Creamy Baked Chicken Pasta with Bacon

Don't cha just hate when you can't decide what to make for dinner??

Well, Spring can't decide if it's coming or going here in Nebraska, and it's COLD.

We have gone from 70's and sun, to severe thunderstorms, to hail...and blizzards.

The saying "If you don't like the weather in Nebraska, wait 5 minutes and it'll change" 

is SO TRUE!!

Needless to say, I have been sticking pretty close to home the last couple of days.

I didn't want to go anywhere to pick anything up, I just wanted to make something with what I had.

I told the kids I should name this "everything but the kitchen sink pasta."

Actually, some of my kids favorite meals are ones I make up.

This will be one of them.

hot out of the oven

Creamy Chicken Pasta with Bacon

4-6 chicken breasts

1 pound pasta, cooked

1 can cream of chicken soup

1/2 cup garden vegetable cream cheese

2/3 cup real bacon pieces

4-6 slices of provolone cheese

1/2 onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

2 cups water

olive oil

paprika

sea salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray.

Cook your pasta.  I used penne but that is what I had on hand.  You can use what you choose.

In a large skillet pour a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and place chicken breasts, sprinkled with a little salt and paprika in to brown.  It took mine about 15 minutes.

Remove chicken, set aside.  

To dripping in the pan, add onion, garlic and bacon to the drippings, over medium heat saute until onions become fragrant and translucent.  About 5 minutes.

Add cream cheese, soup and water and stir until combined.

Place cooked pasta in the bottom of your baking dish,

Place chicken over the top of the pasta.

Place a slice of cheese over every piece of chicken, and pour sauce over the top.

Cover and bake for 30 minutes.

Don't cha just hate when you can't decide what to make for dinner??

Well, Spring can't decide if it's coming or going here in Nebraska, and it's COLD.

We have gone from 70's and sun, to severe thunderstorms, to hail...and blizzards.

The saying "If you don't like the weather in Nebraska, wait 5 minutes and it'll change" 

is SO TRUE!!

Needless to say, I have been sticking pretty close to home the last couple of days.

I didn't want to go anywhere to pick anything up, I just wanted to make something with what I had.

I told the kids I should name this "everything but the kitchen sink pasta."

Actually, some of my kids favorite meals are ones I make up.

This will be one of them.

hot out of the oven

Creamy Chicken Pasta with Bacon

4-6 chicken breasts

1 pound pasta, cooked

1 can cream of chicken soup

1/2 cup garden vegetable cream cheese

2/3 cup real bacon pieces

4-6 slices of provolone cheese

1/2 onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

2 cups water

olive oil

paprika

sea salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray.

Cook your pasta.  I used penne but that is what I had on hand.  You can use what you choose.

In a large skillet pour a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and place chicken breasts, sprinkled with a little salt and paprika in to brown.  It took mine about 15 minutes.

Remove chicken, set aside.  

To dripping in the pan, add onion, garlic and bacon to the drippings, over medium heat saute until onions become fragrant and translucent.  About 5 minutes.

Add cream cheese, soup and water and stir until combined.

Place cooked pasta in the bottom of your baking dish,

Place chicken over the top of the pasta.

Place a slice of cheese over every piece of chicken, and pour sauce over the top.

Cover and bake for 30 minutes.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Shrimp and Crab Pasta with Apple Dumplings for Dessert

the table is set

So, you may have heard, that yesterday, my husband and I celebrated our 20th Wedding anniversary. 

It is so hard to believe that we have been married THAT long.  

Just goes to show you that life goes by in an instant, doesn't it?

here we were 20 years ago

We actually went out for a special dinner over the past weekend.  When you have four kids and a special date falls during the week, you make the best of it!  

So, on the actual date we celebrated at home with our kids.

I made one of our family's most requested meals.

It looks very pretty, and it's actually really quick to make.

shrimp and crab pasta

Like many things that I make, I just shake stuff in there until it tastes good.  But yesterday I measured and wrote down what I actually used, here is the recipe:

Shrimp and Crab Pasta

3-4 T. Olive oil

2 t. Mrs. Dash Tomato, Basil and Garlic

1 stick of butter, divided

1- 14oz size can of diced tomatoes

1 clove garlic, minced

sea salt to taste

1/2 cup onion, diced a little large

12 oz of cooked and tail removed shrimp

8 oz of imitation crab meat (or the real thing if you are lucky to have that close to you!!)

1 1/2 boxes of thick spaghetti (or other pasta choice)

fresh Parmesan cheese

Boil your pasta and drain it, set aside. 

In a skillet, add 3 T of olive oil, 1/2 stick of butter, Mrs. Dash and garlic. On a medium heat, melt butter and spices together.  Add to this your shrimp, your crab and onion.  Saute for about 2-3 minutes. Add tomatoes, juice and all. Sprinkle with sea salt to taste. Warm through.  Add pasta and remaining butter, toss.  When butter is melted and pasta is warm, place in a pasta bowl and top with fresh Parmesan cheese.

For dessert I tried a recipe I saw online last week from The Country Cook. The recipe was for Apple Dumplings.  Holy cow were they simple, and yummy!! 

 I served them with a cinnamon apple dumpling ice cream.  

They were a treat!

the country cook's apple dumplings - RECIPE HERE

So, time flies by, so enjoy what you do every day, or at least try to.  Spend it with the ones that you love and some good food, and life will be good.

here we are today

thought I would share my gorgeous roses I received yesterday

the table is set

So, you may have heard, that yesterday, my husband and I celebrated our 20th Wedding anniversary. 

It is so hard to believe that we have been married THAT long.  

