My sister and I learned a lot about food and cooking from our Aunt Vie, a bit from our mother, but most of our growing up food learning experiences came from either our father Lawrence or Aunt Margie. My sister Pattie Sue and I were farmed out to Aunt Margie and Uncle Carroll for much of the summer, Easter and Christmas vacations. It was a treat for us to spend the time there, in the mountains of the Angeles National Forest.

It might be mentioned that our parents tried to teach us to appreciate a balanced diet and often resorted to hiding the vegetables in among the other foods. That explains the peas in this recipe and I must admit the bright green color adds to the eye appeal of the dish as well as adding a textural and taste variation here and there. I learned the lesson well and often made this dish for my son when he was growing up. I did add the peas and often added peas-and-carrots to brighten the dish even more.

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, grilled
• 2 cups prepard Alfredo sauce, or more to taste
• 2 tablespons butter or margarine
• 1/4 cup frozen green peas, thawed
• Salt and pepper to taste

• 8 ounces sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1/2 clove of garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup sliced scallions including green stems
• 1 pound linguini cooked al dente in salted water
• Chopped parsley, garnish if desired

1. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper, grill to 170°F internal temperature. Set aside to cool.
2. Melt butter in sauté pan and add sliced mushrooms. Cook, stirring frequently, until mushrooms are almost tender; add scallions and garlic. Continue cooking until mushrooms are just done, tender. Remove from heat and set aside.

   

3. Cook linguini in salted water until al dente. In last 2 minutes of cooking, add peas to the linguini; drain in colander and rinse.
4. While the linguini is cooking, cut grilled chicken into bite-sized morsels. Warm the Alfredo sauce in a small saucepan.

   

5. Turn drained linguini and peas into a large serving bowl. Add Alfredo sauce and reserved mushroom-scallion-garlic mixture. Mix well. Fold in grilled chicken morsels. You can serve from the pot but I like to spoon the mixture into a 9-x13-inch casserole. Top it with a bit of grated Parmesan cheese; place in a hot oven for a few minutes to melt the cheese. Garnish with a bit of chopped parsley.

   

6. I suggest serving with crusty toasted garlic bread and a tossed green salad (a good way to get those green, leafy vegetables in there too!).

This is an excellent recipe to use up that leftover chicken or turkey in the refrigerator.

Make your own home-made Alfredo sauce or use packaged mixes or bottled or canned Alfredo sauce.

Simple variations make this dish go farther - for the peas, why not use peas and carrots or try substituting steamed broccoli florets and diced roasted red Bell peppers.

As surprising as it may sound, different pastas will give this, as well as other pasta dishes, a different texture, mouth feel and flavor.