Italian in the Kitchen

Everything is in the basic ingredients!

I've found that one of the best places to shop, for both price and quality, is Trader Joe's. When I'm cooking, I generally avoid using specific measurements, and whip up whatever sounds good at the time.


Here is a chicken penne dish that I made a few weeks ago for Spencer and myself.

Step 1: Organize! Put all of your food, ingredients and of course wine, on the counter. Step 2: Prepare your bread before you prepare any meats, this way you don't have to do any extra cleaning and can snack while you cook. I chose a sourdough bread bowl. Step 3: Marinate. In this dinner, I soaked a few free-range chicken breasts in lemon juice, basil, and fresh ground pepper for at least a half hour. Pre-heat the oven for about 375˚F and once pre-heated, cook for about 40 minutes. Then you can begin boiling water for the pasta.

Step 4: Slow cook the sauce! I like to cook it on a low level on the stove, with some additional seasonings and cheese. Stir occasionally.

Step 5: Boil your preferred pasta for about 10-12 minutes. I went with a thicker penne, so give or take an additional 5 minutes to boil depending on your noodle.

Step 6: Once the chicken is thoroughly baked (no pink) and you pasta is ready, it's time to put it all together. I'm a cheese freak so I added a bit of more shaved Parmesan to top it off.

Step 7: Enjoy!