Pasta Carbonara with Bacon

One of the easiest recipes I know, and also one of the best. Always a crowd pleaser, with little to no work. I've eaten double portions of this more often than I should probably admit. That Martha sure knows what she's talking about.

Spaghetti Carbonara - Martha Stewart
1 pound spaghetti
8 ounces (8 slices) bacon, cut 1 inch thick crosswise
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
3 large eggs
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
1/2 cup half-and-half, or cream

Set a large pot of water to boil (for pasta). In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, 8 to 12 minutes; transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate.
Salt boiling water generously; add pasta and cook until al dente, according to package instructions.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together eggs, Parmesan, and half-and-half. Set aside.
Drain pasta, leaving some water clinging to it. Working quickly, add hot pasta to egg mixture. Add bacon; season with salt and pepper, and toss all to combine (heat from pasta will cook eggs). Serve immediately, sprinkled with additional Parmesan cheese.



Bacon

Eggs, creme, parmesan.

All ready to eat.

Penne Pasta with Tuna

Do you ever get tired of tomato sauce? I do. Don't get me wrong, I adore marinara, bolognese, and all things containing tomatoes. Sometimes however, I feel like every time I make pasta I end up with tomato sauce. Lately I've been eating more pasta, because I have it in my pantry and it's fairly inexpensive. Well I discovered when I was ready to make this meal, I had no meat in the freezer to defrost, and no time to hit the store to purchase some. This was born. I'm a big lover of tuna. My very favorite meal (other than pot roast) is my Moms Tuna Casserole. It is creamy and cheesy and full of tuna, it's also not very good for you. I could eat an entire container by myself. Not that I ever have.

*cough*

Back to the matter at hand. This is... different to be sure. The first bite has that moment of.... wait, I'm eating this? (I think it's the briny flavor of the capers and olives that gives me pause.) And then the flavors melt onto your tongue and it's creamy and tangy and satisfying.



Olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, very finely chopped
2 cans tuna, with juices
1 Tbsp capers, drained and chopped
1/4 c Kalamata olives, drained and chopped
1 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp dried marjoram
Salt
Pepper
1/4 c cream cheese
Penne pasta

Cook pasta according to package directions. In a medium pan heat olive oil, add onions. Saute until softened slightly. Add garlic, saute about a minute. Add in your tuna, with the juices. Add in capers, olives, and spices. Stir together well. Dollop cream cheese on top of mixture. Let heat through. Season with salt and pepper. Add a bit of pasta water if you need to thin it. Add your pasta and toss.

I added a bit of parsley on top but you don't need to.

Enjoy!



Onions and garlic

Add the tuna.

Add olives and capers.

Cream cheese and spices.

Serve over warm pasta.

Nigella's Chocolate Mousse

I love Nigella. I could watch her cook all day long. When people say she's the goddess of food porn, it's for a reason. She's amazing. Although I do not share her love of blue cheese, I do share her love and passion for good food. I cook for myself, even when I'm all alone. I adore that she unashamedly does the same. She will never apologize for indulging, and will make you feel silly for even thinking she should have in the first place. This recipe is one of my favorite indulgences. It never fails, never goes wrong, and is extremely versatile. Please, indulge for a bit.

Nigella's Instant Chocolate Mousse


3 cups mini marshmallows
1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened
9 ounces best quality semisweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces
1/4 cup hot water from a recently boiled kettle
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract



Put the marshmallows, butter, chocolate and water in a heavy-based saucepan.

Put the saucepan on the stove, over heat, though keep it fairly gentle, to melt, stirring every now and again. Remove from the heat.

Meanwhile whip the cream with the vanilla until thick and then fold into the cooling chocolate mixture until you have a smooth, cohesive mixture.

Pour or scrape into 4 or 6 glasses or small dishes and chill until you want to eat. The sooner the better!


To change it up, try different extracts, and different chocolates. This is amazing using white chocolate and orange extract. Dark chocolate and raspberry. Even a TINY TINY bit of mint extract just hits the spot.




Everything getting all melty.

Delish

Whipped Cream

Combine cooled chocolate mixture with whipped cream.

Fold it gently

Peach Crisp

I love peaches. I love everything about them. They are juicy, tart, and sweet. Peaches fall apart so deliciously when cooked.

A summer is not complete without peaches. And towards the end of the summer I love this crisp.

Ingredients:
7-9 fresh peaches, peeled, pitted, and sliced
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 c all purpose flour
1 c granulated sugar
1/2 c brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
sprinkling of freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c butter


Preheat oven to 375 degrees F, and grease an 8 inch square baking dish. Place the peaches in the bottom of the baking dish, and pour over the vanilla. In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Rub the butter into the flour mixture using your fingers until the mixture resembles crumbs.
Sprinkle the flour mixture in an even layer over the top of the peaches, and bake in the preheated oven for about 45 minutes, until the peaches are bubbling and the topping is browned.