Day 26 - Young Adults Dinner

I'm not sure why, but I like cooking for large groups. Case-in-point, our young adults dinner!

That's right... I cooked for a group of 10 last night. Should have been 13, but a few didn't show. This was BY FAR my favorite night of this whole project. Not even because of the meal. I just had such a good time hanging out with my fellow "Young Adults" at our "Adult Happening" haha. Thank you Funny Bones!

Oh yea, speaking of, Funny Bones is this way cool game. Perfect for our little group. What you have to do is, lay all the cards face down on the floor. Pick a partner (someone close in height is a good choice, boy or girl doesn't make a difference). Then in rotation one person on each team picks up a card and it will say a variety of different things. For example, "nose bone connected to the shoulder bone". What you have to do now is hold the card between your nose & your partners shoulder. Crazy right?? Then the next team goes, does the same thing and so on. When it gets back to you, you & your partner have to stay connected and bend down to pick up another card. It's kinda like twister, only instead of putting hands and feet on colors, you put body part on body part. Each card is worth a certain amount of points and if you drop 2 the round is over. Kayla & Amy won.

Here is a funny ad for the game, basically looks like us last night!

THEN, we played a game called Qwelf.

Here's an overview of the game and what each card means:

Quelf is the unpredictable party game that gives Random a new name!

Whether you're answering hilarious trivia, performing ridiculous stunts, or obeying silly rules, Quelf will inspire you to use your creativity, wit and sense of humor in ways you've never imagined.

As you move around the game board, as one of eight quirky characters, crazy things start to happen. Your friends start talking strangely. Your mom's face is wrapped in toilet paper. Your dad is acting like Dracula. And you are reciting a poem about your armpits.

Cards: 

Stuntz - balancing acts, costume creations, daredevil moves, weird contraptions

Showbiz - mime, sing, tapdance, draw, do impressions, write poetry

Quizzle - mind-twisting trivia, nutty riddles, brain teasers

Rulez - rules you must follow: snort like a pig when you laugh, say everything twice, roll the dice with your elbows

Scatterbrainz - choose one of two topics and everyone gives answers until no one can think of a valid one ("Ways to get your leg out of a spring-loaded, steel bear trap" or "Brands of Lipstick")

Seriously!! Another perfect game for our crazy group. I won't even explain any further, there are videos, I will show you when I get them from Sam.

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM... Try me!

Baked Cheesy Chicken Penne

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons butter, plus more for baking dishes
kosher salt and black pepper
1 pound penne rigate (I used a 14.5 oz box of Ronzoni Smart Taste Penne Rigate)
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 8 ounces each), halved horizontally (I used some leftover cooked chicken)
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour
6 garlic cloves, finely minced
6 cups whole milk
10 ounces white or cremini mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced (I used 8 oz of button mushrooms)
1 cup sliced oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained
1 1/2 cups shredded provolone (6 ounces) (I used an italian blend that had provolone in it)
1 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan (about 6 ounces)

Method:

Preheat oven to 400. Butter two shallow 2-quart baking dishes. If you’re going to freeze one, use a disposable foil pan.  In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta 3 minutes short of al dente; drain pasta and set aside.

While pasta is boiling, heat oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Season chicken with salt and pepper; cook until opaque throughout, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Halve each piece lengthwise, then thinly slice crosswise.  While chicken pan is still hot, toss the mushrooms in and saute until golden brown (3-4 minutes).  Use a little extra olive oil if needed.(Since I used left over chicken, I just cooked the mushrooms in the olive oil)

In a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot , melt butter over medium. Add flour and garlic; cook, whisking, 1 minute. While whisking constantly, gradually add milk; bring to a simmer.  Keep whisking frequently as sauce thickens, about 1 minute more. Add mushrooms and tomatoes; cook 1 minute. Take the pan off the heat and and gradually stir in provolone and 1/2 cup Parmesan.

Add chicken and pasta to pot; season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide pasta mixture between baking dishes.  If freezing, place remaining parmesan cheese in a zip-top baggie.  If cooking, sprinkle on top.

Bake, uncovered, until top is golden and bubbling, about 25 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Freezer instructions:

To freeze, prepare through step 4 and then let pasta cool.  Cover pan well with plastic wrap.  Place extra cheese in baggie (for topping) on top and then cover entire pan well with foil.  Freeze for up to 3 months.  To bake, preheat oven to 400.  Remove foil and plastic from pan and set cheese baggie aside.  Place foil back on pan and bake for about 1 1/2 hours.  Remove foil, stir pasta, and top with cheese.  Return pan to oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes (I only did 10 minutes)  or until mixture is hot and bubbly throughout.

Queso Chicken Pasta   

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

8 ounces penne pasta
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 cup diced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, minced
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon coriander
1 tablespoon flour
1 1/3 cup milk, 2% or higher
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons cream cheese
6 ounces colby-jack cheese, divided
1/2 cup drained Ro*Tel tomatoes
2 cups cooked shredded chicken

Method:

Heat the oven to 350 F and spray a medium casserole dish with non-stick spray.

Cook the pasta according to the package directions, but reduce the cooking time by two minutes.

In a medium pot heat the oil over medium heat.  Once it begins to shimmer add the onion, garlic and peppers.  Cook until they begin to soften, about three minutes.  Add the cumin, coriander and salt and cook for an additional two minutes, or until the spices become fragrant.

Add the flour and cook for three minutes, stirring constantly, until all the flour is moist.  Gradually whisk in the milk and stir until smooth.  Bring the mixture to a simmer and allow to thicken.

Turn off the heat and add the cream cheese and 4 ounces of the shredded cheese and whisk until melted.  Stir in the Ro*Tel tomatoes.

Pour the pasta into the prepared casserole dish, stir in the shredded chicken and sauce.   Top with the remaining shredded cheese.

Bake 20 to 30 minutes, or until the pasta is bubbly and the cheese has melted.  Let stand five minutes before serving.

Enjoy!