New Recipes: Bacon Wrapped Asparagus and Chicken

I have two new recipes for you! Both of them turned out great and made a good meal with a side of mashed potatoes (and the sauce from the chicken makes a good gravy for the taters).

Bacon Wrapped Asparagus

• 1/2 Lb Bacon
• 1 Lb Fresh Asparagus
• Olive Oil
• Pepper
• Salt (optional)

Preheat oven to 400*
Prepare asparagus spears by cutting or snapping off the bottom 1-2 inches.
Starting just under the tender tips, wrap the bacon in a spiral motion down the asparagus. I used one piece of bacon and wrapped it around 2-3 spears of asparagus (an alternate method is to cut the bacon in half length-wise and use two cut pieces per spear).
Place spears, seam side down if possible, on a rimmed baking pan. Lightly coat with olive oil and pepper to taste. Use salt sparingly or not at all.
Roast at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until bacon is cooked to desired crispness.

My husband and I LOVED bacon wrapped asparagus. We are huge asparagus eaters and wrapping them in bacon just made it even better. I would eat these as a snack or they'd be pretty fun to bring to a pot-luck party (in which case I would do the individual spear method).

Bacon Wrapped Smothered Chicken

• 2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 4 slices of bacon
• 8 oz sour cream
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• Salt/Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Wrap each chicken breast in 2 strips of bacon and place in a glass 9x13 inch baking dish.
In a small bowl, mix the sour cream and soup. Cover the chicken with the sour cream/soup mixture and bake uncovered in the preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes or until slightly brown on top. Let cool and serve on top of hot, cooked rice if desired.  

I used chicken tenders (4-6) and used one piece of bacon per tender, I also didn't have any sour cream so I used a little bit of milk to make the soup creamier. It turned out pretty good, but I would suggest making sure you have the sour cream as it adds just that little bit more flavor. Overall it was really good and will be something I'll make for future dinners!

86. Get a massage

YES!!! I've finally had a professional massage!! Yippie! It was great!!

This past weekend my new local girls and I got together for a girls weekend. We spent the weekend at The Resort on the Mountain in Mount Hood and all got spa treatments. It just so happened that during the same weekend there was a wine, art and music festival so it totally worked out perfectly.

I will have to admit I was a bit intimidated to get my spa treatments - naked, under a small and thin blanket with a complete stranger touching me - eek!! The Resort had a spa package where you could mix two treatments for a lower price (so naturally we all did this). The first treatment I had was The Earth Cocoon "a re-mineralizing and detoxifying wrap purifies the body, mind and spirit." It was really interesting, they cover you in a type of mud and then wrap you up like a baked potato (with mylar film) then you lay there all wrapped up while the masseuse gives you a scalp treatment with a lavender-mint conditioner. After the treatment is done they unwrap you and shower you off with small wash clothes covering your special places. It was a nice treatment, once you get over the awkwardness of being naked (but not exposed). The second treatment I got was the Mountain Spirit Massage, which is your basic run of the mill massage that could be customized per your individual needs. Since I had never had a professional massage before I just let the masseuse do his thing. Yes... I said, "HIS"....a large black man was my masseuse. I was a bit intimidated to be honest but he was nice, gentle and I had to keep telling myself he's a professional. In the end it was SO worth it (once I got over the idea of a male stranger with his hands all over me). 

Call this one DONE. If you've never had a professional massage I strongly suggest you get one!! Spoil yourself!!

34. Acquire a sewing machine

A while back Craig's Aunt mentioned she had a sewing machine she didn't use and I could have it if I wanted it. About a week ago I asked her about it and it arrived on my doorstep via UPS today! I am excited to figure this particular machine out. I know a little bit about sewing from my Mom and was taught on her machines; this machine is slightly different but I think I'll be able to figure it out! Hopefully I can find a users manual online in the event I need some troubleshooting!!

New Recipe: Baked Acorn Squash

A few weeks back, hubby and I stopped at a farmers market and I kept overhearing people talk about acorn squash and how good it was. We ended up leaving the market with two of them. I then came home and looked up a recipe for baked acorn squash. Here is the recipe and the results.

Classic Baked Acorn Squash

• 1 Acorn Squash
• 1 Tbsp Butter
• 2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
• 2 Tsp Maple Syrup
• Dash of salt (if using unsalted butter)

Preheat oven to 400°F.
Using a strong chef's knife, and perhaps a rubber mallet to help, cut the acorn squash in half, lengthwise, from stem to end. Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and stringy stuff in the center of each half. Score the insides of each half several times with a sharp knife. Place each half in a baking pan, cut side up. Add about a 1/4 inch of water to the bottom of the baking pan so that the skins don't burn and the squash doesn't get dried out.

Coat the inside of each half with 1/2 a Tbsp of butter. Add a dash of salt if you are using unsalted butter. Add a Tbsp of brown sugar to the cavity of each half. Dribble on a teaspoon of maple syrup to each half.


Bake in the oven for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, until the squash is very soft and the tops are browned. Do not undercook. When finished, remove from oven and let cool a little before serving. Spoon any buttery sugar sauce that has not already been absorbed by the squash over the exposed areas.

Serves 2 to 4, depending on how much squash you like to eat.

 Review: My husband liked it, I didn't. I think it was the maple syrup part that I didn't like, because that was all I could taste - I am not a maple syrup person (not even on pancakes, which I love). I do think this would make a decent breakfast when using maple syrup in the recipe (not that I would eat it). If we cook this again I think we'll be testing out cinnamon, sugar and cloves or nutmeg. There are variations of this recipe on the internet so feel free to find your own and test it out. Acorn squash is pretty cheap at farmers markets (we got two for $1) and by itself it tastes a lot like a mild sweet potato.

17. Cook 50 New Recipes

As I started to look through my list on a recent update I realized I have no way of tracking how many new recipes I try. I usually end up cooking something new on a whim, so I decided to make a post to both keep track of and share any new recipes!

1. Pumpkin Pie Chili 
2. Baked Acorn Squash
3. Bacon Wrapped Asparagus
4. Bacon Wrapped Chicken
5. Acorn Squash Supreme (recipe coming soon)
6. Real Pumpkin Pumpkin Pie (recipe coming soon)
7. Thanksgiving Turkey (recipe coming soon)
8. My Moms Cran-jello goodness (not sharing the recipe, sorry folks)
9. Gourmet Bean Soup (recipe coming soon)

65. Go Kayaking

My arms are sore, my legs are stiff, I have blisters on both hands and I know that my entire body will be hurting even more tomorrow...but I had a blast kayaking! A new-to-me friend invited me at the last minute cause she had an extra ticket and I was so happy she did. Not only did we all have a blast but I got to know her and her other friend some more so it made it even more fun! We hope to go again in the future when it's not quite as cold; however, we did miss the rain so that was a bonus!

Here are some pictures: