Being human is about being truly present with one another. That is a fact of life that is slowly disappearing these days. The age of electronic communication is taking away the human touch. You can’t speak with a human anymore on the telephone, you are always connected with a computer when you call for anything. Momma Said, “Why can’t a human answer the phone and direct me to the right place?”
I get so tired of dialing one for this and two for that, why can’t an operator just answer and help me with the problem I am calling about? I still have to dial the number for the operator in the end anyway. They still have to pay the operator to be there if you do press “0” so why not let them answer the phone in the first place.
It has become a way of life for kids today to text everyone. Sometimes they won’t answer the phone if you call but will text right back to you. As far as I am concerned, the age of technology is going backward. Momma Said, “We are turning into a race of zombies.” Everyone walking around with their head down and their nose stuck in some kind of device.
The world is passing people by and they can’t even see it. People never look up at their surroundings anymore. Most people go about their daily lives and never even look up at the sky to see the beauty around them. Life is too precious to not stop and just look around for a minute. Absorb life and let technology take a back seat for a short time. Life as we know it will not stop if you miss a few texts or tweets. Momma Said, “Just remember, nature was tweeting a long time before we were.”
Chicken and Bacon Pasta with
Spinach and Tomatoes in
Garlic Cream Sauce
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound chicken (chicken breast or tenders)
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (thyme, oregano, basil – combined)
5 medium tomatoes, chopped in large cubes
1 cup cooked spinach
5 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 (maximum 1/2 teaspoon) crushed red pepper flakes
6 bacon strips, COOKED, DRAINED OF FAT, AND CHOPPED
1 and 1/3 cups half and half
1 and 1/3 cups Parmesan cheese, shredded
10 oz penne pasta
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated, for serving
Instructions
In a large skillet, on high, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil until hot. Add chicken and cook on one side on high heat for 1 minute. While it cooks, sprinkle the uncooked sides of the chicken with paprika and Italian seasoning. Flip the chicken over, and cook on the other side for 1 minute on high heat. Reduce heat to medium, flip chicken over again and cook, covered, for several minutes until no longer pink in the center. Remove chicken from the pan and keep chicken warm.
To the same pan (but without chicken), add chopped tomatoes, spinach, garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, 1/3 of the chicken (sliced into small strips) and half the bacon (already cooked and drained of fat). Mix everything.
Add half and half and bring to boil. Only after half and half starts boiling, add grated Parmesan cheese – immediately reduce to simmer and stir, while simmering, until the cheese melts and makes the sauce creamy, only about 1 minute (at most 2 minutes). Then, immediately remove from heat. Season with more crushed red pepper flakes and salt, if needed.
In the mean time bring a large pot of water to boil, add pasta and cook it according to instructions. Drain the pasta, rinse with cold water and drain again.
Add pasta to the skillet with the sauce. Add remaining half of bacon (cooked and drained of fat). Season with more salt if necessary. Slice the remaining 2/3 of chicken into thin strips. To serve, top the pasta with chicken strips and grated Parmesan cheese.