Chipotle Chicken Pasta

Chipotle Chicken Pasta

1 pound penne pasta
Juice of one lemon
2 tablespoons honey, divided
¼ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 large chicken breasts
2 tablespoons butter, divided
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 ½ cups frozen peas
2-3 tablespoons adobo sauce (from a can of chipolte in adobo sauce)
2 cups half and half
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
tortilla strips and parsley for garnish

Prepare the pasta per package instructions, drain and set aside.

Whisk together the lemon juice, 1tablespoons of the honey, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and add to the marinade. Toss to coat. Heat 1 tablespoon of the butter and the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and marinade to the pan, sauté for 3 to 5 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken to a plate. Add the remaining tablespoon of butter to the pan, add the bell pepper and onion to the pan and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more, then stir in the peas. Add the adobo and half and half to the pan, bring to a simmer and stir in the parmesan cheese. Stir in the chicken and pasta, toss well to coat. Serve, topped with tortilla strips and minced parsley.

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Pork Souvlaki

Pork Souvlaki

½ cup olive oil
1 small red onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Greek oregano
½ teaspoon salt
¼ pepper
1 ½ pounds pork loin, trimmed of silver skin and excess fat, cut into 1-inch cubes

2 cups of Greek yogurt
1 English cucumber, peeled and grated
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 bell pepper, seeded and chopped
12 pitas, warmed
1 tomato, seeded and chopped

Whisk together the olive oil, onion, garlic, lemon juice, vinegar, oregano, salt and pepper. Pour over the pork and let marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Stir the yogurt, cucumber, garlic and lemon juice. Stir and set aside.

Thread the pork onto skewers, alternating with the bell pepper. Broil for 5 to 7 minutes, until the pork is cooked through. Serve skewers with pita, tomato and cucumber yogurt sauce.

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Peach Lemonade

Miss F's school participates in the program, One School, One Book, every summer. The whole school reads the same book and activities are planned around it during the start of school. This summer, they read The Lemonade War.  The kids were encouraged to have a lemonade stand over the summer.  Miss F wanted to incorporate the fresh Palisade peaches we were loving in Colorado in her lemonade and the results were fantastic.  As a side note, our house in Colorado came furnished, complete with a peach and lemon breakfast table.  I despise it and hope to replace it soon, but it was the perfect backdrop for fresh peach lemonade.  Miss F made some pocket money after purchasing her supplies and had a great time with the lemonade stand.

Peach Lemonade

8 cups water
1 cup sugar
2 large peaches, pitted and chopped
1 cup lemon juice, from about 5 large lemons

In a small saucepan, combine 2 cups of water with the sugar and the peaches. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes. Place a sieve over a bowl and pour the peach liquid from the saucepan through it. Press to extract all the juice from the peach pieces. Stir together the remaining 6 cups water, the lemon juice and the strained peach juice. Refrigerate and serve over ice.

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Summer Shrimp Stir Fry

I have had this recipe from Pioneer Woman pinned for years.  I finally got around to making it for Miss F and I, but I made a bunch of changes from the original.  We don't have air conditioning in Colorado, even though we are at nearly 9000 feet, it gets hot in the evening.  I prefer to spend as little time in front of the stove as possible, so I decided to cook everything at once instead of in phases.  The tomatoes melted into the butter providing the most delicious sauce which was really brightened up with the squeeze of lemon at the end.  You could easily toss a half pound of angel hair with this dish for an even more substantial meal.  But cooking angel hair means more heat in my kitchen, so that wasn't happening.

Summer Shrimp Stir Fry

3 tablespoons butter
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 zucchini, sliced
2 ears of corn, kernels removed
2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
Juice of ½ lemon

Melt the butter in a large skillet over a medium-high heat. Add the shrimp, garlic, zucchini, corn, tomatoes, salt and pepper. Sauté for 3 to 4 minutes, until the shrimp are cooked through. Squeeze the lemon half all over the shrimp and vegetables, toss well to coat, serve.

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Shrimp with Cucumber, Tomato and Avocado Salad

My mom broke her patella while she was in Maryland a few weeks back, so she hasn't had quite the summer that she imagined she would have.  Luckily, she didn't need surgery, but she did need help in the kitchen.  My dad isn't a cook.  He once boiled hot dogs and corn on the cob in the same pan.  His rationale was that the grease from the hot dogs would "butter the corn."  Gross.  My mom has lots of fresh herbs and she always has gulf shrimp from the Kemah seafood market.  I stopped at the store on the way to her house to make lunch, picked up some fresh vegetables and this salad was invented.  Miss F inhaled the shrimp, tolerated the avocado and refused the rest.  Her loss.

Shrimp with Cucumber, Tomato and Avocado Salad

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 lemon
½ teaspoon salt, divided
½ teaspoon pepper, divided
1 large or 2 small tomatoes, chopped
1 cucumber, chopped
1 large avocado, chopped
10 leaves basil, minced
2 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined

Whisk together 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, juice of ½ the lemon, ¼ teaspoon of salt and pepper in a large bowl. Gently toss the tomatoes, cucumber, avocado and basil in the dressing. Set aside.

Heat the remaining oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Sprinkle the shrimp with the remaining salt and pepper. Add the shrimp to the pan, juice the remaining lemon half over the shrimp. Sauté until the shrimp are pink and cooked through, about 5 to 7 minutes. Serve the shrimp with the salad on the side.

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Baked Chicken Gyros

This was a total recipe merge of two favorites in my house: Chicken Gyros and Baked Chicken Fajitas.  This is a fantastic summer meal, fresh tomatoes and cucumbers for the win.  The chicken bakes easily, retaining it's moisture and flavor from the yogurt marinade.  I much prefer my recipe for Naan instead of pita bread, so I always serve gyros on Naan.  That being said, I tried to use my tortilla press to roll out the naan.  Baaaad idea...very bad.  You have to go the old fashioned way and roll them out by hand, but it is totally worth it.

Baked Chicken Gyros

4 cloves garlic, minced
Juice of 1 lemon
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup plain Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 pound chicken breast

1 cucumber
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
24 ounces plain Greek yogurt
2 tomatoes, diced
6 pitas, warmed

Whisk together the garlic, lemon juice, vinegar, oil, yogurt, oregano, salt and pepper in a bowl. Add the chicken and rub the marinade in.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the chicken in a 9x13 baking dish in a single layer. Bake, uncovered, for 20 to 25 minutes,

Add the cucumber to the bowl of a food processor and pulse 5 to 8 times until it reaches a coarse grated consistency. Drain liquid from the cucumber. Mince garlic with salt until it forms a smooth paste. Stir the cucumber and garlic into the yogurt.

Serve the chicken in the pita topped with the tzatiki and diced tomato.

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Lemon Roast Lobster

Whenever C is gone, Miss F and I always have seafood. Recently, lobster has become her favorite. It started with her "sampling" some of the tempura lobster from a meal I was having at Artista.  And by sampling, I mean she ate every single piece of lobster from my plate.  She loves the stuff...loves.  I am always looking for new ways to have lobster, beyond just steaming a whole lobster.  My mom had brought me a bunch of lemons from her tree and Lemon Roast Lobster was created.  It is so deliciously simple and would make a great entrée at a dinner party, as long as your guests love lobster as much as Miss F does.

Lemon Roast Lobster

1 lemon
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 lobster tails, split
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Cut half of the lemon into slices and juice the other half. Stir the juice with the melted butter. Place the lobsters in a baking dish, brush the lemon juice and butter mixture over the meat of the lobster, add the lemon wedges to the pan. Roast the lobster tails for 10 minutes until the meat is opague.

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Garlic Sizzling Shrimp

Is it bad that Miss F and I devoured nearly this entire pan of shrimp? That's how good they are. This recipe comes from Emeril Legasse (feel free to use his "essence" in place of the Tony's) and it is fantastic. I served these with corn on the cob and biscuits, a full on southern meal. The shrimp would be great over polenta or rice. Next time I make this, I will serve it with a big garden salad.

Garlic Sizzling Shrimp

1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 teaspoon Tony Chacheres or other Cajun seasoning
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon roughly chopped garlic
3 tablespoons chicken broth
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

In a medium sized bowl, toss the shrimp with the Cajun seasoning and salt. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat, when hot, add the butter and garlic. After 30 seconds, add the shrimp and cook for 3 minutes, until the shrimp are cooked through. Add the broth and lemon juice, cook for 1 minute more. Serve.

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Snow Crab Legs

Miss F and I can easily tear through four pounds of crablegs. Oink Oink.  She still hasn't gotten the hang of cracking them, so I crack them open, half goes to her and half goes to me.  Thankfully, snow crablegs aren't too ridiculously priced at the grocer, so we can afford our crableg habit.  Miss F prefers hers with just lemon juice, while I prefer them with a bit of lemon and drenched in drawn butter.  We prefer to focus on the crab whenever we have them for dinner, but feel free to steam corn in the same pot for a one pot meal.

Snow Crab Legs

2 cups water
¼ cup vinegar
2 tablespoons Old Bay
2 to 3 pounds snow crab legs
melted butter
lemon wedges

In a large steamer pot, bring the water vinegar and Old Bay to a boil. Add the snow crab legs to the steamer portion of the pot, cover and steam for 8 to 10 minutes. Serve with melted butter and lemon wedges.

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Basil Vinaigrette

Homemade vinaigrettes are incredibly easy to make when you use a mini-food processor. Add everything but the oil, stream it in with the processor running and you have vinaigrette. And it is so much better than anything you can find in a bottle. I usually have a bottle of homemade vinaigrette of some kind in our refrigerator to go along side the giant box of mixed greens from Costco. Those mixed greens last forever, I'm not sure what the secret is.  This recipe takes vinaigrette to the next level with the addition of sweet basil.  Be sure to taste the vinaigrette with a small piece of lettuce, add more sugar if necessary.

Basil Vinaigrette

¼ cup fresh lemon juice
¼ cup white vinegar
¼ cup chopped basil
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon sugar
¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Combine all ingredients except the oil in a mini-food processor. Pulse to combine. Stream in the olive oil with the processor on to emulsify the dressing. Serve over mixed greens.

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Lemon Layer Cake

A dear friend was turning 40 and to celebrate, I hosted a girls only dinner party. The guest of honor requested a lemon cake for dessert and I happily agreed, since I love lemon almost as much as I love chocolate.  I used my go to, lemon cream cheese frosting, but I wanted to try a new lemon cake.  I have a major aversion to zest in cakes, I just don't enjoy the texture at all.  I heavily adapted this recipe from one I saw on the Chowhound message board.  The buttermilk gives it the perfect tang.  We devoured this cake, but I made sure to save a piece for Miss F, who was snoozing away upstairs while we celebrated (or cackled, as C calls it.)

Lemon Layer Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
3 large eggs
¼ cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1 cup buttermilk

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
½ cup butter, softened
¼ cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice
4 cups confectioners’ sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 8” round cake pans, set aside. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the sugar and butter until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Stir in the lemon juice. Add the flour and buttermilk in three additions, alternating between each. Divide the batter and pour into the two prepared pans. Bake for 32 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then remove the cakes from the pans to cool on a wire rack.

Beat together the cream cheese and butter for 3 minutes on medium speed. Add the lemon juice. Add the confectioners’ sugar 1 cup at a time and beat for 5 minutes more. Frost the cooled cakes.

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Lemon Dover Sole

I have such wonderful memories of the first time I had Dover sole. I was in Las Vegas at Jean-Georges Steakhouse in the Bellagio and the special was Dover sole. Our server was fantastic and told us whenever Dover sole was on the menu, we should order it. He was SO right. Dover sole is probably my most favorite fish. Back in Houston, I can always get it on Wednesday nights at Brasserie 19, but imagine my surprise when a friend told me she found Dover sole at Costco. They don't stock a ton of it, so it isn't always there, but when it is, BUY IT.  This recipe couldn't be any simpler, my friend made it for me for lunch one day after making the Costco discovery and I was hooked.

Lemon Dover Sole

¼ cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
4 Dover sole filets
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons lemon juice

Stir together the flour, salt and pepper in a shallow dish. Dredge the Dover sole filets in the flour mixture. Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the Dover sole filets to the skillet, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 2 minutes. Turn over the sole with a spatula and cook for 2 minutes more. Add the lemon juice to the pan. Plate the fish and sauce, serve.

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Lemon Garlic Pork Tenderloin

I love making my mom's roast potato recipe, with whatever herbs I have on hand. This night, it was dill roasted potatoes (which would work beautifully with salmon) and green beans.  I had bought a giant bag of lemons at Costco, way overestimating my lemon needs, so I was on the hunt for savory lemon recipes.  I always have a pork tenderloin or two in the freezer and I looked for a recipe where I could roast the pork at the same temperature as the potatoes (damn you single oven!)  I found this recipe from I Wash, You Dry.   If you remember, try and marinate the pork overnight, it really adds a nice lemony brightness to the meat.

Lemon Garlic Pork Tenderloin

2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon minced garlic
½ teaspoon dried parsley
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 (1 ½ to 2 lb) pork tenderloin

In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, 2 tablespoons olive oil, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper. Place the pork in a large Ziploc bag and pour the marinade overtop. Refrigerate at least two hours, ideally overnight.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Heat the remaining oil in an oven proof skillet over medium heat. Remove the pork from the marinade and sear on all sides in the oil. Transfer the skillet to the oven and cook until the internal temperature reaches 135 degrees, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, cover with foil and let rest for 10 minutes. Slice and serve.

