Chicken Penne Al Fresco

So not only did we get some fresh produce out of our garden this week (more about that at the end), but we also desperately needed to do something about our basil plant.

We had a pesto recipe all ready to go when we stumbled across this gem of a recipe while doing our menu planning for the week. We've made it a handful of times, and it's a great pasta recipe for the summer, but making it with fresh basil made all the difference in the world. It was so much more fragrant and flavorful--and we barely made a dent in our basil plant so we'll definitely be making this one again before the summer ends!

Chicken Penne Al Fresco
(I believe we got this out of a Pampered Chef cookbook)

4 garlic cloves
2 cups grape tomatoes, quartered
16 oz box penne or rotini noodles
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup dry white wine
2 cups water
1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
1 1/4 cup fresh basil
1 oz grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups diced grilled chicken breast

Saute tomatoes with garlic. Add pasta, broth, wine, water, salt, and pepper. Cook until pasta is tender; drain. Add basil, cheese, and chicken. Garnish with additional cheese and basil if desired.

I know those directions are pretty succinct, but for anyone who hasn't cooked out of a Pampered Chef cookbook before, they always make their recipes super long and detailed, and of course, explain which Pampered Chef utensil or bowl to use at each point. So this is mine and Darrell's interpretation of their recipe, slightly altered. But--a lot easier to read and follow. And aside from the great taste of this dish, one of my other favorite things is that it uses a little bit of wine with the broth--which means that the remainder of the wine pairs wonderfully with the dish. It's the perfect recipe for a dinner out on the deck... Grilled chicken, fresh basil, (maybe soon) fresh tomatoes, and a nice chilled glass of wine. I'm getting hungry again just thinking about it. Good thing we still have some leftovers in the fridge.

And as I alluded to at the beginning, we put our first garden produce to good use early this week!

We didn't want to do anything too drastic to it because we wanted to get the full flavor of the zucchini, and let me tell you, that was probably one of the best decisions we've ever made. All we did was rub it with a little light olive oil, sprinkle it with a little salt, and roast in for about 15 minutes at 450*. And it was OMG sooo good. We've got a few store bought zucchini in our fridge, so I think we're going to cook them up this same way and compare the tastes--but I'll be honest, I don't think they'll compare. Even if we don't have much success with anything else, I'll be content in the deliciousness that this one zucchini brought us. Actually, that's way not true--I'll be sorely disappointed if the other vegetables don't produce because this zucchini was so good I can't wait to try every thing else!