Chicken breasts with lemon butter....Winner..Winner..Chicken dinner!

                                                                           

Today is one of those days when I am really not in the mood to cook. I have been through so much this past year as you well know if you have read any of my recent posts. I need quick and easy, as I want to be in and out of the kitchen as quickly as possible today. After trimming branches off trees that overhung our driveway this past week, mowing the lawn, planting flowers, and  various other yard work, I just want a light, quick, easy dinner so I can then prop my feet up while sitting on a lawn chair, and enjoy the fruits of my labor. Heck....I might even set the patio table and enjoy my dinner while listening to the wind chimes as I enjoy the quiet of the evening.

So after just munching on some lemon gummy bears, a thought occurred....Why not something with lemon in it. I love the smell of lemon, it somehow seems to lift my spirits, so off to the cupboard to my vast array of cookbooks and recipes to start my searching. Lemon butter chicken breasts....Quick. Easy. Enough said, chicken it is. Thank goodness I always have a selection of frozen meats in my freezer to choose from so I definitely have what I need.

Years ago, three to be exact, I had planted some lemon seeds.  Although they have never actually produced any lemons as to date, hope springs eternal. SOMEDAY, as Tom Cruise repeatedly says in the movie Knight and Day. The only problem being is that our living in a state where we have snow in the winter months  I can't plant the trees in the ground, so they are outside during the warmer month's then inside during the winter months......I keep hoping. However, if you do rub the leaves between your fingers you can actually smell the lemon from the oils. SOMEDAY!!!

Well as promised here is the recipe.

Chicken breasts with Lemon butter:

6 medium boneless chicken breast halves, about 1  1/2 pounds
1/2 cup GF  all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons lemon pepper seasoning
1/3 cup unsalted butter
2 lemons, washed and sliced
2 T lemon juice

Directions:

Mix the flour, salt, and the lemon pepper seasoning in a shallow bowl.
Place each chicken breast half between two pieces of plastic wrap. Pound then lightly until about 1/4 inch thick. Coat each piece in the flour mixture on both sides.

Melt the butter in a large skillet. Cook the chicken breasts in the hot melted butter, half at a time, over medium high heat for about 3 minutes on each side until brown and no longer pink. Remove the chicken from skillet onto a clean platter and cook the remaining pieces the same way, removing to the platter when cooked.

Add the lemon slices to the skillet, cooking for 2-3 minutes or until lightly browned turning only once. Return all of the chicken to the skillet, overlapping the pieces slightly. Drizzle the lemon juice over the chicken breasts. Cook for approximately 2-3 more minutes more or until the pan juices are slightly reduced.

This is delicious served over cooked rice or quinoa, or even pasta. Makes about 6 servings. It actually turned out delicious as I had anticipated, and I did enjoy a very nice dinner on the patio listening to the sounds of nature.....Mmmmmmm, maybe a nap is in order about now!.

As always, I hope you enjoy.
Sharon




 

WWJD?......and Angel's poem

Okay....so this post has nothing to do with gluten free, no recipe today, not even a post really...

It seems I have been a little lost lately, you see I lost my best friend Angel four weeks back. Well she wasn't just my friend, she was my furry bundle of joy. She was my companion, child, roommate, friend, and so much more. Everyone couldn't believe she was really 20 years old as she looked like a young kitten, even at what the vet said would be 90-95 in people years for her as a feline.

She was my constant companion, she followed me everywhere, even into the kitchen which is probably the main reason you haven't seen any posts here for awhile now. I haven't been able to bring myself to do any baking because she's not here to cheer me on. I can see her sitting there looking up at me as if to say,  "This is the one....you got it this time!" Well that, and the fact that her treats were in the kitchen cupboard...

She started having seizure's in January and then her breathing started getting progressively worse, along with other health issues. I had to make the toughest decision in my life to let her go and not let her suffer. For those of you who are reading this and have pets that they love as if they were a child, you  know exactly what I'm feeling. A part of me is gone, never to be returned again. Life is not as it use to be.

Needless to say I have been struggling. If it can't go into the microwave it doesn't get made. I find myself eating out a lot, which when you live gluten free isn't a good thing as you well know.

So the real question is as the title to the posts suggests....WWJD? I know Jesus cried at His friend Lazarus's grave. He also cried before His crucifixion. I have done a lot of that, unceasingly as a matter of fact. Who did He have to lean on and comfort Him? The disciples were all asleep, even still they did not know nor understand the pain He bore in His heart knowing what was to come. Yet He had God.

My family and friends have been here for me every step of the way. They still are. But even they can't feel the depth or severity of my pain...they can only see it in me. Yet Jesus knows all to closely the pain of death. He bore it all upon the cross for me. I can't begin to imagine the loss God felt loosing His only Son.

I was blessed with my beautiful Angel for 20 years as my loving husband just reminded me of a few days ago.  I could have had her for less, but I was blessed with 20 full, wonderful, years. Angel is gone, but I have family who loves and depends on me. They look at me for strength and protection so I need to be strong. How then do I do this???

 So now I have to do What Jesus Would Do....I have to look to God. I need to call upon the one who created the universe. The one who entrusted Angel to me to love and take care of all those years. I thank Him for trusting me with her care, for giving me the opportunity to be the one blessed to love her and care for her.  I  have to go on and run the good race,  not only for myself, but also for the people He is still entrusting me with here on earth to love and take care of. I need to accept His healing for Angels loss, and take steps forward knowing He is beside me encouraging me on. So with Gods help, and a little from Angel also, I hope to be back posting recipes to share with you soon.

Until then, this is a poem I wrote for
        "My little Angel"


Did you ever loose a furry friend,
  who stayed with you until the end?

Who loved you unconditionally,
   Who hopped upon your weary knee.

One who made you smile, and  made you cry,
   and never ever asked you why.

Why you loved them as you did,
   and catered to their every whim.

Who gave love unconditionally,
   their very soul they let you see.

They accepted you, just as you were,
   a gift from God, this ball of fur.

The love they gave cannot be broken,
   even though words were never spoken.

These special friends they touch our soul,
   reach deep inside to let us know

Each breath they took, each look exchanged,
   it touched our lives, it made us change.

Yet deep inside we both knew,
   that someday they would be with You.

The pain's immense, the loss is great,
   I still hear the patter of your little feet.

I miss the touch of your sweet fur,
   your twitching tail, your soft sweet purr.

To have you just a few days more,
   to see you when walking through the door

I still awake looking for you,
   I need you now, to help me through.

My heart is broken, the pain does flow,
   yet we both knew you had to go.

Yet deep inside I know your free,
   free of the pain that I could see.

I hope you know I love you so,
   and when its Gods time for me to go

I hope you'll save a place for me,
   so we can share eternity.......