I'm not guaranteeing any specific outcome here, but I'm going to teach you to make an easy, tasty summertime pasta dish that's going to impress that special gal in your life.

Even if you don't know how to do anything in the kitchen, I'm confident that you'll be able to make this dish, and it will come out perfect!

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First you need to go to the grocery store and buy the ingredients - and, there aren't a lot of them!

First up, you need some garlic. Fresh is always best. You'll need one bulb of garlic. It looks like this:

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You'll find the garlic in the fresh fruits and vegetable area. (Don't be afraid to ask someone where the fresh garlic is.)

Wait. Time out. Does your girl like garlic? If you don't know, find out. If she hates it, skip the garlic.

Next up, you need some basil. Again fresh is best. Here's what I do if I don't have one at home: I buy a whole basil plant! This one was only $2.99 at Shoprite. You will only need a handful of leaves, but the plant is really going to make your kitchen smell great. (And, boy, will she be impressed that you bought a whole plant to use in making dinner!)

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This basil plant grows in water. All the instructions are on the plant, so it's easy to take care of, IF you follow the instructions.

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Next up, you're going to need a couple cans of chicken stock or chicken broth. Pretty much the same thing. You'll also need a can of diced tomatoes.

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By the way, this recipe will feed two people easily with plenty for leftovers for lunch the next day. (If you want to make more, just double everything.)

Finally, you'll need a box of pasta. I like bow-tie pasta for this dish.

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This really isn't going to take long to prepare - maybe 30 - 45 minutes from prep to finish.

First thing you're going to do is get the garlic and basil ready.

Grab the garlic bulb, a cutting board and a chef's knife - or something on the larger size of knives.

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You're going to place the garlic bulb on the cutting board, and press the side of the knife into it, smashing it a little, causing the cloves to break apart.

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We like, well, LOVE, garlic, so I'm using about 5 cloves. You can use more or less, based on your and her garlic preferences.

Once you have the cloves, peel them as best you can. Cutting off the tips of the cloves make it easier. You can also smash the cloves with the side of your knife blade again.

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Next you can use a garlic press to mince the garlic, but I prefer just cutting it into small pieces - again, we LOVE garlic.

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When you have it diced, set it aside.

Now pick about 5 or 6 leaves from your basil plant. If the stems are big, remove them, Wash and dry the leaves.

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I then go through and cut the leaves length-wise as thin as possible. You don't have to be perfect here, just chop it up!

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Next, get out a pan and empty the two cans of chicken broth into it. Bring it to a boil on high heat.

When it starts boiling, dump the pasta into it and boil for 10 minutes.

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Note: you're not using water to boil the pasta, just the chicken broth. As it boils, most of the broth will be absorbed into the noodles. Trust me, this really adds flavor to your pasta!

Before draining the pasta (if there's any liquid left), remove about a quarter cup of the broth and set aside. Now drain the noodles and leave them out of the pan for a few minutes.

Next, throw that pan on high heat and add about 2 or 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Immediately toss in the chopped garlic. Stir for about 30 seconds - smells good, right?

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Grab that leftover quarter cup of broth and add it to the pot, turning the heat down to medium.

Add the pasta back to the pot and stir.

Now, add the diced tomato (and sauce - the whole can). Stir occasionally until it's warm - about 5 minutes.  Next, add the chopped basil and stir.  It's done, plate it up and serve!

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Oh, it would probably help if you do the dishes, too.

Good luck! Let me know how it tastes!

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