First and foremost, let me say two things (especially since this is my first piece for Wolverine CuiZine!): 1. I love food. I love to make food, read about food, and of course eat food; and most recently, write about it. 2. I am a recipe girl- I must and will always have a recipe whenever I take on a new food challenge. As much as I would love to be the next Food Network star because of my brilliance and creativity in the kitchen, it is unfortunately never going to happen. I guess you could say that I am only a copycat of Paula Deen, Giada De Laurentiis and all the other Food Network greats, as well as numerous family friends; while I occasionally make little tweaks to their recipes. That’s okay I suppose, especially when cooking for others who don’t really care if what they’re eating is your original creation or another cook’s recipe, and will take any type of free meal. And that is exactly how my wonderful roommates felt as I threw together Giada’s Italian Baked Chicken and Pastina and my brother-in-law’s mom’s delicious apple salad. Being in the Christmas spirit and sick of eating canned soup and microwave dinners during finals week, I decided I would make this nice dinner for myself and my five finals-crazed roomies.

Let me preface these two recipes by saying that even though there were a number of ingredients, they were both quite simple to make; I only made a few minor changes and additions. For the Everyday Italian chicken and pasta bake, I used elbow macaroni pasta and I substituted the can of diced tomatoes for a jar of regular marinara sauce for more flavor. I also poured in a little dry white wine (I used a chardonnay) while I sautéed the chicken, onion and garlic, and put in about 2-4 teaspoons of red pepper flakes as well (I always love a little extra spice in my food). As for the salad, which was a hit at my family’s Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, I used slivered almonds rather than cashews; but any choice of nut would do.

Even though I’m only a copycat and these recipes did not come from my own brilliant culinary mind, they were quite delicious and the perfect pre-holiday break meal. Not only was it a simple dinner to put together (I only go for easy recipes), but it was also a nice study break for me and my grateful roommates. It left us full and ready to get back to studying (well only after we added a glass of red wine and The Holiday to the evening). And the best part- no culinary or kitchen disasters! So whether one makes this meal during finals or one random night during the week, I am sure your roommates or whoever you choose to cook for will be satisfied and grateful! A big thanks to Giada De Laurentiis and Mrs. Hanley (my brother-in-law’s mom) for these wonderful recipes- thanks for letting me claim them as my own for the night!