My blog-baby is one year old!
More importantly, I can’t believe I’ve managed to continue with a single hobby for a whole year! You see, I have the type of personality where I get excited about certain things (for example, quilting and scrapbooking) and I dive into them head first. I become obsessed. Then, I magically lose interest in these particular hobbies as quick as I developed them.
The interesting thing here is that I started this blog on a whim. I had been typing up my recipes in order to organize all of the small handwritten notes I had laying around our home, when one night I randomly decided to start a blog. I figured that I could post my recipes and take pictures as I went along. I thought that maybe my recipes would help someone, like other blogs had helped me. The only thing I had on my mind when I started this blog was the mantra “sharing is caring.” I had set no real goals.
What happened after that first post has changed my life.
A year later, I have gained friends from all over the globe. A year later, I have come to realize that there are people out there who are interested in what I have to say, no matter how mundane it may be. A year later, I have gained a loyal group of readers who always have the sweetest messages and words of encouragement for me. A year later, I have come to find out that people have tried my recipes, with success, and now a little bit of me is in their home. A year later, I am able to look back and say that starting a blog was a wonderfully random and spur of the moment decision, and that it is the most rewarding and fulfilling hobby that I could have ever taken up.
I want to thank each and every one of you, my loyal friends and readers, for always encouraging me with your kind words and messages. If it weren’t for you, this blog would have been an abandoned hobby, just like scrapbooking and quilting 
***
Today, instead of sharing a dessert recipe, I’m going to share a meal with you that embodies the humble intentions of this blog. It’s a simple and light pasta, nothing fancy. I strive to share recipes with you that are tested and loved in my home, and made over and over. This pasta is just that. It’s something I like to make when I want something light yet filling, and it’s made up of simple ingredients that can be found in our home any day. I hope that you, my dear readers and friends, have found my recipes to be easy and thorough enough to follow and have success with.
Lemon and Chicken Pasta
Yield: 3-4 Servings
Ingredients:
- 1 pound dried penne pasta or ¾ pound egg noodles
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces
- Salt, to taste
- Ground black pepper, to taste
- ¼-½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 3 cloves garlic, sliced
- 1 lemon, juiced
- ½ cup parmesan cheese, grated
- Dried parsley, for garnish
Directions:
Cook the pasta in boiling salted water until al dente. Drain and set aside.
In a large pot, warm the oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken, salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, and garlic. Cook until the chicken is no longer rare, making sure to stir often. Turn off heat.
Add pasta, lemon juice, and parmesan cheese and stir until everything is incorporated well.
Garnish with dried parsley.
(Adapted from Food Network)
