We enjoyed our annual trip to my hometown in Oklahoma in July, and came back with lots of great memories and a couple great Nana recipes to share! After being in the hot weather of Mississippi, Oklahoma was marginally better, since at least there is usually some wind! And they have the pool which was great to enjoy, and we even taught short-legged little Fergie to swim, so he could at least get out if he fell in!
Daughters Emma and Annsley, and Annsley’s husband Chris made the trip, initially so Chris could golf with Fred. Apparently that went so well we weren’t allowed to discuss it. Yikes!
Us girls did our usual Tulsa stuff like visiting the Affair of the Heart home show at the Fairgrounds with my stepmom Lana. Seems like we always manage to come visit when it’s going on! It was super crowded, but we had a good time and came back with some fun stuff and yummy easy prep snacks.
One of the nights we were there, Lana made a delicious pasta dish I wanted to be sure I got the recipe for: Chicken and Bacon Pasta with Spinach and Tomatoes in Garlic Cream Sauce. She is a great cook and likes when we come because she gets to try out all the recipes that make too much for her and dad to eat!
This made us think of Marry Me Chicken, and was so good! We will be making it soon at our house. Here’s her recipe:
Chicken and Bacon Pasta with Spinach and Tomatoes in Garlic Cream Sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 lb chicken (skinless, boneless chicken breasts or tenderloins)
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (thyme, oregano, basil – combined)
- salt to taste
- 1.5 cups heavy cream
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese shredded
- 5 tomatoes (medium, chopped in large cubes)
- 3 cups fresh spinach or 1 cup cooked spinach
- 5 garlic cloves minced
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes crushed
- 6 bacon strips cooked, drained off fat, and chopped
- 10 oz penne pasta (for gluten-free version, use gluten-free brown-rice penne)
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese shredded, for serving
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet, on medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook on one side on medium-high heat for 4 minutes. While it cooks, sprinkle the uncooked sides of the chicken with paprika, Italian seasoning, and salt. Flip the chicken over, and cook on the other side for 3 more minutes on medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low-medium, flip chicken over again and cook, covered, for several minutes until no longer pink in the center. Remove chicken from the pan and keep chicken warm.
To the same pan (but without chicken), add heavy cream and bring to boil. Only after the heavy cream starts boiling, add shredded Parmesan cheese. Immediately reduce to simmer (low-medium heat) and stir, while simmering, until the cheese melts and the sauce is creamy, for about 1 or 3 minutes.
To the same pan with the creamy sauce, add chopped tomatoes, fresh spinach, garlic, crushed red pepper. Stir in the sauce on medium heat just until the spinach starts to wilt and sinks into the sauce. Add ⅓ of the cooked chicken (sliced into small strips) and half the bacon (already cooked and drained of fat). Mix everything. Remove from heat.
In the meantime bring a large pot of water to boil, add pasta, and cook according to instructions (usually 10 to 15 minutes). Drain the pasta.
Add cooked pasta to the skillet with the sauce and reheat on low heat. When ready to serve, top the pasta with the remaining half of bacon (cooked, drained of fat, chopped, gently reheated) and the remaining ⅔ of the cooked chicken (sliced into small strips, gently reheated). This is done for presentation purposes.
When serving, top the pasta with ½ cup of shredded Parmesan cheese.
Bonus Breakfast Recipe
Here’s a bonus recipe of the croissant French toast casserole she made ups for breakfast. I brought her some of our homegrown blueberries and she made this yummy treat for us. Even my son-in-law ate some and he’s not a breakfast guy.
Blueberry Croissant Breakfast Bake
- 6 large croissants, cut into small pieces
- 2 cups fresh blueberries
- 1 8 oz. package of cream cheese, softened
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup whole milk
Spray a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with non-stick baking spray.
Spread half the croissant pieces onto to bottom of the baking dish. Top with half the blueberries. Repeat layers with remaining croissants and blueberries.
In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar, eggs, vanilla and milk, beat until smooth and well combined.
Pour mixture evenly over the top of the casserole.
Cover and refrigerate over night, or for at least 30 minutes.
In the morning, bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes or until golden brown and set in the middle.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar and top with whipped cream and fresh berries if desired. Serve warm.
As the blog says, you CAN always come home, and it was good to get back to the roots for a few days and enjoy some time with family!
Shenanigans
I may or may not have convinced my step brother to help move Lana’s infamous garden goats to the front porch during one of the more “relaxed” moments of the visit! We were instantly busted, and he was blamed for it all. #bigsistervictory
