Four Ingredient Carbonara

I may never add cream to carbonara ever again. And since it shouldn't be used traditionally in carbonara anyhow, I am completely fine with that. The sauce is still incredibly rich with six eggs and a ton of parmesan cheese.  Unfortunately, pancetta is completely rejected by both C and Miss F, even though it is the traditional meat used in carbonara, I use bacon instead in order to get my family to eat what's on their plate without complaints.  Miss F even dunked her broccoli in the sauce, she loved it so much.  Now that school has started, I need meals that come together quickly in the evening since on some nights Miss F doesn't get home until after 5 pm.  Carbonara to the rescue for a quick and delicious meal.  Miss F requested that the broccoli be mixed with the carbonara next time I make it.  I think I could fry it in the bacon grease, how delicious would that be?

Four Ingredient Carbonara

6 slices bacon, cut into lardons
1 ¼ cups grated parmesan cheese
6 eggs
12 ounces thin spaghetti

In a large skillet, fry the bacon over medium heat until crisp. Drain all but a tablespoon of the grease from the pan. Set aside. Separate 4 of the eggs, discarding the whites. Add the 4 egg yolks and 2 remaining whole eggs to a two cup measure. Add the parmesan cheese and whisk well to combine with the eggs. Prepare the spaghetti per package instructions. Drain the pasta, reserving the cooking water. Add the drained pasta to the pan with the bacon and pour the egg and parmesan over top. Toss well to coat, thin if necessary with the reserved pasta water. Serve with fresh cracked pepper over top.

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Brussels Sprout Carbonara

I wonder if there isn't anything I wouldn't eat in Carbonara. I can't think of a single green vegetable that wouldn't be made better tossed in egg yolks, cream and Parmesan.  I combined a couple of my go to recipes: Brussels Sprouts in Bacon and Easiest Ever Carbonara into a complete meal.  Miss F firmly rejected the Brussels sprouts, she only ate one half, which was quite frustrating.   How can anything cooked in bacon grease not be good?

Brussels Sprout Carbonara

4 egg yolks
2/3 cup cream
½ cup grated parmesan
½ teaspoon salt
6 slices bacon, chopped
1 package frozen Brussels sprouts, thawed and halved
1 pound angel hair or thin spaghetti

Whisk the eggs, cream, Parmesan, and salt together in a two cup measure. Fry the bacon until crisp, drain all but one tablespoon of the grease and set aside the bacon. Fry the halved Brussels sprouts in the bacon grease for 8 to 10 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the pasta per package directions. Drain the pasta and add it to the pan with the Brussels sprouts, reduce the heat to low. Pour the cream mixture overtop and toss well to coat. Top with the reserved bacon and serve.

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Butternut Squash and Spinach Carbonara

My Carbonara obsession hasn't slowed at all. Recently we went out to dinner with a two other couples. We went out for Italian at Coppa and decided to order things family style. We made the mistake of only ordering one plate of Carbonara, which we quickly rectified once the whole plate was cleaned before anything else. This Carbonara add butternut squash and spinach to make for a great winter pasta. I had never sautéed butternut squash before. It cooks up quite quickly, which is nice since roasting squash can take a bit. Miss F wasn't a huge fan of the squash, but she loved the bacon and pasta.

Butternut Squash and Spinach Carbonara

6 slices bacon (cut into 1 inch slices)
2 cups squash (cut into small pieces)
½ pound pasta
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup baby spinach
pepper to taste
2 egg yolks
¼ cup heavy cream
1/3 cup parmesan

Fry the bacon in a large skillet, set aside and drain all but a tablespoon of the grease. Add the squash to the pan, toss to coat in the bacon grease and sauté until tender, about 8 to 10 minutes. While the squash is cooking, prepare the pasta per package instructions, reserving the cooking water. Whisk together the egg yolks, cream and parmesan in a two cup measure. Add the garlic, spinach and pepper to the squash and sauté until fragrant, about a minute. Add the spaghetti and bacon to the pan and toss. Remove the pan from the heat and add the egg mixture, toss to coat. Add some reserved pasta water if needed. Serve.

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Spaghetti Carbonara with Bacon and Tomatoes

This recipe is amazing. So amazing that C proclaimed it "super yummy" and didn't bother picking out the tomatoes. Miss F slurped every last bit of spaghetti right up, she was equally a fan. I also really enjoyed it, especially the mild heat the red pepper flakes provided to counterbalance the creamy sauce. The best part is that this meal can get on the table in under 20 minutes. Just serve with a green salad and you are set. I always have bacon onhand, so this is going to be a new go to last minute dinner. This recipe was loosely inspired by this recipe for Creamy Bacon Carbonara.

Spaghetti Carbonara with Bacon and Tomatoes

3 egg yolks
¼ cup heavy creamy
½ cup Parmesan cheese
½ pound bacon, cut into lardons
½ small onion, chopped
2 Roma tomatoes
¼ cup white wine
Fresh diced parsley or dried flakes
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
12 ounces spaghetti

Whisk together the eggs, cream and Parmesan together in a bowl. In a large non stick pan, fry the bacon until crisp and set aside. Drain all but on tablespoon of the bacon grease; sauté the onion and the tomatoes for 3 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the white wine; stir in the parsley, salt and the red pepper.

Prepare the spaghetti per package instructions. Drain the pasta and while still warm, add to the onions and tomatoes. Pour cream mixture into the spaghetti, and stir over low heat for one to two minutes. Top with bacon and serve with additional Parmesan.

