Creamy Chicken Pasta With Mushrooms and Spinach

INGREDIENTS

4 boneless skinless chicken breast

1/4 cup butter

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup with roasted garlic

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

salt

pepper

1/2 cup half and half

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1 bag baby spinach

1 cup mushrooms, sliced

4 slices cooked bacon, crumbled

1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

1 pound linguine noodles

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Season chicken with salt and pepper. In a large skillet melt butter over medium heat then add in chicken and garlic. Cook for chicken 5-7 minutes each side, or until each side is browned. Stir in the lemon juice, soup, Italian season, half and half, and Parmesan cheese.

3. Arrange spinach along the bottom of a 13x9 inch baking dish then top with sliced mushrooms. Pour chicken and sauce over the top and sprinkle with bacon then mozzarella cheese.

4. Bake 25-30 minutes.

5. In a boiling pot of salted water cook the linguine noodles 8-10 minutes, or until al dente.

6. Serve chicken on top of pasta.

Double Cheese Bacon Burgers

INGREDIENTS

1 pound ground beef

4 ounces mozzarella cheese

4 slices cheddar cheese

6 slices cooked bacon, crumbled

garlic powder

salt

pepper

hamburger buns

favorite burger toppings

DIRECTIONS

1. Put the ground beef into a large bowl. Mix in crumbled bacon. Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder.

2. Slice mozzarella cheese into small chunks.

3. Form ground beef into 8 patties. Put a spoonful of mozzarella in between two patties and form into a single patty.

4. Season each patty with salt, pepper and garlic and grill for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, or until desired doneness. In the last minute of cooking, top each with a slice of cheddar cheese. Cover the grill and let the cheese melt.

5. Serve with all your favorite hamburger toppings.

Bacon and Spinach Frittata

INGREDIENTS
8 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3/4 pounds bacon, sliced
1 1/4 cup Swiss cheese, shredded
3/4 pounds frozen spinach
cooking spray

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Cook bacon in skillet on medium high heat until crispy. Remove and place on a paper towel lined plate.
3. Cook spinach according to package directions. Drain excess water.
4. In a large mixing bowl beat eggs and milk. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in 1 cup of cheese, bacon and spinach.
5. Spray 8 inch round baking dish with cooking spray. Pour in egg mixture and top with remaining ¼ cup of cheese. Bake for 25 minutes or until eggs are fully cooked. Let stand 3 minutes and serve.

Gnocchi with Bacon and Peas in a Cream Sauce

All I could think about the other day was how I was so sick of the ideal that you need to eat 'light and healthy' during the summer. Not that I don't eat light and healthy most of the time, and not to say that I don't enjoy taking advantage of the plethora of fresh fruits and veggies that are available during the summer, but all I know is this dish (which is SOOO not light and healthy) hit the spot the other day. Hope it helps satisfy a craving for someone else out there...

Gnocchi with Bacon and Peas in a Cream Sauce

Ingredients
1 package pre-made gnocchi
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 small yellow onion
2 large cloves garlic
3 strips of bacon or pancetta
¼ cup chicken stock
½ cup heavy cream
1 cup of frozen peas
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
Salt & pepper to taste

Directions

1. Prep some of the ingredients: Peel and dice the onions into medium sized pieces. Mince the garlic and cut the bacon into 1" to 1-½" strips. Thaw the peas anyway you like and grate the Parmesan.


2. Heat up a large pot of salted water for cooking the gnocchi. Don't add the gnocchi quite yet, but get the water boiling so it is ready to go.


3. Heat your saute pan over medium-high heat to get it hot. Add the oil and butter to the pan; when the butter is melted and hot, add the onion and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and continue sautéing for another minute.


4. Add the bacon (or pancetta) and cook for 3 – 4 minutes until the bacon doesn’t have that white fatty look any more. You don’t want the bacon crisp, just cooked through. Pancetta will take slightly less time to cook than bacon.


5. Add the chicken stock to deglaze the pan, stirring up any of the bacon bits that may be sticking to the pan. Add the cream and then the peas. Simmer for 3 – 4 minutes and you will notice the sauce start to thicken.


6. Right after you add the cream, add the gnocchi to the boiling water. They will only take a few minutes to cook and will float to the top of the water when they are ready. Drain and set aside.


