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RIGATONI WITH BROCCOLI & CHICKEN

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Today is opening day of the 2026 MLB season for the Houston Astros.  Here’s hoping for an exhilarating season!

To celebrate, I turned to a 2004 cookbook, published as a fundraiser for M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, entitled “From Home Plate to Your Plate — A Collection of Recipes from the Houston Astros Family.”

So many options — should I make Jose Cruz’s Tuna or Chicken Tetrazzini, or perhaps Roy Oswalt’s Baked Chimichangas?  Craig Biggio’s Italian Tomato Sauce or Jeff Bagwell’s Salmon Fillets?  I settled on Roger Clemens’ Rigatoni with Broccoli & Chicken, a dish he reportedly loved from Bertucci’s Restaurant in Boston.

The dish, which serves 2, was easy and tasty enough, although if I were to make it again I’d probably add some mushrooms, a dash of crushed red pepper, and perhaps a sprinkling of parmesan cheese before serving.  But, hey, if you have no one to take you out to the ballgame, you can root root root for the home team while chowing down on “Rocket’s” favorite dish.

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RIGATONI WITH BROCCOLI & CHICKEN
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Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 4 ounces chicken breast, cut into strips
  • 1 cup broccoli florets
  • 1 slice of lemon
  • 1 small clove garlic, crushed
  • ¼ cup chicken broth
  • ¾ cup heavy cream
  • 2 cups rigatoni, cooked all dente
Instructions
  1. Heat the olive oil in a nonstick frying pan over medium heat. Add the chicken and saute until chicken is lightly browned. Add the broccoli and lemon slice, and continue cooking for 2-3 minutes, stirring often, until broccoli is bright green. Add the garlic and cook for 10 seconds. Add the chicken broth and heavy cream and bring to a boil. Remove from heat. When ready to serve, stir in the rigatoni and heat until sauce reduces and clings to the pasta. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Brown the chicken

Add in the broccoli

Chicken broth and heavy cream create the sauce

Add the pasta and you’re almost home

Play ball!

ASIAN BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND CARROT SLAW

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My Thanksgiving is going to be different this year.  My friend and I are hosting our 8th Thanksgiving Day Luncheon for our little community’s senior citizens (with half-hearted participation from our sons’ Boy Scout Troop) for the last time.  We’ve enjoyed it, but it’s time to pass the torch — hopefully someone will accept it and carry on this fine tradition.  Here’s a few photos from a prior luncheon:

My little family is scattered this year — there will just be three of us for dinner later in the day, and that’s OK.  I think we’re looking forward to a relaxed holiday meal, for once.  Although I’m not getting out my collection of turkeys and Thanksgiving decorations, I did make a turkey wreath for my front door:

I know your inboxes are overflowing with Thanksgiving recipes, so forgive me for adding yet  another nontraditional recipe to the noise.  But I love this recipe.  Its seasonal colors will add vibrancy to your Thanksgiving table, and it is deliciously different.  It would also be excellent to bring some excitement to leftover turkey sandwiches.

 

Gorgeous, right?  Happy Thanksgiving!

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ASIAN BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND CARROT SLAW
Author: 
 
Ingredients
  • For dressing:
  • 1 cup water
  • ¼ cup champagne vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
  • ¼ cup Asian fish sauce
  • 1 small garlic clove, minced
  • 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
  • ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper

  • For slaw:
  • 4 cups julienned butternut squash
  • 2 cups julienned carrot
  • 1 small red jalapeno, very thinly sliced into rings
  • ¼ cup coarsely chopped cilantro, plus additional sprigs for garnish
  • ½ cup coarsely chopped glazed pecans, plus additional for garnish
Instructions
  1. To prepare dressing, place water, vinegar, brown sugar, and fish sauce in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in garlic, lime juice, and crushed red pepper. Set aside to cool until ready to use.
  2. Place squash, carrot, jalapeno, cilantro, and pecans in medium bowl and toss to combine . Just before serving, pour ½ cup dressing over slaw, and toss until combined. (Reserve additional dressing in covered container in refrigerator for another use.). Mound slaw on serving dish and garnish as desired with cilantro sprigs and whole pecans.

Knock knock

Who’s there?

Norma Lee

Norma Lee who?

Norma Lee I don’t eat this much!