This was borrowed from Molly Jacobson’s blog (MollysDirtInTheSkirt) with her permission (thanks, Molly).

Enjoy!!!

My 4-year-old went out to the field today to help her dad stay awake whilst planting alfalfa (GPS takes all the fun out of everything, don’t it?) I promised to bring out supper when I picked her up in the evening. With her out of my hair enrolled in “tractor mechanics for toddlers” for the afternoon, I was free to be incredibly productive while my younger two napped—so I made the most of that time and took a nap. I was suddenly awakened from my slumber when the hardware repairman walked into my living room (past my super-fierce sleeping Doberman, apparently) and beller’d , “It’s Bob from Stedman’s!!” The poor man had probably been knocking at the door for half an hour. I rolled out of bed and tried to pretend I’d just been cleaning the toilet, not studying the backs of my eyelids.

“Um, hi, yeah, you must be here to unfreeze my ‘fridgerator? Um, ok, um, it’s in the kitchen.” (Noticeable eye-roll at myself for pointing out the obvious.)

It was a startling way to begin the afternoon at 4:00 p.m. but I’m glad he woke me up so I could get rollin’ on churnin’ out a meal for the field. This recipe is a quick and easy favorite, and I usually have all the ingredients on-hand. A dear family friend, who built my fly rod besides, blessed me with this recipe. It’s a simple but exquisite tribute to durum everywhere.

A few things, though:

*Acceptable field travel time: 20 mins or less UNLESS you cook the noodles independently and bring the sauce and noodles to the field separately. This keeps your spaghetti from getting all western on ya. I do have other field meals that are much more gracious on travel time, but this isn’t one of them.

*If you double, triple, or octuple this recipe, cook the noodles and sauce separately. One pot pasta kinda freaks out when it’s presented with large quantities of noodles. I think it just gets overwhelmed.

*Again, if you make this in larger quantities, make sure you cook the noodles NOT in a cheap tin pot and add a little olive oil. When the spaghetti is still quite firm, shut the heat off and just let it keep cooking in the hot water—it doesn’t need to maintain a rolling boil to cook the noodles. This way it cooks evenly and won’t get gummy and overdone and coat the bottom of the pot. I learned this from a Sioux chef a few years ago. That’s not misspelled. He was Sioux. And I was his Sous Chef. How punny.

*This is a versatile recipe—you can sub Andouille sausage or something else or do a combo.

*Serve this with garlic bread and salad—delicious—you’ll have them eating out of your hands. But seriously, don’t forget the forks.

*As for the salad, my farmer just gets his in a mason jar tonight. This is my favorite way to pack a salad to go for just one person. If it’s a whole crew, it doesn’t work great, but it keeps the hubby and me eating green while we’re driving green. (Recipe at bottom)

Elden’s One Pot Cajun Chicken Alfredo

-2T olive oil

-1 lb. boneless skinless chickie boobs, cut into bite-sized pieces

-2t Cajun seasoning

– 6 garlic cloves, minced (let’s be real, I love fresh garlic but if I have 5 extra minutes, I’m not gonna spend it peeling garlic—I switched to the stuff in the jar years ago).

-1+1/2 C chicken broth

-penne 9 (or whatevs) pasta: ½C per person (for people with stomachs larger than a baby bird’s, I usually increase this to ¾ C)

-1/3 C grated Parmesan, plus more for serving

-1 C milk

1. Heat oil in large skillet
2. Add chicken and Cajun seasoning—cook ‘till chicken is barely done, stirring occasionally
3. Remove chicken from pan
4. Add garlic and cook 1 min, stirring often
5. Add broth and milk
6. Add pasta—cover and bring to rapid boil
7. Reduce heat and simmer for 8-13 mins, stirring every 2-3 mins—cook until there is ¼ liquid remaining. Add chicken back into the pan.
8. Remove from heat and add parmesan

Molly’s Mason Jar Salad

Layer bottom to top in a quart jar:

1. Favorite Dressing
2. Big veggies like snap peas, peppers, cherry tomatoes
3. Protein: chicken, leftover steak, beans, spam, whatever tickles your fancy
4. Anything Else: dried fruit, nuts, rice, quinoa, green olives, etc.
5. Lettuce
6. Cheese
7. Croutons

Just pop a lid on it, snatch a fork, and seize the day! The dressing packed at the bottom keeps the lettuce from getting soggy while it sits. You can even pre-pack a few days’ worth and keep ‘em in the fridge to grab and go.

Well it looks like you made it all the way to the bottom of this post! Congratulations. Here’s a bonus recipe:

Molly’s Cheap-Ass Garlic Bread for Large Groups of People Not Standing on Principle

These are great for the field, cuz they are already in individual portions and you don’t have to do any cutting or awkward groping of pieces of garlic bread that won’t separate.

-cheap-ass hot dog buns, torn along their crack

-melted butter

-italian seasoning

-garlic powder

-salt

1. Pack as many cracked buns on a baking sheet as you can. Misery loves company.
2. SLATHER melted butter on buns with a pastry brush. Or your fingers. Butter covers a multitude of sins.
3. Shake the Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and salt on top. While you’re shaking it all over those buns, shake your moneymaker.
4. Bake at 375ish till they look like Donald Trump’s cheekbones. If they look like his eye sockets, leave them in to toast a while longer. If you need a quicker browning, just turn the broiler on for a minute or so and take ‘em to go.