Creamy Mushroom Angel Pasta

Pasta, chicken, wine, and mushrooms- How can you go wrong?  This is a very simple dinner that tastes like you put way more effort into it than you did.  My father-in-law often suggests that we have angel hair pasta for dinner, but the rest of us favor spaghetti or rigatoni.  This is one dish that we can all agree upon.  Something about the wine and the mushrooms in the sauce make for a delicious combination.  Great now my tummy is grumbling... good thing I have a little left over!

Ingredients:

• 3 Boneless Chicken Breasts (cut in half)
• 1 Package of Dry Italian Dressing Mix
• 1/2 Cup of White Wine ( I used a Reisling because that is what I had open already)
• 1 Can of Golden Mushroom Soup
• 1 lb box of Angel Hair Pasta (or other pasta)
• 1/4 cup of Butter
• 4 oz of Chive and Onion Cream Cheese
• Two handfulls of sliced Mushrooms (this is my favorite part so I could easily double this)

**I had the spinach in the picture because I was serving with a spinach salad, but you could throw some in and it would be good too!

Makes 6 servings

In a saucepan, over low heat melt butter.  When butter is melted stir in the contents of the dressing mix packet.  Then stir in wine and golden mushroom soup until smooth.

Add in cream cheese.  If you add the cream cheese in pieces they will melt faster.  Make sure they melt, but do NOT boil mixture.  Stir in mushrooms.  Preheat oven to 325.  Place chicken breasts in baking dish.  Pour the sauce over the chicken.  The sauce will be thick, but will thin as the chicken cooks.

Bake chicken for about 50-60 minutes.  About 20 minutes before chicken is done begin the water for the pasta.  Serve pasta with sauce and chicken.

This recipe was featured on our Appetizing April Menu. Check out the entire April menu for a variety of dinner ideas!

Spicy Bacon Carbonara

This recipe is a variation on something that I made before, but this one is MUCH better. My family has actually requested it be put on the menu again and I just made it last week! My oldest son, who is VERY picky, loves bacon so I was able to get him to eat it too!
Ingredients:

• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup Heavy Cream
• 2/3 cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese
• Parsley Flakes (I didn't measure, I just shook it a couple times)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 lb bacon fried crisp and crumbled
• sliced mushrooms (I didn't measure, I just through in a couple handfuls)
• 1/2 of small onion
• about 2 tablespoons of butter
• 1 teaspoon garlic
• 1 16 oz box of fettucini

First I cook and crumble the bacon. I have to do this quickly so that my son doesn't try to sneak any! Set bacon aside. Start water for pasta. Next I chop the onion. I am not a huge onion fan, but I do understand the flavor value of onion in cooking so I do use them. I cook the onion and minced garlic in about a tablespoon of butter, but you could use some of the bacon grease for extra flavor. When the onions are almost cooked all the way through I add the mushrooms. You might need to add just a little bit more butter to saute the mushrooms. When done, leave them in pan but set them aside

Next, in a bowl beat with a fork eggs and heavy cream. Add Parmesan, parsley, salt and red pepper and lightly mix again.

Drain pasta (save about 3 tablespoons of pasta water just in case sauce is too thick) and return pasta to pot. Add the mushrooms and onions to pasta (you may need to heat them up in their pan first depending on how long you had to wait for pasta to finish cooking). Pour the egg/cream mixture over the pasta. Stir over LOW heat for 2-3 minutes.

Stir in bacon. Top with additional Parmesan Cheese and serve with bread and a salad! DELICIOUS!
Note: Make sure that when you add the egg/cream mixture that you have the stove on LOW. You do not want to scramble the eggs! I was very worried about this process. The first time I made it I actually made my husband leave the room just in case I completely ruined dinner I didn't want him to witness my failure. It has gone together perfectly every time! Also, if you like less spicy food you can add less red pepper flakes.

This recipe was featured in Two Magical Moms March Menu Madness and our Appetizing April Menu.  Check out the menus and try out some of our other YUMMY recipes!