3pepper bacon caper’d fettuccine carbonara

challenged. that is me. especially true while making a recipe on the spot, with what i have, when hungry, and my digital clocks have moved from evening to night. you know the story, late work day goes later, you go to the gym, forget about any Friday plans you had.. and go home to make dinner.

this one turns a winner, trust me.

resolution? well, thanks to the nature of yeast, we're enemies, pizza was out of the question. plan B?

carbonara. healthy. colorful. carolie-ful. carbonara.

an improvement on my last effort, but still better if i were capable of adding that Italia accent, Mmm!

sports update, this is on my mind. basically, the Cards lost to the Cubs today. bring on the sadness. Djokovic couldn't find the court. sad still, but lesser.

believe it or not, the above gets trumped by my redic' productivity in the lab, the gym and how i'm about to celebrate at a friend's annual bash on Saturday night. life is seriously bringing it right now.

i'm on an eat, sleep, repeat diet for the next weeks.. STL, KC, Labor Day weekend dove hunts, KY Lake. to my dear friends in Springfield, i'll be there soon.

happy reading, fair writing.. in true life. salute!

the printer friendlier version

3pepper bacon caper’d fettuccine carbonaraserves one, 20 min

3 slices fresh bacon, semi-to-thick
1 large clove garlic, chopped
3 small peppers, mix of colors (red, orange and yellow is nice)
1 tbsp fresh cut parsley
1 large teaspoon capers
single serving fettuccine
1 fresh farm egg
1/2 c. spinach
2 tbsp fresh parmesan, grated
salt and pepper, to taste

preheat medium saucepan over medium high heat. cut sliced bacon into smaller pieces (your preference to stir into pasta later), then add to skillet. chop garlic, dice peppers and cut up spinach while bacon is cooking. you may also add the egg, s&p, and 1 ½ tbsp parmesan to small bowl and scramble - set aside.

bring small pot of salt water to a boil. add pasta and cook a la dente.

cook bacon until done, but not crispy. remove, saving drippings. add garlic and peppers, cook 2 minutes. toss in the capers and stir for another minute - longer is okay.

remove pasta, strain and return to pot with small amount of olive oil (or butter) - to prevent sticking. make sure pot is removed from heat, add egg mixture, spinach, bacon, and stir quickly being careful not to scramble the egg.

plate, top with 3pepper mixture, grade fresh parmesan on top with s&p and enjoy!

cajun chicken alfredo

this week, my diet was super-saturated with chicken.  not entirely a bad thing, chicken is good, it's tasty, it's chock full of protein that my body needs, and it also is a very special treat for my generally chicken-deprived taste buds!

although i list "1 boneless, skinless chicken breast" in my ingredients, the way chicken works in my house is this..  the bird i start with isn't boneless and it isn't skinless, it's typically one whole frozen chicken.  two things to understand from this:  extra work and the acceptance that when i grab one of these tasty 4-5 lb chickens from my freezer, i will be eating chicken for a week.. good stuff.

speaking of good stuff, i've been reading all about happy families in yes! magazine this week.  and as it turns out, the impact that food has on our happiness, family values, communication, education, ... is nearly unending.  food is far beyond nutrition, and for some it's a way of life.  read through "You Are Who You Eat With" if you'd like and share it with your family (everyone you know and love).. and if someone that family is inspired, plan out a nice meal that brings you all back to the dinner table!

the Experience Food Project is highlighted in this article and, to me, delivered its most surprising piece.  one of the children and benefactors of this project that's bringing fresh, healthy lunches to school cafeterias was asked how she feels about it all.  do you know what she had to say?  she said, "you know, i feel respected."  not, "oh i like the salads" or "i like this dish or that dish".. she feels respected!  wow.

kids are truly brilliant. (especially when they are on the good-food medication)

as a new supporter of the smaller Experience Food Project and admirer of Jamie Oliver and Ann Cooper, i think that it is fair to say these healthy school food programs are onto something.. and it's delicious.

