Katie McKenna makes me laugh. Sometimes I make her cry. We met literally by accident, our paths crossing in the post-trauma arena. Her book, How to Get Run Over By A Truck, which she reads on Audible, is a MUST. Somehow, the softcover edition landed in my daughter’s ICU room in Manhattan last May. I could only glance at the book’s colorful cover and imposing title and slide it back into my tote bag for later.

By late January, a mutual friend implored us to meet Katie, “a woman who got run over by a truck wrote a book about it. You should read it.” In the throes of trauma timeout, I finally screwed up the courage to give the Audible version a listen and here is where the laughter comes in. Katie’s story as she reads it grips you like a nightmare then shifts you into knee slapping. She has a rare gift.

We started with a phone call in February when the world was mostly right. My daughter Sara met Katie for coffee in New York and then...Quarantine. Or as Katie calls it: Quaran-TINE (like Valentine). She’s been married for a year and a half and says “yep, half of our marriage we’ve been living with my parents, our Quaran-Team!”

She’s a fifth generation New Yorker and when she’s talking tough, calls herself McKenna. Her friends call her Katie Mac and her dad describes her as “this is my daughter Katie. She will bust your balls like a Wall Street Trader in the 80’s, but she will hug you so hard you can feel her heart beat.”

Thriving as a trauma survivor, Katie is a life coach and professional speaker who can cheerlead anyone away from the blues.

What’s your 20 minute recipe? My favorite thing to make is a pasta dish with julienne carrots, red onion and red bell pepper sautéed with garlic and olive oil, s&p. Turn it all into the pasta pot with some soft goat cheese and some of the pasta water. Minimal dishes is my goal in life. My older brother’s girlfriend introduced this to us. It’s a fridge cleaner and the goat cheese makes a nice silky sauce.

What’s your favorite city? Ummmmmm is it bad to say New York? I guess I’ll say Dublin. It’s a real sweet city.

What’s your Favorite restaurant in your current city? My comfort restaurant is Il Pasatore, a northern italian restaurant in Williamsburg. They have a shaved Brussels sprouts salad with apples, walnuts and parmesan with a lemon vinaigrette that I just love. I love their carbonara with the egg, pancetta and cheese with beautiful homemade spaghetti.

Treasured find in the back of your fridge? You mean if I found something and was just over the moon?! Some of my mom’s homemade pesto.

Who taught you to cook? Is it bad to say myself? My mom taught me the beauty of chop a bunch of things up and put it in balsamic vinegar and everything will be fine.

What’s your go-to dish for company? It is Allison Roman’s garlic braised short ribs with red wine.

What’s on your cooking playlist? I’m a podcast person! I love This American Life while I’m cooking. I listen to Brene Brown’s Unlocking Us, and Hidden Brain or How I Built This

Coffee, tea, or Kombucha? I like to make myself every morning: Coffee, 2 scoops of Bulletproof collagen, unflavored, I put in a glurp/ about ¼ cup coconut eggnog and then i put in a dash of ginger, turmeric cinnamon and ground clove and some oat milk. Yeah, there’s only a little bit of room for coffee. Then I froth it and we are good to go.

Date night--at home? or out? If things are normal, date night out

Most stained cookbook? The New York Times cooking app.

Surf? or Turf? If it’s lobster, SURF!

Indispensable kitchen tool? I do use my frother every single day.

Staple childhood comfort food? Probably truthfully whole wheat toast with butter and jam. I do bake the no-knead bread from the New York Times.

Who would you most like to share a meal with? past, present or fictional? Right now I would love to share a meal with Elizabeth Gilbert.

Ideal grilled cheese? Oohhhhh heavily buttered white toast, it would have to be cooked open face so the cheese melts fully, then you put them together. I want straight gooey and this way It’s done faster, I’m a fast kid! I’m a bit of a grilled cheese connoisseur. My brother says I’m the best at grilled cheese, flattery will get you everywhere! White cheddar, Cabot sharp and bacon if I’m allowed.

Favorite pizza topping? Sausage, red peppers and onions is my favorite, I mean if I’m gonna do it. I’d get it at Williamsburg Pizza in Williamsburg. With a side of garlic knots because I’m not an idiot!

Where would you want to take a cooking class? I have actually taken a really great cooking class at Brooklyn Kitchen, they do really great classes.

What’s your Counter Intelligence cooking tip? Everything will taste good if you chop it up really small. Think of an area of the world, say Mexico: chop up tomatoes, jalapeños, onion, squeeze of lime. Same same, pick a region...all that stuff. Add the appropriate acid.

Three things next to your stove? Olive oil, kosher salt, crushed red pepper and probably like a head of garlic

Favorite Sports Team? New York Giants.

Continuing with the sunshine theme, Katie’s pasta dish is so much sunshine in a bowl!

Katie’s (Game Changer) Goat Cheese Pasta

A few ingredients from your produce drawer do a delightful dance with goat cheese and pasta. Prep the veggies while the pasta pot comes to a boil. Sauté them while the pasta cooks. Toss them all together and you have delicious kitchen heroics in honestly 20 minutes.

Get a big pot of salty water going for pasta. I cooked a pound of thin spaghetti and kept about one quarter of the cooked noodles plain to make buttered noodles in case there was a request (and yes of course there was!) While the water comes to a boil (hello turbo burner!), julienne/matchstick cut a big peeled carrot, a red bell pepper and a red onion. Mince or crush a couple cloves of garlic. Take a 4 ounce log of goat cheese out of its wrapper. Timing is kind of key here…My thin spaghetti said ‘al dente in 7 minutes’ and al dente is a good time to drain it since it will cook a bit longer back in the pot with the veg, goat cheese and pasta water.

As you drop your pasta with a good stir into the boiling water, heat a large skillet over medium/almost medium-high heat and drizzle in a tablespoon or two of olive oil. Add the julienned carrot, bell pepper and onion, season well with s&p. Stir your pasta and if you’re feeling cheffy, give the skillet a nice toss with a flick of your strong wrist or stir. When the veg are just softening, add the garlic. When the pasta is done, use a large mug or Pyrex measuring cup to scoop up at least a cup of the hot pasta water (I like to set the heatproof cup in my colander, that way I won’t forget!). Drain the pasta and return it to the pot over the still hot but turned off burner. Add the veg and use about a half cup of the pasta water to ‘deglaze’ the skillet. Swirl the skillet and add this flavorful liquid to the pasta. Crumble in the goat cheese, scattering it around, and stir. Add more pasta water to make a silky sauce that just coats the noodles. Lift into warmed bowls (stack them on the back of the stovetop while you’re cooking = warm:) ) and serve after taking a bow. Happy Cooking!