Rachael Ray's Pasta Toss
Chicken breasts, cubed
Penne and Rigatoni wheat pasta
2 pkgs. grape tomatoes
1 purple onion
5 garlic cloves
Frozen spinach, thawed
Fresh parmesan, asiago or fontina cheese, grated
or
Sharp cheddar cheese, grated
Fresh basil
Fresh argula
Saute cubed chicken in olive oil until browned, so draining is necessary. Add chopped onion and grated garlic cloves. When softened, add both packages of tomatoes and simmer until they burst. Add spinach, drained and squeezed of water. Make sure you cover the pan so this can occur. Meantime, bring salted water to a boil and add pasta. I have been using whole wheat to keep us healthy and it provides a variety but you can use whatever you like. Drain pasta and do not rinse. Add chicken mix to pasta and mix with chopped basil and arugula. Add cheese and mix in huge bowl. You can use grated parmesan cheese as well but my boys like cheddar. Indulge your senses!
I really enjoy Rachael Ray's recipes and made note of her top 10 downloaded recipes so I can try them on my boys. They are easy peasy. I just love the smell of fresh herbs and decided to make sure I include them in my garden this year. So far my favorites have been cilantro and basil. I found in the past the herbs can overcome a garden so I will research how to contain them. I have 3 months to wait until the garden can come to life again. I hope the 80 tulip bulbs we planted burst with color. Until then we must undergo freezing weather this week, but as long as the sun can peek through, we Chicagoans can endure our weather.
What you do matters. All you need is to do it. Judy Grahn
Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there. Will Rogers
To love what you do and feel that it matters - how could anything be more fun? Katherine Graham
The distance is nothing, it is only the first step that is difficult. Marie Anne Du Deffand
xo
