BACON & MUSHROOM PASTA

I LOVE Pasta, I know it so is NOT good for you but seriously who can resist. And I am also a HUGE Mushroom fan so this was a must! Bacon & Mushroom Pasta 1 pound bacon, cut into 1/2 pieces 2 heaping teaspoons minced garlic 1 package baby bellas, sliced 1 1/4 cups milk, 2% 1/4 heavy cream 2 teaspoons garlic powder 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 cup parmesan, freshly grated 1 pound angelhair pastaStart water for pasta In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add bacon pieces and cook until light brown but not crisp. Remove bacon from pan and set aside. Do not clean pan.Add mushrooms and garlic to pan. Toss/stir around and cook over medium-high heat for 5 minutes; increase heat to high if needed to help mushrooms begin to turn golden brown. Pour in milk. Stir, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen any bits. Cook over medium-high heat for several minutes, or until the liquid is reduced by half. Add garlic powder and cayenne pepper. Add angelhair to pot to cook Reduce heat and pour in half and half and cream. Stir and allow to bubble and thicken for a couple of minutes. Add bacon back to the pan and add the Parmesan and stir, allowing cheese to melt and incorporate into the sauce. Turn off heat. Drain pasta and retain 1 cup cooking water. If sauce is too thick, add pasta water 1/4 cup at a time until desired consistency is reached. Add cooked pasta to a large bowl. Add the sauce from the pan. Toss with tongs. Garnish with additional grated parmesan cheese. Recipe and photo from:http://sweetlittlesmoothie.blogspot.com/

JUMBO HOT CHOCOLATE COOKIES

JUMBO HOT CHOCOLATE COOKIES 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature 1 cup granulated sugar 2/3 cup packed brown sugar 2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla 3 1/4 cup flour 1/2 to 2/3 cup of your favorite hot cocoa mix (don’t use sugar-free) 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1 cup milk chocolate chips 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugars until smooth. Beat in the eggs and vanilla until combined. In a separate bowl, combine flour, hot chocolate mix, salt and baking soda. Add to wet ingredients slowly, making sure it is all incorporated. Then fold in the milk chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate chips. Like I mentioned earlier, this batter is really thick, so you may need to work the chocolate chips into the batter with your hands. Using a 1/4 cup measuring scoop, place the dough on a greased or parchment-lined cookie sheet (I baked 6 cookies at a time on the sheet because of their bigger size). Bake for 11-15 minutes (the original recipe says 9-11 minutes, but my baking time was longer). Let the cookies cool slightly before removing from the pans. Cool on wire racks or eat them hot and gooey from the oven–they’re great both ways!

CHICKEN DIVAN

I have been MIA lately. Life is busy..Work, Sickness, Work, Sickness again. I just need Summer..skip right over Spring and just give me SUMMER....or Move me to Florida!!

Plus hubby has requested simple meals, since our kiddos seem to turn their nose up at EVERYTHING. I try not to take it personally!!

But for all of you, when I stumbled across this I thought it was post worthy. Enjoy~

CHICKEN DIVAN

Delicious and because it can be made somewhat ahead, it is ideal to serve at dinner parties. If you prefer more sauce, double the sauce recipe.

Ingredients:
2 cups chicken, cooked and broken up into pieces - I saute chicken fingers in olive oil

2 - 10 oz. packages of frozen broccoli, cooked and drained well or fresh broccoli, cooked.

Sauce:6 tablespoons butter

6 tablespoons flour

3 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

4 teaspoons prepared mustard

2 tablespoons minced onion

2 tablespoons dry sherry (add just before serving)

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Sauce: In a saucepan, melt butter. Blend in flour, adding gradually. Gradually add broth, stirring until thick.Then add heavy cream, Worcestershire sauce, cheese, mustard, and minced onion. Add salt and pepper to taste.Stir over low heat until cheese is melted. Pour sauce over chicken and broccoli in a casserole dish. Follow cooking directions. Serve with rice.

Refrigerate or freeze.

To cook, return to room temperature and cook in 400' oven 25-30 minutes. Dash sherry over all before serving.

Note: You can make sauce 2 days ahead - cook chicken - combine both and cook day of the dinner.

BUTTERSCOTCH COFFEE CAKE

I am not a fan of Walnuts or Pecans..so I left both out and it still was good.

Butterscotch Coffee CakeCompliments of It’s a Keeper

1 box instant butterscotch pudding

1 box instant vanilla pudding

1 box yellow cake mix

1 cup water

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1 cup pecans, finely chopped

In a large bowl, combine puddings, cake mix, water, vanilla, oil and eggs. Mix until combined – about 2 minutes. In a separate bowl, combine brown sugar and pecans.
Spread half of batter into greased bundt pan (or 13×9 pan). Cover with half of the pecan mixture. Spread the remaining batter over the pecan mixture. Top with remaining pecan mixture.
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

IRISH SODA BREAD

Sunday Best Irish Soda BreadFrom
The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook: The Original Classics
ingredients
~ 4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons whole caraway seeds (I omitted this)
1 teaspoon cinnamon (my addition)
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
2 cups golden or dark raisins
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 large whole egg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon heavy cream
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, caraway seeds (if using) and ground cinnamon (if using) until well combined.
Using a pastry cutter or 2 knives, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal. Stir in the raisins until evenly distributed.
In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, egg, and baking soda until well combined. Pour the buttermilk mixture into the flour-and-butter mixture all at once, and stir with a fork until all the liquid is absorbed and the mixture begins to hold together. Using your hands, press the dough into a round, dome-shaped loaf about 8 inches in diameter. Transfer it to the baking sheet.
In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolk and cream. Using a pastry brush, brush the egg wash over the loaf. Using a razor blade or sharp knife, make and x-shaped slash about 1/2 inch deep into the top of the loaf. Bake, rotating halfway through, until it is a deep golden brown and a cake tester comes out clean when inserted into the center, about 70 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.