Pasta problems.

     For lunch, sometimes I don't eat meat. Instead, I'll get my protein in other ways (peanut butter, yogurt, etc.). I decided on making some pasta! I am okay with eating any kind of pasta with a tomato or meat sauce ANYTIME! I was already about 4 minutes into the process of boiling the rotini when I grabbed my jarred (shh!) spaghetti sauce from the refrigerator. That's when my lunch idea took a turn for the worst.
     The spaghetti sauce was bad! I had a mini panic attack as I tried to figure out what to do next. Olive oil and garlic? No, I have that pretty often. Olive oil and balsamic vinegar? I was out of tomatoes and really prefer the tomatoes with the vinegar and oil. What do I do?! I opened the refrigerator and saw butter and parmesan cheese- gulp. I know that isn't the smartest meal option, but it was a quick fix for my pasta predicament! It was so good, that I decided to make it the next day for Michael and I for dinner, but I added meat! As always, you're the boss of your recipes, so feel free to change up the pasta, type of cheese, etc. This was fabulous!

Garlic Butter Chicken Rotini
Yields: 3-4 servings

2 8oz. boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced
4 tbsp. olive oil, divided
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 cups uncooked rotini, cooked and drained
¼ cup parmesan cheese, grated or shredded
3-4 tablespoons unsalted butter
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, cook rotini in well-salted water. Drain and set aside. In a medium skillet, heat 2 tbsp. olive oil and brown/cook chicken. Set aside in a bowl. In a skillet that has not been heated, add 2 tbsp. olive oil and minced garlic. Heat the two together over low heat and stir frequently. This will infuse the olive oil with the flavor of the garlic. Be careful not to burn any of the pieces of garlic as they will become bitter. Remove from heat and place butter in pan. Swirl the pan to encourage melting. Once the butter is melted, add parmesan cheese and gently stir until melted. In large pot, add rotini, chicken breast, and parmesan mixture. Stir well to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste.