Broken Promises

Dear Sarah,

I promised you that I would make you Spicy Rigatoni while you were visiting us in Florida. I meant to, I really really did, but it just didn't happen. I blame the hurricane...

Your loving cousin,
Dandy


Let me give you all a little back story: Sarah is my cousin (our mothers are sisters) and we're pretty much the same age. We grew up together and even lived together in college at ASU (go Devils!). We share a lot of things, and one of them is a love of really good food. Especially Italian and Mexican food.

A few years ago we went to Las Vegas for my Godson's birthday. While we were there, we went to dinner with my best friend Natalie, her hubby, and a bunch of her friends to celebrate one of their birthdays. We went to Buca di Beppo, and it was the most hilarious and rediculous dining experience ever. Not in a good way. I won't go into all that here, but I will say is that Sarah and I shared an awesome dish: spicy rigatoni.

We've gone there a few times since, and every time the service has been much more impressive than the first. We always order the same dish, because it's just that good. Then one day a few months back I was searching the internet for new recipes and found one that claimed to be Buca's recipe. I quickly wrote it down, emailed it Sarah, but never actually made it. Until tonight.

Here's the finished product:

Sorry for not using a fancy dish to take the picture, but I pretty much started eating it before it was ever out of the pan.

Here's the recipe:

1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tbsp crushed red pepper
salt
ground pepper
1 tbsp chopped garlic
6 oz chicken, sliced
3/4 cup marinara sauce
1/3 cup alfredo sauce
2 tsp butter
1/4 cup peas
1 lb rigatoni pasta
Additional red peppers for garnish

*can substitute Bertollis Parm Rosa sauce for the marinara and alfredo.

1. In a saute pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add red peppers, salt, black pepper and garlic. Saute. Add sliced chicken and saute long enough to coat with spices.
2. Add marinara and alfredo sauces (or one jar Parm Rosa), bring to a simmer. Cook until sauce is thickened and chicken is fully cooked. Turn off heat. Add butter and peas.
3. Toss pasta with sauce, garnish with additional red peppers.

Okay, anyone who knows me knows I don't really measure things. And that I like crushed red peppers. So what I actually did was pour some oil in a deep skillet, dump in a bunch of red peppers, garlic, salt and pepper. I used 3 chicken breasts that I cooked pretty much all the way through in the oven, then sliced and added to pan to finish cooking. I couldn't find the Parm Rosa sauce, but Walmart had Bertolli brand Four Cheese Rosa, which is the exact same thing. When it came to add the butter I just put a spoonful in, then I dumped a bunch of frozen peas in the pan until I though there was enough green.

I had more to say, but I think I'm going back for seconds...

On a side note, baby girl is pretty much back to normal. She's been smiling at lights and fans all afternoon. She's even eating like normal, again.

Also, I can't end this post without saying about 9/11/2001. We all have our memories of that day and the days and years that followed. I won't share mine, but I will say that the one good thing that came from that tragic day was a chance for our country to come together and set aside our difference for one common purpose. This truly is the greatest country on earth, and I am so proud to call her home.