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Egg Drop Soup

Miss F was sick, so we were trapped at the house. And I was craving soup. I figured she would like this soup, plus the egg would give her some protein to go with her ice cream, juice and popsicle sick diet. I love thick egg drop soup, if you don't, reduce the corn starch. This soup is delicious, but I wonder how the Chinese restaurants get it to be such a vibrant yellow.  Miss F loved it! Egg Drop Soup 4 cups chicken broth, preferably organic ¼ teaspoon sesame oil 1 teaspoon soy sauce 3 tablespoons corn starch ¼ cup water 2 eggs In a large saucepan, bring the chicken broth to a boil. Simmer for a minute or two and drizzle in the sesame oil and soy sauce. In a small bowl, whisk the corn starch and water together to form a slurry. Slowly pour the slurry in the broth, stirring as you pour. Return to a simmer and stir until thickened. In another small bowl, whisk the eggs. Slowly pour the eggs into the broth, stirring as you pour. Pepper to taste.

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Breakfast Tacos

These make a great breakfast that can easily be made on a busy weekday morning. Rotel can easily be substituted for the tomato and jalapeno, if you have that on hand. Bacon can also be used instead of sausage. Honestly, any breakfast food you like can be wrapped up in a tortilla and served with cheese and salsa...well, maybe not pancakes...

Breakfast Tacos
makes six tacos

½ pound breakfast sausage
¼ onion, chopped
½ jalapeno, minced
1 tomato, chopped
6 eggs
6 tortillas
1/3 cup shredded Colby Jack cheese
salsa

In a large sauce pan, sauté the sausage, onion and jalapeno over medium heat, breaking the sausage up. Saute for 8 to 10 minutes, until the sausage is cooked through. Add the tomato and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes more.

In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs. Add the eggs to the sausage mixture and cook until eggs are set.

Warm the tortillas and fill each with the sausage and egg mixture. Top each taco with 1 tablespoon of cheese. Serve with your favorite salsa.

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Breakfast Braid

I originally wanted to make this recipe for my playgroup, but I chickened out at the last moment and made Sausage Swirls instead. I should have gone for it, it was amazingly easy to make and turned out beautifully. I adapted it from a Cooking Light recipe, making it un-light.  C said that it needed more cheese, I wonder how he would have felt about the Cooking Light version?

Breakfast Braid
6 servings

1 (13.8-ounce) can thin crust refrigerated pizza crust dough
Cooking spray
2 tablespoons frozen chopped onion and bell pepper mix
8 ounces breakfast sausage
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Preheat oven to 425°. Unroll dough onto a baking sheet coated with cooking spray; pat into a 17 x 12–inch rectangle (size of the baking sheet).

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sausage; cook 9 minutes or until lightly browned. Stir in eggs; cook 1 1/2 minutes or until set. Remove from heat.

Sprinkle ½ cup Monterey Jack lengthwise down center of dough, leaving about a 2 1/2-inch border on each side. Spoon egg mixture evenly over cheese. Sprinkle remaining cheese over egg mixture.

Make 2-inch-long diagonal cuts about 1 inch apart on both sides of dough to within 1/2 inch of filling using a sharp knife or kitchen shears. Arrange strips over filling, alternating strips diagonally over filling. Press ends under to seal. Brush with egg white. Bake at 425° for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand 5 minutes. Cut crosswise into slices.

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Brunch + Ice Cream Cake

A week ago I made an ice cream cake for dinner with Neon. Neon had wanted ice cream cake for her 30th birthday dinner, but had a hard time finding a restaurant to serve it. Neon wasn't able to make dinner that night, so I had to save it for today. I had some friends over for brunch, serving baked eggs with artichokes and sweet potato, carrot and potato pancakes. You cannot ever go wrong with fried potato!

I baked the eggs for 10 minutes and they were still soft for some, so I might increase the time to 12 to 15 minutes.

No pics of the ice cream cake, but it was super easy. I crushed a sleeve of Girl Scout Thin Mint Cookies, layered that at the bottom of a loaf pan lined with plastic wrap. I coveredthe crushed cookies with a layer of chocolate syrup and then scooped softened ice cream over the top. I sprinkled the top of the cake with crushed Godiva peppermints. Easy! And it freezes at least two weeks in advance~

Baked Eggs with Artichoke and Parmesan

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature
2 teaspoons chopped fresh chives
1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
8 canned artichoke heart quarters, drained well, patted dry
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons (packed) freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Rub butter onto bottom and sides of two 3/4-cup soufflé dishes or custard cups, dividing equally. Sprinkle with herbs, dividing equally. Place 4 artichoke pieces in each dish. Crack 1 egg into each dish, being careful not to break yolk. Sprinkle eggs with salt, pepper, and cheese. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover; chill.)

Preheat oven to 400°F. Bake until eggs are softly set and cheese is golden, about 9 minutes. Serve immediately.

Sweet Potato, Potato and Carrot Pancakes

1 lb potatoes (one sweet and two russet)
3 carrots
2 tbsp minced green onion tops
1 tbsp flour
1 beaten egg
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp vegetable oil

Peel potatoes and carrots. Shred potatoes and carrots in the food processor.Wrap shredded potatoes and carrots in several thicknesses of paper towels and squeeze to drain moisture. Combine all ingredients except oil and mix well. Heat oil in a lrge skillet over medium heat. Drop potato mixture into skillet by spoonfuls and flatten to form thin pancakes. Cook until browned on bottom (about 5 minutes), turn and cook other side until tender (about 5 more minutes). Cook in two batches if necessary (allowed for 2 batches in cooking time above).

Serve immediately while hot. Makes about 12 pancakes.

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