Baby it’s cold out there! Yea, at times I am Captain Obvious and brilliant statements like that emerge and I don’t even have to concentrate. But seriously now, you’re gonna need some fat in your diet to provide a little insulation in order to face these next few weeks. I find if I reduce the next few months of winter down to mere weeks, I can boldly stare it in the face and somehow it, aka “winter” doesn’t steal my enthusiasm about life and loving and giving which all require me to get out in this God forsaken blustery cold. Thankfully, Sunday was a very warm and snug as bug in a rug kind of day with the family chattering about, a fire glowing in the background, and the smells of garlic and my favorite repeat offender in the luscious but oh-so-fattening food category–Grilled Chicken over pasta that’s topped with the hot and saucy Alfredo sauce. I do love the cold when it makes us all huddle together as we laugh and share stories from days gone by.
And now, a story. Once upon a time I used to love Christmas but life and love and loss has dimmed the brilliancy of this time of year and those in my past. With a few Christmas’s down and another coming and going, to date I had only gleaned one truth from this notoriously “spirit filled” event. An obvious contradiction to the old saying, time heals all wounds, my thoughts are “time” has only a little to do with healing . But this is not how the story ends. Almost a couple of years ago, I decided to resurrect my hobby of photography. Hobby probably isn’t exactly the best description–mostly I wanted to capture my children’s lives as they encountered it and what better way to do that but by quietly lying in wait as the moments appeared. I’m sneaky like that. Life happens, memories are made and when I see it through my lens my heart starts beating fast. Sometimes the perfect picture is minus the posed set up and frequently in the most unlikely place. And oh do I live for unlikely places. Because life is not a pose it’s a feeling, an emotion, a moment, a thought, an action, a reaction. It’s love, laughter, tears and discovery–miss that and you miss life. Photography has been a part of my life since my oldest son was a baby–he’s 19. Fearing my memory might fail me, I set out to capture every moment through the lens of my camera. Well, anyway, that was my motivation for picking up the camera in the first place. But now, because I find the luster of Christmas has lost its glow, I realize I need to share my gifts–my love and in that decision to share, something miraculous happened! I found healing. I discovered that even healing is not about me. Holidays, are not about me. Reaching out and snatching a moment to be a blessing rather than receiving one is a feeling that trumps any gift I’ll ever receive including healing because that “feeling” triumphantly heals. My heart mends a little every time I take in the smiles of random kids of faceless mother’s whose babies grew into children and even adults who didn’t know how special they truly were until someone took a picture that froze a moment that reflected beauty and worth. That regenerates, rejuvenates, revises and totally heals!!!!! And so, Christmas means more to me this year because I have the opportunity to give something no one else can ever duplicate–me.
Chicken Alfredo
By Published: December 14, 2010
- Yield: 4 Servings
- Prep: 10 mins
Always a favorite but this alfredo sauce is amazing.
Ingredients
- 6 chicken tenderloins
- 1 lb. spaghetti or angel hair pasta
- 1 8 oz. heavy whipping cream
- 6 oz. grated parmesan cheese can be Kraft or fresh grated
- 1/2 stick butter and a little olive oil
- 1 clove garlic chopped
- 1 1/2 fresh basil leaves chopped
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- 1 tsp. flour optional but the sauce will be thin
Instructions
- Season the chicken with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder. Grill 3 minutes on each side.
Prepare the pasta according to the package.
In a medium sauce pan melt butter and olive oil and saute’ garlic. (Don’t burn the garlic) This only takes a minute if that long. Add flour, nutmeg and whisk. Add heavy whipping cream and bring to a slight boil. Watch this because it will boil over quickly. Remove from heat. Add parmesan cheese. Whisk until smooth.
Serve over pasta. Top with chicken. Sprinkle with fresh basil leaves. If this sauce gets too thick just add cream and whisk.
