Pasta

Ingredients
1 pound pasta, any shape
4 eggs
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated or shredded
1 cup heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
11 slices thick cut bacon, cut into small pieces
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
²⁄₃ cup frozen peas

Instructions
1. Cook pasta according to package directions and drain well, reserving two cups of the pasta cooking water. 

2. Mix eggs, Parmesan, cream, salt and pepper in small bowl until smooth. 

3. Meanwhile, fry bacon in large skillet until just crisp.  Remove from pan and drain on paper towels or in sieve set over bowl.  Pour off bacon fat from skillet but don’t clean it out.  Return pan to medium-low heat and sauté onions until soft.  Add garlic and continue cooking until fragrant, about 30 seconds. 

4. Place hot pasta in large bowl and slowly pour half of egg mixture on to the hot pasta.  Stir pasta while adding egg mixture, it will cook with the heat of the pasta. 

5. Add peas, bacon, and onion mixture to the pasta bowl.  Pour in remaining egg mixture, stirring the whole time.  Add pasta cooking water if necessary to thin out the sauce.  Serve with extra Parmesan if desired. 

Comments
This recipe is from The Pioneer Woman.  I’m still looking for that perfect carbonara recipe and, sadly, this is not it.  It wasn’t as rich and creamy as I want my carbonara to be.  So, while it’s fine, it’s not the best ever.  Back to the drawing board!

Ingredients
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
¹⁄₂ pound bacon, chopped
3 large eggs
1 ¹⁄₂ cups Parmesan cheese, grated
3 cloves garlic, minced
¹⁄₂ cup white wine
1 pound spaghetti
2 cups frozen peas

Instructions
1. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Cook bacon in large skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes. Drain bacon in sieve set over bowl, reserve bacon fat. 

2. Cook chicken in 1 tablespoon fat in now-empty skillet until well browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to cutting board and tent with foil. Let rest 5 minutes, then thinly slice.

3. Whisk eggs and cheese in medium bowl. Heat 1 tablespoon bacon fat in now-empty skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add garlic and 1 teaspoon pepper and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in wine and simmer until thickened, about 2 minutes. Slowly whisk wine mixture into egg mixture.

4. Add 1 tablespoon salt and pasta to boiling water and cook until al dente. Reserve ¹⁄₂ cup cooking water. Place peas in colander, drain pasta, and transfer pasta and peas to pot. Stir in chicken, egg-wine mixture, and bacon, adding reserved water as needed.

Comments
This recipe is from Cook’s Country 2010.  I really love the carbonara I get in restaurants, it’s creamy and delicious.  I’m always trying to replicate this and, as of yet, I’ve never succeeded.  This is also not a success in terms of restaurant carbonara replication but, at least, it’s delicious.  The leftovers went fast and we all enjoyed the dish.  My cheese did clump up a bit but I think this is because I used shredded cheese instead of grated cheese.  I’ll try grating the cheese if I make this again in the future.

Cook’s Country 2010

Ingredients
12 cloves garlic, peeled
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons olive oil
¹⁄₂ cup heavy cream
¹⁄₄ teaspoon red pepper flakes or to taste
1 ¹⁄₂ teaspoons fresh oregano, minced, or ¹⁄₂ teaspoon of dried oregano
¹⁄₄ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and ground black pepper
1 pound linguine

Instructions
1. Heat oven to 350*F.  Place garlic in medium saucepan, add milk, and bring to simmer over low heat.  Poach garlic until slightly softened, about 10 minutes.  Drain garlic and reserve milk.  Rinse garlic to remove milk residue. 

2. Place cloves in square of aluminum foil and drizzle with olive oil.  Seal foil, place in oven, and roast until very soft, about 1 hour. 

3. Allow garlic to cook then mash with fork or spoon until garlic has reached the consistency of paste. 

4. Bring large pot of salted water to boil over high heat.  Cook pasta as directed on packaging. Reserve 2 cups pasta water then drain well.  Return pasta to pot.

