Wednesday, 3/16/2011

This carbonara recipe came off of the Dreamfields Pasta spaghetti box.  Ben was in charge of the meal tonight.  The texture of the dish was great tonight.  He got the bacon really crispy, which helped with the overall flavor.  We used Pecorino Romano cheese, and although I really liked it, we feel the dish could still use more cheese. I'm sure it's not the best carbonara recipe out there, but it's fairly easy to make at home without a lot of special ingredients.

SPAGHETTI CARBONARA

Serves 6
By Chef Antonio Cecconi

Ingredients:
1 box Dreamfields Spaghetti
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic minced
8 ounces sliced bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 eggs
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup freshly grated Romano cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.
2. In a 2-quart Dutch oven or sauce pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Cook garlic and bacon for 5 minutes or until bacon is crisp; drain off fat.
3. Mix together eggs, Parmesan and Romano cheeses, parsley and pepper; set aside.
4. Drain spaghetti; immediately return to saucepan over low heat. Add egg mixture; quickly toss with spaghetti. Add bacon mixture; toss. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and cracked black pepper if desired.

Friday, 8/6/2010

More company! This afternoon my mom's best friend Nancy, from Portland, Oregon, came up to visit us. The last time I saw her was at my baby shower, almost two years ago. She will be staying with us until dinner tomorrow night. We spent the afternoon playing with Katie and talking and talking and talking and looking at photos. Eventually it was time to make dinner. I decided to make Spaghetti Carbonara and a caesar salad for dinner.

This carbonara recipe came off of the Dreamfields Pasta spaghetti box. The texture of the dish was great tonight. Ben was in charge of mixing all the final ingredients and kept the eggs from cooking completely. Unfortunately, we both thought that something was missing. I think the bacon I used was of such good quality, that it wasn't salty enough. Also, the recipe calls for Parmesan and Romano cheeses. Tonight I only used Parmesan. Maybe it needed the bite of the Romano. It was good, but left something to be desired.

SPAGHETTI CARBONARA

Serves 6
By Chef Antonio Cecconi

Ingredients:
1 box Dreamfields Spaghetti
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic minced
8 ounces sliced bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 eggs
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup freshly grated Romano cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.
2. In a 2-quart Dutch oven or sauce pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Cook garlic and bacon for 5 minutes or until bacon is crisp; drain off fat.
3. Mix together eggs, Parmesan and Romano cheeses, parsley and pepper; set aside.
4. Drain spaghetti; immediately return to saucepan over low heat. Add egg mixture; quickly toss with spaghetti. Add bacon mixture; toss. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and cracked black pepper if desired.

After dinner, Katie went to bed and Nancy and I continued to talk for several hours. Ben took a run and then we all enjoyed some wine and ice cream:)

Thursday, 4/1/2010

It was left over Chicken Carbonara for us, same story as last night. But it is a different night...it's Maundy-Thursday. I'd like to say a little bit about the food my soul received this evening.

I played the piano for our church service tonight. I probably would not have gone if there hadn't been a need for someone to fill in. I'm so glad I went. During the service, we shared the sacrament of communion and the practice of feet and hand washing. We took turns pouring water over each other's feet or hands and drying them with towels. Each of us who wanted to participate had an opportunity to pour the water and dry the feet as well as have our feet washed. Each of us was served. Each of us served.

As the water was poured from a pitcher into a basin, these are the words that were said:

Leader: Bless this water, that it may be a sign of your cleansing forgiveness.
ALL: Bless me with this water, O God, that I may be immersed in a grace deeper than my sin.

It is quite a scene to imagine....Jesus during the last days of his life, taking the time to be a servant to those who followed him; his friends; his disciples. Washing dirty feet...what a lowly chore. But he did so to set the example for us to serve others as he did.

Here is the Prayer of Thanksgiving we read together:

O God, we give you thanks for the gift of Christ Jesus, light of your own light, Word of your very own Word. We thank you for the splendor of his life of service. We thank you for symbols of love and humility that remind us of him and his gift to us. Strengthen us as we pray for the service to which you call us. May we find in serving others, in acts of mercy, the fullness of life that we have in Christ Jesus who, with you and the Holy Spirit, lives in holy light forever, Amen.

Again, I'm so glad I went.

Wednesday, 3/31/2010

First of all, Happy 30th Birthday to my brother Matt!

And now, onto dinner. Surprise, surprise, we had leftover Chicken Carbonara. Still not enough sauce, but tasty just the same. Thankfully Katie enjoyed it more tonight than she did last night. She ate several rounds of chicken and peas. She seemed to have a hard time with the spaghetti. Perhaps it was a bit too al dente for her. Anyway, she choked on it and then started throwing it on the floor. A clear sign she was done with it.

Katie has taken to dinner theater. Check out her story telling skills in this cute video.

Tuesday, 3/30/2010

CHICKEN CARBONARA
from Cuisine At Home- Weeknight Menus

Whisk Together:
1/2 cup parmesan, grated
2 eggs
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Saute:
1/2 lb. thick-slicked bacon, diced

Add & Saute:
1 lb. chicken tenders, seasoned with salt & pepper
(I used whole chicken breasts, cut them into tender sizes and pounded them until they were flat and about a 1/2 inch thick)

Deglaze & Reduce:
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Cook; Drain with:
12 ounces dry spaghetti
1 cup frozen peas

Directions:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the spaghetti.
Whisk together Parmesan, eggs, cream, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.
Saute bacon in a large saute pan until crisp. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate; pour off all but 1 T. drippings.
Add chicken; saute 4 minutes per side; transfer to the plate with the bacon.
Deglaze the pan with wine, broth, and juice, scraping up any bits on the bottom. Reduce by half, 2-3 minutes.
Cook spaghetti in boiling water, stirring often. Drain pasta into a colander with the frozen peas. Shake pasta to remove excess water. Combine the bacon, chicken, and wine mixture with the egg mixture. Add hot pasta and toss to coat.
Serve immediately.

This was my first time making carbonara with this recipe. It's a keeper. Usually when I make spaghetti carbonara no peas or chicken are included; I liked the change. Other than using a different cut of chicken (noted in the recipe), I followed the directions exactly. The next time I make it, I will half the spaghetti. Both Ben and I would have liked more sauce.

Katie was a light eater tonight, only having a few peas and a little chicken. I bet she will like the leftovers tomorrow night.

Here's a photo of the cooked, crispy bacon. Just for fun!