Sun-dried Tomato and Chicken Penne & "Special Ladies"

Okay, so WAAAY back when I did my first batch of freezer cooking while I was big and preggo with Jake, I made this chicken penne. I picked it because it made 2 pans of food, was really freezer friendly, and you didn't have to thaw it before cooking if frozen. I recently made it again for a friend who had a baby, and I was reminded that I thought the original recipe was kinda bland. Martha Stewart usually doesn't let me down. I think maybe this was a "fresh outta prison" Martha recipe and anything that wasn't prison food was yummo. Okay, I made that up. Anyhoo, I made it again today for another new mom. I read the comments and found one lady that said the same thing, but she fixed it with the addition of some extra stuff. It was so much better. It made one pan to give away and one for dinner for us. Woohoo. Win-win. Also, it isn't a ton of ingredients. However, if you are watching your waistline, stop reading now. If not, here is the link.
I added basil (about 1 Tbsp), more sun-dried tomatoes, real bacon pieces, probably more cheese than called for in the recipe, and some salt (which you really need). I can't find a block of provolone, so I bought a package of Sargento provolone slices and sliced them into pieces. The sauce is thick - probably because of the extra cheese. Jake stood over me and yelled "cheese" while I took this pic:

Along with the meal for the new mom, I made these little mini cheesecakes. I made these a few nights ago for a ministry at church called The Sunshine Girls. I made some with cherry pie filling and some with caramel ice cream topping and mini chocolate chips. Jake came into the kitchen while I was making them asking, "Whatcha doin' Mama?" I told him I was making some food for some special ladies. He replied, "I be special yady, Mama. I want one." How do you refuse? So, he downed two mini cheesecakes and was happy. Today, I made another small batch. I gave Jake one of those, and he said, "Yum, special ladies." So, the mini cheesecakes shall be called Special Ladies in our house :) They are super easy and use mini-nilla wafers for the crust. If you make these, be not to buy the cheap pie filling. The cheaper ones have more "filling" than fruit. Click here for the recipe. Here is a picture of my Special Ladies.

Not the most figure-flattering menu on Earth, but every once in a while, a special lady or two five won't hurt you ;)