5. Meanwhile, bring reserved garlic milk, cream, red pepper, and oregano to boil in previously used saucepan; simmer, whisking often, until milk mixture reduces by half.  Lower heat and whisk in garlic puree until sauce thickens, 2 to 3 minutes.  Whisk in Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. 

6. Pour sauce into pot with linguine and toss well to coat.  If the sauce is too thick, add some of the reserved pasta water to thin it, about 1 tablespoon at a time. 

Comments
This recipe is from Cook’s Illustrated 1993.  I thought it was super delicious.  The garlic flavor was amazing but super mild due to the roasting.  The only downside of this recipe is that we didn’t have leftovers!  You could easily make this with any pasta shape and it would be great with added vegetables such as mushrooms or broccoli or anything you like. 

Shown here with Roast Chicken with Dijon Mustard-Thyme Sauce.

Cook’s Illustrated 1993

Ingredients
1 pound large pasta shells
2 pounds Italian sausage, casings removed if cased
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 (14 ounces each) cans diced tomatoes
1 pound baby spinach
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Instructions
1. Heat oven to 350*F.  Fill a large bowl with ice and cold water.  Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook pasta shells according to package directions for baked dishes.  Drain well then transfer shells to ice water to keep them pliable until ready to stuff. 

2. Meanwhile, heat large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add sausage and cook, breaking up sausage with a wooden spoon, until browned, about 5 to 6 minutes. 

3. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds, then add tomatoes and spinach and cook until spinach has wilted.  (You might need to add spinach in batches depending on your pan size.)  Remove pan from heat and stir in ricotta cheese. 

4. Working one pasta shell at a time, fill each shell with pork mixture and arrange in a 9-inch by 12-inch baking dish.  Sprinkle tops with shredded cheese then back 25 to 30 minutes or until cheese has melted and tips of shells begin to crisp and brown. 

Comments
This recipe is from Inspired Taste but I altered it to use fresh spinach instead of frozen spinach.  I believe that, next time, I’ll nuke the spinach briefly in order to remove moisture.  These ended up being a bit wet due to the spinach!  They were delicious, though, and Lance and Art loved them.  Leftovers were demolished before I even had a chance to look for them in the fridge.

Internet - Inspired Taste

Ingredients
1 pound short pasta
3 cloves garlic, minced
9 ¹⁄₃ ounces Jarlsberg cheese
2 ounces Parmesan cheese
¹⁄₃ cup sour cream
6 ounces yogurt
4 tablespoons butter
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions
1. Bring large pot of salted water to boil over high heat.  Cook pasta as directed on packaging. Reserve 2 cups pasta water then drain well.  Return pasta to pot. 

2. Stir remaining ingredients into pasta and heat over low heat while stirring until cheeses melt.  Add enough reserved pasta water to achieve a creamy consistency.  Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper. 

Comments
This recipe is from Bite My Cake.  I’m always looking out for the perfect mac and cheese recipe so I figured I’d give this a try.  Sadly, it’s not the one.  I thought it was tasty, but neither of the guys much cared for it.  As a result, I ended up being the one to eat the leftovers and I did so by cooking it in a skillet until the bottom was crunchy and well browned.  Delicious way to use up leftover mac and cheese! 

Shown here with Bacon Wrapped BBQ Chicken.

Internet - Bite My Cake

Ingredients
1 pound orzo
10 ounces baby spinach, chopped
8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
¹⁄₂ red onion, finely chopped
³⁄₄ cup pine nuts
¹⁄₂ teaspoon dried basil
¹⁄₄ teaspoon ground white pepper
¹⁄₂ cup olive oil
¹⁄₂ cup balsamic vinegar

Instructions
1. Bring large pot of salted water to boil over high heat.  Cook pasta as directed on packaging. Drain well and rinse with cold water.  Drain again then transfer to large bowl. 

