Bacon Spaghetti

 

I grew up in a house with 4 siblings, at a time when we didn't have a lot of money.  Both my parents worked hard to provide for the family, and there was never a time we went without anything, especially food.  

Meals were a big deal, they were not only sustenance for our bodies, but they were a time to come together as a family, sit around the table, and talk about our day and anything and everything in between.

We always had a family member living with us, my greatgrandmother was there from my earliest memories, until the day I married and left South Africa.  At some point, my uncle lived with us too, and then my grandmother and grandfather, and so on.  So family meals meant a big table, filled with people.

It was important to my stepmother and greatgrandmother, to have meals on the table that were filling, but most of all enough for everybody.  It is not cheap feeding a big family, so they had to get creative at times and use what they had on hand.  Lucky for me, our family is Portuguese, and we know how to cook, we learn from a very young age.  Not to toot our own horns, but we are very much aware of what spices go well with what, and can easily and effortlessly make a delicious dinner with a few ingredients.

Bacon Spaghetti, was one of those meals that I loved, and still do to this day.  It is one that I make when I am in a pinch, or need to cut back on the grocery budget, or for example, now that the prices of food and everything else are soaring.

It doesn't take a lot of ingredients, and you can make as much or as little as you need.  Now remember, I don't cook using measurements, I eyeball everything, so I'll try to tell you how to make it, best as I can.

If you do try it, I would love to know what you think, so please come back and leave me a comment down below.

Bacon Spaghetti

Ingredients:

Bacon, cubed (the amount depends on how much you're making, if it's for a lot of people use a pound)

Spaghetti noodles

Onion, diced

Tomato, diced

Tomato sauce

Olive oil

Garlic

Salt and pepper to taste

Chili flakes

White wine

Bay leaf

Paprika

Fresh Parsley

Boiling water

 

 

Directions:

In a pot, add a drizzle of olive oil, garlic, diced onion and diced tomato, and cook until onion is translucent.   Add in the bacon, and cook for a few minutes.  Season with salt and pepper, bay leaf, paprika, chili flakes and tomato sauce.  Mix well, then add in the white wine and the fresh parsley.

Cook for 5 to 10 minutes.  

Next, add in the spaghetti noodles, then pour in boiling water, until it covers the noodles completely, about an inch above.  Give everything a good stir, place the lid on and cook until the noodles are to your liking.  Remember to give it a stir once in a while, and check to make sure it has enough liquid, if need be, add in a little more water.  Check the seasonings, and adjust as needed.

I like to cook mine until the spaghetti is al dente, and the sauce is thickened.

Serve immediately!

Pressure Cooker Beans with Bacon

If you're looking for a quick and simple, but fantastic bean recipe, you have found it.  It is incredibly easy to put together and with the help of the pressure cooker, you will have fantastic flavorful beans, in no time at all.

Pressure Cooker Beans with Bacon

1 pound of pinto beans
1 small onion, finely diced
6 slices of bacon, diced
Crushed garlic, about a tablespoon
Salt and pepper to taste
Cheiro Verde 
Olive oil
Bay leaf
Water


Wash your beans well, then soak in water overnight.  Throw out any bad beans, little stones, or any beans that float to the top.

Before cooking the beans the next day, give them a good wash until the water runs clear.

Add a little drizzle of olive oil to the pressure cooker, and set to Saute.  Stir in the garlic, salt and pepper and bacon and cook until crispy.  Click the cancel on the pressure cooker.

Next goes in the beans and the water.  You need to add water to at least 2 finger widths above the beans.  Some people add 3 cups of water for ever cup of beans, but I usually just do as I said above. 

Set the pressure cooker to Manual High and cook for 35 minutes.  When the time is up, do a quick release and check the beans.  If they are not yet cooked, add more water and return to the pressure for another 10 or so minutes.

I don't usually have a problem with the beans not cooking, especially the pinto beans.  You will notice at this point that the beans may seem kind of runny, at this point I turn the pressure cooker back to the Saute function, mix a tablespoon of cornstarch with a little bit of water, and add that back into the beans, stir and let it cook until thickened.

You can recheck the seasoning at this point, add more salt if needed.

Bacon, Corn and Shallot Spaghetti

This one came about purely out of what I had on hand.  I usually don't mix corn in with my spaghetti, but I wanted a pop of color and it did the job.

There is nothing to this spaghetti, no special sauce, or baking or anything involved.  Just a skillet, a couple of ingredients and a delicious pasta dish that everyone will enjoy.

Bacon, Corn and Shallot Spaghetti

12 oz Spaghetti noodles
6 slices of bacon
1 shallot, finely diced
1 can of whole kernel corn
Garlic clove, finely chopped
Salt and pepper
Olive oil

In a skillet, cook the bacon until crisp or just tender, however your family prefers.  We all like crispy, except for my son, so I just cooked it until it was done so he would enjoy it as well.

Add in the garlic, the shallot and the corn and mix everything together.  Give it a stir and cook for a minute or two until the shallot is transparent.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

In the meantime, cook the spaghetti noodles until al dente, then drain and add to the skillet.  Toss everything together, check the spices, then drizzle on a little olive oil, giving everything a final toss.

Serve with a sprinkle of parsley (if you wish) and some shredded parmesan cheese.

Bacon, Honey Mustard Chicken

Do you know that delicious Monterey Chicken from Chili's, one that is very similar to the Aussie Chicken from Outback too?

I've made it a couple times and even have it posted here on my blog.

Here's a slightly different version.....oh and if the thought of frying the chicken breasts in the bacon grease sends you into the fetal position and crying in pain, don't.

You can omit that part and fry it on a non stick skillet.......OR.......you can throw caution to the wind and do it in the bacon grease, cause you know, you don't have to do this every single day, once in a while it's good to drown in bacon fat, right?

Bacon, Honey Mustard Chicken

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I like the thin sliced so that I don't have to pound it down)
Bacon (I do 2 slices per chicken breast)
1/2 c. honey
1/2 c. Dijon mustard
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 t. paprika
1/2 t. salt
pepper to taste
American cheese slices (1 per breast)


Preheat oven to 400 F.

Mix together Honey, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, paprika, salt and pepper, in a medium bowl.

Rinse chicken breast and pat dry. If you didn't get the thin sliced breasts, then pound the chicken breast between 2 sheets of wax paper until about 1/2 - 3/4 inch thick.

Add chicken to the marinade bowl, swish around a bit to cover completely and set aside.
Fry the bacon in a skillet, remove when cooked and set aside.

Keep the bacon grease in the pan. Pour off the excess marinade and fry the chicken, 3 pieces or so, at a time, for about 2 minutes on each side or until nicely browned.

Transfer to a baking sheet covered in foil. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes, then remove. Place two pieces of bacon on each chicken breast, then top with a slice of cheese.

Return to the oven for another 5 minutes until cheese is melted.
Serve immediately.I served mine with garlic mashed potatoes. YUM!