Pesto Chicken Pasta with Broccoli (and a side of decadence)

Ingredients

lb of pasta ( since I love pennes, I went with penne)

3 tbs of butter

olive oil

crown (or so) of broccoli

salt and ground pepper (in abundance)

2 handfuls of basil leaves

6-9 garlic cloves(5 for pesto, and others for sautéing chicken)

sm amount of diced onions

2 medium chicken breasts

cup of heavy cream

0.5 cups of grated parmesan

Plan of Attack

Make the Pesto:

Chop the Basil leaves. Add them, as well as third cup of garlic, 0.25 cup of olive oil, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper (to taste) to a food processor

Puree the ingredients into a paste consistency. 

Put Pesto aside.

Pasta and Chicken:

Add 2 tbs of butter to a skillet with diced garlic cloves and diced onions and simmer until clear. While onions and garlic are cooking down, cut chicken breasts into strips.

Add Chicken to skillet with onions and garlic and put a lid on so they cook as through as possible.

While cutting chicken, boil a pot of salt water. When it is a rolling boil, add the pasta. At minute nine, add the chopped broccoli. When broccoli is cooked and pasta is al dente, drain the broccoli/pasta mixture.

Add the remaining tbs of butter to the drained pasta/broccoli mixture.

Turn on the pasta broccoli mixture to low on your stove and add the cup of cream, slowly, continuing to mix with a wood spoon. 

Once the chicken strips and their "juice" are cooked through, add them to the pasta over low temperature. Add more grated parmesan to mixture and then add the previously prepared pesto to the pasta. Using a wood spoon mix everything together.

Add Salt and Pepper with a liberal hand, and ENJOY!

My Comments: I don't often cook with the trifecta of butter, cream and awesomeness... I usually just go with awesomeness but today I made an exception.

...and it paid dividends...I said (to nobody in particular) "seconds PLEASE". I had to add more salt, but adding cream to the pasta and broccoli before I added the chicken, olive oil, garlic and onion mixture was a wise move!

This is yumtastic, and I don't have many pleasures so I take pleasure in making food I would serve to all the people I miss, if they would ever be able to come over...for a pasta, a beer, a laugh and sigh. Because in our lives we deserve so much abundance, and good pasta is on the top of the list. Nobody I love who deserves abundance gave up on me, and I and not ever gonna give up on them...or their entitlement to very good food...cooked by yours truly. Of course.