Does Carbonara mean "with bacon"?

Okay, there were so many wonderful things about this dinner --
1. Everyone ate it
2. It had bacon in it
3. My husband made it
4. It had bacon in it

He's been surfing Yahoo Food every evening and found this recipe. He made it while we were at the school fair, so I came home to a plate full of pasta AND bacon! There is nothing wrong with that. Even my kids (who were already stuffed with cotton candy and popcorn) ate it. So totally make again... I couldn't even take a picture it flew off the plates so fast...

Linguine Carbonara
2 T. olive oil
2 T. butter
1/4 lb. bacon, cut into thin strips
2 cloves garlic minced
1/2 c. red wine
1/2 t. fresh ground pepper
2 eggs
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 t. salt
3/4 lb. linguine
2 T. chopped fresh parsley

Heat oil and butter over moderate heat. Add the bacon and cook until brown but not crisp (about 4 minutes). Add garlic, wine and pepper. Simmer until the wine is reduced to 2 T., about 3 minutes. Remove from heat. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, cheese and salt.

In a large pot of boiling water, cook the linguine until just done (about 12 minutes). Drain the pasta, add it to the egg and cheese mixture and toss quickly. Pour the bacon mixture over the linguine. Add the parsley and toss just until mixed.

Serve immediately with additional Parmesan.

Paella Fried Rice

This is a recipe I found in my Gourmet Cookbook, they even said it was "wacky" so I thought I'd try it. Being the big gambler that I am, I made it for the first time for a church potluck. I forgot that I'd bought a red bell pepper and overlooked adding the baby peas -- and I doubled the rice, oil and chorizo, but kept everything else the same -- and it was STILL good. One lady even asked me to send her the recipe! Next time I'll stick to the actual instructions...

“Paella” Fried Rice
From the Gourmet Cookbook, edited by Ruth Reichl

¼ c. extra-virgin olive oil
1 T. cumin
½ t. red pepper flakes
1 large onion chopped
1 large red bell pepper cored, seeded, chopped
2 links mild Spanish chorizo, cut into chunks
4 c. cold cooked long grain rice (1 ½ c. uncooked rice)
11/2 t. salt
1 (10 oz.) package of frozen baby peas
1/3 c. pumpkins seeds, toasted
1 c. finely chopped cilantro

Heat oil in a 12” nonstick skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking. Add cumn and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Add onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add chorizo, increase heat to moderately hgh, and cook, stirring, until sausage begins to brown, about 3 minutes (or longer, make sure sausage is completely cooked).

Add rice, crubling it to break up lumps, and salt. Cook stirring until some grains of rice begin to turn golden, about 3 minutes. Add peas and cook, stirring just until heated through. Remove from heat and stir in pumpkin seeds and cilantro.

This Blogging Thing Is HUGE

One of my work assignments was to reach out to "Mommy Bloggers" to promote Take Your Kids 2 Vote (and organization that advocates....wait for it.... taking your kids to vote). I got to spend all day yesterday looking for and emailing these women who are hugely talented and have either the fastest minds in the world, or lots of time on their hands... but it's amazing -- there are so many of them out there!

I want to sign up for the BlogHer convention and go make a difference TODAY. No more recipes and picky eaters -- I want to change the world (and get free trips to Disney on the way).

Anyway, back to brass tacks -- I found a great recipe for Spicy Peanut Butter Chicken last night and made it for the kids (Chris, the king of pickiness has been unavailable for dinner since Sunday -- and you know that means MEATLOAF tonight!)

Here's the link to the chicken -- PEANUT BUTTER CHICKEN

Here's the recipe, in case the link ever fails:
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1/2 cup water
2T soy sauce, or Tamari (which is basically gluten free soy sauce)
1T brown sugar (if your peanut butter is sweetened skip this)
2T veg oil
3 cloves garlic, minced OR 6 cloves roasted garlic (30 minutes at 325)
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (use more if you would like this anything but mild)
4cups broccoli
4 chicken breasts
Mix all the ingredients through the crushed red pepper into a mixing bowl.
Brown the chicken in a bit of oil in a large pan (do it in batches if you don’t have room)

Once browned, put all the chicken in the pan, add raw veggies (I used red pepper and snow peas, the recipe calls for broccoli) add some water, bring to a boil, put a lid on the pan, and then reduce heat to simmer, to steam everything for 7-9 minutes.
Once steamed, remove chicken and veggies to serving bowl, top with peanut butter sauce. Serve with rice.


I'll start my world changing blog (and promotion thereof) tomorrow.