7. Once the sauce starts to thicken, add the Parmesan cheese and nutmeg and stir until the cheese is melted. Add the drained gnocchi and stir gently to coat the gnocchi with sauce.


8. Taste and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper.

Roasted chicken with bacon brandy sauce, asparagus & mashed potatoes

Tonight I revisited this recipe. However this time I made it with a roasted chicken, asparagus and I added shallots to the sauce.

Bacon Brandy sauce
1/4 package bacon sliced into 1/2 pieces
1 package mushrooms chopped up
1/4 cup brandy
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup chicken broth
3 tbsp pepper
5 cloves garlic chopped
1 tsp garlic powder
3/4 shallot chopped

In large sauté pan sauté bacon until crisp over medium high heat. Add mushrooms and shallots into bacon grease and sauté until brown. Remove from heat and pour in brandy, light on fire. Wait for flame to die down and place back on heat. Reduce heat to medium low. Pour in cream, stock and garlic, pepper and garlic powder and simmer until thickened. Serve over steaming hot bowl of mashed potatoes.

Roasted Chicken
4 chicken thighs
1/4 cup chicken stock
1 tbsp salt
1.5 tbsp pepper
1 tsp red pepper flake
2 tsp ranch seasoning
3 tsp chicken & rib rub**

Preheat oven to 400. Season chicken on both sides. Pour stock into baking dish. Place chicken in baking dish skin side down. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Flip and bake for another 20 minutes skin side up. Uncover and broil on low for 10 minutes to crisp skin.

** Mine had salt, sugar, black pepper, paprika, nutmeg, sage, cayenne and crushed red pepper.

Roasted asparagus
1 bundle asparagus
Olive oil
2 cloves garlic sliced
1/4 shallot sliced
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt

Drizzle olive oil over asparagus and cover with garlic, shallot, salt & pepper. Roast uncovered on cookie sheet for about 30 minutes or until desired doneness.

**Tip I like to roast my asparagus on foil. That way if it is done before my chicken I can pull it out and wrap the foil around it to keep the heat in. Also this saves you from cleaning a dish.

Mashed Potoatoes
5-6 medium white potatoes or yukon gold
3 cloves garlic sliced
2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp salt
2 tsp pepper

Boil potatoes until done. Drain and place on low heat for 1 minute to allow water to vaporize out. Add butter, salt and pepper and half of cream. Mash potatoes, add more cream if necessary. Keep on low heat until serving.

Your bacon should look like this before cooking. It will cut up easier if still cold.

This is the point you want to add your brandy

How it looks before thickening up

Finished product. Cook this for company everyone will think your awesome. I like to put a little extra of the sauce on the plate to dunk the chicken in.

Mushroom bacon brandy gravy & spicy fried chicken

1/4 package bacon sliced into 1/2 pieces
1 package mushrooms chopped up
1/4 cup brandy
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup chicken broth
3 tbsp pepper
5 cloves garlic chopped
1 tsp garlic powder

In large saute pan saute bacon until crisp over medium high heat. Add mushrooms into bacon grease and saute until brown. Pour in brandy and light on fire. Wait for flame to die down and reduce heat to medium low. Pour in cream, stock and garlic, pepper and garlic powder and simmer until thickened. Serve over steaming hot bowl of mashed potatoes.

I also served it with my fried chicken.

12 chicken drumsticks
2 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup Franks Red Hot
2 tsp Tapatio
2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 cups flour
3 tbsp pepper
3 tbsp salt
3 tbsp garlic powder
3 tbsp ranch flavoring
2 tbsp cayenne pepper
2 tbsp poultry grill seasoning
enough vegetable oil to fill frying pan half inch

in large bag combine buttermilk, Franks, tapatio, red pepper flakes, 1 tbsp salt, 1 tbsp pepper and chicken. Let sit for an hour. On plate combine all dry ingredients on plate. Roll chicken in flour and put in hot oil. Reserve marinade. Fry until chicken runs clear inside.

In small sauce pot pour marinade in and simmer on low until thickened. Serve on the side as a sauce to dip chicken in. It will knock your socks off!

Sauteing mushrooms and bacon

After cream, brandy and bacon

As gravy on the tatoes mmmmm so damn good

Frying chicken

Finished product!