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Instant Pot Roast Chicken

C had requested roast chicken, but I didn't have the time to make it in the oven. Enter Instant Pot!  The chicken came out perfectly tender, even though it wasn't quite as pretty as a bird roasted in the oven.  The chicken basically fell off the bone, it was delicious!  The best part is that I had plenty of leftover chicken meat to use for other meals.  Searing the chicken was a bit tricky, so be sure to have a sturdy pair of tongs on hand.  Recipe is adapted from The Healing Gourmet.

Instant Pot Roast Chicken

1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground pepper
1 whole chicken (~ 4 pounds)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 ½ cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 garlic cloves, peeled

In a small bowl, stir together the paprika, thyme, salt and pepper. Rub the spice mix all over the skin of the chicken. Heat the oil in the Instant Pot on “Saute.” Add the chicken, breast side down, cook for 6 to 7 minutes. Flip the chicken over and add the broth, lemon juice and garlic to the Instant Pot. Lock the lid and set to “Poultry” for 30 minutes on high. Allow the pressure to release naturally. Let the chicken rest 5 minutes before carving.

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Chicken in Lemon Herb Sauce

I had this pinned from Elly Says Opa for the longest time and I finally got around to making it, I sure wish I had sooner.  The method is incredibly simple, but makes for a really nice and moist chicken breast.  Miss F refused to try it at all, I think she was exhausted from school.  She ate a few green beans and went straight to bed.  The sauce was delicious, I may have added a spoonful or two to my green beans and mashed potatoes.  I want to try it again adding prosciutto.  A sauce made with wine, garlic and butter...what could be better?

Chicken in Lemon-Herb Sauce

1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
½ cup dry breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
3 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley
1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup dry white wine
½ cup chicken broth
¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (1 large lemon)
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
½ teaspoon salt
4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1 tablespoon butter

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Cut each chicken breast crosswise into two pieces, pound each piece flat with a meat mallet, about 1/3” thick. Stir together the breadcrumbs, 1 tablespoon olive oil, parsley, oregano and parmesan in a small bowl. Sprinkle half of the bread crumbs over each chicken piece, then roll the chicken up, securing with a piece of kitchen twine or a couple of toothpicks. Place the chicken into an oven safe skillet. In a two cup measure, add the wine, broth, lemon juice, crushed red pepper and salt. Pour over the chicken and add the garlic to the pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove the skillet from the oven and top with the remaining breadcrumbs. Bake for an additional 5 minutes, until the breadcrumbs are golden brown. Remove the chicken to a serving plate. Place the skillet on a burner over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer and allow to thicken for a minute or two. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the butter. Pour the sauce around the chicken and serve.

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Sweet Lemon Muffins

Is anyone else excited for the end of the school year? I am most excited to not have to pack lunches every day, but I will miss packing snack.  I usually have some sort of baked good on hand and anything with lemon is usually Miss F's absolute favorite.  The sprinkle of sugar on top makes these muffins a sweet treat, the whole pan was devoured in a matter of days.  Breakfast, snack, dessert...whenever...they were gobbled right up!  I will say that I am excited to make more doughnuts now that we will have more time in the mornings.  So out with the muffins and in with the doughnuts!  This recipe is adapted from Martha Stewart.

Sweet Lemon Muffins

2 ½ cups flour
1 ¾ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling
2 large eggs
¼ cup lemon juice
¼ cup milk
1 stick unsalted butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, eggs, lemon juice, milk and butter. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined. Dish the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle each muffin with sugar. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops spring back when touched. Cool on a wire rack.

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Veal Francese

I know it is wrong to love veal, but I do. Even my father refuses to eat it, but I figure if I eat meat, what's the difference? In fact, I selected Grotto for my Mother's Day dinner because I know I can get great veal there and I always like to support Tilman Fertitta because of all he has done for the University of Houston.  And we have a Landry's Select card, which adds and even bigger bonus.  This technique for cooking the veal was new to me, but it was awesome.  I plan on trying it with chicken next, basically keeping the recipe as is, replacing the veal with pounded out chicken cutlets.  This recipe was adapted from Cookstr.

