Cheesy Bacon and Chicken Pasta

I'm a stay-at-home mom.  I stayed home with Thing 1 for a year before returning to work.  Even then I was home with him during the day while Mike worked and then I would wait tables in the evening.  After Thing 2 came along, I stayed home again.  And here I've been.  Raising our kids, not spending money on child care, and not missing the best moments of my life.  Better yet, I can send Mike videos, pictures and stories during our day so he doesn't miss out either.  But who cares.

The whole point to that little story was to make this article relevant.  For any one you know who doesn't get what it is to be a stay-at-home parent (Mom or Dad) or thinks you "do nothing" all day.  Such a great read, and I'm this mom's clone...only with boys instead of girls.

Since there are hungry face staring at me, I guess I should get to making dinner.  The sparkly and hilarious Kristan at Confessions of a Cookbook Queen  shared this yummy pasta and we loved it!  She also shares a dessert on her original post to go along with dinner.  Double trouble.

Cheesy Bacon & Chicken Pasta
Adapted from Southern Living: 40 Years of Our Best Recipes

Ingredients:
15 strips bacon (1 package)
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
16 oz Penne pasta
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Pour oil into water.  Add Penne and cook until al dente.  Drain pasta
2. While water is coming to a boil, saute chicken in a large skillet over medium-high heat, about 5 minutes per side. Once chicken is cooked through, set aside to cool.
3. Fry off all the bacon until it is crispy, over medium heat.  Work in batches if you need to.  {Kristan says, bacon won't curl up is you heat your pan with the bacon already in place.  Guess what.  It worked!}  Remove bacon to paper towel lined plate to drain.  Set aside.
4. Pour out all but about 2 tablespoons of bacon grease in your pan; keep warm over low heat.  Chop bacon and chicken.
5. To bacon grease, add Parmesan cheese and heavy cream.  Whisk to combine.  Cook over medium-low heat for 3 to 4 minutes.  Add pasta, bacon and chicken to sauce; toss to combine.  Turn heat to low.  Let everything sit for a few minutes so that the sauce can thicken up and be absorbed by the pasta.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Serve warm with some french bread.