than regular alfredo sauce. Way better. and easier.



Enjoy!

Asian Dumpling Soup with Shiitakes and Edamame

This recipe arrived in my email box from Real Simple and I had to try it out immediately. It reminded me of my serious love of ramen and udon and now that I made this soup in the blink of an eye, I cannot wait to make one with noodles next time.


Asian Dumpling Soup With Shiitakes and Edamame

Serves 2 (2 giant bowls)
Total time, about a half hour.

Ingredients:
1 32-ounce container chicken broth
1 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves
8 frozen pot sticker dumplings or Japanese gyoza
1 medium carrot, halved lengthwise and sliced
4 asparagus stalks, choped into bite size pieces
4 ounces shiitake or white mushrooms, stems discarded and caps thinly sliced
1 cup frozen shelled edamame
a few handfuls of fresh baby spinach
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 scallions, sliced

Directions:
1.In a large saucepan, bring the broth and ginger to a boil.
2. Add the carrots, asparagus, and garlic and simmer about 8 to 10 minutes.
3. Add the potstickers, and mushroom and simmer until the potstickers are heated through and the mushrooms are cooked to your liking.
4. Stir in the soy sauce, edamame and spinach, let simmer just a few minutes so the spinach will wilt and the edamame warms up.
5. Scoop into bowls and sprinkle with the scallions.

I made a few minor adjustments to the original recipe, but nothing major. The original recipe called for low sodium broth and low sodium soy sauce, both of which I decided against. I also did include the extra salt that the recipe called for but in retrospect, the salt really wasn't needed so I left it out here. I suppose if you did use low sodium broth and soy sauce, the extra salt would be tasty. I also used fresh asparagus instead of watercress, because I couldn't find any at the store and I am not particularly fond of them in general. The edamame was interesting, I've never had it in a soup before, but it was a tad too chewy. Maybe I didn't let it sit in the hot broth long enough or maybe edamame in soup is just not for me. I think I would use peas next time. I added the spinach because I had some in the fridge and thought it would be a good addition. We ate this with some veggie spring rolls as an appetizer.

This soup was so hearty and healthy and so delicious. I am not kidding when I say this is definitely in my top three soups ever and I will be making similar style soups again and again and again and again.