Just goes to show you that life goes by in an instant, doesn't it?

here we were 20 years ago

We actually went out for a special dinner over the past weekend.  When you have four kids and a special date falls during the week, you make the best of it!  

So, on the actual date we celebrated at home with our kids.

I made one of our family's most requested meals.

It looks very pretty, and it's actually really quick to make.

shrimp and crab pasta

Like many things that I make, I just shake stuff in there until it tastes good.  But yesterday I measured and wrote down what I actually used, here is the recipe:

Shrimp and Crab Pasta

3-4 T. Olive oil

2 t. Mrs. Dash Tomato, Basil and Garlic

1 stick of butter, divided

1- 14oz size can of diced tomatoes

1 clove garlic, minced

sea salt to taste

1/2 cup onion, diced a little large

12 oz of cooked and tail removed shrimp

8 oz of imitation crab meat (or the real thing if you are lucky to have that close to you!!)

1 1/2 boxes of thick spaghetti (or other pasta choice)

fresh Parmesan cheese

Boil your pasta and drain it, set aside. 

In a skillet, add 3 T of olive oil, 1/2 stick of butter, Mrs. Dash and garlic. On a medium heat, melt butter and spices together.  Add to this your shrimp, your crab and onion.  Saute for about 2-3 minutes. Add tomatoes, juice and all. Sprinkle with sea salt to taste. Warm through.  Add pasta and remaining butter, toss.  When butter is melted and pasta is warm, place in a pasta bowl and top with fresh Parmesan cheese.

For dessert I tried a recipe I saw online last week from The Country Cook. The recipe was for Apple Dumplings.  Holy cow were they simple, and yummy!! 

 I served them with a cinnamon apple dumpling ice cream.  

They were a treat!

the country cook's apple dumplings - RECIPE HERE

So, time flies by, so enjoy what you do every day, or at least try to.  Spend it with the ones that you love and some good food, and life will be good.

here we are today

thought I would share my gorgeous roses I received yesterday

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Pasta Pomodoro

I don't know about you, but where I live, the tomatoes are just WONDERFUL this year! I know it's been hot, but I have still been super blessed to get a huge crop of "maters this year.  Er...well, when I say "I,"  I actually mean,  "my Mom" has!! She is such a sweetheart, she shares with me on a regular basis, but she also decided to take a trip to the East coast to see my Aunt, and asked me to "check her plants" for her while she was gone.  They are weighed down with GORGEOUS tomatoes!! (so many, I even left her a whole bunch! ;)

Now, I am really not much of a caner.  But I can eat fresh tomatoes until I have sores in my mouth! So this week, I have been eating them like crazy!! Tonight for dinner I made a really easy dish, and  thought that I would share with you. I love "naked pasta," it's my favorite. toss it in some garlic, basil and olive oil, maybe some butter, and I am a happy camper.  So, tonight, that's just how I prepared the spaghetti noodles, but I made a pomodoro tomato topping for with it.

pomodoro pasta

I am going to tell you the EASY way to do this, and if you don't want to let the secret out, find a labor intensive recipe and fib!! ;)

I found this stuff in the spice aisle made by McCormick, called "Perfect Pinch." I believe it's their version of a Mrs. Dash? Any who... they have a basil and garlic flavor. All I did was about 90 minutes before I cooked the pasta, I diced up fresh tomatoes, and sprinkled that spice with a little sea salt (both of them to taste) added a little bit of olive oil and put it in the fridge. The longer it sits, the more flavor it will have. 

After you cook your pasta, drain it and rinse it.  To it add butter or Olive oil or a little of both, a little garlic and basil and toss it. Place the warm pasta on the plate and top it with the chilled pomodoro tomatoes. (it tastes good with the tomatoes warm, too!)

I served it with an Italian crusty bread, it was so good.  It's a great summer, or anytime really dinner.

Also, it's a perfect meatless pasta dish.

I don't know about you, but where I live, the tomatoes are just WONDERFUL this year! I know it's been hot, but I have still been super blessed to get a huge crop of "maters this year.  Er...well, when I say "I,"  I actually mean,  "my Mom" has!! She is such a sweetheart, she shares with me on a regular basis, but she also decided to take a trip to the East coast to see my Aunt, and asked me to "check her plants" for her while she was gone.  They are weighed down with GORGEOUS tomatoes!! (so many, I even left her a whole bunch! ;)

Now, I am really not much of a caner.  But I can eat fresh tomatoes until I have sores in my mouth! So this week, I have been eating them like crazy!! Tonight for dinner I made a really easy dish, and  thought that I would share with you. I love "naked pasta," it's my favorite. toss it in some garlic, basil and olive oil, maybe some butter, and I am a happy camper.  So, tonight, that's just how I prepared the spaghetti noodles, but I made a pomodoro tomato topping for with it.

pomodoro pasta

I am going to tell you the EASY way to do this, and if you don't want to let the secret out, find a labor intensive recipe and fib!! ;)

I found this stuff in the spice aisle made by McCormick, called "Perfect Pinch." I believe it's their version of a Mrs. Dash? Any who... they have a basil and garlic flavor. All I did was about 90 minutes before I cooked the pasta, I diced up fresh tomatoes, and sprinkled that spice with a little sea salt (both of them to taste) added a little bit of olive oil and put it in the fridge. The longer it sits, the more flavor it will have. 

After you cook your pasta, drain it and rinse it.  To it add butter or Olive oil or a little of both, a little garlic and basil and toss it. Place the warm pasta on the plate and top it with the chilled pomodoro tomatoes. (it tastes good with the tomatoes warm, too!)

I served it with an Italian crusty bread, it was so good.  It's a great summer, or anytime really dinner.

Also, it's a perfect meatless pasta dish.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad