I made this for dinner tonight, last minute. It was fairly quick and surprisingly tasty. I quadrupled the recipe for leftovers and if anything, I would have made a bit more sauce then it called for (maybe just a couple more sloshes of cream). I also used a can (probably could have used 2 cans) of peeled and diced tomatoes, drained instead of the cherry tomatoes. Oh, and instead of fresh basil, I used some dried Herbs de Provence

CHICKEN PASTA SALAD IN CREAMY CURRY DRESSING

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

1/4 pound rotelle or other spiral-shaped pasta
1 whole skinless boneless chicken breast (about 3/4 pound), poached and cut into bite-size pieces (about 1 1/2 cups)
5 cherry tomatoes, quartered
2 scallions, sliced thin
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil leaves

For the dressing
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced peeled fresh gingerroot
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar
3/4 teaspoon curry powder
dried hot red pepper flakes to taste
1 tablespoon finely chopped drained bottled mango chutney, or to taste

In a large kettle of boiling salted water cook the pasta for 10 minutes, or until it is tender, refresh it in a colander under cold water, and drain it well. In a large bowl combine the pasta, the chicken, the tomatoes, the scallions, and the basil.

Make the dressing:
In a skillet cook the garlic and the gingerroot in the butter over moderately low heat, stirring, until the garlic is softened, add the cream, and cook the mixture, whisking, until it is thickened slightly. Whisk in the vinegar, the curry powder, the red pepper flakes, and the chutney.

Add the dressing to the pasta mixture, tossing the salad to combine it well, and season the salad with salt and pepper.

Serves 2.

Mom and Jenni came over today and we all worked our tooshies off in preparation for Les and Karen coming to visit this weekend. Our house was so messy! But my Mom, as always, got us back to the happy place of a mostly clean home and just a few more things need to be done tomorrow to have everything in good shape. Not perfect, but good :)

I'm worn out though and so shall end this blog right here.