Tex Mex Night is a Homerun

So last night I made the most well received meal I've created in a LONG time. It was one of those nights that I made all these new things, and everyone was running every which way and, unfortunately, when it was all ready to be served, we all had to be somewhere else BUT we heated it up in the microwave when we got home (at 8:30 pm) and had a metropolitan late night dinner, and everyone -- pretty much -- cleaned their plate.

I grilled chicken breasts, I made a sour cream/lime sauce (from Southern Living, March 2008) to go with that, I made black beans (also Southern Living, March 2008) and I made rice from a recipe I found on the internet that was credited to the Chipolte Grill.

My pickiest customer (Kate) gave it rave reviews.

Here are the recipes:

Cheesy Black Bean Mash
2 (15-oz.) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1/ cup vegetable broth
1 small onion, chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (4 oz.) shredded Mexican four-cheese blend


Preparation
1. Process beans and broth in a food processor 10 to 15 seconds or until smooth.
2. Sauté onion and jalapeño pepper in hot oil in a large skillet 4 to 5 minutes or until tender. Add garlic, and sauté 1 minute. Add black bean puree and salt, stirring until blended. Cook, stirring frequently, 3 minutes or until bean mixture is thoroughly heated. Stir in cheese until melted. Serve immediately.

Yield
Makes 4 to 6 servings

Creamy Lime Sauce
Ingredients
1 cup light sour cream
1 tablespoon lime zest
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper


Preparation
1. Stir together 1 cup light sour cream and remaining ingredients in a small bowl. Serve immediately, or cover and chill up to 3 days.
Yield
Makes about 1 cup

Southern Living, MARCH 2008

Chipolte's Basmati Rice
1 teaspoon vegetable oil or butter
2 tsp. fresh cilantro
2/3 cup white basmati rice
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Lime

In a 2-quart heavy saucepan, heat oil or butter over low heat,
stirring occasionally until melted. Add rice and lime juice, stir for
1 minute. Add water and salt, bring to a full rolling boil. At
boiling, cover, turn down to simmer over low heat until rice is tender
and the water is absorbed, about 25 minutes. Fluff rice with a fork.

[bahs-MAH-tee]
Basmati is a long-grained rice, with a fine texture. It can be found
in Middle Eastern and India markets, as well as some supermarkets.


The source of these recipes is attributed to Chipolte's Executive Chef
(and CEO), Steve Ellis.

My New Electric Skillet

My mother-in-law gave me an electric skillet for Christmas, and I am thrilled. So far I've made meatballs and fried chicken, but I'm sure it's only the beginning of what will be a long and happy relationship. We use our griddle every weekend (pound of bacon and buttermilk pancakes) -- and I can see me doing the same here.

The secret ingredient in the meatballs is lemon zest, and my girl Giada and her marinara -- well I cannot say enough about her.

The fried chicken is a work in progress, I did the whole soak in buttermilk thing, but ever since I served bloody chicken to party guests at Kate's 3rd birthday party, I'm honestly a bit gun shy about the dish.

Meatballs (from the Perfect Party Food Cookbook)
2 lbs. of ground meat (I used leftover pork, meatloaf mix, beef)
1 c. finely chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
grated zest of 1 lemon
1 1/2 t. salt
1 t. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley
1 1/2 c. soft bread crumbs
2 large eggs, beaten
olive oil for frying

Marinara Sauce (from Everyday Italian)
1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil
2 small onions finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 t. sea salt
1/2 t. freshly ground black pepper
2 32oz. cans crushed tomatoes
2 dried bay leaves

In a large pot, heat oil over a medium-high flame. Add the onions and galric and saute until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the celery, carrots, and 1/2t. each of salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and bay leaves, and simmer uncovered over low heat until the sauce thickens, about 1 hour. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Season the sauce with more salt and pepper to taste.

Buttermilk Fried Chicken (from www.elise.com)
With a few notes:
1. I didn't use any veggies in the overnight buttermilk soak
2. It took WAY longer to cook the chicken (see note about serving bloody chicken above) -- I'd say it took at least 20 minutes longer
3. I didn't use all the cayenne pepper she calls for, I was worried it would be too spicy for the kids.

Pretty much a make again, although I served cold leftover fried chicken to the kids last night (which in my book is almost as good as a BLT), and got some negativity about the temperature of the meal. These kids need to expand their horizons!

Banana Cream Pie Redux

Fear not! I have conquered the banana cream pie... and all it took was a graham cracker crust, a little bit of gelatin and about 3 different saucepans. No worries, it was delicious. Kate wasn't thrilled, and Zachary refused to try it, but that just left more for me. Next is coconut cream....

