Chicken and Broccoli Aglio e Olio

1 bunch broccoli, cut to about 1/2 to 1 inch heads or cubes of stalk
1 summer squash, cubed
1 lb ish pasta linguine, spaghetti, rotini it doesn't really matter
3 chicken breasts
1 t salt
1/2 t pepper
8 T olive oil, divided
8 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
1/2 t red pepper flakes
dried basil (or fresh if you have it)

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add broccoli and boil 2 minutes. Add summer squash and boil 1 more minute. Remove veggies with slotted spoon. Add pasta and cook according to package directions. While pasta is cooking season meat with salt and pepper. Sautee in olive oil until no longer pink. Add garlic and red pepper. Cook 1 more minute. Set aside. Drain pasta reserving 1 cup of the liquid. Add liquid and veggies to chicken and simmer. Add pasta and 1/2 t salt. Stir to combine. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with basil. Serve immediately.

Notes:This is SOOOOO yummy! Use whatever veggies you have on hand. Don't be afraid of the garlic. It is a little zippy. If you have kiddos that don't like spice, just omit the red pepper.

Brazilian Fried Rice

2-4 T olive oil
1 medium onion
2-4 cloves garlic
2 cups rice
4 1/2 cups water
salt

Finely chop onion and garlic and sautee in olive oil until clear. Take care not to burn garlic. Add rice and brown. It won't get toasty brown, but it will change color. Carefully add water, it will sizzle and make lots of noise! Bring to a boil. Add salt to taste and simmer covered until rice is tender and moisture is absorbed.

Aaron's grandmother is from Brazil and taught me how to make this. I don't use an exact recipe so hopefully what I have listed here is about right!

Pesto

2 Cups firmly packed basil leaves
3/4 cup parmesan cheese
3/4 cup olive oil
3 cloves garlic
1/4 cup pine nuts

Mix all ingredients in a blender, about three minutes, until smooth. Serve with hot pasta.

"Fried" Chicken Fingers

Not deep fried, but pan fried chicken fingers that are crispy tasty and not too unhealthy since a mixture of olive oil and canola oil is used.

1 lb chicken cut into strips (maybe 3-4 "fingers" per breast)
1/2 cup milk
1/2-3/4 cup flour
2 eggs, beaten
1/2-3/4 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup rice chex cereal crushed
powdered spices to taste, I use salt, pepper, garlic (go light,) onion, parmesan cheese, etc...

Mix bread crumbs, cereal and spices. In a large frying pan, heat enough oil to amply cover the bottom of the pan, I use a mix of olive oil and canola. Dip chicken strips in milk, then flour, then egg and finally bread crumb mixture. "Fry" in oil until brown and crispy on both sides.

Variations:
Any kind of bland cereal can be used (Kix, cheerios, etc...) and if you don't have any around you can just omit it, it just adds an extra crunch.

You can do chicken nuggets too, but they take way more time!

This is an original recipe so all measurements are approximate.