Veal Francese

1 tablespoon butter
1 can quartered artichoke hearts
1 lemon, sliced
1 tablespoon capers
¼ cup flour
¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
½ teaspoon basil
¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
2 eggs
1 ½ cups white wine
½ pound thin veal cutlets

In a large skillet with a lid, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium heat. Add the artichokes to the pan and sauté for 2 minutes. Add 1 cup of the wine, the lemon slices and capers, cover and simmer for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In a shallow bowl, whisk together the flour, pepper, basil and salt. In another shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs with 2 tablespoons of the wine. Dredge each veal cutlet in the flour, then in the egg. Add the cutlets to the pan and simmer on low heat, shaking the pan to keep the cutlets floating in the liquid; add wine if needed. Turn the cutlets after 3 minutes and cook for 1 minute more. Plate the veal, remove the lemon slices, and pour the sauce over top; serve.

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Fried Shrimp with Meyer Lemon Tartar Sauce

I need to find an all you can eat fried shrimp place to take Miss F. And hopefully they charge less for a child. And then laugh and laugh when she takes down fried shrimp by the dozen.  She prefers her shrimp plain, no dipping sauce needed.  When I was her age, I was a ketchup only kind of kid, but I learned to appreciate tartar sauce and remoulade as time went by.  And I still don't mind ketchup!  I made this tartar sauce with the Meyer lemons from my mom, but it could be made with regular lemon juice, just half the amount.

Fried Shrimp with Meyer Lemon Tartar Sauce

½ cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons capers, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons Meyer lemon juice
1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish
hot sauce

1 egg
½ cup milk
½ cup Panko breadcrumbs
½ cup flour
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined

In a small bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, capers, pickles, lemon juice and hot sauce to taste. Cover and chill for one hour.

In a shallow dish, whisk together the egg and milk. In another shallow dish, combine the Panko and flour. Toss the shrimp in the egg and milk mixture and then dredge in the Panko mixture. Refrigerate the shrimp for 15 minutes to set the coating. Heat two inches of oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Fry the shrimp for 3 to 4 minutes, remove and drain on paper towels.

Serve the shrimp with the tartar sauce.

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Lemon Butter Poached Trout

Ever since our trip to the lakes region of Austria, Miss F has been obsessed with trout. Her favorite trout back home is of the steelhead variety, but she very much enjoyed this rainbow trout as well. This method of cooking fish couldn't be any easier, with a bonus that you don't even dirty a dish because it is entirely self contained in a neat little foil pouch.  The fish is perfectly cooked without any fuss.  It slides easily from its skin and presents beautifully.  Thanks to Sweet C's Designs for the fantastic fish cooking technique. I can't wait to try it with other fish, especially snapper.

Lemon Butter Poached Trout

1 pound rainbow trout filets, skin on
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1 lemon, sliced

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lay the fish filets on a piece of foil twice the size of a baking sheet., skin side down. Salt and pepper each filet, place pats of butter evenly over the filets. Cover the filets with lemon slices and then fold the foil into a sealed pouch, place the pouch on a baking sheet. Bake the fish for 15 minutes. Unwrap carefully and serve.

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Skillet Lemon Chicken Penne with Broccoli

This dish came about entirely because I had bought a ton of penne pasta on sale (like 10 cents a box sale) and the fact that I had a drawer full of lemons courtesy of my mom.  C proclaimed it was "too lemony" but I am positive if he hadn't seen me squeezing the lemon juice, it wouldn't have been an issue.  Miss F inhaled hers, though was being picky about the broccoli.  I had made broccoli while we were in Whistler and she now insists that Canadian broccoli is far superior to the broccoli we get here.  I adapted this recipe from Mel's Kitchen Café.

Skillet Lemon Chicken Penne with Broccoli

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pound chicken breasts, cubed
4 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed
½ teaspoon dried basil
3 ½ cups water
2 ½ cups chicken broth
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
16 ounces penne pasta
3 cups chopped fresh broccoli florets
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons cornstarch
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Heat the oil in a large skillet with a lid over medium heat, add the chicken and sauté until the chicken is browned and cooked through. Remove the chicken to a plate and set aside. Add the garlic and basil to the skillet and sauté for 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the water, broth and lemon juice to the skillet. Bring the mixture to a simmer and add the penne, stir to combine. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes, until the pasta is tender. Add the broccoli and cover, cook for 2 minutes more. Whisk together the milk and cornstarch, stir into the skillet along with the Parmesan and reserved chicken. Simmer, uncovered, 2 minutes more. Season to taste with salt and pepper, serve.

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