Old-Fashioned Banana Cream Pie
From The New Good Housekeeping Cookbook (mine is from 1986)
1 1/4 c. milk
1/8 t. salt
3 eggs separated, at room temperature
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1 t. vanilla extract
1 c. heavy whipping cream
1/4 t. ground nutmeg

1. Pre-bake a store bought graham cracker pie crust according to package directions.

2. In a heavy 1-qt. saucepan, beat milk, salt, egg yolks, and 1/4 c. sugar until well mixed. Sprinkle gelatin evenly over mixture; let stand 1 minute to soften gelatin slightly. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and coats a spoon (do not boil or mixture will curdle). Remove saucepan from heat; stir in vanilla. Refrigerate gelatin mixture, stirring occasionally, until mixture mounds slightly when dropped from a spoon, about 40 minutes.

3. In large bowl, with mixer at high speed, beat egg whites until soft peaks form; gradually sprinkle in 1/3 cup sugar, beating until sugar completely dissolves and whites stand in stiff peaks.

4. In small bowl, using same beaters, with mixer at medium speed, beat heavy cream until stiff peaks form. With rubber spatula or wire shisk, gently fold whipped cream and gelatin mixture into egg whites. Spoon mixuture into pie shell; sprinkle filling with ground nutmeg. Refrigerate pie about 3 hours or until filling is set.

5. Line cooled pie shell with sliced bananas just before spooning in filling.

The Dinner Party

So instead of having all our friends over at one time, we've decided to try and have grown-up, sit down, dinner parties. Our first attempt was last weekend, four couples (counting us) -- and, for the most part, I'd say it was a success.

Among our guests were two reknown neighborhood pastry chefs, and for some strange reason I thought I'd try to make a dessert I'd never made before -- some would say gutsy, some would say insane... so I made my own dough and everything, and created a raspberry chocolate tart (YUMMY).

I've also been sort of obsessed with the idea of banana cream pie, and found a recipe for sour cream bananna cream pie in the New York Times cookbook. I had the extra dough, all the ingredients, I figured, what the heck -- I'll throw that together too. Well I'm not sure what went wrong, perhaps it was the fat free sour cream, but to make a long story short, the pie never set and I served runny banana pudding on dough. My guests were very gracious, and said it was delicious, but it was quite unsightly.

BTW -- I made another banana cream pie today -- from good old Good Housekeeping Cookbook -- it's looking WAY better. I'll post more about that later...

Our menu:
Appetizers were Olive Tapenade and Parmesan Salsa
Grilled Tenderloin Steaks topped with blue cheese and scallions
Green Beans with shallots, garlic and lemon
Roasted potatoes
Dessert was raspberry chocolate tart and a failed banana cream pie experiment

The recipes:
Parmesan Salsa
1/3 lb. parmesan cheese
1/3 lb. asiago cheese
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 t. dried oregano
1 t. freshly ground pepper
1/2 t. red pepper flakes
3/4 c. extra virgin olive oil

1. Chop the cheeses into small chunks and place in a food processor. Pulse until they are the size of peas.
2. Transfer the cheeses to a medium-sized bowl and add the garlic, oregano, black and red peppers and oil, stirring to blend.

Cover and let stand at room temperature for at least 4 hours or refrigerate for up to 1 week. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Olive Tapenade
1 c. green olives (pimento-stuffed)
1 c. pitted kalamata olives
1/2 c. capers, drained
1 T. anchovy paste
2 cloves garlic, peeled
grated zest of lemon
1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil
2 t. red wine vinegar
1/4 c. packed chopped fresh Italian parsley

Put the olives, capers, anchovy paste and garlic in the food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Tranfer to a bowl and add the remaining ingredients. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Serve at room temperature.


Chocolate-Raspberry Tart (from Perfect Party Food by Diane Phillips)
1/2 c. seedless raspberry jam
1/4 c. Grand Marnier
One 9-in. pie shell, prebaked and cooled
1 1/2 c. heavy cream
One 12 oz. bag semisweet chocolate chips
Whipped cream and fresh raspberries for garnish

1. In a small bowl, blend together the jam and 2 T. of the liqueur. Spread over the bottom of the pie shell.
2. In a small saucepan, heat the cream and chocolate chips, stirring, over medium-low heat until the chocolate is melted. Reduce the heat to low and stir until the mixture thickens a bit. Remove from the heat and let cool completely, about 1 hour.
3. Add the remaining 2 T. of liqueur to the chocolate mixture. With an electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy. Spread over the jam in the pie shell and smooth the top.
** At this point cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to 2 days, or freeze for up to 1 month.
4. Garnish each slice of the tart with a dollop of whipped cream and arrange a few berries on the plate.