By Teri Cayton
The Parsons Advocate
The daffodils are sticking their heads through the dirt and it won’t be long before we see their beautiful yellow blooms. Unfortunately it always snows again just about the time they start their display. I can take a snow or two just knowing it won’t be long before it is over for another year.
I used to love to pick them and bring to mom but she had such horrible allergies that they made her sick. She would always thank me, put them in a glass of water and set them on the back porch in a sunny window. They were close enough to see but not smell. Momma Said, “The things mothers go through to show love for their children.”
I always loved spring and the flowers, the apple trees blooming and just the thought of life coming back. Anything that bloomed we were dragging into the house for mom and as always she would put whatever we brought her on the back porch. She could stand in the kitchen looking out the window and see the blooms.
I sometimes wish I could go back to those times just to see her face again. I always get melancholy this time of year, missing her and the times we spent together in the woods digging ramps. We would take a sandwich and have lunch, just sitting in the woods enjoying nature and all she had to show us. Momma Said, “Keep those you have lost alive in your memories and that way they are but a thought away.”
Cajun Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1⁄2 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
- Pasta:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1⁄2 sweet onion, diced
- 1⁄4 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1⁄4 cup dry white wine
- 3⁄4 cup heavy cream
- 3⁄4 cup milk
- 1⁄2 cup grated parmesan cheese, room temperature
- 8 ounces penne
- Fresh basil for garnishing
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Coat the chicken with the Cajun seasoning, then brown on all sides for 5-6 minutes. Once done, remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside.
- In the same skillet, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook for 4-5 minutes.
- Add the dried basil, Cajun seasoning, and garlic cloves and cook for 1 more minute.
- Deglaze the skillet with the white wine. Stir in the milk and heavy cream and heat for 6-7 minutes.
- Slowly stir in the parmesan until melted. Then, reduce the heat to a low simmer.
- Cook the pasta al dente according to the instructions on the package. When the pasta is ready, reserve 1 cup of pasta water and drain the rest.
- Mix the hot pasta into the sauce and stir until well-coated. Add more pasta water if necessary. (The sauce will thicken as it sits.)
- Mix in the chicken. Serve with fresh basil and enjoy!