I love to cook. Love. I am so thankful that my Granny spent countless hours teaching me how because although my mother is a great cook, she doesn’t love it like my Granny did and I do today. Because of my love for cooking, I have dozens and dozens of cookbooks. I pore over them like bestsellers and mark countless recipes to try out. Recently, I was introduced to a gem of a cookbook called Fat Girl Food.
Fat Girl Food is written by Jena Hutchinson, AKA “The Fat Girl.” Jena does an awesome job of showing tons of real-life photos in her recipes, along with kitchen tips, cooking tips, and downright good humor to guide you along the way. I have been cooking from the age of standing on a chair to reach the counter all the way to now at age 37 (ouch) and even I learned a few things from Jena! These recipes are NOT health food…..but come on…..isn’t it time you treated yourself every so often to something that isn’t? It’s not that these recipes are categorically unhealthy….they are just all “real” food. No skimping on taste in this book.
After much debate, I decided to test out Jena’s Chicken Bow Tie Pasta. Which ironically, Jena says was originally a Weight Watchers Recipe…..until she put the “Fat Girl” touch on it to make it tastier!
What you need:
2 tbsp butter
1 medium sweet onion, diced
8 boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite size pieces (I used chicken breasts because thigh meat makes me gag)
2 cups broccoli florets
4 cups of bow-tie pasta (farfalle), cooked
1/3 cup skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup shredded skim mozzarella cheese
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/4 cup grated parmesan
How to make it:
Over medium heat, sweat the onion and butter for 2-3 minutes. This is different from sauteing. This means heat over medium heat, a pinch of kosher salt, and an occasional stir. Add the chicken to the onion and fry until cooked through. Steam the broccoli until tender, add to chicken along with cheeses, pasta, and basil. Remove from heat and stir until cheese is melted and incorporated. YUM!
This made plenty enough to feed my family of 4 and we had leftovers for another night. My kids LOVED it and so did my husband! I have already marked tons of recipes to try. How does Buttered Pecan Cake sound? Cowboy Mashed Potatoes? Stuffed Meatloaf? Waffle French Toast? I better break out the treadmill…. 😉 Check out Fat Girl Food and feed your family! The spiral bound lay flat book can be purchased for $24.95 and the digital version is only $4.95. Remember….food is love!