2. Add remaining ingredients to bowl and toss well to combine.  Serve any at any temperature – chilled, room temperature, warm, or hot. 

Comments
This recipe is from [all(recipes.com](http://all(recipes.com/recipe/spinach-and-orzo-salad/).  When Art and I were in Williamsburg, we had a great orzo and spinach salad as a side dish with our Carrot Tree Kitchens lunch.  I was thinking about it while meal planning and found this recipe.  While it’s not the same as the CTK recipe, I’m glad I tried it since it was very delicious in its own right!  It’s a very simple dish that can be served at any temperature.  I liked mine cool or cold, but Lance enjoyed his nuked with other leftovers the following day. 

Shown here with Grilled Salmon with Creamy Horseradish Sauce.

Internet - all(recipes

Ingredients
1 pound short pasta
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
¹⁄₂ cup all purpose flour
2 ¹⁄₂ cups milk, cream, or half and half
6 slices white American cheese, torn into pieces
8 ounces extra sharp white Vermont cheddar, shredded
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
¹⁄₄ teaspoon hot sauce, such as Sriracha

Instructions
1. Bring large pot of salted water to boil and cook pasta as instructed by packaging.  Drain well. 

2. Melt butter over low heat. Whisk in flour and cook 1 minute, whisking constantly.

3. Gradually whisk in milk (or cream); cook over medium heat, whisking until mixture thickens and bubbles. Remove from heat.

4. Add cheeses, mustard, salt, and hot sauce, stirring until cheese melts and sauce is smooth.

5. Stir in pasta and cook over medium heat for 1 minute (or until thoroughly heated).

Comments
This recipe is from Panera.  I have a weekly “me date” at Panera between Voice and Choir, while the guys eat leftovers.  Voice and Choir are located in such a way that it makes no sense for me to come home in between and Panera is a conveniently located place for me to have a quiet meal while I read a book.  I also love Panera since they don’t use HFCS in most of their products, including the salad dressings.  This makes them one of the few places in town that is “safe” for me. 

Every so often, especially if the weather is nasty, I like a bowl of their mac and cheese.  It’s creamy and delicious and hot and yum.  I do find it to be a bit overdone in the sauce compartment, but I can sop up the extra with a piece of bread so it’s all good. 

I thought it would be nice to try making their mac and cheese at home so I could control the sauce to pasta ratio as well as emulate the deliciousness that is Panera.  I’m not entirely sure what went wrong, but the sauce I ended up with just wasn’t as smooth and creamy as the sauce in the restaurant.  Maybe it needs less flour as another blogger has suggested?  I might try that out next time. 

I did, however, use half the sauce this recipe makes for the pound of pasta.  I’d suggest adding the sauce to the pasta a scoopful at a time until you reach your desired ratio. 

Shown here with Potato-Crusted White Fish with Tartar Sauce.

Internet - Panera

Ingredients
8 ounces short pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
4 tablespoons taco seasoning (1 pouch)
3 ounces cream cheese
¹⁄₂ cup sour cream
1 cup Mexican cheese blend, shredded

Instructions
1. Bring large pot of salted water to boil and cook pasta 1 minute less than package directions.  Reserve ¹⁄₂ cup cooking water, then drain pasta well. 

2. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat and cook ground beef, stirring, until beef is almost cooked through.  Add onion and stir to combine.  Continue cooking until onion has softened and beef is completely cooked.  Add garlic and continue cooking until fragrant, about 30 seconds. 

3. Stir in tomatoes and taco seasoning and simmer, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes.  Add pasta, cream cheese, sour cream, shredded cheese, and reserved pasta water.  Continue stirring until cheese melts.  Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until sauce reduces slightly, 3 to 5 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper, then serve. 

Comments
This recipe is from Tracey’s Culinary Adventures.  It’s fairly simple and basic, I feel like I’ve made this dish before in fact, although I don’t have anything with this title in my blog archives.  It was tasty, warming, and a nice casserole-pasta dish when you want comfort food.  It would be tasty with cilantro and/or green onions sprinkled over the top as well!

