Agréable Dégustation: Whip it, whip it good.

I’m not a fan of Rachael Ray, her laugh and her constant bubbly personality, really gets on my nerves. Looking past her wild hyena sounding laugh and her teletubbies personality I can see something meaningful.

More and more people are working longer hours, wanting to spend more time with family, or spend more time doing something else besides vacuum sealing bags of fresh salmon in the kitchen for an hour, and that's why Rachael Ray's 30 minute meals is a great idea for a lot of people.

People have asked me if I know of any good recipes that are quick, fresh, and flavorful. Not wanting to reference Rachael Ray I thought that I would do something similar to her 30 minute meals.

The first dish of my series that I’m going to call Devo, I’m open to other names so if you have any suggestions let me know, will be based on one of my childhood food memories.

It’s a dish that consists of egg noodles, cottage cheese (other fresh and hard cheeses will work but I like cottage because of the low fat, low carbs and high protein content,) pulled chicken, a lot of seasoning, and fresh herbs.

The first thing you want to do is get your pasta water up to a simmer; see my tip on water time in my Christmas in July entry. On a medium high heat take about a tablespoon or so of oil in a sauté pan and heat it until the oil shimmers. Add your well seasoned (salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, granulated garlic,) chicken breast, presentation side down, to the pan.

Do not overcrowd the pan, 2-3 breasts at a time, and cook 6-8 minutes and flip it for another 6-8 minutes. In the last couple of minutes that the chicken is cooking bring the simmering water to a boil.

Pull the chicken out of the pan and put it on a cutting board, loosely cover with a lid, and let it rest for about 10 minutes. Boil the pasta according to the directions. Shred the chicken and chop up a handful or so of parsley. Use herbs that pair well with the cheese, protein, and spices that you are using. Drain the pasta and prepare to plate.

For one serving take a bowl and add about two handfuls of pasta, ¼ c of cheese, 4-6 oz of protein, and sprinkle with herbs. This is a quick and versatile dish, that is flavorful and texturally satisfying, that can be prepared in about 30 minutes or less. It’s a perfect start to my Devo series and a perfect way for you not to spend too much time in the kitchen.