Creamy Chicken With Children

This week and next, we are experiencing a trial run of Empty Nestiness.  (If you want Empty Nastiness, please look elsewhere on the internet.  It’s pretty easy to find these days.)

Both older kids live away from us right now.  Our youngest, our dear Younger Daughter, is away at camp, serving as a Counselor-in-Training for a few weeks.

Now that I am back from the Old Folks’ Home, where the main and only activity is eating food cooked and served by someone else, I thought perhaps I might actually have to make dinner tonight.  I was looking through recipes and found this one.  I cannot remember ever making this, but I must have.  The recipe hints that maybe the experience of trying to cook it with children present was so traumatic that I may have blocked it from my memory.  But on the other hand, I never use canned peas.

Creamy Chicken with Bow Tie Pasta

Prep and Cook:  20 minutes (if no children present)                              Servings: 6

Prep and Cook:  80 minutes (if children present)

6 oz. dried bow tie pasta

12 oz skinless, boneless, spineless liberal chicken breast halves, cut into strips

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 can (15 oz) Contadina Tomato Sauce

1 can (14.5 oz) Contadina Recipe Ready Diced Tomatoes with Italian Herbs

1 can (15.25 oz) sweet peas, drained

1/4 cup whipping cream

1.  Cook pasta according to package directions; drain.

2.  Meanwhile, cook chicken in hot oil in large skillet over medium-high heat 2 to 3 minutes or until no longer pink.  If children are present, then, at the same time, serve meal to baby.

3.  Stir in tomato sauce, undrained tomatoes and peas.  Bring to boil; reduce heat.  Simmer, uncovered, 5 to 10 minutes or until thickened.  If children are present, then at same time, feed meal to toddler while reading book to grade-schooler and rocking baby with foot.

4.  Slowly stir in cream.  Serve over hot pasta.  Sprinkle with finely shredded Parmesan cheese, if desired.  If children are present, serve older children; pray that younger children will not have screaming contest.  If another adult is present, go out shopping.

5.  Congratulate yourself on making it through another dinner preparation time.