By Caleb checked into the Cherokee Nation's residential substance abuse program on Thursday. I drove him. We ate the venison chili Wednesday night, at his apartment, at the card table he got from somewhere, the same way we ate the first night he moved in. He ate two bowls. He packed a small bag. He did not own very much. He said: "You do not have to drive me." I said: "I know." He said: "Okay." I drove him.
The facility is in Stilwell, in Adair County, in the deep eastern part of the Cherokee Nation — Cherokee County by way of the mountains, a different landscape than Tulsa, full of narrow roads and old forest and a quality of Cherokee presence in the land that is different from the city. Lily drove down from Tahlequah to meet us at the facility, which I had not expected and which made me glad. Caleb checked in. He handed his phone to the staff person. He looked at us — me and Lily — and said: "Go home." Lily said: "Call us when you can." He said: "I know." He went through the door and that was it.
Lily and I ate at a diner in Stilwell. We split an order of chicken fried steak and talked about Danny and Caleb and language preservation and her research and the old family land in Sequoyah County that nobody has seen in forty years. We talked for two hours over coffee that kept being refilled by a waitress who left us alone in the way that people in small Cherokee County towns leave Cherokee people alone when they are clearly in the middle of something real. Then we drove home. I was home by nine. Hannah had kept a plate warm. I ate it at the kitchen table alone and went to bed.
What Lily and I ordered that afternoon in Stilwell was simple—the kind of food a diner puts in front of you without ceremony, and that is exactly what we needed. I have been thinking about it since, about how the right meal does not fix anything but it holds you while you sit with it. This Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad is my home version of that: familiar, sturdy, enough. Make it when you need something that asks nothing of you but still feels like a meal worth eating with someone you love.
Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 35 min | Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 12 oz rotini or penne pasta
- 2 cups cooked chicken breast, chopped or shredded
- 1 large romaine heart, chopped
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
- 1 cup Caesar dressing (store-bought or homemade)
- 1 cup croutons
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain and rinse under cold water to stop cooking. Set aside to cool completely.
- Prep the chicken. If starting from raw, season chicken breasts with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Cook in a skillet over medium heat, 6–7 minutes per side, until cooked through. Let rest, then chop. Rotisserie chicken works well here.
- Combine pasta and dressing. In a large bowl, toss the cooled pasta with Caesar dressing, lemon juice, and black pepper until evenly coated.
- Add the remaining ingredients. Fold in the chopped chicken and Parmesan. Add the romaine and toss gently to combine. Taste and adjust salt and pepper.
- Top and serve. Add croutons just before serving so they hold their crunch. Finish with extra Parmesan. Serve immediately or refrigerate (hold croutons and romaine separately until ready to eat).
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 420 | Protein: 28g | Fat: 16g | Carbs: 42g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 680mg