Bowtie Chicken and Asparagus Alfredo

Four more Taxol infusions. One month. I am so close to the end of this that I can feel it in my body — not just the physical anticipation but something deeper, a loosening, like a fist that has been clenched for six months beginning to open. March is here. March is the month of my diagnosis (last September, but the fight really began in October) and March will be the month of my freedom. The symmetry is almost too perfect, and I distrust it because cancer has taught me to distrust perfection.

My head has fuzz. Actual, visible fuzz — a thin covering of hair that is darker than my original color and, I suspect, curlier. My head looks like a tennis ball. Brett says I look like a baby bird. I say I look like a woman who is growing back, which is more poetic but less accurate. The fuzz is there and it is mine and it is the most beautiful thing on my body, because it means my body is rebuilding, regenerating, insisting on being alive despite everything I've put it through.

I cooked every night this week. Every single night. Monday through Sunday, something from scratch, on the stove or in the oven, fed to my family at the table. Chili Monday. Chicken stir-fry Tuesday. Tacos Wednesday. Leftovers Thursday. Fish sticks Friday (frozen, from a bag — don't come for me, it was Friday). Grilled cheese Saturday. Beef stew Sunday. Seven dinners. It's the most consecutive nights I've cooked since before the diagnosis, and I feel it in my body like an athlete returning to training — the muscles remember, the rhythm comes back, the knife feels right in my hand even though the neuropathy makes my grip uncertain.

Mason is reading at a second-grade level. Mrs. Liu told me at pickup, beaming, as if she were responsible (she is partially responsible, and I told her so). He's moved beyond the mystery series into a book about a boy who finds a dragon egg, and he narrates the plot to me every evening at dinner with the dramatic intensity of someone recapping a live sporting event. "And THEN the egg CRACKED, Mama, and you won't BELIEVE what came out." I believe. I always believe.

Scott and I had a Saturday night alone — Brett took the kids for an overnight, and we were supposed to use the time for connection, for the kind of evening we used to have, dinner and talking and maybe remembering what we liked about each other. Instead, Scott watched TV and I sat in the kitchen and read a book, and we orbited each other in silence, and at 10 PM I went to bed and he stayed on the couch, and we didn't fight and we didn't talk and we didn't touch, and the quiet was the loudest thing in the house.

The beef stew on Sunday was exceptional. The best I've ever made, which I think is because I'm tasting food with the sensitivity of someone who almost lost the ability to taste at all. Every flavor is amplified — the richness of the beef, the sweetness of the carrots, the earthy depth of the thyme. I ate a bowl and then another and then I sat at the table with the empty bowl and thought: I can taste. I can cook. I can feed my children. These things that were taken from me are coming back. The cancer tried to erase me and I am writing myself back in, one pot of stew at a time.

The beef stew got all the glory on Sunday, but it was the whole week that mattered — seven nights, seven dinners, my hands remembering what they’d almost forgotten. If you’re looking to build that same rhythm back into your own kitchen, this Bowtie Chicken and Asparagus Alfredo is exactly the kind of weeknight anchor I reach for: creamy, fast, and the sort of meal that makes everyone at the table go quiet in the best possible way. It’s not beef stew, but it carries the same intention — real food, made with care, for people you love.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 35 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

12 oz bowtie (farfalle) pasta
1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 bunch asparagus (about 1 lb), woody ends trimmed, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 1/4 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
Salt and black pepper, to taste
Fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped, for garnish

Instructions

Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook bowtie pasta according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water before draining. Drain and set aside.
Season the chicken. Pat the chicken pieces dry and season generously with salt, black pepper, and Italian seasoning on all sides.
Sear the chicken. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken in a single layer and cook, undisturbed, for 3–4 minutes until golden. Flip and cook another 3–4 minutes until cooked through. Transfer to a plate and tent loosely with foil.
Blanch the asparagus. In the same skillet, heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add the asparagus and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3–4 minutes until bright green and just tender. Transfer to the plate with the chicken.
Build the Alfredo sauce. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add the butter to the skillet and let it melt. Add the minced garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for about 1 minute until fragrant — do not let it brown. Pour in the heavy cream and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook for 3–4 minutes, stirring frequently, until the cream has thickened slightly.
Add the Parmesan. Remove the skillet from heat and stir in the grated Parmesan a little at a time, whisking until fully melted and the sauce is smooth. If the sauce seems too thick, add reserved pasta water a splash at a time until you reach a silky, coating consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and add red pepper flakes if using.
Combine and serve. Return the drained pasta, chicken, and asparagus to the skillet. Toss everything together over low heat until evenly coated and warmed through, about 2 minutes. Divide among bowls, top with extra Parmesan and a scattering of fresh parsley, and serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Bowtie Chicken and Asparagus Alfredo — The Week I Cooked Every Night