In the cupboard

Sometimes I don't get everything I need from the grocery store, run out of a key ingredient, or just don't have time to plan a meal before I get home from work.  On these nights I try to rely on my staples and throw together a yummy meal in little time. This is usually a better alternative than ordering take out.
Last night it was pasta.  And let me tell you, this is a rare occasion in our home.  Steve isn't a huge pasta fan, but he walked away with seconds, so I think this throw-together recipe is a keeper.
Here are some of the ingredients (don't let the picture fool you, I decided to save the grape tomatoes for later in the week).

First, start with grilled chicken.  I used leftovers from the blue cheese, chicken quesadillas I made earlier in the week.

Next, boil salted water and add some Orchiette pasta.  Really, any pasta will do, but I happened to have this in stock.
While the water is boiling and pasta cooking (no more than 9 minutes -- I like mine with a little bite), I added a jar of artichokes and the grilled chicken to an un-grased pan over medium heat.  No need for any oil as the artichokes are packed in a bit of oil and water.

Chop up a few cloves of garlic and basil.  I used to buy basil every week from the grocery store and found that it went bad before I could use it all and let's not even talk about the price of basil.  I started growing my own basil in June and I've had an endless supply of yummy, sweet basil.  If you only plant one thing this year or next, make it basil.

After I added the basil and garlic to the chicken and artichokes, I added a few swirls of heavy cream.  I don't always have heavy cream and have found the half and half that I add to my coffee in the morning to be equally satisfying.

Squeeze a lemon over this and add plenty of freshly ground pepper.
Note:  Don't add the basil too soon like I did.  I usually add basil near the end of cooking to keep it's crispness and green color.  Sadly, I threw it in with the basil early on in the cooking process and I cooked most of the flavor right out of it.  Not to mention the basil mostly turned a brownish-green color.

At the very end I added a few olives that I had leftover from dinner the previous week.  I love cooking with olives, although I know it's not a taste for everyone.  If you like olives, they eliminate the need for using salt in your dish.  I love them!
Also, when cooking pasta and sauce, always add the pasta to the sauce prior to serving.  Allowing the pasta and other flavors to mesh for a few minutes really makes a difference.
Finally, since I had cooked the flavor out of the basil, I chopped up a bit of chives to sprinkle on top.


This was a keeper and straight out of the cupboard/fridge.