Recipe of the Week 09/05/09----Pasta alla Carbonara

Ingredients
1lb linguine pasta
4 eggs
1 pound bacon (pancetta would be good to if you have access to it)
1 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese
8-12 cloves of garlic
1 large onion
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup white wine (I use more stock because of the little ones)
1/2 stick of butter
1 handful of parsley
1-2 tablespoons black pepper




Slice up one pound of bacon in about 1 inch pieces. Yummy bacon.


Toss the bacon in a pan to cook.


While your bacon is cooking put your water onto boil for your pasta.

Chop one onion.


Make sure you check on your bacon so it doesn't burn. Burnt bacon is NOT good.


Once the bacon is cooked pull it out with a slotted spoon and reserve it for later.


Put the diced onion into the bacon grease to cook for a couple of mins.


While your onions are cooking slice up your garlic into thin pieces.


Throw the garlic in with the onions to cook. Do NOT put the garlic in with the onions at the same time. The garlic will burn before your onions cook.


Check your pasta water. It should be boiling by now. Add some salt and the pasta. Cook about 9-12 mins. Check the package for instructions.


Remove onions and garlic and reserve with the bacon.
(Oops forgot to take a picture of this)

Discard the bacon grease, but do NOT clean the pan. Place pan on high heat and de-glaze with wine or stock. De-glaze is a fancy word for pouring liquid in a pan and scraping up the yummy bits.


Whisk until all the brown yummy bits come up from the bottom. Add another cup of stock and the bacon, onions, and garlic and let simmer over medium heat.


In a large bowl (it is going to hold all of your pasta so make it a big-un) crack four eggs. Add parmasean and chopped up parsley (I didn't have fresh so it is dried for me). Mix it up.


Drain pasta.


Add pasta to egg mixture. Don't panic the heat from the pasta will definitely cook the eggs.


Add the bacon mixture on top of the pasta.


Then add 1/2 stick of butter on top of that. Hey back off I never said this was a healthy recipe.


Mix it all up together with lots of black pepper.


Yummy stuff. Pasta alla Carbonara is like heaven on a plate. WOW!! Seriously this is one of my favorite meals ever. It is, as you can see, not very healthy. Definitely a sometimes food as Elmo would say. I sure hope you enjoy this as much as my family does. I threw in some picture of the boys so you can see just how much they love it. Happy Eating!!!

Recipe of the Week 07/26/09----Lasagna

This weeks recipe is dedicated to Stephanie. She is make lasagna for the first time today. Although hers is a slow cooker recipe, I thought I would show everyone how to make a traditional lasagna.

Ingredients

Lasagna noodles (duh)
Spaghetti Sauce
Parm Cheese
Ricotta Cheese
Mozzarella Cheese
Oregano
Egg

Boil the noodles...Don't overcook these. They will cook more in the oven.


While the noodles are boiling mix up the cheese filling. Two containers of ricotta cheese.


One teaspoon of oregano. Like my measuring spoon?


One fourth of a cup of Parmesan cheese. See my measuring spoon doubles as a measuring cup too.


A big handful of shredded mozzarella cheese.


One egg.


Mix it all together and set it aside.


In a 9x13 baking dish spread a little spaghetti sauce. Don't forget to do this. If you do your bottom noodles will get all hard and gross. Trust me!


On top of the thin layer of sauce add your first layer of noodles. About three fits nicely into my dish.


On top of the noodles add a layer of the cheese mixture. I find making small dollops and then spreading is the easiest way.


Next add a layer of sauce.


Keep making layers until you get to the top of your dish. The last layer should be sauce and then shredded mozzarella cheese. Bake at 350 for one hour. Don't forget to let it set for at least 15 mins before cutting it.


Here's a little secret for you. The cheese mixture is the same one I use to make stuffed shells. Very tasty. Happy eating everyone!!

Recipe of the Week 07/12/09---Honey Lime Grilled Chicken Sandwhich

I know I have been slacking on the recipes of the week. Sorry about that. With all the nice weather we have been having it just seems a shame to waste it at the computer. Anyhow here is this weeks recipe. I hope you try and enjoy it.

Honey Lime Grilled Chicken Sandwiches

Ingredients

Chicken Cutlets (These cook best I think. Make your own by cutting a boneless skinless chicken breast in half lengthwise).
Cilantro
Cumin
Honey
Lime (juice and zest)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Grill Seasoning (plain salt and pepper will work too)
Crusty Rolls

Zest the lime (just the green part not the white stuff) and juice it.


Take a big handful of cilantro(just the leafy part) and chop it up.


Add it to the bowl.



Add two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil (you can use canola too if you want).


Two tablespoons of honey


One teaspoon of cumin


Season the chicken on both sides with grill seasoning or salt and pepper.

Add chicken to marinade and let sit for 10 mins.


Cook on a grill or in a skillet until chicken is done.




You could eat this on a sandwich just as it is, but I like to slice mine up and pile it on a crusty roll.




Happy Eating!!

Recipe of the Week 06/20/09-----Pepperoni Chicken

Ingredients


Chicken Pieces (any you like I used breasts and legs)
Pepperoni
Tomato Sauce (NOT spaghetti sauce)
Soul food seasoning
Italian seasoning

Place chicken in a 9x13 casserole dish. Sprinkle with soul food seasoning and Italian seasoning.


Stack and quarter pepperoni.


Sprinkle over seasoned chicken.


Cover with tomato sauce. I only used one big can.


Cover with foil. Bake at 350 for a couple of hours or until chicken isn't pink in the middle.