BLT Carbonara

|
By
|
10 comments

BLT CarbonaraI feel like we’ve been crazy busy lately – it’s always something on our schedules one weekend or another. Poor Jon just got to brew beer for the first time in two months last week! Plus, we’d all been sick for pretty much the entire month of January. Stomach bugs? Check. Coughing up lungs? Check. Faucets for noses? Check.

This has been the first week this month where we’ve all felt good, and I’ve been playing catch-up with house chores that kind of got put by the way-side while I was sick myself, or playing nurse maid. Seriously, where does all this laundry come from? I’d swear I live in a house with 5 teenage girls the way these boys go through clothes! Anyways, with all the housework, I wasn’t feeling cooking dinner the other night. But, I wasn’t feeling anything out either. So, I mustered up some energy and went to the kitchen to make this quick pasta. A few ingredients, and a little bit of time – and you’ve got yourself one terrific and satisfying meal.

If you’re worried about using raw eggs in your pasta – hear me out. It’s not really raw eggs, because the eggs cook (more or less) in the pan with the hot pasta. It transforms into a thick and luxurious sauce that can’t be achieved with any substitutions. If you’re that worried about it, let it cook on the heat for a little bit longer than 2 minutes. But, there really isn’t anything to worry about – you don’t think anything about licking brownie batter off the spatula when you’re done baking, do you?

The original recipe just calls for bacon and tomatoes, but I happened to have a half a bag of baby spinach hanging out in the fridge that I needed to use – and thought that a green leafy component would make it a BLT, which is always a fun twist. I served it with simple green salads and focaccia bread.

BLT Carbonara

2 whole eggs
1/3 cup heavy creamy
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese
12 ounces bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 small onion, chopped
3 Roma tomatoes, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup white wine
Fresh parsley, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups baby spinach leaves
16 ounces spaghetti

Whisk together the eggs, cream and Parmesan together in a bowl. In a large non stick pan, fry the bacon until crisp and set aside on a paper-towel lined plate to drain. Remove all but one tablespoon of the bacon grease; add the onion, tomatoes, and garlic and sauté over medium-high heat for 3 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the white wine; stir in the parsley, salt and black pepper.

Meanwhile, prepare the pasta according to the instructions on the box. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Drain the pasta and while still warm, add to the onions and tomatoes. Add the baby spinach. Pour cream mixture into the spaghetti, and toss over low heat for one to two minutes using tongs. If it seems a little dry, add a splash of the reserved cooking water from the pasta. Serve in warm bowls, top with bacon and serve with additional Parmesan.

Source: adapted from So Tasty, So Yummy

Enchilada Sauce

|
By
|
45 comments

Homemade Enchilada Sauce

Enchiladas are probably our favorite meal. Whether it’s chicken, pork, shrimp, or a simple bean and cheese filling – they’re so comforting, and relatively easy to make. The easiest part of all being making your own homemade enchilada sauce. So many recipes I’ve seen on the internet call for canned sauce – and it always makes me feel sad for them, a “bless their heart” type situation. It’s basically seasoned tomato sauce, taking only minutes to come together . No excuses.

And the flavor, wowza. Out of this world! The stuff in the can will just seem bland and watery if you ever have the misfortune of tasting it again. Often I’ll double the recipe, and freeze half in a Ziploc bag for a rainy day. It’s also great as a base sauce for taco pizza, which is another one of our favorites.

If you’re still buying your enchilada sauce from the can, do yourself a favor and try making it at home. You can thank me later!

Homemade Enchilada Sauce

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 cup chicken stock or water
1 tsp kosher salt

Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute for a few minutes, until starting to brown on the edges, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, chili powder, and cumin. Cook for an additional minute to toast the spices.

Add in the tomato sauce, as well as the chicken broth. Stir to combine, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.

Remove from heat, and pour the sauce through a fine-mesh strainer set over a bowl. Using a rubber spatula, push down on the onions, forcing as much sauce out as possible. I like to just toss the strained onion mixture into whatever enchilada filling I’m making, but you can discard it if you like.

Season sauce to taste with salt and black pepper before using. Will keep in the refrigerator for up to a week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Makes about 2 cups enchilada sauce.

