Creamy Penne Pesto Chicken and Personal Genetic Service

As I have another birthday waiting for me around the corner, I am realizing in my ripe old age that there is only one thing that you really need...family.  

You can have everything that money can buy...but what happens when those things are no longer there, or you have lost them, then what do you really have?  Nothing.   Family is the only thing that you cannot purchase, but it will always be there for you.

Quite a few years ago, our nieces were working on a family tree project for school.  As my husband is the youngest of 9 children, with now 19 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren...if I am remembering correctly...and within all of those family members, there are three sets of twins.  So you can imagine, we're not talking a family tree the size of a bonsai...more like the size of a cypress tree.

At any rate, the nieces hit a road block when it came to their Nana (my mother-in-law) and her family.  It wasn't long after Nana passed away that we all learned she had been adopted...and she never knew it.

It breaks my heart that she went her entire life and never knew who her real family was.  My sense is that's why she was blessed her whole life with such a large family, because she really didn't know her true family growing up.  

We can only speculate, but here is my theory...  She was born around the time of the Great Depression.  My feeling is that she was born a twin (as there is no other family history of twins anywhere in the family or extended family...yet we have three sets of twins).  Given the difficult economical times back then, I think that the twins were separated and given up for adoption.  I guess now, only she and God know the truth.  In an case, whatever the truth is...I think my version would make for a wonderful Hallmark Channel movie, don't you?

For my husband's monumental birthday, this past December I really struggled what to get him....as this was before I purchased Alexa.  We kept seeing ads for the 23 and me DNA service.  Every time he saw the ad, he would say "I really want to do that".  So, it's not a sexy gift, but definitely an interesting one.  Given what he learned about his adopted mom, he is really curious about his family ancestry.  Stay tuned.....

Like my husband's gift, this dish is not sexy, but really, really good and comforting.  During one of our family dinner nights, we made homemade wood fired naan pizzas and had a good amount of leftover ingredients...so, I re-purposed and made a round 2 dinner with everything.

Creamy Penne Pesto Chicken

cooked, penne pasta
sauteed mushrooms
cooked chicken breast
1/2 container, Barilla pesto sauce
1/2 container, Barilla alfredo sauce
fresh mozzarella ball, cut in slices

In a saucepan, combine the pesto and alfredo sauces until warm and well blended. Toss with the cooked penne pasta.

Plate the pasta and add the chicken breast, a slice of mozzarella cheese and sauteed mushrooms.  Enjoy!

One Year Ago: Champagne Margaritas
Two Years Ago: The Birthday Flirtini
Three Years Ago: Raspberry-Lemon Dump Cake
Four Years Ago: Chocolate Layered Pudding

Our beautiful wood fired pizzas before they got re-purposed.

Apple-Cinnamon Monkey Bread and The Bionic Man

As you know from reading my blog, I grew up in the 70's.  One of my brother's and mine favorite shows growing up was The Six Million Dollar Man (aka Bionic Man), and The Bionic Woman.

We would pretend and do our slow motion running with complete sound effects of course. 

I once saw Lindsey Wagner (aka The Bionic Woman) at a country market in Big Bear, California.  I was standing right next to her as we were both perusing the shelves.  I didn't even know it was her until I heard gawkers whispering...and I was quite certain they weren't gawking at me.   She was so nice, and I was so proud of myself not going "girl fan geek" on her.

Well fast forward, I am now married to the bionic man.  My poor husband has been in the hospital now three times in the past 18 months.

It started a year ago in December when he had to get a hernia fixed.  He had a tear in is abdomen that made his belly button stick out and was quite painful.  We called it getting his turkey popper fixed.  Now everything is tucked back in nicely.

Then on midnight of Mother's Day, he wakes up in the middle of the night with a kidney stone and gallstone episode.  So, five hours later in the ER, he was on his way.

Two weeks ago, after six months of knee pain, x-rays, MRI, icing, knee brace and acupuncture, he had his knee operated on from what he finally learned was a torn meniscus. 

Then, last week, he needed to get new eye glasses for computer and reading.

So, with his new turkey button, cleaned out kidney, fixed knee and new eyes....he is officially the new Six Million Dollar Man now.

Meanwhile, I am trying to food prep as much as I can in preparation for the next surprise ER/hospital visit.

Apple-Cinnamon Monkey Bread
Courtesy of Pillsbury.com

2 cans (17.5 oz each) Pillsbury Grands! Flaky refrigerated cinnamon rolls with icing
1 medium tart apple, peeled, chopped
1/2 cup sugar
1-1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 cup butter, melted

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease 12-cup fluted tube cake pan with shortening or cooking spray.

Set aside icing tubs from cinnamon rolls.  Separate each can of dough into 5 rolls;  cut into quarters.

Place chopped apples in small bowl.  In another small bowl, mix sugar and cinnamon.  Add 1/4 cup sugar mixture to apples; toss to coat.  Sprinkle half of apple pieces in pan.  Roll half of dough pieces in sugar mixture; place on apples in pan.

Sprinkle with remaining apple pieces.  Roll remaining dough pieces in sugar mixture; place on apples.

Pour melted butter over top.  Bake 40 to 45 minutes or  until golden brown across top.  Cool 10 minutes; run knife around edge of pan to loosen.  Place heat proof serving plate over pan and turn over; remove pan.  Cool 10 minutes longer.

Drizzle reserved icing over top of bread, allowing some to drizzle down sides.  Pull apart or cut in slices to serve; serve warm.

One Year Ago: One Year Older
Two Years Ago: Mexican Grilled Shrimp Caesar Salad
Three Years Ago: Sweet Dreams Cake
Four Years Ago: Ham and Cheese Biscuit Bake