Bacon Parmesan Penne

I know what you are thinking:

I somehow managed to combine three of my all time favorite things in to one dish...

Now all it needs is some leeks and then it would be perfect...

Oh boy... That would be awesome. I am definitely doing that next time.

Okay anyway, Bacon Parmesan Penne. This is a delicious recipe that I borrowed from The Pioneer Woman's website. Except I tweaked it a bit... you know, for the sake of the art, man.

Well anyway, I am pretty sure I stumbled on to something amazing. And I am pretty sure you will agree.

Here goes:

Bacon Parmesan Penne

1 lb bacon, fry it up, chop it up, set it aside
crushed red pepper flakes
1 lb penne
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 block cream cheese, (4 oz)
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup parmesan (the kind in a can)
4 eggs
freshly ground white pepper (or black if you just don't have it)
1 small carton grape tomatoes (maybe it's a lb? I don't know!)
olive oil

Ok so you have your fried and chopped bacon draining on a paper towel. Sprinkle the bacon with some red pepper flakes... NOT TOO MUCH! Literally a pinch or less.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook your pasta according to the directions on the package.

Line a cookie sheet with foil. Drizzle it with olive oil and spread it around (or spray the sheet with cooking spray) and dump your tomatoes onto it. Pop in the oven to broil for about 5-10 minutes, or until they get nice and roasted and pop open. Yum! If you are in a hurry or using the oven for something else, you can dump them into a microwave safe baking dish (greased, of course) and pop them in the microwave on high for about 3-4 minutes. When they pop open, they are done. Set these aside... Maybe next to your bacon? They can hang out together.

Meanwhile, put your garlic into another large pot with a tad bit of olive oil and cook over medium heat until fragrant. Then add the cream cheese and the cream and cook, stirring frequently, until the cream cheese is melted. Then add the Parmesan and white pepper. Stir until it makes a creamy sauce. Remove from heat.

Beat your eggs in a small bowl (I used a 2 cup measuring cup). Add a large spoonful of the hot sauce mixture and mix well. The point of this is to raise the temperature of the eggs without cooking them, that way when they hit the hot sauce mixture they won't turn in to egg drop soup. Because in this recipe, that would be yucky.

Okay so keep adding spoonfuls of the sauce until you can feel the side of the cup or bowl and it isn't super cold. I probably added a total of 3/4 cup. Now carefully whisk this in to your sauce.

Now dump in your cooked drained pasta, your bacon, and your roasted tomatoes and toss... Gently!! You don't want to end up with pasta all over your cook top!

Sprinkle with plenty of Parmesan cheese. We used fresh grated (not the can.. the real stuff!) But the can stuff works great too.



Wasn't that an easy and impressive dinner?

Oh and did I mention that it makes enough to serve an army? Yeah... it's definitely not just a two person recipe. In fact, if you are just cooking for two, I recommend dividing the entire recipe in half.

It does make terrific leftovers though. I even mixed in a squirt of Tuscan Italian salad dressing to mine today to "change" the flavor a bit. I bet a spoonful of pesto would make a nice change as well. Or you can just enjoy it for the honest deliciousness of the original... It's just that good!

:) Happy eating!

Stuffed Anaheim Peppers

Okay so to be quite honest, I actually made these stuffed Anaheim peppers back in May and June, but never put up the post... I have been slacking, yes I know, and for that I apologize. But let me make it up to you: just trust me... make these peppers and then you will sit back and say "okay Virginia, I forgive you... This was worth the wait."

So what, you may ask, IS an Anaheim pepper? This link will fill you in, as well as give you some tips about buying and what to look for, as well as a picture.

Okay, now that you are up to speed, let me explain the thought process on this recipe... I was making enchiladas with homemade tomatillo sauce (verde sauce) and I wanted something to accompany it. So my Mommy, who is AMAZING, is ALWAYS talking about these delicious peppers she likes to make. She stuffs them with pretty much just cream cheese and then broils them. I decided to take it a step further and add some grated cheddar cheese, cilantro, garlic (because, well let's just face it, garlic rocks), a few bread crumbs (totally optional), and then to top the whole thing off, I wrapped those suckers up in delicious thickly sliced bacon.... Then I broiled them until both sides were nicely browned and the bacon cooked... Then we dug in... and THEN my husband said "hey honey, can you run to Wal-Mart?" I said "Why? What do you need?"

his reply???


"More Anaheim peppers! These things rock!!"

So there you have it: easy enough to do, a total man pleaser, and a great compliment to any southwest, tex mex, or mexican meal... (or really anything honestly).

Here is how you do it:

4 Anaheim peppers, washed
1 block cream cheese
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 bunch fresh cilantro washed and chopped
1 clove minced garlic
1/4 c bread crumbs (I used the seasoned kind... didn't really go with the "mexican" theme, but tasted awesome!)

bacon. lots and lots of bacon...
oh and tooth picks. you need some of those too. And if you have a broiler pan, I suggest you dig it out, it will come in handy.

Okay so first you set out your cream cheese and let it soften up a bit, just so it makes things easier.

Then you need to seed and prep your peppers. Remember, you are going to be stuffing these and then roasting them, so you don't want to go lopping the tops off. Instead, make a slit all the way down the pepper, then cut halfway through the top part of the pepper, without severing it completely. This will allow you enough room to cut out the seeds and give it a good washing (which helps the stubborn seeds break loose), and stuff it up with your filling.

Once all your peppers are prepped, set them aside and start making your filling... Basically add everything except the peppers and the bacon to a bowl, then mix it up really well and stuff 1/4 of the mixture into each pepper.

Now comes the fun part! Take a tooth pick and stick a slice of bacon to the top of the pepper in a way that covers the seam from the cut. Then wind the piece around the pepper, make sure that all the seams are covered (to prevent the filling from leaking out). You will need a couple of slices per pepper at least... and lots of toothpicks. Don't worry about going overboard with the toothpicks, you will just pull them out once the peppers are done anyway! Better safe then sorry!

Preheat your broiler and line the peppers up on a broiler pan. I like to line my pan with foil so that clean up is a snap... Oh and if you don't have a broiler pan you could just use a foil lined cookie sheet or a foil lined cookie sheet with a cooling rack sat in it...

Broil for about 5 minutes on each side, checking frequently so that they don't burn.

Enjoy your deliciousness!


***Correction: Added March 3, 2011***

My mother contacted me to correct my description of her peppers. She also wrapped them in bacon and put other goodness into the filling. So I guess great minds think alike. I wasn't as different as I thought! Sorry Mommy!!!!