Pasta Primavera

My idea of a perfect Saturday morning is a trip to the farmer's market. I remember going as a kid with my mom and dad. I remember the crowds of people perusing the bins of beautiful fresh green beans, silver queen corn, vibrant red tomatoes, and juicy peaches. Shelves filled with jars of country preserves of apple, peach, blackberry, and more. Homemade fried hand pies and smiling Southern ladies to whom everyone was called "Honey". Back then, I had no idea what treasures lied right there before me.

A couple of Saturdays ago, I had a really strong urge to go back to the farmer's market. The one I went to as a kid. And even though it was late in the afternoon, my husband and I got in the car and drove out there. It was just as I remembered it. And I came out with a huge bag full of farm fresh produce for around $10.00, handed to me by a lady with a smile and a "there you go, darlin'". You just can't beat that.

This recipe is a perfect application for spring / summer produce. You can really use any veggies you have on hand. I used zucchini, summer squash, tomatoes, asparagus, red pepper, yellow pepper, and onion. It's simple, quick, and easy to customize to your tastes. The flavors are fresh and perfectly vibrant, bursting with summer. High quality olive oil and Parmesan cheese are a must.

After a long day of yard work or at the pool, nothing beats a plate of this served with some crusty bread. Make it tonight! You can find the recipe here.

P-Dub's Mac and Cheese

Oh, macaroni and cheese. The ultimate comfort food, yet to me, so elusive. For a while now, I've been on the quest for the perfect macaroni and cheese. Perfect is so relative; because, mac and cheese is something that can be done in so many different ways. To me, the best ever is my Mema's (aka my grandmother for all of my readers who ain't from the South). No matter how hard I try to replicate her simple recipe, I just can't get it quite the same.

This recipe is from Pioneer Woman. If you haven't checked out her website/blog, you need to. Like, right now. Seriously. It's wonderful. I read it just about every day.

And this recipe was pretty great, too. It uses an entire pound of cheese... and as Ina says, How bad can that be? I actually made this for Easter dinner for my family. I tasted it right out of the oven, and it was delicious... creamy, cheesy.... everything you'd want in a perfect mac and cheese. I made it the night before and stashed it in the fridge to bring to Easter dinner the next evening. However, something curious happened. The next day, after reheating, it was like the flavor of the dry mustard in the recipe was heightened, and to me, it was all I could taste. I am not sure where I went wrong here, but I think next time I will omit the dry mustard completely or just use half of the quantity listed.

At any rate, this is definitely a recipe I will be trying again. Try it for yourself, and you will not be disappointed.

You can find Pioneer Woman's recipe and picture tutorial (full of incredible photos) here.

Spaghetti alla Carbonara

Sometimes the simplest dishes are the best. And, this dish is definitely simple, delicious, and economical. Spaghetti alla Carbonara: bacon and egg pasta. It comes together very quickly, too. Perfect for a busy night where you just need to grab some things out of the pantry and fridge and throw them together. I actually used linguine for mine, which is what I had on hand. But any long pasta will work. This is a perfect Spring dish - try it tonight!

Spaghetti alla Carbonara
Recipe adapted from Tyler Florence, www.foodnetwork.com

Ingredients

• 1 pound dry spaghetti (or any long noodle, such as angel hair or linguine)
  
• 4 ounces pancetta or slab bacon, cubed or sliced into small strips
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for serving
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Directions

Prepare the sauce while the pasta is cooking to ensure that the spaghetti will be hot and ready when the sauce is finished; it is very important that the pasta is hot when adding the egg mixture, so that the heat of the pasta cooks the raw eggs in the sauce.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until tender yet firm (as they say in Italian "al dente.") Drain the pasta well, reserving 1/2 cup of the starchy cooking water to use in the sauce if you wish.

Meanwhile, add the pancetta and saute for about 3 minutes, until the bacon is crisp and the fat is rendered. Toss the garlic into the fat and saute for less than 1 minute to soften.

Add the hot, drained spaghetti to the pan and toss for 2 minutes to coat the strands in the bacon fat. Beat the eggs and Parmesan together in a mixing bowl, stirring well to prevent lumps. Remove the pan from the heat and pour the egg/cheese mixture into the pasta, whisking quickly until the eggs thicken, but do not scramble (this is done off the heat to ensure this does not happen.) Thin out the sauce with a bit of the reserved pasta water, until it reaches desired consistency. Season the carbonara with several turns of freshly ground black pepper and taste for salt. Mound the spaghetti carbonara into warm serving bowls and garnish with chopped parsley. Pass more cheese around the table.

Dinner for My Valentine

This Valentine's Day, I decided to keep it simple. On Christmas Eve, I planned an elaborate dinner - which was great - it just left me in the kitchen all day and tired. So, for this holiday, I decided to keep things easy and delicious. I saw this Fettucini Alfredo recipe from the blog Life's Ambrosia (http://www.lifesambrosia.com/2009/02/fettuccine-alfredo-recipe.html) on Tastespotting, and thought it was just perfect. Easy, yet decadent. A treat for both me and my husband. Served with some crusty garlic bread and a salad, this meal truly hit the spot and left us feeling spoiled. You could add some grilled chicken or shrimp to add some protein to the meal. There was also a very decadent, rich, dessert at the end, but that will have to wait until later - it was my Daring Bakers Challenge for the month and can't be posted right now. But trust me, it will be worth the wait and a wonderful addition to your baking arsenal - my husband was singing it's praises (literally).

Fettucini Alfredo
adapted from Life's Ambrosia

Ingredients

1 pound fettuccine pasta (I used Buitoni fresh pasta)
1/4 cup butter (half a stick)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1/2 cup freshly grated Romano cheese
2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Directions

Bring a pot of water to boil, liberally salt the water and add pasta. Cook about 7-9 minutes (or 2 minutes if using fresh pasta). Strain, rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. The pasta will be slightly underdone but it will finish cooking in the sauce.
Meanwhile, melt butter over medium heat in a pan large enough to fit the pasta once cooked. Add the garlic and cook for about 3 minutes.
Add the pasta to the pan. Pour cream and cheese over the pasta. Toss to completely coat the pasta. Cook 2-3 (or 1-2 if using fresh pasta) minutes. Add the parsley. Reduce heat to low, let pasta stand 5 minutes until sauce thickens. Toss just before serving.

And now, I have to do just a little bragging on my hubby. Friday evening I arrived home after a double date with some good friends of ours to this:

Beautiful red roses, a cute little teddy bear, a sweet note, and some delicious chocolates. :) I hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day!

Giada & Ina's Macaroni and Cheese

Here's another recipe to tide you over until I get my holiday recipes up. I think I decided today on the main course for my husband and I's Christmas Eve dinner!This recipe is my own combination of two great macaroni and cheese recipes from Ina Garten and Giada de Laurentiis, my two favorite Food Network chefs. It's defintely a more "grown up" version. It uses fontina, mozzarella, and parmesan cheeses instead of cheddar, and is topped with tomatoes. I love the extra flavor the tomatoes add! Ina's recipe called for gruyere, which I am sure would be fabulous, but at the store I went to gruyere was so expensive it would've cost me $20 for the cheese alone for this recipe, so I used the cheese in Giada's, fontina. I'd never worked with fontina before, and it's creamy and mild. You could, of course, use any cheese you like. I think the first time I made this recipe I just used a shredded Italian cheese blend to save money. Since I was making this for our small group's Christmas dinner, I splurged a little on the cheese. This macaroni and cheese is best the next day, so its a great make ahead dish. Make it the night before and just warm it in the oven before serving. Unfortunately, there are no pictures (got in too much of a hurry), but I will be glad to share my recipe with you!

Giada & Ina's Macaroni and Cheese

adapted from two recipes courtesy Ina Garten & Giada de Laurentiis

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp. butter, melted
• 12 ounces of your favorite pasta (I used corkscrews)
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 2 1/4 cups milk
• 2 teaspoons all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for pasta water
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 cups grated Fontina cheese
• 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 3/4 cup grated mozzarella cheese
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley (or 2 tablespoons fresh parsley)
• 1 large or 2 small tomatoes
• 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs

Directions

First, spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and set aside. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.Cook your pasta in a pot of boiling, salted water until just al dente, about 6 minutes. Remember it's going in the oven later, so it should still have a bite to it. After the pasta is done cooking, drain well. Do not rinse.Whisk the cream, milk, flour, salt, and pepper in a large bowl to blend. Stir in 1 cup Fontina, 1/2 cup parmesan, 1/2 cup mozzarella, and parsley. Add the noodles and toss to coat. Transfer the noodle mixture to your baking dish.In a small bowl, mix the breadcrumbs with the melted butter. If it looks a little dry, add a little olive oil. Set aside. Slice the tomato into thin slices and set aside.Next, top the noodles with the tomatoes, the remaining cheese, then the breadcrumbs. Put into the oven for 30 minutes or until the breadcrumbs are brown and cheese is bubbly. Let it sit on the counter for at least 10 minutes prior to serving.

Hint: If during baking your breadcrumbs become too brown, cover the mac and cheese with foil.