Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

1. In an oven proof good sized fry pan, on medium heat, add the center cut bacon and fry to your desired crispness. Remove the bacon to a paper toweled plate to drain. Keep the bacon drippings in the pan.
2. Add the olive oil to the bacon drippings. Sauté the onion and garlic for a few minutes and add the gnocchi. Stir to combine. Sauté all together for 5 minutes.
3. Add the marinara sauce, mustard powder, paprika, 1/2 the parsley flakes and salt & pepper to taste. Simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and add half the mozzarella cheese to the gnocchi and combine.
5. Spread the rest of the mozzarella on top with the rest of the parsley. Sprinkle the crumbled bacon over the top OR mix half in with the gnocchi and sprinkle the remaining on top. Bake for 15 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Enjoy!  😀

   

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**Be VERY careful when removing the pan from the oven, the handle will be HOT.

As a visual reminder I always put an oven mitt over the handle in addition to using a pot holder.**

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Your potatoes are the longest part of this meal so get them on right away. Put your potatoes in a pot and cover with enough water to give them good coverage but not too much your water spills over your pot when boiling. Set your heat to high, bring your potatoes to a nice boil and let them go for 45-50 minutes until fork tender.

   

2. Time to make the glaze! I totally wanted to style up my tenderloin for this particular meal so I went to the fridge to see what I had on hand to make a tasty glaze. This is what I came up with. In a bowl, add your mustard, horseradish, Garlic & Herb Seasoning and salt and pepper to taste. Whisk all together and BAM you have a nice, flavor balanced glaze. REMINDER—Start with a little less of each ingredient and taste. Add more as desired. You can always add but can not take away. Pour your glaze over your pork tenderloin on a foil lined baking dish and evenly coat all sides and every crevice. Bake according to package directions which on mine is 15-20 minutes per pound. Oven temps vary drastically so I like to go to the latter of the cooking times. When your tenderloin is done to your internal temperature satisfaction, remove it from the oven and tent it with some aluminum foil and let it rest, while you prep the tates. It will continue to cook a little as well so give it a little peak every now and then so not to overcook.

   

   

   

3. This step goes with step 2 above as I cook them together in the oven. Lay out your center cut bacon on a foil lined baking sheet. Place in the oven at the same time as your pork tenderloin and bake for 20 minutes. Set your timer and at the 10 minute mark turn those babies over to evenly cook on both sides. When done, remove from the oven and place on papertowels to drain the excess fat. When cooled, crumble, and eat a few pieces if you wish and continue to step 4.

   

   

   

4. When potatoes are fork tender, drain in a colander and let them cool for a few minutes until not so hot to handle. Place them on a foil lined baking sheet and smash ever so gently with a potato masher that is sprayed lightly with a little cooking spray so the potatoes don’t stick. Sprinkle or pour with reckless abandon the cheese and crumpled bacon on top of your smashed potatoes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Place those babies in the already preheated oven for about 5 minutes to melt that oeeeyyy goooeeey cheese.

   

   

   

   

   

5. Time to assemble. Cut your pork tenderloin on a slight bias (angle). I could be totally making this up in my mind but I think it keeps the meat a little more juicier. Besides it looks pretty.  😉 Place your tenderloin on a pretty plate and add an all dolled up smashed potato. I left the butter and sour cream quantities blank on purpose because some days you just might want a little bit more or a little less. Add a vege of your choice and there you have it, a great, easy and elegant weeknight or weekend night meal. Enjoy!  😀

   

   

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1. To make the “stuffing” sauté your chopped onion in olive oil on medium heat until they are translucent about 5 minutes. Add your chopped green olive and sauté for another 2 minutes to meld the flavors. Take your pan off the heat and add the breadcrumbs and mozzarella cheese. Combine and let the mozzarella slightly melt to bind the “stuffing” together and set aside. As always add pepper and salt to taste but be very careful with the salt because the green olives are very salty, that is why so few are used in this recipe. But the taste is incredible!!!

   

   

   

2. Butterfly your chicken breasts, or in other words slice them in half, being careful not to slice all the way through. Season them liberally with some pepper (remember what I said about the salt in step 1). Now stuff those babies with the stuffing. Bring the two edges together and insert 3 toothpicks into each breast to keep them together during the baking process. Lastly wrap those gorgeous breasts with the 2 slices of bacon to keep that outer chicken nice and juicy, the stuffing, believe me, will take care of the inside in just the same way! Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 20 minutes.

   

   

   

   

3. Time to get that glace ready! My demi-glace though not made with two different stocks as customary, is super easy and just as tasty in my humble opinion. In a pan, add 1/2 cup of the beef broth to start (add more if you like a wetter sauce) and turn the heat to medium. Add your mushrooms to cook for about 5 minutes and then turn the heat up just a bit to boil the broth and reduce it a little. When the sauce is reduced to your liking and the mushrooms to your desired consistency add the beautiful whipped butter and allow it to melt into the glace. This will create that ultra creamy, dreamy sauce to compliment that delicious moist chicken. Season with pepper to taste and a pinch of kosher salt (I did add salt to the glace) to elevate the flavor.

   

   

   

4. To crisp the bacon turn your broiler to high and broil on each side about 3-4 minutes or until desired bacon crispness. This step will not, I repeat will not dry out the chicken.

   

5. Finally plate those babies up! Remove the toothpicks from the chicken and discard. Pour some of that creamy mushroom glace over the top and add your desired vege on the side. So, So, So Tasty! Enjoy!  😀

   

   P.S. I also made chocolate chip cookies with a surprise filling. I used this Land O’ Lakes Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe, with a few tweaks. I used whipped Land O’ Lakes butter instead of regular and I also up the brown sugar portion to 1 cup and lower the regular sugar to 1/2 cup. It was a tip I tried one time and loved it so much I do it all the time. I also left out the nuts, that is your choice. I then took a portion of the dough flattened it out and added the Oreo cookie surprise, took another portion of dough and sandwiched it on top. I baked them about 14 minutes give or take and there is only one left!  😛

   

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