Lemon Chicken Alfredo

Sauce:

Tonight I was in the mood for chicken. And lemon. So I was broiling a bit of lemon pepper chicken in the oven when I thought of a yummy sounding recipe. So I googled it, and lo and behold, it is an actual recipe. I followed this recipe from Mmm...Cafe and just changed it a little bit. Sadly, I forgot to take a picture of it!!! Anyway, if you like lemony chicken goodness, you'll love this recipe!

I did one large chicken breast, covered with olive oil and lemon pepper, in the oven at 400 degrees. Then once it was almost done, I took it out, cut it up into bite-sized chunks, and stirred it in a bowl with a little bit more oil and lemon pepper (so all the sides of the pieces were exposed) then put them back in the oven for a few minutes.

Then I used the recipe for alfredo sauce (below) only I added another shake or two of lemon pepper (because I didn't have lemon peel) and 6 Tablespoons lemon juice.

Then prepare your noodles (I like linguine) and pour the sauce over and top with the chicken.

Hopefully I'll get a picture soon -- (Davis asked if we could add this to our regular rotation of favorite meals, so I'm sure we'll be making it again :)

Alfredo Sauce:

I found this tasty recipe for alfredo sauce and it is really easy and good. Plus I like to think that because it has a little chicken broth that means it has less fat in it. Ha!

1/4 Cup butter

3/4 Cup flour

1 1/2 Cup 2% milk

1 1/2 Cups chicken broth

3/4 cup Parmesan Cheese

1 tsp. Parsley Flakes

2 tsp. Oregano

Melt the butter on low heat. Add flour, milk and broth and cook until slightly thicken. Add Parmesan cheese 1/4 cup at a time. Heat until parmesan is melted, then add parsley flakes and oregano.

Chili Pasta Bake

I know, I know... this recipe is nothing like the gourmet-caliber recipes you all have been posting, but it made for a yummy dinner tonight for us! I'll tell you what we did differently before giving you the recipe. We pretty much only cook with whole wheat pasta, so we used whole wheat rotini instead of penne. We also thought 2 cups of cheese was a TON, so we just sprinkled some on top until it looked good. We also didn't put in as much beef or onion, but that's because we're poor, not because it wouldn't have been yummy. Oh, and we didn't drain the green chilies. Those are pretty much Isaac's favorite flavor for Mexican food, so it seemed silly to drain all that yummy flavor out. And (wow, I never noticed how much we modify recipes) we didn't put in the whole 2 T. chili powder. It was more like 1 1/2 T. We wanted it to be flavorful, not HOT. So, again.... not gourmet, but yummy. There is an online version of this recipe that also calls for a can of corn and a can of black beans, but I didn't see that version until we had already eaten it! Sorry I forgot to take a picture; I'll try to remember that for next time.

Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 32 minutes
Servings: 6

10 oz. penne pasta
1 lb. ground beef
1 cup chopped onion
2 Tbsp. chili powder
1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes
1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
1 can (7 oz.) diced green chilies, drained
1 cup salsa
2 cups shredded Mexican cheese

1. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain.
2. Cook meat and onion in large skilet; drain. Add chili powder, undrained tomatoes, tomato sauce, salsa and chilies. Cook 5 minutes.
3. Toss pasta and sauce. Spoon into 13x9-inch bakingdish. Top with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.