A Night (School Year?) at the Improv

My day to cook with Ben this week coincided with my first in-service day of the year, so the theme of the evening was improvisation. We briefly entertained the notion of Chicken Florentine, but to keep things as normal as possible, we made the familiar Quick Chicken Cordon Bleu. (Though it should be noted that this dish was originally an improvisation, itself. Circle of life.)

Quick Chicken Cordon Bleu

When it came to our pasta creation, we were inspired by Chicken Florentine, but our flexibility ended in a dish we’ll call Pasta Quarantine. Tasty? Yes. Was it actually a recipe? Probably not. This is what we did:

Pasta Quarantine

2 tablespoons butter

8 ounces of sliced mushrooms (or not – whatever choice you make for your pasta is the right choice – we aren’t judging you)

1 garlic clove, minced

Several pathetic thyme sprigs from a gangly plant in the yard (or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves)

A couple big handfuls of grape tomatoes, halved through the stem end (unless, like Ben, you find them an unnecessary distraction to an otherwise decent dish)

A glug or two of white wine

1 14-ounce can of chicken broth

Splash of cream (maybe 1/4 cup)

2 cups shredded cheese (we used gruyere because Phil got it at Aldi and is trying to make a case for working the store into our regular routine and thought he could buy me off with cheese)

2 tablespoons flour

16 ounces pasta (Ben is partial to cavatapi, but if you have a better idea, you do you)

1. Cook pasta until al dente in boiling, salted water. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water before draining.
2. Meanwhile, in large nonstick skillet, over medium-high heat, melt butter. Add mushrooms and cook until they begin to brown. Add garlic and thyme, continuing to cook for another minute or two. Add tomatoes, and heat until they begin to release their juices. Add wine, and boil over high heat for a few minutes to reduce liquid. Add chicken broth and cream, bring to simmer, and reduce heat to low. 
3. Toss shredded cheese with flour, and stir into liquid/vegetable mixture in skillet.
4. Add cooked pasta to skillet, and stir. Add some of the reserved pasta water, if needed, to “loosen” sauce.
5. Add spinach to pasta, and stir.

For dessert, tell your kid you’re going to make a watermelon granita parfait, and then sit down on a kitchen chair and stare into space, refusing to do one more thing. Universal disappointment guaranteed.

I’m always a little punchy on in-service days, but all things considered, it wasn’t so bad. Years ago, I had a perpetual teacher’s calendar that you flipped daily for inspirational quotes. One day in late August said, “I hope I die during an in-service, because the transition from life to death would be so subtle.” When I shared this with my principal, he asked if he could borrow my calendar to use in the next day’s presentation. He misplaced my calendar, never returned it, and seemed to never quite remember my actual name after that day. Sometimes I was Karen, sometimes Carol, rarely Liz. Draw your own conclusions.

Many people have asked how our school year will look. Everyone in our family does school, in one way or another, so it’s a good question. Sophia’s second grade year is launched in Tioga, and she is loving it. Phil has been helping Lycoming College get ready for in-person instruction for months. The students have been back more than a week, and so far, it is going well. I’m having a delayed start to school (September 9 versus August 20), at which time we expect all students to return for in-person instruction, unless they opted for virtual instruction. One teacher per grade level was needed to provide virtual instruction from an empty classroom, and I volunteered. Ben starts hybrid instruction this week. They will be at half capacity, but as a life skills student, he can attend 4 out of 5 days a week. Obviously, we are hoping for the best on all fronts. We all want to be healthy and safe while doing what we have to do.