J's Manly Meaty Marinara

Hello readers of Dining Out Was So Last Year,

This is the second guest blog post in DOWSLY's history and I (Nicole's boyfriend) wanted to make something for the men in the audience, or for the women to cook for that special guy. So here you have J's Manly Meaty Marinara.

It all starts with this...

I decided to cook things in a very specific order. This dish has many different flavor profiles from the fried chicken (hearty and salty), turkey bacon (meaty and delicious), basil (sweet), parmesan (for some cheesy goodness), chunky garlic marinara, and of course the pasta ( I chose to use two very different pastas for more texture).

The first thing to do is boil the water with enough salt that it tastes like ocean water (gives the pasta lots of flavor). Make sure to check if the pastas have different cooking times and cook accordingly.

Once the pasta had been in for a few minutes I started to brown my fried chicken; I wanted it to add a crispy texture to the usual pasta consistency.

It is also time to start cooking the bacon. This one is up to you...some people like bacon crispy (me!) and some people don't. Cook to your desired consistency and then dice the bacon into squares.

Picture this, Nicole and I were walking today when she saw a plant that she swore was basil. It was huge and she was excited. Of course she told me to get on my hands and knees to smell and confirm. It was basil and it smelled wonderful; we got some for our dinners (it wasn't on private property ). I minced the basil into tiny pieces so every bite would have some.

After the bacon and basil were diced and minced I was getting close to being done. By this time my stomach was growling. Once the pasta is strained it is time to put in all of the ingredients. Don't forget to add the parmesan with the marinara and basil.

Now you are ready to chow down. The whole meal takes about 30 minutes to prepare and if you cooked everything right it should be cleaned off the plate in 5...enjoy!