Here’s a meal I’ve made… twice? Maybe three times. It’s, in my opinion, a culinary masterpiece. (It involves making your own sauce.)

(Which I’m sure many of you do on a daily basis.)

(So maybe this meal won’t be all Fancy-Schmancy for you.)

But, due to the time involved, and the fact that everything is made from scratch, and the sheer deliciousness of the dish, it qualifies as Fancy-Schmancy for me.

Oh, and warning? It’s garlic-y. Very garlic-y.

Smoky Chicken Fettuccini

Smoky Chicken Fettuccini

Ingredients:

6 slices bacon
1/2 c diced onion
6 large garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 c coarsely chopped red bell pepper
1/2 c (2 ounces) grated smoked provolone cheese
8 ounces uncooked fettuccini noodles, broken in half
1 c frozen peas
2 c diced cooked chicken
1 c half and half (or make your own)
1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbs snipped fresh parsley

  1. Bring water to boil in an 8 qt stockpot. Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, cut bacon into 1/2-inch pieces. Cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove and drain on paper towels. Drain skillet but do not wipe out. (Gotta love EVERYTHING cooked in bacon grease.)
  2. Dice onion. Thinly slice garlic. Chop pepper. Grate cheese. (All this information was in the ingredients section. I’m being horribly repetitive.) Add onion, garlic, and bell pepper to skillet. Cook over medium heat 2-3 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Remove skillet from heat; set aside.
  3. Read carefully: (I’ve messed this up at least… half the 2-3 times I’ve made this. I don’t think it’s tremendously important, but it still bugs me when I don’t get it right.) When pasta is done cooking and before draining pasta, add peas to stockpot. Set aside one cup water. Then drain. Basically, you’re blanching the peas. This situation can be recreated if you mess up (ahem), but it’s so handy to do it this way.
  4. Add pasta and peas to skillet. Add bacon, cheese, chicken, half and half, black pepper, and salt; toss well to coat. Cook and stir over medium heat until sauce is slightly thickened and mixture is hot. If the sauce is too thick, add the hot water previously set aside until it reaches a consistency you prefer. Sprinkle with parsley; serve immediately.

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So what’s the fanciest feast you’ve ever dared to dapple with in the kitchen?

And come back next week for… (drumroll) …  CROCKPOT LIFESAVERS.

I implore you, once again, spread the word, for the sake of next week’s topic.  One can never have enough Crockpot recipes.  Thank you.