Chicken with Lemon and Garlic

This was a quickie as I literally only had 30 minutes to cook and eat before running out the door to see Dierks Bentley live!!! (CONCERT WAS AMAZING!!!) This dinner turned out to be perfectly delicious and light enough that I didn't feel sleepy at the concert afterwards.

Time to prep/cook: about 20 minutes total
Servings: 1
Ingredients:

• 2-3 chicken tenderloins
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/8 cup diced onions
• 1 tbsp minced garlic in olive oil 
• 1 tsp Hot Curry Powder
• 1 tsp Cayenne pepper
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tbsp chopped parsley
• 1/2 cup of chopped spinach

1. Take the tenderloins and slice into long thin strips
2. Heat oil in a large frying pan and stir fry the chicken strips with the onion, garlic, and spices over a high heat until cooked through
3. Add lemon juice and parsley over all the chicken 
4. Season with salt and pepper to taste
5. Push all ingredients to one half the pan to finish cooking and add the spinach to the other half (Cooking it with the juices and oil left over from the chicken)
6. Serve hot and Enjoy!! :)
   
   

Summer Green Pasta

Well I'm back at it everyone. I've returned to my kitchen with recipes in mind and music blaring. This recipe was based very closely on a recipe I found at another cook's blog: www.thesweetslife.com. (I love his collection of recipes!) Ok on to the actual cooking....

Time to prep/cook: roughly 30 minutes give or take
Servings: 4
Ingredients:

• pasta: Penne Rigate 
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2/3 cup diced onion
• 1 tbsp of minced garlic in olive oil or 3 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1 zucchini, chopped into chunks
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 lb chicken, cut in small pieces and cooked
• 1/2 cup diced green bell pepper
• 1 +1/2 cups fresh spinach
• 1/8 cup of diced mushroom
• 3 oz fat free cream cheese
• 2 tsp of dried basil (fresh would be even better-but I was out)
• 3 tsp of feta cheese
• 6 cherry tomatoes 

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. 
2. Place pasta in pot and cook 8-10 minutes or until the noodles are al dente
          
          (DONT COOK TOO MANY NOODLES LIKE ME- 1/2 BOX DOES NOT = 2 PEOPLE)
   
3. Drain and set aside
4. Heat the olive oil in a skillet on medium
5. Add the garlic and onion and cook until tender
6. Add the zucchini and spices and stir/cook until tender
7. Add the chicken, bell peppers, and mushrooms. cook until the chicken starts to whiten
8. Then add the cream cheese (Works best if you separate it into chunks and spread it out in the pan)
9. Continue to cook until the chicken is cooked all the way through and the cream cheese is complete melted
10. Combine the zucchini mixture with the pasta and stir to mix well
11. Serve into bowls and top with about a tsp of feta cheese (I used Feta with tomato and basil in it) and sliced cherry tomatoes for a splash of color! 
12. INTERESTING NOTE: Can be served cold or hot!! Perfect for a summer meal indoors or out!
13. ENJOY!!

Beach Front

The sun rises to soft, silent, creaking

To sand crunching in rhythmic beats

Back and forth 'neath her warm weight 

As feathered pastels sway against

The age old canvas of waves guarded

By an old heirloom rocking , drifting

As the gentle sun rays reach round

Footprints of life begin to appear

The moon's french tipped fingers

Yeild the world to the heat of day

Nature awakens and raises her voice

Skipping through sand and grass

Waiting for the day to begin

Desperately painting  ivory skin

A sun-kissed brown,  my child

My daffodil yellow swimsuit

With my breeze blown hazel hair

Curling in a tempter's wind

Alas, the sun is up too soon

Leaving this creaking rocker barren