HEY MA!  WHAT’S FOR DINNAH?    Recipe for Italian Chicken Tortellini

Hi again, and thanks for reading my blog. This is a true story and I’m sure some of you out there can probably relate with similar incidents in your own families. I’d love to hear your comments, so please subscribe to my blog and leave me your remarks. Thanks.

Mom was so busy dumping the contents of her pocketbook out on the bed, with a ferocity of a wet hen, that she didn’t notice me tugging on her paisley apron in desperation. “When is dinner?” I stammered. “I’m hungry!” I added.

Mom continued rummaging through her purse contents, looking for God knows what. She chucked an empty packet of Virginia Slims cigarettes across the bed, crunched up an expired 10-cents-off ACME supermarket coupon for lime Jello into the small trash can, and finally sifted through 3 lipsticks, 2 powder compacts and a used up tube of Dove moisturizer. What ever it was, she didn’t find it.

She looked up briefly, only to see my tiny little 9-year-old fingers clawing at her arm for attention. After not finding what she was after, she grabbed my hand and whisked me off to the kitchen. She sat me down in one of the kitchen chairs and then reached into the cupboard, pulling out a box of Tam-Tam crackers. “You can have a few of these until I make supper,” she said.

For some strange reason, her Saturday got away from her and she simply lost track of all time. Saturdays were Mom’s set-in-stone cleaning days and when she wasn’t working at the nursing home, she was at home doing battle with various cleansers, detergents, dust mops and vacuums. Mom was notorious for starting one cleaning job and then stopping abruptly, just to start cleaning something else. She had her methods and no one dared interfere with her routine. She finally realized that it was time to stop, after she forcefully dusted the small white plastic Pieta clear off the top of the TV set and sent it flying behind the couch.

Now, with all the cleaning supplies safely stored away, the vacuum back in the closet and the feather duster back on its peg in the pantry, Mom started grabbing the pots and pans out of the cupboard to get dinner started. She reached down under the counter for the large frying pan and then stood up. She placed the pan on the stove and then proceeded to yank on her left bra strap to re-adjust herself before moving on. She arranged the spices on the counter and got out the defrosted chicken breasts from the fridge. Next, she pulled the bottle of white chardonnay from the upper cabinet, yanked out the cork and took a sizable gulp from the bottle. She mumbled something about seeing if the wine was still drinkable and then set it down on the counter. She then pulled on her left bra strap to re-arrange things once again. I sat there munching on my crackers as she glanced my way, checking on whether or not I saw her making those much-needed adjustments. She softly muttered what I thought was a curse word, but at my young age, it could have been just another Italian word I didn’t know.

As my mother started preparing dinner, she pulled open the top right-hand drawer to get out a whisk and she came across the very thing she had been searching for all day… a large safety pin. She lifted it out of the drawer and praised it like she had just found a silver dollar. With that, she scurried out of the kitchen, into the bathroom and emerged moments later with a fully functional and aligned bra. The smile on her face was electric. Dinner was ready in 30 minutes and the smile on my face was even bigger than hers.

One-Pot Italian Chicken Tortellini Dish

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cloves of minced garlic

3 medium-sized chicken breasts cut up into bite-sized pieces

1/2 teaspoon of dried oregano (I prefer Mediterranean Oregano)

1/2 cup of white wine (Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, or other dry white)

1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth

2 cups of any plain or basil marinara sauce

3 ounces of cream cheese cut into small pieces

2 medium zucchini sliced into half-moon pieces

1 package, about 10 ounces, of frozen cheese tortellini

4 slices of mozzarella cheese (use chunks of fresh WET mozzarella if you can)

2-3 large basil leaves sliced

1 loaf of crunchy Italian or French bread

Heat the oil in a large skillet on medium heat for a few minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for about 30 seconds. Add the chicken pieces, season with oregano and a little salt and pepper, and cook them until no pink remains. Remove the chicken and set aside.

In a small jar, add the chicken broth and wine and shake until well combined.

Add the marinara sauce and cream cheese to the frying pan and cook over medium heat until the cheese is melted, while stirring occasionally. Slowly whisk in the chicken broth/wine mixture until combined. Add the chicken back into the skillet and drop in the zucchini pieces and the frozen tortellini. Reduce the heat to medium low, cover and cook for about 12 minutes or until the pasta is cooked. Finally arrange the mozzarella slices over the top of the dish, and place the pan under a 450-degree broiler (space about 3 inches below the element) and broil until the cheese is melted, about 1-2 minutes. Garnish each individual dish with slivers of fresh basil, add a few slices of Italian bread on the side, and serve immediately. Enjoy!