Since I have mentioned Spaghetti Carbonara not once but twice in the last week or so – I figured I should share a recipe for one of my favorite dishes with you today. Mr. D looked over my shoulder when I was researching the topic and he said “Wife, do you really obsess this much over a good carbonara?” I answered “Why yes honey, I most certainly do obsess. Indeed, I do.”I first fell in love with the dish the Summer of 2007 when we were living in London. You see, it’s prepared in a different manner across the pond. Here in the States people will often add cream to their carbonara recipe -and I was never a big fan of how heavy it was. Over in the UK *closer distance to Italy and where many Italians have settled* they prepare the dish simply. Pasta, pancetta, pepper, egg, and parmigiano cheese. Perfection, isn’t it?Do you know where the name Carbonara comes from? I found the wikipedia definition quite interesting. The name is derived from the Italian word for charcoal. Some believe that the dish was first made as a hearty meal for Italian charcoal workers. Spaghetti alla Carbonara: pasta of the charcoal workers! Another rumor about the origin of the name: it’s about the black pepper added to the dish. The black flakes among the whiteish sauce look like charcoal soot! Whatever the case- I adore the combination of egg, cheese and bacon so spaghetti carbonara lands near the top of my favorite dish list.Spaghetti Carbonara Recipe: this Spaghetti Carbonara recipe comes from Ruth Reichl’s first book Mmmmm: A Feastiary Recipes

Ingredients: As always, I suggest you use the highest quality ingredients. Select fresh, organic, and free range, hormone-free products whenever possible. The egg yolks will be higher and the flavor will be more intense and pure. When you’re cooking with so few elements, the quality of the ingredients are that much more important! I promise, you’ll see and taste the difference.

1 pound spaghetti
1/4 to 1/2 pound thickly sliced good quality bacon or pancetta
2 cloves garlic, peeled
2 large eggs
Black pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano cheese, plus extra for the table

Method:

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. When the water boils, throw the spaghetti in. Dried spaghetti takes 9 to 10 minutes to cook. The sauce is easy enough to prepare in that amount of time.

Cut the bacon crosswise into pieces about 1/2 inch wide. Place in a skillet and cook for about 2 minutes. The fat will begin to render. At that point, add the two whole cloves of garlic and cook another 5 minutes or so, until the edges of the bacon just begin to get crisp. Do not overcook the bacon. If it becomes too crisp it won’t meld with the pasta. Break the eggs into the bowl you will serve the pasta in. Beat them with a fork. Grind pepper into the bowl with the raw eggs.

When it is cooked, drain the pasta and immediately throw it into the beaten eggs. Mix thoroughly. The heat of the spaghetti will cook the eggs and turn them into a sauce. Remove the garlic from the bacon pan. Toss the bacon with most of its fat into the pasta, toss again, add cheese and serve.

3 Comments » Posted by ABCDDesigns / I love this and Uncategorized and totally delicious dishes

Many, many moons ago, *back when I was a single, raven-haired brunette living on West 12th Street in the Village!* I threw a HUGE Halloween party. A few months later, I followed it up with a Feast of St. Lucia’s Winter Solstice party. Both times my sweet little apartment was decked out in all kinds of Holiday finery. There were twinkling lights, tasty homemade food, holiday cookies piled high on vintage china and oodles of perfect flower arrangements on tabletops throughout my cozy nest. On Halloween, I served beef stew, pumpkin spice cake and spooky cut-out and frosted sugar cookies.

For St. Lucia’s day, I invited my guests to drink my *Auntie Judy’s special recipe* eggnog or to sip champagne. They were also invited to nibble all the homemade Holiday bakery items that they desired. There was Nun’s Cake, Swedish Tea Ring and of course all the Holiday bakery recipes from my childhood. Needless to say, my party guests were dazzled and quite enjoyed my “The Hostess with the Mostess” attitude. Late on the night of the St. Lucia’s party, my friend Jaime (a comedian by trade and filmmaker for kicks) offered to put together a video of me cooking. Perhaps it was the eggnog talking, but he thought it would be brilliant if I won “…this new show called the NEXT Food Network STAR…”

I figured “Why not? Martha is in jail (it was 2004!) and someone has to take over, right?” I proceeded to invite him over for a filming session the following Saturday afternoon. In return for the time he spent filming and editing the video, he received a delicious dinner. Once you try One-Pan Whiskey-Flavored Pork Tenderloin, you’ll realize that was more than a fair trade – it’s just soooooo delicious! Think = “Thanksgiving Dinner.” It is fabulous.

I am naturally a blonde, I just had a “dark moment” after 9/11. I guess I thought if I changed my hair all would feel better in the world. Naturally, it didn’t make a difference in that respect – however, I must say it was awfully fun to make such a drastic change! Here’s a funny thing: given all that Mr. D and I have been through over the last several months the idea of going brunette (again) has passed through my brain many, many times. It must be something about ME wanting to have a hand in changing the energy of the path my life is taking!

What is it that saying they say? A way to a man’s heart is through his stomach? The old wives’ tale may be true! I am pretty sure I “caught” Mr. D with a recipe trifecta: Chicken Marbella, my very favorite Bow-Tie Pasta dish, and One-Pan Whiskey-Flavored Pork Tenderloin. Don’t you worry, I will be sure to pop back in a bit with that recipe -but first- don’t forget our little blog-iver-sary giveaway. How I wish I had a Hip Hostess Apron and Tea Towel set when I was shooting my video! {winkwink}

7 Comments » Posted by ABCDDesigns / Holiday Decorations and Nesting and Personal and Uncategorized and totally off topic

It happened again. I mentioned something (in this case someone!) on Twitter and the person magically started following me. When Chelsea from {Frolic!} blog was looking for book recommendations, I suggested that she start reading ‘I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti.’ It wasn’t but a moment later that author Giulia Melucci started following me!

‘I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti’ is a foodoir {winkwink} that tells the story of food and failed relationships in Guilia Melucci’s life. She takes readers along on a search for love that ends not at the altar, but at the stovetop. My heart ached as I read the book. With each chapter brought a new romance and a delicious recipe. It made me recall how painful it was to date in a City full of people with different ideas of what “acceptable behavior” was. Not to mention, she reminded me of all the koo-koo-crazy antics that single men in New York City are capable of exhibiting. The book absolutely made me *thank*my*lucky*stars* that Mr. D came along and that I was able to see the goodness in him. It may have taken three times to make a charm… but that is an entirely different story!

Check out the website for reviews and to get a feel for the book. Want more? I liked reading this interview of Guilia Melucci on My Recipes. Or, if you want to get reading – you can order your copy of ‘I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti’ by clicking here.

The Recipe: I was inspired by the “Healthy Penne” from The Ethan Binder School of Cooking Chapter in I Loved, I Lost I Made Spaghetti. Guilia’s recipe (my changes are noted)

1lb broccoli (I used 2 bunches)
2 Tablespoons olive oil plus a little more for finishing (I eyeballed it – plus a little more for finishing)
1 clove garlic, chopped (I used a bit more, two heaping teaspoons out of my jar of chopped garlic)
Pinch of red pepper flakes
1/2 cup raisins
Salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (I used Pine nuts because Mr. D is allergic to walnuts)
1/2 lb penne (Obviously, I used Whole Wheat Fusilli)
Freshly grated parmigiano cheese

Wash and cut the broccoli into florets, discard the stalks. In your electric fry pan (or skillet large enough to fit the entire pasta + broccoli mixture) heat the oil. Add garlic and red pepper. When garlic is golden, add the broccoli and raisins. Add a big pinch of salt.

While this is cooking, toast the nuts (5-6 minutes over medium heat) in a fry pan off to the side. Be sure to move them around otherwise they’ll burn.

Cook pasta, drain. Add pasta to the pan with broccoli. Add a splash of the olive oil and the nuts.

Lemons to Lemonade Update: It’s been 50 days since we gave up our NYC rental and headed to the Midwest. People ask “Are you living in Michigan?” My answer is “Technically no. All our belongings are in the Bronx. We’re living like vagabonds with some Summer clothes and my desk contents, moving between Knoxville and Northern Michigan every few weeks.” Today we’re off to the Wonder City ~ it’s soooooo strange to be a “guest” in my own town! We’ll be staying at 60 Thompson over the weekend, and then moving up to Midtown to be closer his work during the week. My fingers crossed that Mr. D’s meetings go well the next several days. I am longing to unpack our stuff and get to nesting in our new home – wherever that may be!

3 Comments » Posted by ABCDDesigns / Good Find and Nesting and Personal and Shopping and Travel and Uncategorized and totally delicious dishes

10+ years in NYC and I had all but forgotten that you can go to the market, stock up on items and have them at home ready for not one but multiple meal preparations. I have always kept a mini-pantry in the City but all-in-all I have bought what I need at the market for each meal the day I plan to prepare it. After spending the last few weeks in the suburbs of Knoxville, I came to appreciate the kitchen pantry. Okay, I don’t just appreciate. I am obsessed - What a delight to have enough storage space to hold all that extra food! When deepening a pantry you’ll have to decide what foods take priority and where you want to begin building up. Start with the goal of having at least one month’s worth of food-stuff for your pantry. It’s all a very personal choice dependent upon your needs. I always make soup and use fresh veggies, so you will not find Campbells Soup or canned corn in my pantry. If you’ve got kids I bet you’ll want a good supply of mac ‘n’ cheese in there. Below I have listed just a basic frame from which you are welcome to work from. First, I suggest obtaining two extra of items that are things you don’t want to run out of such as: paper goods like toilet paper, napkins, towels and cleaners such as dish soap or dishwasher detergent, laundry soap and bath soap. Second, I like to have a few extra bottles vegetable oil, extra virgin olive oil, REGULAR olive oil - so many people buy only extra virgin olive oil and don’t realize that extra virgin has an incredibly strong taste that you don’t always want in every recipe. Now that I have said that you’ll notice that most recipes differentiate between regular olive oil and extra virgin. Most at home cooks do not. They assume extra virgin is just “olive oil” and pour away. Try having both at home. I promise your food will taste better. *winkwink* I like to keep various pastas, noodles, rice, oatmeal, in large airtight containers that have a wide mouth. I leave a scoop inside each container. It makes for very easy use and even easier clean up. Just be sure to date the container when you throw away the original packaging. You’ll find canned or dry beans and canned tomatoes (both whole tomatoes and Italian style) in my pantry. A jar of honey, lemon curd, red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, a few jars of minced raw garlic, garlic and tomato paste. I also don’t know what I would do without at lease 4-6 boxes of organic chicken broth and 2 boxes of beef broth hidden away. I am always sure there are dried fruits – apricots, prunes, raisins – and a variety of nuts on hand. This way you’ll always have an interesting mix to chop up and add to a salad or to put out as a quick appetizer with cheese, crackers and cocktails. You should also have selected nut-butters stashed away. I like to have almond and a few jars of peanut or hazelnut butter in the pantry. I also like to have several jars of preserves on hand for recipes and morning toast, to sweeten dressing or to add to bakery recipes. American Spoon Foods are my favorite. I will usually have a few of their salsas, spoon fruit and red pepper jelly in the pantry.

A little hint: dress up your maple syrup! Take 1/4 cup nut butter and melt it into 1 cup of maple syrup. Dress Sunday’s pancakes with that concoction and you’ll win *Very Best Chef EVER* points!

These baking supplies are needed to bake just about anything: extra baking soda, an extra baking powder, extra pure vanilla extract, almond extract, flour, cornmeal, different sugars, chocolate chips, dried coconut, a few box mixes, brownies, blueberry muffin mix, a few cake mixes. I’d deepen the bakery section of the pantry further when possible.

As a baking side note, I like to have at least two pounds of butter in the freezer. If you see flour or other bakery goods on sale, buy it and rotate the oldest package to the front to be used first. Be sure that everything is dated so that nothing does not go bad. If you wanted to deepen your pantry as quickly as possible, it will be necessary to go through the recipes you use the most often. Decide how much you want to deepen your pantry for each food item. Continue purchasing the items until you have the amount you want and then rotate, rotate, rotate. Remember to use the oldest and place the newest in the back of the shelf. Otherwise, I suggest when building up (or deepening) your pantry that you do it a little at a time as your budget allows. A kitchen stocking note: last week one of the blogs I follow suggested gifting the bride and groom with some quality kitchen ingredients as their wedding present. A few bottles of wine, a selection of spices and a few nice bottles of cooking oil would be brilliant if the couple likes to cook or if you know they plan to cook together as newlyweds. While a lot of people live together before the wedding, the fact is that many are both setting up house and getting wed within the same breath. Weddings are really expensive. Spices are ultra-expensive too! I know the last thing I wanted to do right after we got married and moved in together was try to figure out how to outfit my spice cabinet properly within a reasonable budget. Keep in mind that while it is always good to have extra Sea Salt, Kosher Salt and Pepper on the pantry shelf that other spices do not keep longer than six months without losing flavor. It is not realistic to keep the same jar of nutmeg from one winter holiday to the next. Buy your spices in the smallest jars that your store sells and don’t buy new until you have nearly run out.

If you’re interested in reading more about cooking from your pantry – read this article from the New York Times about cooking without grocery shopping and get recipe ideas from Martha Stewart’s Dinner Tonight where they attempted this one week “cooking from your pantry” challenge.

8 Comments » Posted by ABCDDesigns / ABCD Recommends and Nesting and Uncategorized and Where to eat? and totally off topic

Last night I made Bow Tie Pasta with Sausage in Tomato Cream Sauce. This is one of my favorite recipes from mom’s repertoire. It has been a while since I made this dish – as the cream sauce is a bit decadent for regular use! All I can say is Y U M. This recipe is thrown together really quickly and tastes like you spent hours slaving over the stove! The best part is that the sauce can be made the day before and be reheated when you are boiling the pasta. Prepping it the day before means it is a wonderful (and super easy) dish to serve to company.

Ingredients
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 lb. sweet Italian sausage, casings remove and crumbled (I most often make it with pre-cooked sweet italian chicken sausage, sliced thin. It tastes fabulous!)
1/2 tsp. dried red pepper flakes
1/2 c. diced onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 (28 oz.) Italian plum tomatoes, drained and coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
1/2 tsp. salt
12 oz. bow tie pasta (With the 1.5 cups of whipping cream, it is hardly heart healthy – but I like to use whole wheat pasta whenever I can.)
3 tbsp. minced fresh parsley
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Heat oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add sausage and pepper flakes. Cook until sausage is no longer pink, stirring frequently. Add onion and garlic to skillet and cook until onion is tender and sausage is light brown. Add tomatoes, cream and salt. Simmer until mixture thickens slightly. Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling water until tender. Serve sauce over pasta, garnish with chopped parsley and Parmesan cheese.

E N J O Y !

3 Comments » Posted by ABCDDesigns / Nesting and Uncategorized and totally delicious dishes