Linguini Carbonara

I confess: I've been terribly afraid of making carbonara. I love it so much, but the idea of myself trying to cook eggs with nothing but hot pasta scared me. A lot. So... I just never made it. Then, a few days ago, I decided to be brave. Despite my husband's skepticism and jokes of omelet pasta, I made it.

Wow. This was delicious. And as much as I fretted, it really was one of the easiest pasta dishes I've made in quite some time. You need to make it. Like, now.

Linguini Carbonara

Recipe adapted from Pioneer Woman/Pastor Ryan

Serves 2-3

Cook & Prep Time - about 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS*

1/2 lb linguini noodles

4 TBSP butter, divided

1-2 TBSP olive oil

1 small onion, diced finely

5 cloves garlic, crushed (or minced)

1/2 cup white wine

1/2 cup chicken stock

2 eggs

3/4 cup Parmesan cheese

salt & pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS

Bring a big pot of salted water to a boil. While bringing the water to a boil, chop up your onions and garlic.

Crack the eggs in a bowl and get them ready to mix together with the Parmesan cheese (I mixed them in my food processor).

Drop pasta in the water and cook to al dente. It's very important that the noodles stay in the boiling water until right before you mix them with the sauce. The noodles have to be really hot.

Melt 2 TBSP butter with 1-2 TBSP olive oil over medium heat in the bottom of a big pan. Add the onions & garlic and season with salt & pepper, to taste. Once the onions soften, increase the heat to medium-high and add wine to deglaze the pan. Cook until the alcohol burns off and the liquid reduces by about half.

Add the chicken stock and turn down the heat to medium-low. Cook until the noodles are done.

In the meantime, mix together the eggs and Parmesan. Even though I did this in my food processor, I'm sure a whisk would work, too.

When the pasta is done, quickly drain it and return it to the pot. Immediately add the egg mixture and toss for several seconds. Add the liquid, onions and garlic from the pan and toss for a few more seconds. Then, add remaining 2 TBSP butter and toss until the butter melts and is combined. Season with pepper, to taste.

Top with grated Parmesan cheese.

*I'm aware that a carbonara normally has bacon in it. I don't like bacon. So I left it out.

Chicken in White Wine Sauce

About three weeks ago, I decided I wanted to make some sort of chicken in a wine sauce. When I decided that, I was thinking I was going to make something like the Coq au Vin I made months ago and loved. Apparently I wasn't really feeling it because it stayed on my menu planning list for almost three weeks. Then, tonight, I got inspired and ended up creating something completely different, but very delicious. We both loved this - it managed to be both light and hearty at the same time and bursting with flavor.

Chicken in White Wine Sauce

Serves 2

Prep Time - 10 minutes

Cook Time - 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS

4 oz egg noodles

4 chicken legs

flour, seasoned with salt & pepper, for dredging

1 TBSP butter

1 TBSP olive oil

1 shallot, finely diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

3/4-ish cup white wine

3/4-ish cup chicken stock

1/2-ish cup whole milk (or other dairy liquid)

1/2 tsp dried parsley

1/4 tsp dried chives

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat oil & butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Dredge chicken legs in seasoned flour. Add to pan and brown on all sides. Transfer to cookie sheet and continue cooking in the oven until the sauce is done.

Meanwhile, cook egg noodles to al dente (to have them done around the same time as the sauce, drop them after you put the chicken in the oven).

If your pan is dry, add more olive oil. Add shallots & garlic and cook until the shallots begin to soften.

Add wine to de-glaze the pan and let cook until the alcohol has burned off and liquid has reduced by at least half. Add stock, parsley, & chives, and cook for about 5 minutes.

Add milk (I used some leftover whole milk, but I think any dairy you have on hand would do the same thing) and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the sauce thickens. Season with salt & pepper to taste. If the sauce doesn't get as thick as you'd like, feel free to thicken it with a cornstarch & water slurry.

Spoon the sauce over the egg noodles and chicken. Top with grated Parmesan cheese if desired.

Feta-Stuffed Chicken

I like feta cheese, but I don't have many recipes that use it, and most that do only use a small amount. So, I'm always looking for ways to use up whatever I have left. Sadly, I often end up letting some feta to go to waste. Then, one day, I got the idea that I could use it to stuff chicken. So, after looking around my kitchen, I came up with these feta-stuffed chicken breasts.

Feta-Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Serves 2

Prep Time - 10 minutes

Cook Time - 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS

2 chicken breasts, pounded thin

3-4 oz cream cheese, softened

feta cheese, to taste (I think I probably used about 1/4 - 1/3 cup)

1/2 tsp oregano

2 cloves garlic, minced

salt & pepper

flour, for dredging

1-2 TBSP olive oil

DIRECTIONS

Mix together cream cheese with feta, oregano, and garlic. Put about 1/2 of the mixture on each chicken breast and roll up. Secure with toothpicks, if necessary.

Season some flour with salt & pepper. Dredge the chicken in the seasoned flour. Shake off any excess.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a pan over medium to medium-high heat. Add the chicken breasts to the pan and brown on all sides. If necessary to ensure the chicken is fully cooked, transfer to the oven and cook for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees F.

Marshmallow Crunch Brownies

How do you make a brownie better? You add peanut butter, of course. And, if you want to make it even better, you add rice krispies and marshmallows. What you get is brownie heaven. I remember my grandma making something similar once or twice when I was younger, and really loved them, so when I found them on a blog I read frequently, I was super excited. You must make these now.

