Pioneer Woman Week Recipes {Part One}

It has been a long, LONG week.  We flew back from visiting our family in Michigan, and it was right to work for both of us.  I didn't cook all of the recipes that I had planned, but I did cook a few {and with the weekend coming up...I'll blaze right through all of the rest.}  There were some good, one not some good...but I take responsibility for that one tho.  All in all, I'm glad I did this, because I've already found a few "keepers."

So I'll start with Wednesday....Grilled Chicken with Lemon Basil Pasta & Oreo Cheesecake Cookies.  Now the Lemon Basil Pasta was the one I didn't end up liking.  I blame this on my trying to "doctor" the recipe to be a bit lighter.  I'm not giving up on this one yet....I'm just going to follow the instructions next time because the bones of this recipe are pretty solid.

{Grilled Chicken with Lemon Basil Pasta}
recipe compliments of The Pioneer Woman

4 chicken breasts; grilled & sliced
1 pound Penne Pasta, cooked until al dente
1/2 stick butter
3 whole lemons; juiced
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup half & half
1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan Cheese
Salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
20 whole Basil leaves; chopped

Cook Pasta, reserving 1 cup hot pasta water when you drain.  Set pasta aside in colander.  In the same pot, melt butter over medium heat.  Squeeze in the juice of 3 lemons.  Whisk together.  Pour in cream & half and half.  Whisk until hot.  Dump in cheese & whisk until melted.  Add salt & pepper.  Check consistency, adding some of the hot pasta water to loosen the sauce if needed. 

Pour pasta & sauce into a large serving bowl.  Toss in basil.  Add sliced chicken breasts over top.
Serve immediately.

*Disclaimer: this recipe is not meant to be made "light."  I omitted the butter, used fat free half & half and no heavy cream...I really liked the lemon-parmesan-basil-chicken combination...it was amazing.  But the sauce was missing something- fat grams! clearly.