The Wake

It’s about half way through the semester. I have done nothing that could really qualify as paying work in weeks. All my Christmas-gift money from Grandma and the parents is long gone, and I can see the pot at the end of the student loan rainbow. It’s empty.

I know it would be foolish to spend money designated for rent and car payments on a night out. And my friends, being nearly penniless like myself, cannot subsidize a meal for us either. Well, not meals where a professionally trained chef prepares dishes that come out of the kitchen with immaculate presentations served by wait staff in modified tuxedo outfits.

We could, however, each afford to pitch in about four bucks, make a trip to the grocery store and try our hand behind the stove. The meal we tried was theoretically very easy and quick to prepare. Chicken and pasta, two universal favorites, are combined in this Creamy Chicken and Basil Pasta recipe.

Our end result was really tasty, but probably not exactly what the creator of this recipe intended.

Because I had more experience in my behind-the-wheel for driver’s ed. than I have had with fire in a kitchen, I learned a few things myself.

First, there were six of us, and because the recipe yielded four servings, we planned a double batch. Maybe that wasn’t the best idea for owners of a four-quart kettle and a colander that was made to drain only enough noodles from a box of macaroni and cheese.

After we realized there were going to be noodles everywhere, we just scooped them onto our plates and smothered them with sauce, rather than the original recipe’s direction of tossing the drained pasta with the sauce.

Also, our attempt to limit the fat content made for a sauce-thickening problem. Skim milk, it turns out, does not react to heat the same way as half-and-half, regardless of your best friend’s insistence to the contrary.

So we had an experience. Together. We were allowed to casually watch television while we prepped the food, catch up on each others’ hectic weeks and not spend the rest of the money from our savings accounts.

And not one of them minded I was wearing my sweatpants. It was a night of many firsts for my friends and me.

Creamy Chicken and Basil Pasta

1-12 ounce package of rotini, farfalle or ziti
2 tbsp. Butter
1 lbs. Boneless skinless chicken breast,
cut into _ inch cubes
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. Pepper
2 tsp. Fresh basil
3/4 cup half-and-half
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling water until al dente. Drain.
While pasta is cooking, melt butter in a large skillet. Add chicken and garlic and sauté until chicken is almost cooked through. Slowly add pepper, basil, half-and-half and Parmesan, stirring. Bring all ingredients to a boil. Turn to low heat and simmer 5 to 6 minutes, stirring constantly. Serve chicken basil cream sauce over pasta immediately.