Genesis of a Great Hurricane Pasta

We got back from our trip to Montreal & Toronto (more about that in the next post), just in time to prepare for a visit from Hurricane Irene. Even though we knew we wouldn't be getting the brunt of the storm, we did anticipate high winds. So...

Bathtub filled with water, and on to prepare some dishes that could be eaten cold if the power did go out. I boiled some eggs - great on their own or added to the double portion of tuna salad. Then I grilled some boneless chicken breasts (on my new Cuisinart GR-4N 5-in-1 Griddler, thanks to the Fairy Hobmother) using some classic BBQ spices from Epices de Cru. I also boiled up a box of penne, because cold pasta salads are always in order.

Fortunately for us, Irene gave us a wide berth and no power outages at our place. But since I am hosting this week's Presto Pasta Night Roundup, I thought I'd whip up something special with some of those goodies and more...

That's the Hurricane Pasta at top and after zapping the penne to heat it up but not cook it any more... here's what I added...

• cooked BBQ chicken, diced
• handful of fresh chives & oregano from my daughter Joanna's garden, chopped
• last of the Pesto di Prezzemolo
• last of the No Cook Tomato Sauce
• sprinkled with grated Parmesan

I love it when nature lends a hand to creativity! If you have a pasta dish you'd like to share with the rest of us for Presto Pasta Nights, just write about it, mention Presto Pasta Nights and send me your link to ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com by Thursday night and I'll add it to Friday's roundup.