Pasta Carbonara

This is a restaurant favorite that I finally made a decent version of at home.

1 lb pasta (I like rigatoni)

5 eggs
2/3 cup half and half (or 1/2 c. heavy cream)
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 to 3/4 pound bacon, cooked and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
Olive oil
2 T. minced garlic
2 T. butter

Cook pasta in salted water.

Combine eggs, half and half and salt and pepper and set aside.

Warm olive oil in skillet. Add garlic and bacon pieces and saute for 5-10 minutes being careful not to overcook the garlic. Just before the pasta is done, add the butter.

 Drain the pasta, return it to the pot and add the bacon mixture. Off heat, add the egg mixture, 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese and stir until it thickens and is heated through. Serve with additional Parmesan cheese.

 Notes: if possible, the eggs and half and half should be room temperature. If the mixture heats on the stove, the eggs will cook and make the mixture look curdled.

Based on a recipe from Cooks.com

Easy Korean Beef

This is one of our favorite easy dinners:

Cheap Korean Beef 

Beer Bread Base

I am working on the "perfect" beer bread recipe and needed to link my starting point. The great thing about beer bread is that I can throw it in the oven and it bakes while I am preparing the rest of the meal. Then we have fresh, hot bread for dinner that we all love. So far I have tried it with and without using some honey for the sugar, and using a combination of self-rising flour with whole wheat flour, or no self-rising at all. When I find what I like best, I will post it. http://www.food.com/recipe/Beer-Bread-73440

Kiy's Quick Quiche

We love quiche and the chickens give us a ready supply of eggs.  What could be a better combination?  But, Olivia does not particularly like the crust on quiche.  Kiy reminded me of this recipe and I made it last night.  Perfection!  Of course, I used what was on hand:  cauliflower, ham and cheddar and Romano cheeses.  More eggs, less milk (because I didn't have enough) and it was still fabulous. 

http://kiysrecipebox.blogspot.com/2008/11/quick-quiche.html

Rosemary Grilled Chicken

Rosemary Grilled Chicken

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup ranch dressing
• 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoons salt
•  2 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
•  1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch cubes

Combine all ingredients except chicken. Place in blender or food processor or use a stick blender to combine for about 10 seconds.  Set aside about 1/4 cup of marinade to use as a table sauce, if desired.  Place chicken in remaining marinade and refrigerate for at least one hour, up to one day. 

Place chicken on skewers and grill until no longer pink and juices run clear. 

Notes:  Adapted from a recipe found on Allrecipes.  Delicious with roasted potatoes and grilled vegetables. 

I used Trader Joe's refrigerated ranch dressing and it was perfect for this recipe. 

Oreo Truffles

These are ridiculously good. Like as soon as I made them, I was wishing I would have made a LOT more. While they need to be kept refrigerated, I think they taste best at room temperature.

http://thefrugalhomemaker.com/2012/02/13/to-die-for-valentine-treat-oreo-truffles/

Chipotle Grilled Shrimp Tacos with Creamy Mango Slaw

1 pound 26-30 count peeled deveined shrimp

1 T. McCormick Grill Mates Barbeque Seasoning or dry rub of your choice

1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced

1 c. chopped mango (about 1 mango)

2 c. slaw mix with red cabbage and carrots

1/3 c. mayonnaise

1 lime

8 small (7 inch) flour tortillas

1. Combine shrimp, barbeque seasoning and chipotle pepper until very well blended.
2. Zest and juice lime. Combine mayonnaise with ½ teaspoon of lime zest and one tablespoon of lime juice.
3. Combine mango, slaw and mayonnaise mixture.
4. Grill shrimp over hot grill (400 degrees) for about 6 minutes
5. While shrimp are grilling heat tortillas according to package directions.
6. Place shrimp in warm tortilla, top with slaw and serve.

Pairs perfectly with Bush’s Black Bean Fiesta Grillin Beans

Serving size: 2 tacos Serves: 4

Raspberry Almond Bars

1/2 c. unsalted butter (1 stick)
1 bag white chocolate chips, divided
2 eggs
1/2 sugar
1 tea. almond extract
1 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tea. salt
1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam
1/3 cup sliced almonds

1. In a saucepan, melt the butter. Remove it from the heat and add 1 cup of the white chocolate chips. Do not stir.

2. In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs until foamy then gradually add the sugar.

3. Stir in the chip mixture and almond extract.

4. Combine flour and salt with a whisk then add to the egg mixture and mix until just combined.

5. Spread half the batter in a greased 9-inch square baking pan and bake at 325 degrees for 15-20 minutes, until just golden brown.

