Day 2 - The Braid's

Hey, guess what I remembered to do at dinner? Take a few pictures!

Guess what I forgot? THE CORN!! Maybe this is just a sign that we are not meant to have corn with any meals!

So today was the second day of my 30 day cooking extravaganza! I cooked for my older sister Brenna, her husband Dustin, my twin niece & nephew Daisy & Tyler and Dustin's mom Carol. 

And I will freely admit that I forgot to take pictures until we were sitting down at dinner mouths full of food. I really need a sidekick! Had I remembered earlier I would have had a bunch of cute shots of Daisy, apron & all, helping me cook the entire meal, Tyler peppering the chicken and Daisy doing the dishes. Again, I. NEED. A. SIDEKICK.

I digress... Anywho we had something totally scrumptious for dinner, and I think Daisy helping made it that much better! We had Creamy Lemon & Chive Farfalle (minus the chive because I was told no one liked them, WRONG) and we added some Basil Chicken to it. I honestly don't think I have EVER seen the twins eat so fast! Maybe it the food was delicious... Or maybe it was because they knew there was a brownie for dessert. I'm sure it was just because the food was so good!

Here's the recipe. You should seriously consider trying it! It will change your world!

Creamy Lemon and Chive Farfalle:

{Serves 4 entree portions, but works well as a side dish too!}

ingredients:

1 pound Dried Farfalle Pasta

2 small or 1 medium Shallot, diced small

1-2 tablespoons Extra Light Olive Oil

2 teaspoons All-Purpose Flour

1/2 cup Dry White Wine

1 cup Heavy Cream

1/4 cup Fresh Chives, Chopped

1 tablespoon Lemon Juice, freshly squeezed

1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt, or more to taste

1/2 teaspoon Fresh Ground Black Pepper, or more to taste

1 teaspoon Fresh Lemon Zest

1/2 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

preparation:

Prepare the pasta according to package directions, reserving a cup of pasta water. Mean while sauté the diced shallots in olive oil over medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Once the shallots have softened, sprinkle with two teaspoons of flour and cook for one minute. Stir in white wine until flour is dissolved and bring to a simmer. Then reduce heat to medium-low and add heavy cream, chives, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Grate a teaspoon of lemon zest and 1/2 cup Parmesan over the pasta and toss. Thin out with a little of the reserved pasta water, then divide among four plates and garnish more Parmesan if desired.