Cheesy Chicken Fusilli

Save this recipe for a day that you want to throw caution to the wind and drown yourself in a dish of comfort.  Definitely not for those who would define themselves as “green, clean, and lean” - but who like an occasional splurge into the way we ate years ago.  Ignore the fat, sodium, carbs, and calories - and go for it just this once...

After months (no... YEARS) of political attack ads, phone calls, and reams of paper in my mailbox - I had to remind myself to be grateful I live in a country that allows me to cast my ballot. But by late Tuesday night Nov 6th, I was done and wanted to escape into the past.  That past where you can enjoy a quiet dinner, read a book, and not think deep thoughts for a few hours.  (I appreciated this statement from my church about the results of the election - urging us to pray for our new President & elected officials) 

So Wednesday I made a great meal that I probably won’t make again until the next election.  This sure was great comfort food.  But when it’s gone - I’m back to green smoothies, greek yogurt, and whole grains.

If you’re not familiar with Fusilli - it’s long, corkscrew shaped pasta.  And it’s fun to eat - a little reminiscent of Rotini, but less substantial.  I used it in place of plain old spaghetti in this recipe - but either works well.

I wasn’t sure how this would turn out - as it has three things the food world has recently rejected:  cream soup, butter, and Velveeta cheese.

You may not be familiar with Velveeta - but it has a fun history.  It was first made in 1918 by a Swiss immigrant - Emil Frey of the Monroe Cheese Company.  It was made into it’s own company in 1923, then sold to Kraft Foods in 1927.  According to Kraft’s website, in the 1930’s it was the first cheese product to gain the American Medical Association’s seal of approval (that’s interesting, read the label!)  It was reformulated in 1953 as a cheese spread.  One of it’s most interesting advertising spins was this jingle... “Colby, Swiss, and Cheddar - blended all together”.  

This rewarms nicely because Velveeta is so forgiving - unlike regular cheese.  (We should all take a lesson from Velveeta - let's just smooth things over after the election!)  It’s also a great way to re-purpose leftover chicken from another dish that you want to use up.  It just blends right into the mixture like one of the family.

For the recipe, go to:
www.changeabletable.com