Marshmallow Crunch Brownies

Recipe by Peabody, modified

INGREDIENTS

Brownies

1 cup butter, melted (no substitutes)

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup cocoa

1 tsp vanilla

Topping

7 oz mini marshmallows

1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1 TBSP butter

1 1/2 - 2 cups rice krispies

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix together all brownie ingredients. Pour into 9 x 13 pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until just done.

Remove brownies from the oven and sprinkle with the mini marshmallows. Immediately return to the oven and bake for another 3 minutes. Remove immediately.

While the brownies are in the oven, mix together the topping by doing the following:

Place the chocolate chips, butter, and peanut butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Stir constantly, until melted. Remove from heat, add the rice krispies, and stir. Let cool for about 3 minutes and then spread over the brownies. Allow to cool completely and then chill. Serve cold.

English Muffins

English muffins are one of my favorite breakfast foods. Since I successfully started making bagels, I've been interested in making English muffins. I was curious if the effort and of making them and the taste would be worth it. So, when I had some spare time on a Saturday, I tried making them. Because I love my breadmaker, I used that to knead the dough and let it rise.

They were a bit tedious to make, but in the long run, they're so much better than the ones you buy at the store. I would definitely recommend trying to make them over buying them.

English Muffins

Recipe from King Arthur Flour website (modified slightly)

Makes 16-20 muffins

INGREDIENTS

1 3/4 cups warm milk
3 TBSP butter
1 1/4 tsp salt
2 TBSP sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten
4 1/4 cups unbleached flour
2 tsp yeast

DIRECTIONS

Place the ingredients in the pan of your bread machine following the manufacturer's instructions. Use the "dough" setting. After the cycle is complete, transfer the dough to a cornmeal-sprinkled surface and roll it out until it's about 1/2-inch thick. Cut out the muffins in about 3-inch rounds. Re-roll and cut out any leftover dough. Cover the muffins with a damp cloth and let rest for about 30 minutes.

Heat a cast iron skillet to very low heat (a hard-annonized skillet didn't work as well). Do not grease, but sprinkle with cornmeal. Cook 4-5 muffins at a time, cornmeal side down first, for about 5-7 minutes per side.

Check after about 4 minutes to see that the muffins are browning gently and are neither too dark nor too light. If they are cooking either too fast or too slowly, adjust the temperature of your pan or griddle.

When brown on both sides, transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Spicy Spaghetti all'Amatriciana

Amatriciana (pronounced: mah-tree-shawna) is a very traditional Roman dish. Word is that you can find it any any osteria in the region. Despite that, I've never had it in either trip to Rome. I don't know why. I think I'm probably just too obsessed with the plain spaghetti, lasagna, and pizza to branch out too much. Call me a creature of habit.

Now, as you should all know, I love simple recipes that don't take a whole lot of time to prepare. So, when I came across this recipe on foodnetwork one day, I knew I had to try it. I took a few liberties with the recipe, and we both really liked it. I can't wait to try making it again with a few simple changes.

Spaghetti all'Amatriciana

Recipe by Michael Chiarello

Serves 4

Prep Time - 5-10 minutes

Cook Time - 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS

1/4 lb pancetta, cut into thin strips*

2 TBSP olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (be generous)

2 tsp flat leaf parsley, chopped

1 1/2 TBSP red wine vinegar

1 cup tomato puree

1/4 cup chicken stock

3/4 lb spaghetti

freshly grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS

Cook pasta to al dente. Drain & set aside.

Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Add oil, and cook the pancetta until the fat begins to render out. Do not let it get crispy. Add onions & garlic and cook until the onions become translucent, about 3-5 minutes. Add red pepper flakes and parsley and stir.

Add the vinegar and let cook until it evaporates, about 2 minutes.

Add tomato puree and stock. Reduce heat to a simmer.

Add pasta to the saucepan and toss to coat. Let simmer for 3-5 minutes, or until the pasta absorbs a bit of the sauce. Serve with lots of freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

*Given the relatively high cost of pancetta around here, I'm going to try to make this recipe without it next time. I think it added something to the sauce, but I'm not sure it adds enough to outweigh the expense.

Chicken Ragu with Whole Wheat Penne

Whole wheat pasta was on a really good sale at the grocery store a couple of weeks ago. I'd never tried whole wheat pasta before, but had always been a little curious. When figuring out what to do with it, I came across a Rachael Ray recipe that seemed like it had some good concepts. Since I'm always on the lookout for quick, delicious meals, I decided to run with this one.

In the end, we both loved it. I couldn't taste a whole lot of difference between the wheat pasta and regular white pasta, except that the texture was a little bit different. I'd absolutely make this again, and try playing around with the recipe even more next time.

Chicken Ragu with Whole Wheat Penne

Loosely based on this Rachael Ray recipe

Serves 4-6

Cook & Prep time - 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 lb whole wheat penne pasta

1 TBSP butter

1 TBSP olive oil

1 lb chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

1 onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 sprigs rosemary, finely chopped

1/2 cup chicken stock

1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes

salt & pepper

1/2 - 1 tsp red pepper flakes

1 bay leaf

DIRECTIONS

Cook pasta to al dente. Drain & set aside.

In a large skillet or dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat. Add olive oil. Season the chicken with salt & pepper and brown.

Add onions, garlic and rosemary. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until onions get soft.

Add the chicken stock to deglaze the pan and let reduce for about a minute. Add the tomatoes and stir to combine. Season with salt & pepper and red pepper flakes.

Toss with the pasta and top with grated Parmesan cheese.