Garlic Chicken Pasta with Spinach

I stumbled upon a great blog called Recipe Shoebox. I have really enjoyed browsing through all the recipes posted there. I made the Garlic Chicken Pasta with Spinach a few weeks ago, and I loved it! It had a really strong garlic flavor because you infuse the olive oil with fresh garlic. I think that if you cut down on the garlic, it would still be tasty! I also added crumbled feta and Kalamata olives- just because I could! I am like that sometimes!

Garlic Chicken Pasta with Spinach
(From the Recipe Shoebox)

6 Tbs. olive oil
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 box (1-lb) penne pasta
5-oz. fresh spinach, chopped
1 Tbs. dried basil (or 1/2 cup fresh)
6 Tbs. lemon juice
1 cup Parmesan cheese

Heat olive oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes in a small glass bowl in the microwave for about 1 minute to blend flavors. Pour about 1 tablespoon of the flavored oil in a skillet. Salt and pepper chicken and cook in the oil over medium high heat until chicken is browned and juices run clear. Add the chopped spinach and saute with the cooked chicken for 1 minute (or until just barely wilted) and remove from heat. Meanwhile, cook pasta as directed on package; drain well. Add cooked chicken/spinach to pasta, along with basil, lemon juice, and Parmesan cheese. Then stir in the remainder of the flavored olive oil. Toss lightly until all ingredients are well-combined. Serve immediately. Makes about 6 servings.

Bryce Canyon Camping Trip

We got back from camping at Bryce Canyon National Park a few days ago. The last load is in the washing machine as I type this post. I knew from word of mouth that we would be impressed by the beauty that Bryce offers. I had no idea just how beautiful, how jaw dropping amazing that little patch of Earth really was.

There are so many trees that have been struck by lightning, they are really kind of pretty.

At one point, we came across this raven. We weren't sure if he was injured, but he just sat there, allowing people to come really close to him. He was very regal.

We took many hikes, one lead us to this beautiful waterfall.

Our favorite hike was 4 miles long, it went down into the canyon, and then back up. We discovered several tunnels in the rock that were made for the trail. They were nice and shady!

The back up part was the most difficult part. It was also the best part. We climbed up through a narrow canyon/crevice. This is just before we got to the narrow canyon. It is actually right behind the center tree.

 The next picture is taken about 3/4 of the way up, looking back down.

As a family, we have decided that we want to visit more National Parks. What park would you recommend?