Ode to Bacon

So, I have a confession. I have this little thing going on the side...with bacon. It's like a foodie love affair. I know you probably think I sound nuts, but that would be fairly hypocritical of you. I mean, really, ask yourself, is there anything more divine than bacon? Is there anything with bacon on it that is not delicious? In the movie "Julie and Julia," Julie blogs that when you eat something and you wonder what makes it so amazing, the answer is always going to be butter. Well, that is how I feel about bacon. Dare I say it...bacon is better than butter. Can you eat butter by itself? Well, yes I suppose, but that would be gross.

At this point I am sure you are wondering what in the name of Rachael Ray got me going on this bacon thing...well, I will tell you. And lucky for you it's a recipe.

For those of you who know me, or have been following this blog for awhile, you know that when I try to take culinary matters into my own hands, it tends to be a messy affair. I fin my best bet is to slightly alter recipes I trust already. So the other night, I looked in my fridge and noticed two poor, lonely slices of bacon, and I couldn't possibly let them go to waste. So I put them to good use, and it was fantastic! I apologize for not having a picture. I didn't realize I was creating a little piece of comfort food heaven. So you'll just have to make it to see what it looks like. Like I often say, you'll thank me later.

Amazing, Nameless, Chicken, Bacon, Cheesy Pasta

6 oz. short pasta (macaroni, penne, etc.)
2 chicken breasts, cubed
Pinch Salt
3/4 cup shredded cheese
Garlic salt
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 or 3 slices of bacon, diced

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Boil pasta. Season with salt and pepper. Fry bacon in large skillet until almost crispy. Remove bacon from skillet to plate with paper towel to catch grease. Brown Chicken in remaining bacon grease.

2. When chicken is cooked through, add soup and garlic salt to skillet and mix well. Add cooked pasta and bacon and stir until flavors are incorporated. Pour into baking dish and top with cheese.

3. Bake for 15-20 minutes and, most importantly, eat!


A Couple Notes:

a) This recipe was just for BamaMan and me, so be sure to increase the ingredients for more than two people.

b) I never pretended to be offering you recipes that will trim your waste line - I just told you to put all the ingredients in bacon grease to pick up every little shred of fat - but this I do promise: it will be worth the calories.

Enjoy!