Pasta Carbonara

Okay, here's my super-easy favorite pasta recipe. Around here we call it "Bacon and Egg Pasta" because everytime I say "Pasta Carbonara" Brian looks at me like I just sprouted a second head or something.

12 oz pasta (approx) Any kind will do. I like little ones, they mix better.
8 slices of bacon (we really like bacon)
2 eggs
Parmesan cheese
Parsley
Hot red pepper flakes

Cook the pasta. Please remember to salt the water when it boils, it makes the pasta so much better! Meanwhile, cut the bacon into small pieces and cook them until they are crispy. Drain on a paper towel.

Put the eggs into the bowl you're going to serve from. Stir them up with a fork until they are all mixed up. When the pasta is finished, drain it and immediately put it in the bowl with the eggs, tossing the pasta to coat. The heat of the pasta will cook any ick out of the eggs. Add the bacon, toss a little more, and serve. When serving, top with lots of parsley and cheese, and as much red pepper as you like. Enjoy!

The Easy Way to Chop an Onion

Chopping an onion can seem like a difficult thing. It's got that slippery papery skin and it slides around and it smells funny. And a whole lot of recipes called for chopped onions, so I think it's something that everyone needs to learn to do the least amount of difficulty. So here's my easy way to chop an onion.

1. Get a sharp knife. A dull knife is a dangerous knife. Cut the ends off of the onion.


2. Cut the onion in half.


3. Peel the paper skin off the onion, lay it on its flat side, and slice the onion. Be sure to keep the slices together, so that you can easily turn the group of slices sideways and slice again, resulting in a chopped onion. Good luck!

Happy 4th!

I'm really not all that patriotic, and I've never understood the fascination with fireworks, but I like any excuse to cook a party meal. Today's menu is:

Barbeque Bacon Cheddar Burgers
Carmelized Onions
Homemade Peach Ice Cream

I know, there are really no vegetables, but when no veg is listed, assume salad. I'm trying. Recipes below...

Barbeque Bacon Cheddar Burgers
(a close tie with Green Chile Cheesburger for top burger ever)
Ingredients:
2 1/2 to 3 lbs ground meat of choice
1/2 C BBQ sauce
1 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. chili powder (more if you like it hot)
1/2 t. salt
A couple grinds of black pepper

Bacon slices
Cheddar cheese slices
Buns

Procedure:
In the morning mix the burgers. I like very lean beef, but you have to add stuff to keep it from being really dry. Hence the sauce. Mix all ingredients in a medium to large bowl. Use your hands, they're going to get dirty anyway. Avoid mixing too much, it will make the meat tough. Once well mixed, form into 1 inch thick patties. I used 2 1/2 pounds of meat and got 8 burgers. Cover patties and chill until ready to grill, at least 2 hours.

Grill about 5 minutes on each side for medium-rare. Only turn once! This will help keep them juicy. Top with cheddar for the last minute of grilling, also adding buns to grill so they will be nice and toasty.

Saucy Carmelized Onions
Ingredients:
2 T. olive oil
2 large onions, cut into 1/8 inch thick slices
1/4 t. chili powder
1/4 t. salt
A couple grinds of black pepper
1/3 C canned beef broth
1/2 C purchased barbecue sauce
1 scant T. apple cider vinegar or white vinegar

Procedure:
Heat the oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook until onions begin to brown, stirring frequently, about 8 minutes. Add salt, pepper and chili powder. Add broth, BBQ and vinegar. Reduce heat to medium; simmer until sauce thickens, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.

Homemade Peach Ice Cream
Ingredients:
2 24.5 oz jars peaches in syrup
1/4 C Splenda (Be sure to use the kind that measures like sugar)
1/4 C sugar
3 egg yolks
4 C milk
1 C half and half
1 t. lemon juice
1 t. vanilla
1 t. cinnamon

Procedure:
Okay, this is the hardest one to make by far, but it's worth the time. Plus, you don't really have to work hard on the other stuff. First, drain the peaches, reserving the syrup. Chop them up, put them in a bowl with the Splenda and sugar. (This is my attempt at being healthy. A compromise.) Put the reserved peach syrup in a small saucepan, turn it on high and let it boil until it reduces down to 1 cup. This took me about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in another saucepan, whisk together egg yolks and milk. Turn on medium low heat and cook for about 20 minutes, stirring constantly. You really need to stir constantly! Do not let it boil. The milk mixture is ready when it begins to thicken and coats the back of a spoon. Trust me, stick a spoon in and you'll know what I mean. Occasionally stir the peach syrup, too.

