pasta alfredo with chicken and veggies

i've got zucchini coming out my ears! i have one plant, ONE PLANT and i can't keep up with it! and since i am currently overrun, i find myself in the unenviable position of needing to use it. i'm working on some more inventive ways to use it, but i'm also relying on some old favorites. like this one:

alfredo sauce
1 tbs butter
1 clove garlic, chopped (the smaller the pieces, the stronger the flavor)
heavy cream
grated parmesan cheese

melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. add garlic. allow garlic to steep in the butter for a minute or so, DO NOT brown. at this point, you may choose to remove the garlic pieces, or leave them in. add heavy cream. this is the body of your sauce, the amount that you add will determine how much sauce you ultimately have. without increasing the heat, whisk cheese into sauce and bring to a low boil. allow to bubble for 2 minutes, or until sauce reaches desired consistency.

i use this basic recipe and add in grilled chicken breast and sauted veggies. in this case that means zucchini, mushrooms, and tomatoes.

fig bundles

i get my produce from this great little traveling co-op called bountiful baskets. it's a really good deal and i get my fruits AND veggies for the week. actually, mine usually last two weeks. the catch is, you never know exactly what you're gonna get, but that's also part of the fun. my last basket brought me a surprise. figs. i've never had them before, and i wasn't even sure what they were right off the bat. this is what they look like, just in case you've never seen them either:

being the adventurous person that i am, i was determined to use them. so, i went on a little scavenger hunt and i found some recipes that sounded really good. of course, i never actually follow recipes, so this is my reinterpretation of one of the one that i read.

figs bacon (one slice per fig)
bleu cheese crumbles
honey
sea salt

cut a small slit in the side of each fig, piercing through to the center.

is it just me, or does my hand look really old in this picture?

stuff one average sized (or larger than average is you prefer) crumble of bleu cheese into the slit you just cut.

 seriously! big, old looking, man hands!

now, wrap each stuffed fig with a slice of bacon. the bacon i used was thick cut, thinner might be better in this case.

place wrapped figs on a baking sheet and slide into a 400 degree oven for approximately 15 minutes, or until the bacon browns and begins to crisp up.

let cool slightly on baking sheet, then transfer to a platter. drizzle with honey and sprinkle with sea salt. serve warm.

VOILA! so simple and really delicious!