Bleh

Ever since I bought this cookbook, I wanted to make this one recipe. The picture looks beautiful. It had all my favorite elements: tomatoes, pasta and cheese.

This week, I decided to make it. I was all excited as I was grocery shopping. All weekend I looked forward to my Mediterranean Baked Chicken. It was a disappointing finish. It was good, but I was expecting so much more. This was probably my own darn fault. I had worked myself up to expecting perfection. After all, the picture made it look so yummy!

I hate when that happens. You get super excited to make something and then it yields less than stellar results. Booooo! Worse thing? The recipe came from my all time favorite cookbook. This will be the first time that I am not happy with the end results.

I think this would have been better if two things had happened:

1. More spices! It was a little bland, even with the tangy artichoke hearts

2. Stop getting so excited for recipes that look pretty in the picture! In this case, the picture looked better than my results.

Can I get an amen?!? I am going to wallow in my own self pity on my sofa while watching "Romancing the Stone". I wonder if we have any brownies left?

Mediterranean Baked Chicken

from: Pillsbury One Dish Meals cookbook

6 oz (2 cups) uncooked rotini pasta

1/4 cup butter

3 large shallots, minced

1/4 cup flour

1 can (14.5 oz) chicken broth with 1/3 less sodium (I would actually recommend using the regular kind with full salt)

1 package (8 oz) sliced fresh mushrooms

4 oz (1 cup) shredded Swiss cheese

3 cups chopped cooked chicken

1 jar (6 oz) marinated artichoke hearts, drained

1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, chopped

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 2-quart casserole with nonstick cooking spray. Cook rotini to desired doneness as directed on package. Drain.

2. Meanwhile, melt butter in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add shallots; cook and stir 1 minute. Stir in flour; cook 30 seconds. With wire whisk, stir in broth. Add mushrooms. Bring to a boil. Cook 3 to 4 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in cheese until melted.

3. Add cooked rotini, chicken, artichoke hearts, tomatoes and parsley to mushroom mix; mix gently. Spoon into sprayed casserole dish.

4. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until thoroughly heated and bubbly. If desired, garnish with additional fresh parsley.