Cookbook Recommendation

As a young married couple, we are trying to establish and expand our repertoire of meals. This includes not only merging and purging our individual menus, but also finding new recipes. We've checked several cookbooks out of the local library, and one we've found is quite excellent. It's "Everyday Pasta" by Giada De Laurentiis.

The first thing I look at to assess a recipe (after the title and picture, of course) is the ingredient list. If I see a lot of capers and shallots and white wine, I move on, because I don't own that stuff, and I'm not going to buy it. Other items I substitute, such as dried herbs for fresh herbs or olive oil for extra-extra virgin olive oil, or skip, such as red peppers. The beauty of this cookbook is that it contains excellent recipes that require few crazy ingredients.

Yesterday, I prepared Chicken in Lemon Cream with Penne. It was quite good. Here's the recipe:

1/2 lb penne pasta
1.5 tbsp olive oil
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, diced into 1-inch cubes
1/2 tsp herbes de Provence (we have this, to my surprise)
pinch of salt, plus 1/4 tsp
pinch of pepper, plus 1/8 tsp
1/2 cup chicken broth (NOT 1/2 can)
1 cup heavy cream
zest of lemon
pinch of cayenne pepper
1/2 cup parsley (I substituted basil)
1/2 tbsp lemon juice

Boil pasta 8-10 minutes. Drain.

Meanwhile, heat oil in skillet. Season chicken with herbes de Provence and pinches of salt and pepper. Cook chicken for 5 minutes. Remove chicken and pour off excess oil. Heat broth, add cream, zest, and cayenne. Simmer on medium-low for 10 minutes.

Add pasta, chicken, salt, pepper, parsley/basil, and lemon juice. Toss to coat and serve.