Red and Green Chicken-Bacon Alfredo

This started as a vague idea - chicken and bacon, pasta with a thin Alfredo sauce. Then the vegetables came into focus, with the peppers barely making the cut, not even showing up in the photo, but they brightened and lightened this dish just perfectly!

• 4oz dry spaghetti
• 2c broccoli florets

Cook the pasta until about halfway done.

Add the broccoli, bring back to a simmer then cover and turn off the heat. After a few minutes, drain in a colander and rinse with icy cold water. Return to the pan and fill it with more icy cold water until the pasta and broccoli are chilled, then drain again.

The bacon came into the picture as it usually does for me. I cut up 1# and fried it for future recipes. This time, after transfering the crispy bacon pieces to brown paper bag to absorb the grease, I kept 2-3T of the fat in the pan.Heat it up and stir in 2T flour.

When this is well combined and bubbly, add some pieces of red bell pepper - about 1-1/2c. When that's once again bubbling, stir in a mix of 6oz. Alfredo sauce and 3oz. of water. Add 1/4c of cooking Sherry if you'd like. Continue stirring until this thickens.

Now add the drained broccoli and pasta and 6-8oz. roasted chicken. Combine gently until well mixed, season with garlic salt and a mix of black and red pepper. Serve with crumbled bacon on top.

Mmmm, I have to say, this one really surprised me! It went together quickly and is one of the best tasting things I've made in a long time. It's probably the bacon. . .Bacon makes everything better!

Be Bold. . .Be Adventurous. . .Happy Cooking! . . .Lin

Chicken, Pasta and a Spicy Vegetable Sauce

12-16 oz. dry pasta

Cook the pasta according to package directions, drain, rinse then put back into the pot and chill it briefly in cold water to create a healthier "resistant starch" **  Transfer it to a colander over crumpled paper towels, to absorb all the water.

2# chicken thigh meat

2 T rosemary olive oil

1 t Rosemary Seasoning *

½ lg. purple shallot - diced

1-2 c starchy pasta cooking water

5 lg. garlic cloves - sliced

8 oz. mushrooms - sliced

16 oz. Arrabbiata sauce

1½ lg. purple shallots - sliced

½ lg. green pepper - chopped

1 med. zucchini - sliced

6-8 oz. Alfredo sauce

Trim all the fat from the meat.  Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces and saute' the ingredients in that group until the liquid absorbs and the meat is lightly browned.  Add some of the starchy water to loosen the pan brownings.  Repeat the browning and adding water a couple times, then add the red sauce and remaining vegetables.  Simmer all this for 15-20 minutes, adding more of the pasta water if needed.  When the vegetables are 75% cooked, stir in the alfredo sauce.

Put the drained pasta in a small roasting pan.  Spoon about a cup of just the sauce, no vegetables over the pasta.  Gently mix this and sprinkle about a cup of fresh grated Parmesan over the saucy noodles.

Add the chicken, vegetable and sauce mixture, and top with more grated cheese.

Cover and heat at 250⁰ for 15-20 minutes.

I discovered Arrabbiata (ar-a-be-OT'-ta) red sauce about a year ago.  It's made with tomatoes, red chili peppers, garlic and herbs.  I love it.  Today I wanted this to be a little less spicy, so I added some Alfredo.  I had a little bowl just now and it's still got a kick to it!

Be Bold - Be Creative!  Happy Cooking! . . . Lin