Happiness is...Spaghetti alla Carbonara

     I can't believe I have gone this far into my life without ever having the "Happiness" that is Spaghetti alla Carbonara.  Why have I let this sweet comfort elude me?  It is composed of everything I Love: Pork, Eggs, Cheese, and Pasta, and yet I have always shied away from it for some reason.  I even have a gift certificate sitting on my desk from some friends, for their favorite restaurant, and they wrote right on it that I must get the Carbonara, and I have never used it 2 years later.  I must ask myself, "Why did it take you so long?  What made you hesitate?"  I guess I just couldn't wrap my mind around the concept of tossing pasta in raw egg, but I've seen the error in my thinking.  I'm not tossing in raw egg, I'm making sauce, and wonderful eggy cheese sauce.  I feel as a new convert who eyes had been blind to the light, and I must sing in praise of Carbonara.
     This dish is, to say the least, very soul satisfying.  It's creamy, it's flavorful, it's beautiful, it's filling, and it takes but minutes to make (it can be fully cooked in the time it takes the pasta to boil).  Give it a try, I promise it will leave you Happy.

Spaghetti alla Carbonara

• 1 lb. dry Spaghetti
• 2 T. Olive Oil
• 4 oz. thick sliced Pepper Bacon, cubed or sliced into small strips
• 4 cloves Garlic, finely chopped
• 2 Eggs, beaten
• 1 c. freshly grated Parmesan Cheese, plus more for serving
• 1 c. reserved Pasta Water
• Lots of freshly ground Black Pepper
• 1/4 c. fresh Parsley, chopped, plus more for serving (I prefer curly parsley over flat leaf, but use what you like)

Prepare the sauce while the pasta is cooking to ensure that the spaghetti will be hot and ready when the sauce is finished; it is very important that the pasta is hot when adding the egg mixture, so that the heat of the pasta cooks the raw eggs in the sauce.

     Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the Spaghetti and cook for 9 to 11 minutes or until your desired doneness (I like my pasta on the soft side). Drain the Spaghetti well, reserving 1 cup of the starchy cooking water to use in the sauce if you wish.

     When you drop the Spaghetti into the water to cook, heat the Olive Oil in a deep skillet over medium flame. Add the chopped Peppered Bacon and saute for about 3-5 minutes, until the Bacon is crisp and the fat is rendered. Turn the heat to low and toss the chopped Garlic into the fat and saute for less than 1 minute to soften.

   By now the Spaghetti should be ready.  Add the hot, drained Spaghetti to the pan and toss for 2 minutes to coat the strands in the bacon fat. Beat the Eggs and Parmesan Cheese together in a mixing bowl, stirring well to prevent lumps. Remove the pan from the heat and pour the egg/cheese mixture into the pasta, whisking quickly until the eggs thicken, but do not scramble (this is done off the heat to ensure this does not happen). Thin out the sauce with some of the reserved Pasta Water, until it reaches desired consistency (you will probably not need to use all of the water). Season the Carbonara with lots of freshly ground Black Pepper and taste for salt. Toss in the fresh Parsley at the last minute, so the color is at it's most vibrant.

     Mound the Spaghetti Carbonara into warm serving bowls and garnish with a little more chopped Parsley and a sprinkling of Parmesan Cheese.  Enjoy!

 

Happiness is...Parisian Macaroons.

The most gorgeous and happy of all cookies...Parisian Macaroons.  I am filled with joy just seeing trays and packages of these tender, chewy, colorful, inspired little French merengue cookies.  Upon eating one I feel like twirling and giggling, especially one of the Pistachio flavor.

I ❤ Asparagus

    

Spring is coming so fast this year.  The asparagus is already popping up in gardens all over the neighborhood.  I love a good asparagus forest.

The asparagus was abundant at the Farmer's Market this weekend.  I couldn't resist buying a couple bundles to take home with me.

 

My favorite way to enjoy fresh asparagus is oven roasted with lots of fresh garlic and coarse salt.

Oven-Roasted Asparagus

1 lb. fresh Asparagus Spears

1 T. Olive Oil

2 cloves fresh Garlic, finely minced

1/2 t. Kosher Salt

1/4 t.  cracked Black Pepper

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Place a parchment lined baking sheet into the oven, to heat up.

Trim off and discard tough ends of Asparagus Spears.  Place the asparagus spears in a shallow baking dish. Drizzle oil over asparagus; turn spears to coat. Sprinkle with the minced Garlic, Kosher Salt and cracked Black Pepper; toss.  