6. In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the jam. Spread it over the warm crust.

7. Stir the remaining chips into the remaining batter and drop by spoonfuls over the jam. Sprinkle with the almonds.

8. Bake 30-35 minutes longer or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely before cutting.

Notes:

I would not even bother doing this in one batch - just start out doubling it and baking it in a regular 9 by 13 cake pan. Even then, you will want more.

Don't be afraid to cut them pretty small. They are really rich and nearly as sweet as fudge.

Le Madeleine's Tomato Basil Soup

(Copied from the Skip to My Lou blog)

La Madeleine Tomato-Basil Soup

Ingredients

4 cups tomatoes, peeled, cored and chopped, or 4 cups canned whole tomatoes, crushed
4 cups tomato juice
12 - 14 washed fresh basil leaves, plus additional for garnish, chopped
1 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup sweet, unsalted butter, softened
Salt to taste
1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper
Crusty bread (optional)

Directions

Combine tomatoes and juice in saucepan. Simmer for 30 minutes over
medium-low heat. Cool slightly, then place in a blender or food
processor. Add basil and process to puree; this will have to be done in
batches.

Return mixture to saucepan. Add cream and butter. Stir over low heat
until butter and cream are incorporated. Stir in salt and pepper before
serving. Garnish with more fresh basil and serve with fresh, crusty
bread. Makes 8 servings.

Per serving: Cal 237 Fat 22g Fiber 1g Chol. 67 mg Sodium 165 mg Carbs 10g Calcium 45g

Recipe by: La Madeleine French Bakery & Cafe, Dallas TX

Notes: When I don't have fresh basil I use 1 Tablespoon dried. When making this soup for my family for a quick meal I often use half and half in place of the the heavy cream and cut back on the butter. It is still yummy, but the real thing is divine!

Black and White Brownies

Haven't made these yet, but had them at a friends. Just wow. Tasted more like fudge than brownies.

Black and White Brownies

Fish Tacos

Check out this blog post: Fish Tacos

I really, really want to try them!

The Pioneer Woman's Chicken Spaghetti

I found this recipe a few weeks ago and Michael made it last week. OMG. It is amazing. Really, really amazing.

Chicken Spaghetti

We ate every last noodle over the next few days. It reheats great in the microwave, and includes directions for making it ahead and for freezing.

I am already looking forward to making it again.

Cooking, or lack thereof

So I have not updated or done a menu in a while. Why? Well, because Michael and I are trying (with limited success) to lose some weight. That means much simpler meals. And a surprising amount of my free time is spent working on my photography class. Sorry to disappoint my adoring fans with a lack of recipes and menus! LOL

I do have an apple pie recipe to post at some point, and a link to another dessert that I hope to get made this week for bunko.

Menu Plan, Week 4

Well, I am still at it and we are still doing great on not eating out as much. I am guessing we have already saved around 150 - 200 dollars.

Oh, and in case you haven't noticed, my obsession with "cream of" soup continues. I never realized how many of my easy, tried and true favorites contain this. Well, no apologies from me - it is easy and tasty and I am not that much of a food snob anymore now that there is a two year old underfoot.

This week the list is:

Meatloaf - I made this Saturday night and it really hit the spot. Olivia really liked it too. We had some garlic mashed potatoes, cooked cabbage and asparagus to go with it.

Red Beans and Rice - I have never made this before, but had a good recipe to start from. WOW - almost as good as New Orleans.

Chop Suey Casserole - An old favorite that I have actually only made once before. Looking forward to it again.

Chicken Pot Pie - will come back with the link, need to remember how to make it.

Lastly, I was craving bran muffins and tried a new recipe. As usual, I made some changes, so I posted what I did. They rock!

Raisin Bran Muffins (6 Week Muffins)

Whew - got it all up - guess I need to start thinking about next week already. This menu planning thing is a lot of work.

Raisin Bran Muffins (6 Week Muffins)

Raisin Bran Muffins (6 Week Muffins)

1 (15 ounce) box raisin bran cereal
5 cups 50/50 wheat white flour
2 1/4 cups sugar
2 tsp. salt
5 tsp. baking soda
2 sticks butter
4 eggs, beaten
1 quart plus 2 cups buttermilk

Combine all ingredients. Mix very lightly. Batter keeps up to 6 weeks covered in the refrigerator.

When ready to bake, spoon into greased or paper cup lined muffin tins. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes. Best warm.

Notes:

This recipe is adapted from the Victorian Sampler Tea Room Cookbook.

The original recipe calls for all white flour, but I wanted to substitute some of it for wheat. I found the 50/50 at the store so just used that. It should work in any proportion.

After I mixed it and let it sit in the refrigerator overnight, it was very dry. I added the additional two cups of buttermilk (the original recipe only calls for 1 quart) the next morning.

These are wonderful bran muffins.

The box of cereal I used was 17 ounces, so I just didn't use quite all of it.