Carbonara

I usually try to plan out a weekly menu so I only need to hit up the grocery store once a week.  Having an 18 month old this is exceptionally beneficial because he can get a little wild in the cart sometimes.  Every now and then, however, for whatever reason, I have to push back my “normal” grocery day, Monday.  Sometimes it even gets pushed back to Wednesday ::gasp::.   

These weeks, I have to rely heavily on my pantry and freezer staples.  I always have some sort of pasta around, because Aiden will always eat pasta.  Aiden also loves peas, so I always have them in the freezer to throw in to dishes.  I normally have bacon around, for obvious reasons.     Eggs are a staple too, because that’s another last minute meal, or for when there is a cookie emergency.  When you toss all these ingredients together, you get one of my favorite last minute meals, Pasta Carbonara.

Serves 2 .5

½ box spaghetti
3 slices of bacon, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 eggs
2 T milk
½ c peas
1 lemon, zested
Parm, grated for garnish
Minced parsley, for garnish
Salt and Pepper, to taste

Render bacon over medium low heat until crispy.  Remove bacon and set aside to drain.  Reserve bacon fat.

While bacon is rendering, cook the pasta according to package instructions, about 2-3 minutes less than recommended.   Drain, reserving about a cup of pasta water.

Toss pasta in the pan with the bacon fat over medium heat.  Add garlic peas and some pasta water. 
Whisk eggs with milk.  Reduce heat to low and pour eggs into pasta.  Toss until pasta is coated with egg, adding more pasta water if necessary.   Add parsley and lemon zest and toss.  Garnish with parmesan cheese.

This is such a quick meal start to finish.  The only thing that takes any time is waiting for the pasta water to boil, during which you can prep everything else.  I can usually have it all ready in about 15-20 minutes.  You can add some diced chicken (I usually sauté it in the bacon fat) to it if you want.  It’s always so good and it’s great as leftovers too with an egg fried on it if you’re down with going egg crazy.
Enjoy!

Chocolate Caramel Marshmallow Pops

I love marshmallows; plain, in hot chocolate, in S’mores, dipped in chocolate.  Now, if I love marshmallows, I REALLY love chocolate and caramel.  With the latest “pops” craze, it was only a matter of time before I tried putting all this good stuff together. 

As I was wasting time (I mean, doing very important culinary trends research) on Pinterest, I came across Austinweddingblog.com post about marshmallow pops, so I took that for ideas and inspiration.  The great things about these pops, is they are so versatile.  You can customize them for seasons, wedding colors, holidays, whatever you want.  Apparently, I was a little late on the St. Patrick’s Day sprinkles because even though I made these almost a week before the holiday, all the sprinkles were sold out, except for the green sugar.

Because this was a really busy day that I was making these, I took the easy way out with store-bought marshmallows, Candiquik, and Kraft Caramel bits.  Normally, I would make my own marshmallows, caramel, and temper chocolate.  You could certainly do that; I would make the marshmallows a day ahead, and maybe even the caramel and just reheat the day of.  Even with my snobby attitude J I think these turned out really well, and with the easy way, they were super quick. 

20 Jumbo Marshmallows

1 bag Kraft Caramel bits

1 pkg Chocolate flavor Candiquik

Vegetable oil or cooking spray

Sprinkles, Nuts, Graham Cracker crumbs, Crushed Candy Bars, etc for decorations

2 lollipop sticks

Insert lollipop sticks into marshmallows, set aside.

Line sheet pan with plastic wrap or wax paper, generously coat with oil or spray.

Heat caramel bits in microwave safe bowl, following package directions.  Caramel with be bubbling and going crazy and that is ok, just stir it until it’s smooth and melted completely.

Using a silicone pastry brush, coat the marshmallows.  Don’t worry if they don’t look perfect, as you will be dipping in chocolate also.  Set caramel coated marshmallows on oil coated plastic wrap.  Continue with remaining marshmallows and allow to set, approx 10 minutes (coating will still feel tacky).

Prepare another sheet pan with parchment paper.  Melt chocolate according to package directions.  Dip each marshmallow into chocolate, and then sprinkle with toppings as desired.  Set on parchment lined sheet pan, either standing up or laying down depending on how marshmallows are decorated. 

 Puffed sugar, dipped in burnt sugar, dipped in chocolate and coated in sugar!  This will definitely satisfy a sugar craving for like a day and a half.  I used the Jumbo marshmallows because that’s what I grabbed, but I would definitely recommend using the regular sized ones because it is quite the sugar overload.  You could also forego the caramel and just do the chocolate.  I’m thinking about making some more dipped in chocolate and then sticking a mini pretzel twists on the top for that salty sweet kick.  I could go on all day with the variations! 

Enjoy!

I'm always looking for something good to do with fish, as we try to eat it at least once a week. Fish high in omega 3s is great for your heart and as February is American heart month, I thought I would share this delicious recipe.  I found this in October 2011 Bon Appetit and it just looked so pretty I had to try it. 

This is also a good recipe for those a little apprehensive about cooking fish.  You just plop it on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone liner, top it, and bake it, no flipping to worry about.  Matcha powder is one of the ingredients, and you may have some trouble finding it in a regular grocery store.  An Asian market will probably be your best bet.  I ended up forgetting to stop in and grab some, so I used some cilantro instead for its herbal quality and I'll tell you it worked really well. 

So here's my modified recipe:
1/2 c raw pistachios, toasted
2 T cilantro
1/2 tsp sugar
2T Panko bread crumbs
1/2 tsp lemon zest
1 T unsalted butter, melted
Salt and Pepper, to taste
4 Halibut fillets or Mahi Mahi, or other firm white fish
Extra Virgin Olive Oil, for drizzling

Preheat oven to 400.
In a food processor, grind pistachios, cilantro, and sugar, 15 seconds.  Add Panko, zest and butter and pulse until combined (do not form into a paste). 
Season fish on both sides with salt, pepper, and olive oil.  Place on parchment lined sheet pan and pat 1/4 of the mixture on each fillet.  Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until just opaque in the center. 

This was a really quick week night dinner.  The pistachios gave a nice crunchy crust, and let's be honest, who doesn't like pistachios.  There was also a nice sweetness that was really very pleasant.  I just served it with some steamed brown rice and a nice salad on the side.  I'm looking forward to trying it again soon and using the Matcha powder.  Enjoy!