20 minute abs...i mean pasta

today got away from me, so i ended up "accidentally" going to the gym in the evening (6:30) instead of around lunch like i usually prefer ("prefer" is SO the wrong word to use here, b/c i hate going to the gym. "force-myself-to-go-lest-i-turn-into-a-sphere" would be closer to the truth). at first, i thought this would mean no home-cooked dinner, but i realized i had enough stuff on hand to throw together a quick but thoroughly tasty pasta dish.

after fighting with the treadmill (i have yet to win against that f'n thing), i arrived home to find kevin sprawled out on the living-room couch wondering where i was, but mostly wondering what i was going to make for dinner. (yeah, seriously, folks: wtf?!?) it was a quarter of eight at this point, so rather than get into an, er, discussion over this, i got started on dinner. yes, i had come directly home without showering at the gym. yes, so this meant i was still sweaty. yes, this also meant that i was, as a matter of fact, cooking dinner in my (sweaty) gym clothes. but don't worry, yes, i washed my hands first.

tonight i purposely stretched out the preparation so that i could squeeze in a shower while the pasta was boiling (11 minutes), but if you don't need to buy yourself time (or you just don't believe in showering at all after going to the gym), you can easily make this dinner in 20 minutes, prep to table.

oh, and remember that pesto i made a few weeks ago? well, it was still in great shape, so i ended up using it in this recipe. hooray, i used up the basil with no waste!!! (although i suppose i won't know for SURE that it was "in great shape" until about 24 hours from now. i'll report back tomorrow. p, so, like...if you don't hear from me, could you have patrick check on us ;) the pesto totally made the dish. if you don't have any homemade on hand, i suppose you could use the packaged stuff. [insert haughty *sniff* here.] (and no, i'm not unaware of the irony, ok?)


Penne Pasta with Fresh Tomato, Pesto, and Feta Cheese
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 vine-ripened tomatoes, diced
2 tbsp pesto
scant 1/4 cup good-quality extra virgin olive oil (I've been using Stonehouse, these days)
salt and pepper to taste

1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

2 1/2 cups dried penne

2-3 oz crumbled feta (I love Spring Hill's cow's milk feta for this; it holds up well vs. hot pasta)

Preheat oven to 375 deg. Set a large pot of salted water to boil. Butterfly the chicken breast so that it's the same thickness throughout. Sprinkle salt and pepper, and rub olive oil on both sides of chicken. Place in a baking dish and bake in oven for about 15 minutes, or until breast is done, turning once. Check the pasta's cooking directions. The kind I use takes about 11 minutes, so, I wait until the chicken's been in the oven for about 5 minutes, and then I add the penne to the boiling water.

While you wait for the pasta and chicken, prepare garlic and tomatoes, then combine with pesto and olive oil in a large bowl; mix well (taste and add salt and pepper, if necessary). When chicken is done, remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes, then cut into bite-sized pieces. Drain pasta when done. Add penne and chicken to bowl with tomato-pesto mixture. Stir to combine well.

Divide evenly into 4 pasta dishes. Sprinkle feta cheese over tops. Serves 4. Foccaccia bread on the side goes well with this dish, the better to mop up the leftover sauce afterwards. YUMMY!