Internet - Tracey’s Culinary Adventures

Ingredients
1 pound pasta (I used bowties/farfalle.)
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 ¹⁄₂ cups frozen peas
1 package (about 6.5 ounces) Boursin or Alouette cheese
¹⁄₂ cup chicken broth
¹⁄₄ cup white wine
¹⁄₃ cup sundried tomatoes, sliced
1 tablespoon fresh dill or 1 teaspoon dried dill
1 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning
Freshly ground black pepper
¹⁄₂ cup Parmesan cheese
¹⁄₄ cup toasted pine nuts

Instructions
1. Place liquid measuring cup in colander in sink.  Bring large pot of salted water to boil over high heat.  Cook pasta as directed on packaging. Reserve 1 cup pasta water then drain pasta well. 

2. Meanwhile, heat oil in large skillet over medium heat.  Add garlic and cook 30 seconds or until fragrant.  Add peas, chicken broth, and wine and bring to boil.  Stir in cheese, cooked pasta, sundried tomatoes, dill, lemon pepper, and freshly ground pepper.  Add Parmesan cheese, pine nuts,  and toss well.  If sauce is too thick, add reserved pasta water to thin. 

Comments
This recipe is from Baked Bree.  I needed something quick and easy for a busy evening and this made a delicious dinner when served with simple chicken.  We all enjoyed it and leftovers were gobbled up.  I wasn’t able to get Boursin at the store where I shopped, so I went with Aloutte instead and used their sundried tomato soft cheese.  It worked out very well and complimented all of the other flavors nicely! 

This pasta also taught us something interesting.  Art ended up with a very weird taste in his mouth the following day and, due to discussion with a friend some months before, I diagnosed him with pine mouth.  After quite a bit of research, we have decided to switch to single sourced pine nuts, even if they’re more expensive than the randomly sourced ones we used to get at the grocery store.  It’s a small price to pay to avoid a recurrence of pine mouth! 

Shown here with Mom’s Chicken.

Internet - Baked Bree

Ingredients
Salt
1 pound spaghetti
¹⁄₄ cup olive oil
1 medium shallot, minced
¹⁄₄ cup half and half
2 teaspoons lemon zest
¹⁄₄ cup lemon juice (about 3 lemons total)
¹⁄₂ cup Parmesan cheese, shredded or grated
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons fresh basil, thinly sliced

Instructions
1. Place colander in sink and place liquid measuring cup in colander.  This will help you remember to reserve pasta water in step 2. 

2. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large Dutch oven over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon salt and pasta to boiling water; cook, stirring frequently, until al dente. Reserve 1 ³⁄₄ cups pasta water, drain pasta into colander, and set aside.

3. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in now-empty Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add shallot and ¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt; cook until shallot is softened, about 2 minutes. Whisk 1 ¹⁄₂ cups of reserved pasta water and half and half into pot; bring to simmer and cook for 2 minutes. Remove pot from heat, return pasta to pot, and stir until coated. Stir in remaining 3 tablespoons oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, cheese, and ¹⁄₂ teaspoon pepper.

4. Cover and let pasta stand 2 minutes, tossing frequently and adjusting consistency with remaining ¹⁄₄ cup reserved pasta water if necessary. Stir in basil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve, drizzling individual portions with oil and sprinkling with cheese. 

Comments
This recipe is from the Cook’s Illustrated 2011 Annual and I completely forgot to reserve pasta water.  Like always.  Because I forgot to do the “measuring cup in the colander reminder” trick.  Oops.  You should do it so that you’ll remember to save some of that beautifully starchy water to bind everything together.  I used extra half and half which just isn’t as grand. 

This was great.  Art loved it most because Art loves all that is lemon. 

Shown here with Pan-Seared Steaks with Herb Sauce.

Cook’s Illustrated 2011