It’s fairly obvious from the selection of recipes I’ve featured so far on erincooks.com that I am a Food Network addict. When I was living on my own after college for the first time I was made thoroughly aware of the fact that I was extremely deficient in the cooking department. After living on Pasta Roni and Skillet Sensations for a few weeks I’d had enough. One of the first actual meals I cooked was a Spinach Lasagna that I found on Kraftfoods.com. I vividly remember being incredibly proud of myself for putting together this dish on my own. I had always enjoyed baking cookies or cheesecake, but I’d really never tried to make dinner. Thanks to one good kitchen experience I had the courage to keep trying my hand at new recipes and the Food Network became my constant inspiration, especially Everyday Italian. I think I could eat pasta for breakfast, lunch, and dinner if left to my own devices. Thankfully I do have some modicum of self-control. Anyway, Giada’s Chicken Ragu recipe is super easy, although I’ll caution that I’d probably just use diced boneless, skinless chicken breasts next time and not boneless chicken thighs. Personally, I wasn’t a big fan of the chicken thighs (I hate dark meat). However, I am a big fan of garlic, cheese, and red sauce. I use Pastene Kitchen Ready Tomatoes as a base and then add garlic, basil, oregano, thyme, and just a little brown sugar (like a tablespoon). Trust me, it’s delicious!

Shallots, Thighs, Linguine, & Rosemary	Chopped & Minced
Cook Until Golden (Add Shallots & Garlic)	Wine
Add Rosemary & Mix	Pour in the Marinara
Meanwhile, Boil	Strain
Simmer	Combine

Garnish & Serve