Creamy Chicken and Bacon Alfredo

My husband and I have somewhat of a guide book on things to cook when we get bored. Its the ultimate guide to the food we love, its like our first born child and we named her "The Meals of Past and Present" Imagine an excel sheet filled with recipes and links best foods that you have tasted so far in your life. Well that's basically "The Meals of Past and Present." We started this list when we were dating and whenever we found a recipe that we both absolutely loved we would add it to the list. Every time we get bored have having the same old thing we pull it out and pick out something and tonight we picked Chicken and Bacon Alfredo. It's a newcomer to our list but delicious nevertheless.

Bacon makes everything taste better! If you are looking for a quick dinner to make during the week and you love bacon, then you'll love this recipe. For dishes like this, thicker cut bacon works best.


What you'll need:
8 oz uncooked fettuccine
1 lb cooked chicken breast
1 tbsp butter
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2/3 cup heavy cream
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup reserved pasta water
1 cup mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
2 cups cooked broccoli
6 strips of cooked bacon

A few tips and tricks:
-Make the chicken and broccoli ahead of time to cut down on cook time
-For perfect bacon for this recipe and any time you are craving bacon, lay bacon on a aluminum foil covered baking sheet and cook on 400 for 20 minutes, or until you reach your desired crispiness, flipping halfway through.
-Make a "Meals of Past and Present" to share recipes with the one you love.

Steps:
1. Bring a large pot of water to boil, add desired amount of salt and noodles. Cook until done, drain  noodles then set aside.
2. In the same pot add 1 tbsp of butter and garlic, saute until fragrant.
3. Add cream, milk and cheese, and reserved pasta water
4. Add cooked chicken, cooked bacon, and broccoli fold until chicken is heated, serve and enjoy.

Crispy Oven Baked Chicken Wings

I love fried chicken wings. Nothing is better, especially during events with family and friends, than delicious wings in a variety of coatings and flavorings. What I do not love is the frying process that comes along with making them. Let's face it; frying anything in oil is a difficult and long process. I hate waiting for the oil to cool down in order to dispose of it and, by the way, how do you get rid of used cooking oil anyway? No way am I clogging up my pipes, and I feel so guilty for throwing it in the trash.

I longed for a recipe to get the same results of fried chicken without frying that would also get rid of the dreadful process that deep frying involves. I recently found a recipe that results in a delicious crispy wing in the oven and the secret ingredient to make these crispy wings is baking powder! who knew?

What you'll need:

2lbs of chicken wings cut into wings and drumsticks 

2 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tbsp kosher salt

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp smoked paprika

your favorite sauce to coat the wings (optional)

1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

2. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and
place a oven proof wire rack over the foil

3. In a large bowl add 2lbs of thawed chicken
wings.

4. In a separate smaller bowl, whisk together baking powder, kosher salt, black pepper, and smoked paprika.

5. Sprinkle 1/2 of the baking soda mixture over the chicken and toss to coat.

6. Sprinkle the other 1/2 of the baking soda
mixture over the chicken and do a final toss.

7. Transfer the coated chicken to your prepared
baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes.

8. Flip the wings and continue baking for another 15-20 minutes. Flip the wings  for another 15 minutes or until brown and crispy.

9. Transfer your wings to a bowl and prep your sauce mixture. Pour on your sauce and enjoy.

Super delicious alone or with sauce

I used equal parts of honey and sriracha for my wings