When the syrup is reduced, add it to the peach/sugar mixture. Pour into a food processor and pulse until smooth. The milk mixture should be ready by now. Remove from heat and whisk in peach mixture. Then stir in the rest of the ingredients, cover and chill for 4 hours.

Follow your ice-cream maker's instructions to do the actual freezing.

I know it seems really tedious, but the result is well worth it!

The Point

I thought I should give an explanation of my blog. I have been avoiding blogging because I really didn't think others cared about what I had to say. What's the point of it if I don't have regular epiphanies, something that might make a little sense of the world? And believe me, my everyday life is not that inspiring.


And then I started thinking about food. (Honestly, food is never very far from my mind. I like to eat every two hours or so!) Over the years I have met enough people who are completely clueless in the kitchen to make me wonder if I could help. I love to cook. I don't claim to be an expert, but I can handle myself with a set of knives. And I love to teach. To teach someone to enjoy cooking is a lot of fun for me. I think it's sad that families don't eat together anymore, or if they do it's often either at a restaurant with a playground, takeout brought home in boxes and bags, or something from the freezer with ingredients you can't pronounce.


The media has also played a role in my adventure into blogland. Watching the news lately I find myself disturbed by what Brian and I like to call "Fat America Syndrome" or FAS for short. It's too easy to eat fast food and processed junk, especially if you are clueless in the kitchen. And as I get older I find that I'm in danger of getting lazy and falling prey to FAS, I realize that I need to do something about it now, before all the bad things become a habit. Don't get me wrong, I love pizza and french fries as much as anyone, but moderation is the key, a key that many Americans seem to have lost.


I love to watch cooking shows, when I can. I love to read cookbooks (I know, I'm a nerd) and cooking magazines. But many of those recipes are so out of reach for the normal person. As fantastic as a recipe may look and sound, I'm not going to go out and buy a cartful of obscure ingredients to use in one recipe. Chances are I'll use it once, and then the rest of the package will sit on a shelf for months, until I find it unrecognizable in the back of the fridge. I really struggle with this. With just Brian and me, I have to plan menus carefully. We don't want to eat spaghetti every day, but I also don't want to be wasteful, and it's hard to buy or cook for just two. The key, I have learned, is planning a week of meals that use common ingredients.


So here's the goal: to post recipes that are healthy, relatively inexpensive, and taste good. Also, to organize those recipes so that you can use common ingredients and not get bored. And, to give little lessons on kitchen procedures that many people don't know, simply from lack of practice. As cheesy as it is, I really believe the kitchen is the heart of the home, and getting more people cooking would be a good thing. Maybe more families will eat at the table together, or sisters will bond while washing the dishes together, or maybe you'll just learn an easy way to chop an onion.


So let me know what you think...What kitchen tips do you have? What would you like to learn? What recipes do your families love?

A Kitchen Adventure

Tonight my husband came up with a great quote for my blog -- "I don't want to be racist, but do they make a brown rice cooker?"

We are in the midst of a kitchen adventure. Since we didn't really have a plan for dinner tonight, Brian said he would make dinner. I love it when he cooks. However, it usually involves a crockpot, maybe a little too much cajun seasoning, and takes at least two hours longer than I want.

Tonight we did not opt for the crockpot, which is great since it means I won't have to eat the same leftovers for a week. It's hard for just the two of us to each a whole crockpot worth of gumbo, as much as I love it. Still, our meal did involve rice. And therein lies the crisis. I can usually handle myself in the kitchen, but rice is my white whale. I have been struggling to properly cook rice for as long as I've been cooking. My rice is always undercooked or burned or takes three hours. I know, I know, I should buy a rice cooker, but it just feels like cheating. People have been cooking rice for centuries without that fancy countertop gadget, why can't I? But after years and years of fighting this whale, I think it's time to give in. But does a rice cooker work for brown rice? I'll let you know what I discover.