Well, New Year’s Day has come and gone. I will assume that we will have an early spring this year because we didn’t have any icicles to melt. We did have rain on New Year’s Day. Gran always said that the first 12 days of the year will predict how the following month’s weather will be. So if we had rain on the 4th, then April will be a wet month. Momma Said, “I just hope it doesn’t snow on the 6th or 7th because I don’t want snow in June and July.”
Last year was probably the wettest year we have had for some time and as you can remember from my stories about Mudpuppy, rain is my enemy. It has been bad this winter because the ground has not frozen and we have had more rain than snow. I just wish it would either dry up or freeze up. The local weather is calling for the temps to be in the 40’s, 50’s and even 60’s but along comes the rain. Momma Said, “Please give me a break, I even bought a Bissell Crosswave sweeper and can’t keep up.”
The new sweeper will clean up dry and wet messes as well as scrub the floor. When I dump the canister, it looks like mud. It is a great invention. I just wish I could teach the dogs to wipe their own feet. I have almost worn out the old towels I use to clean them up. It is a load of laundry every day when the weather is wet. Momma Said, “Kids will be kids, mine just have two extra feet.”
I think a good solution would be to cover my yard in concrete, paint it green and not worry about it anymore. Mom would have a fit if she could see all the dirt they carry in. I guess I am compensating because she would never let us have a dog in the house when we were growing up. I figure it is my house and if you come to visit and don’t like what you see, you can go out the door as quickly as you came in. I love my animals and I will continue to clean up after them as long as need be.
ONE POT CHICKEN SCAMPI ALFREDO
1 Box Penne Pasta
4-6 boneless chicken breast tenderloins cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2-3 TBSP Butter
3-4 Cloves garlic, crushed
2 Cups Milk
3 TBSP Flour
4-6 Pieces cooked bacon, crumbled
Salt and Pepper to taste
3/4 Cup Shredded Mozzarella
Parsley
STEP ONE: In a 12″ pan, prepare – Penne according to package instructions. Remove from pan, toss with butter and set aside.
STEP TWO: Add butter and garlic to already hot pan (medium heat) and allow butter to melt. Add chicken and allow to cook thoroughly.
Meanwhile in a separate bowl combine milk, flour, salt and pepper whisk until smooth and well combined.
STEP THREE: Remove cooked chicken from pan and pour milk and flour mixture into pan. Cook on medium to high and bring to a boil while stirring. Once the sauce thickens (should only take 1-3 minutes) remove from heat and add chicken and pasta back into pan. Stir together until all of the chicken and pasta is coated in the alfredo sauce. Sprinkle mozzarella on top, add crumbled bacon on top and sprinkle with parsley. Cover and allow to sit for 5-10 minutes while mozzarella melts. Serve and enjoy!