Take the lined baking sheet out of the oven and arrange the asparagus spears on it evenly, taking care not to burn your finger tips. Place the tray back into the oven and roast asparagus until tender, about 12 to 18 minutes depending on thickness of asparagus; turning after the first 5-6 min. Chop or leave spears whole. Eat.

 

StumbleUpon

     I just discovered StumbleUpon and it is ...Brilliant!!!  However, I haven't decided if that is "good" or "bad".  I have discovered wonderful new art and music and delicious new food sites.  I love the book sharing and shopping and incredible inventions.  Cat humor and politics and philosophy and new blogs and inventive photography and special interest sites and Rube Goldberg contraptions and... And I haven't left the computer in 2 days!!!

Chicken Breast Sandwich

    M'm m'm, I just made the BEST sandwich!  I ate it before I thought of taking a picture of it, but here's how I made it.  I started with some toasted Dave's Killer Powerseed Bread, and spread some Dijon mustard on the bottom slice.  I topped that with some crispy green leaf lettuce and some cold sliced herb roasted chicken breast (from the grocery store rotisserie).  I added some sliced ripe avocado and a schmear of cream cheese on the top slice of toasted bread.  Boy, was that a good sandwich...

For Pete's Sake

     For Pete's Sake is an okay little movie. Not really good but not bad either.  It's the kind of thing you put on while you are busy cooking on a Sunday afternoon.
     It's not one of Barbara Streisand's best films, but it's a quirky little farce about a young wife who'll do anything to finance her husband's dreams.  Some of the plot twists are cute but others are just completely ridiculous (cattle rustlers???) I enjoyed the supporting cast of character actors, including Estelle Parsons who was the crazy Beverly Harris on ROSANNE.  Truthfully, I could take or leave this movie...Eh'h.
     The real reason I recommend this film is the clothes, I would watch it over and over to see the clothes.  Barbara's smart but casual outfits are adorable!  Oh, her nightgowns alone! I die!  And the apartment!!! Gorgeous!!!  I kept replaying the scene in the bathroom because the bathtub is so wonderful (with the mirror and the tile...).  And her haircut!!! So cute and flattering!  This is a very well dressed film...

Fried Green Tomato Sandwich with My Remoulade

     I love Fried Green Tomatoes.  I love Sandwiches.  I love Fried Green Tomato Sandwiches!!!  It's actually a Bacon, Lettuce, and Fried Green Tomato Sandwich, and it is divoon!
     First, the green tomatoes.  Finding them is the hardest task, as they are not available all year round and very few grocery stores in the NW carry them at all (ever!).  So you have to grow them yourself or pray your local farmers market will produce a crop for you.  I personally go around to my neighbors, in late fall, knocking on doors offering to take them off their hands, as the majority of all green tomatoes around here are left to rot in the garden.  Once I have my hands on the tart green orbs, I begin preparing them for frying (plus I leave some to be pickled at another time).  I like the tomatoes sliced on the thin side, no more than a 1/4 in. thick, because the tomato actually softens while cooking and the flavor becomes more intense.  Next I prefer a dry coating, as opposed to a wet batter, just dredged in seasoned flour, then egg, then cornmeal.  This coating makes a nice, light, crisp crust that doesn't overpower the delicate flavor and texture of the tomato.  I coat and freeze about 5 lb. of green tomatoes every year so I can enjoy them all year long.  I just pull them out of the freezer and fry em' up.
     Back to the sandwich...I prefer thick sliced Black Pepper coated Bacon, cooked really crisp.  It is mandatory to assemble this sandwich on toasted 100% Whole Grain Bread (right now I'm eating Dave's Killer Powerseed Bread).  Slather both sides with Remoulade, made the traditional way with chopped egg in it, lots of leafy lettuce, then the bacon, and top it all off with the freshly fried, crisp green tomatoes.  This sandwich, just like the bread, is Killer!

My Remoulade Sauce

1 c. Mayonnaise
1 T. Cornichon, minced
1 T. small Capers, drained
1 T. fresh Parsley, finely chopped
1/4 t. dried Tarragon
1 small clove Garlic, finely minced
1/2 t. Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 t. Dijon Mustard
1/8 t. Cayenne Pepper
1 hard-boiled Egg, finely chopped
Kosher Salt, to taste
Black Pepper, to taste

In a small mixing bowl add all the ingredients and stir together well.
Transfer to a storage bowl or container.
Allow to rest for at least an hour before using, to allow flavors to blend.