Pasta with Lemon Cream Sauce

This has a nice light taste to it, although I'm sure the cream doesn't make it so light on the calories. Oh well!! I got this from http://www.allrecipes.com/, and adapted it just a bit. I serve this with green peas on the side, which the adults tend to mix in, while the kids eat them separately. To make this dish a little heartier, you can add cooked chicken and broccoli (or the aforementioned peas).

Pasta with Lemon Cream Sauce
2 T. butter
1 cup heavy whipping cream
3/4 cup chicken broth
zest of one lemon
juice of one lemon
zest of one lime or approx. 2 tsp. lime juice
1 lb. pasta of your choice (We like bowties or rotini.)

In a sauce pan, combine the butter, cream, and chicken broth. Simmer over medium heat until reduced by about half. As the sauce simmers, heat salted water until it comes to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and put into a serving bowl. Add the citrus juices and zest to the reduced cream sauce, pour over the pasta, and stir to combine. Eat!

Tip for Juicing Citrus Fruit: Zap your lemons, limes, etc. in the microwave for about 20 seconds and you'll get more juice out of them. You can also roll them around on the counter with the heel of your palm.

Chicken Delicious...A Little

I invented this recipe one Sunday afternoon when I was short an ingredient or two for another favorite recipe. I had already begun cooking the chicken, so I had to figure out something to do with it. A quick perusing of the fridge and freezer, and voila!

The dish met with a favorable response from the family as we sat down to dinner. "What should we call this? We should name it," I said. My then-5-year-old daughter exclaimed, "Chicken Delicious!" As the meal progressed and she wasn't eating anymore of it, we asked her why not. "You said it was Chicken Delicious. Why aren't you eating it?" I asked.

"Well, maybe it's just Chicken Delicious...A Little," she answered. The name stuck.

Chicken Delicious...A Little

1/2 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 T. olive oil

2 T. sun-dried tomatoes

2-3 oz. frozen spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed of excess moisture

approx. 1/4 lb. chicken, cooked and shredded

1 can refrigerated crescent rolls

approx. 1/2 cup cottage cheese

Cover tomatoes in water and let soak as you prepare other ingredients. Sauté garlic and onion in oil. Drain tomatoes and coarsely chop. Add tomatoes and spinach to pan and sauté for another few minutes. Stir in chicken and turn off heat.

Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Open crescent rolls and spread on the sheet, as shown:

Top with cottage cheese and then chicken-spinach mixture, going down the center of the dough. Fold dough over top of filling and bake 375°F for 10-12 minutes. (Check after 10 minutes.) Remove from pan and cut into pieces to serve. Serves 4.