Chicken and pepper jack baked pasta

This dinner made for great leftovers, too!

Chicken and pepper jack baked pasta

Ingredients (serves 4):
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
8 oz penne
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
2 cups milk
Salt
4 oz shredded pepper jack
4 oz shredded cheddar

1. Preheat oven to 425°, and cut the fat off the chicken. Cook chicken for 25 minutes, then cut into bite sized pieces, and reset oven to 350°.
2. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to instructions, and drain.
3. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and whisk to combine. Add milk and salt, continually whisking. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat. Slowly whisk in the pepper jack cheese and 3/4 of the cheddar cheese.
4. Add the chicken, pasta, and cheese mixture to a Pyrex dish, and mix together. Add the last of the cheddar cheese on top. Bake for 30 minutes.
5. Let cool before serving.

Breakfast sandwich with spinach, Brie, and bacon

Breakfast sandwich with spinach, Brie, and bacon

Ingredients (serves 2):
4 rashers bacon
1/2 tbsp olive oil
2 cups baby spinach
2 English muffins
1 tbsp butter
2 eggs
Salt
Pepper
4 slices of Brie cheese

1. Fry bacon in a skillet on both sides, or bake on an oven rack at 425° for 10 minutes, then set aside.
2. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and cook spinach until wilted.
3. Split English muffins and toast them.
4. Heat butter in a skillet over medium heat, then crack eggs into it, add salt and pepper, and fry until the yolks are soft set. Flip the eggs and cook a minute longer.
5. Slice Brie, and create layers of cheese on both halves of each English muffin. Then sandwich in an egg, spinach, and bacon.

Bacon, Brie, and pear grilled cheese

Bacon, Brie, and pear grilled cheese

Ingredients (serves 2):
4 slices sourdough bread
2 tbsp butter
4 rashers bacon
1/2 pear, sliced
3 oz Brie, sliced

1. Cook bacon per instructions.
2. Assemble sandwich with bacon, pear, and Brie between 2 slices of sourdough.
3. Melt 1/2 tbsp butter in a skillet over medium heat, place the sandwich, then cover for approximately 4 minutes. Add 1/2 tbsp butter, flip, and continue to cook for 3 minutes. Repeat for the second sandwich, and serve warm.

Honkytonk BBQ

We don't get out to Pilsen very often, but were in the neighborhood for a concert at Thalia Hall, and decided to check out Honkytonk BBQ. It's a large restaurant with lots of seating.

I ordered the Hot Links Sandwich, and we split a large side of Mac and Cheese.





I'd recommend checking it out if you're in that neighborhood, but if you're looking for good BBQ in Chicago in general, I'd stick with Smoque BBQ.

Lincoln Station

Lincoln Station on N Lincoln Ave between Montana St and Fullerton Ave is your regular American bar. The staff is nice, their hours are accommodating, and their food is nothing to complain about.

Here's the Chips and Cheese appetizer with added guacamole:


And I went for the Triple Decker Club:


It's not extraordinary, but it's never bad. It's everything you want in the restaurant/bar next to your work, and thankfully, I've got it.

Twisted Tapas

We went to Twisted Tapas in Rogers Park on W Pratt Blvd at Sheridan Rd with a group of 4, plus 2 kids. The atmosphere is open and welcoming. The hosts and servers are very welcoming and were kind to the kids, which we appreciated.

From what we ordered, my favorites were the Lobster Ravioli in a white wine lobster sauce with sun-dried tomatoes and fresh basil, Grilled Beef Tenderloin crusted with bleu cheese and grilled vegetables, and Spicy Potatoes with cumin-paprika alioli.

The Piggery

We recently watched Sunday football with friends at The Piggery in Lakeview on W Irving Park Rd between Ashland Ave and Marshfield Ave. It was a nice place with enough TV's for everyone to see clearly. The manager came by to say hi, and although it's a Bears (and Wisconsin Badgers) bar, he was very welcoming to the 49ers fans amongst us. They held a drawing for a Bears jersey that said "Piggery" on the back, and one of my friends won it.

I ordered the Sliders, which is a mix and match of 3 out of 6 slider options. I chose Chicken and Waffle, Pulled Pork, and Meatball. I added cheddar to the Pulled Pork, and mozzarella to the Meatball, which came as not quite melted shredded cheese toppings.



The food wasn't great, but fine. The draft list was impressive. The environment was fun, and we had a good time at the bar with friends.