Source: adapted from this Chicken Enchilada recipe, from America’s Test Kitchen.

Vanilla Snow Cream

|
By
|
20 comments

Snow Cream

We got an unexpected amount of snow on Wednesday night. We got a dusting last Friday, and that’s pretty much what we were anticipating for this week. Only when we woke up on Thursday morning, there was close to 6 inches blanketing our neighborhood. Which, I know 6-inches isn’t much for many of you guys – who regularly see feet. But, here by ocean we never seem to get amounts worthy of playing in. I don’t know if it’s the warm winds off of the water pushing the storms away, or what – but it’s been a while since I can remember this much. And, more is supposed to be coming this afternoon and evening!snowdayWe had a great day playing in the snow, making snow angels and building a snowman. The boys were little icicles by the time they came inside, so I made a pot of hot cocoa and we all enjoyed it while trying to warm up. Everyone took a nap, we watched a movie, and then went outside for more shenanigans in the snow, and to gather some snow to make snow cream. It’s basically ice cream made from snow, and it’s absolutely delicious. Snow, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla – that’s it. These ingredients combine to form something so special. And, it’s something the little ones love to help with – gathering the snow, then mixing it.

Now, I know a few of you will be saying “Eeew – she eats filthy snow that’s fallen from the sky? Off the ground? Gross” Which, I suppose if I lived in some concrete jungle in a city, then no – I probably wouldn’t advise making snow cream. But, I’ve eaten countless batches and am still here to tell the tale. No third arm has started sprouting yet! So, I’ve never concern myself with those thoughts. I will say that I’ve heard to not use snow from the first snow of the year. But, I can’t say I’ve adhered to that rule either…

This was the first time I added the seeds from a vanilla bean, in addition to vanilla extract. It really bumped it up to the next level, flavor wise. And, who doesn’t love seeing vanilla bean specks in their dessert? If you’re fortunate enough to have pristine snow on the ground in the morning – do yourself a favor and fill up a bowls worth for dessert that night. Hell, I’ve even been known to make a batch for breakfast!

Stay warm guys, have a great weekend.

Vanilla Snow Cream

10 cups clean snow, or shaved ice
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped (optional)

Pour sweetened condensed milk into a large mixing bowl. Add the vanilla extract and vanilla seeds that have been scraped from the bean. Mix to combine.

Add snow. Using a rubber spatula combine the snow with the vanilla milk. It’s harder than it looks, towards the end it requires a bit of elbow grease.

Serve immediately.

Source: My BFF, Morgan. Thanks for introducing this “come-here” to so many Eastern Shore favorites over the years!

Garlic Rice Pilaf

|
By
|
12 comments

Garlic Rice Pilaf

This is one of those side dishes that have been a staple in our kitchen for a while now, but I’d never gotten around to sharing with you guys. Rice is so wonderful and versatile – accepts so many flavors into it’s little white grains.

This rice pilaf takes a little bit more time to put on the table than your standard white rice, due to the fact that it bakes in the oven. But, it’s not hands on – giving you time to finish up dinner while the rice is cooking. The burst of flavor from the garlic is unparalleled though, and well worth the extra time in the oven.

If I have leftovers, I’ll mix in some chopped up veggies and any make myself a make-shift fried rice for lunch the next day. If you’re feeding a larger crowd, the recipe can easily be doubled without having to increase the cooking time.

Garlic Rice Pilaf

2 tbsp. butter
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup long-grain white rice
2 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth, divided
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
Squeeze of lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 375 F.  In a saucepan or skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat.  Add the garlic and rice to the pan and cook until both are golden brown, about 3-4 minutes.  Stir in 1 cup of the broth, salt and pepper; bring to a boil.  Pour the mixture into a 2 qt casserole dish, cover, and bake for 25 minutes.

After 25 minutes, remove from the oven and stir in the remaining 1 1/2 cups broth. Re-cover and bake for another 45 minutes.  About 15 minutes before it is finished baking, stir in a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

Source: slightly adapted from Annie’s Eats, originally from What’s Cooking in the Orange Kitchen?