Young at Heart with Lemon Chicken

Last week I went on a trip to Disney World with my granddaughter,Kailyn, who is an adorable eight-year-old too smart not to notice that Tinker Bell flies over Cinderella's castle with a little help from a high-wire. It was an exhaustingly fun trip and I couldn't help but notice the vast differences between the way I enjoyed it this time versus the way I did when my kids were small and I was in my thirties. Basically, this time I was in bed WAY earlier and I was on my way to the parks WAY later, and when Kailyn asked for a third bowl of cereal and a day at the pool, on our last day, rather than heading to MGM Studios, I said yes. I did not try to convince her that she would be missing out on something great, although that may very well have been true, because nothing sounded better to me than lounging under a palm and watching her slide down the pool-slide for the fiftieth time instead of waiting in hot, long lines. As the trip ended, I conceded that I had lost some momentum, that age had slowed me down for sure, but I also congratulated myself on being that much smarter than my thirty-something self. I once made the recipe that follows for a large family crowd, at the spur of the moment, after my father-in-law's retirement celebration. In my thirties, I much preferred whipping up a dinner for twenty than dragging my kids to a restaurant. Back then, it was simply not a problem. Now, however, I am happily preparing it for only 2. Enjoy!

 Lemon Chicken (Organic)
 2 Free-range (and organic) boneless,skinless chicken breasts
 1/2 cup flour
 1/4 cup oil
 3 tablespoons of butter
 1 lemon
 1 egg
 1/2 cup half and half
 Slice the breasts in half (creating a thinner breast) and place between parchment paper. Pound thin with a mallet and dust in flour. In a bowl whisk an egg and 1/4 cup of the half and half and add 1/2 tsp of grated lemon rind and 1/2 of lemon juice. (save the other half of the lemon for later) Place each flour coated breast (one at a time) in lemon-egg wash and then coat with another layer of flour. Place in hot skillet with the melted butter and oil. This will cook fast because the chicken is so thin. You want to stand at the skillet and turn the meat as soon as it appears a golden tan. Place the chicken in a baking pan and top with 3 (very thin) lemon slices. Repeat with the rest of the meat. Take the other 1/4 cup of half and half and whisk to the skillet droppings. Pour over top. Reheat when ready to serve. I will have this with Capellini and an arugula salad, and I will not forget the wine!