okay, i need to cut myself off.. to the recipe!

this recipe has a few techniques of my own that i should clarify in case your methods are different.  this isn't a case of right or wrong, it's likely just the fact that i do some things differently... to blacken each side of chicken breast, i blacken on high heat for maybe 5 minutes each side, then reduce heat to low and fully cook the chicken through.  my general rule of thumb with the white sauce is "reduce by half".  two ways i control sauce thickness:  (1) add broth as needed and not at once; and (2) reduce sauce until desired consistency is reached.  the latter is your plan b, where you can thicken a sauce that you've accidentally made too thin.  if you don't get it the first time, you'll get it the second.

cast iron skillet is ideal for blackening.  i say this, but have yet to cook this dish on one.  the repercussions are, you can easily have one mighty mess to scrape off your hard-anodized cookware.  (i added a dab of extra-virgin olive oil this last time and it did the nonstick trick, fyi.)

the friendlier printer version

cajun chicken alfredo
adapted from Guy Fieri
serves one, 30 minutes

chicken:
1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 tbsp blackening spice*
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
*blackening spice: 1 tsp ground basil, 1 tsp ground thyme, 1 tsp garlic, 1 tsp white pepper, 1 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp sea salt, 2 tsp cayenne pepper, 1 tsp paprika. mix all together and keep in spice jar.

sauce & pasta:
1/4 c. butter
2 cloves garlic, minced/diced
1 tbsp white wine
1/4 c. all-purpose flour, unbleached
1/2 c. chicken broth (you can make this too)
1/2 c. heavy cream
1/2 c. parmesan cheese, freshly grated
1/2 c. portabella mushrooms
1/4 c. bell pepper, sliced
1/3 lb alfredo, cooked
black pepper, freshly cracked
salt

start by tenderizing chicken breast to approximately 1/2" thick. dredge in blackening spice. place chicken in skillet and cook on high heat. blacken first side, then flip and repeat for second side. reduce heat and cover partially to cook chicken until internal temperature reaches 165F.

start preparing sauce by melting butter in medium sauce pan or wok over medium heat. add minced garlic, mushrooms and bell peppers and saute for 1 minute. add flour and stir until well-blended. add white wine, chicken broth, heavy cream and cheese - add chicken broth as needed, not at once, stirring constantly, until desired consistency is reached - bring to a boil. reduce heat and simmer until mixture starts to thicken. add black pepper and salt, stirring until well-blended. simmer sauce over low heat for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. when sauce gets to desired consistency, add cooked alfredo and stir well.

remove chicken from heat and slice cross ways into strips.

plate alfredo first, then sliced blackened chicken, and top with fresh grated parmesan to your liking. serve immediately.

whole wheat spaghetti carbonara

red wine mind.  that's a three-word tongue twister if you try saying it five times fast!  it's also the state of mind that brings you my next recipe.  so if you were previously thinking (as i were), "how is this kid going to get any better than stuffed pork loins with bacon jam and portabella mushrooms?", then this recipe proves me human.

if you think that is strange, then this should really throw you for a loop.  i read an article in an issue of Redbook today.  why?  (you should be asking)  because Giada de Laurentiis was on the cover, why else?  the article was fine, Giada is 40, still married and beautiful.  (fyi: Giada's television show ignited my novice cooking and Italia craving taste buds early on in my high school years!)

so in the Redbook article that i shamelessly read, Giada was asked, "do you ever come home, crack open a can of tuna, and call it a day?", and Giada responds with,

no, but i will come home and scramble two eggs.  two eggs scrambled on a bed of arugula with some fresh shaved Parmesan cheese, and that's dinner.

wow.  i got a good kick out of this, but what does this say to me and you?!  this says that quick dinners don't require sacrifice.  i mean, come on, who reads that response and says, "oh, is that it?"  btw, 'quick and easy' needs a new name, how about '15 pasti minuto'?!

i spent this past weekend with a monthly visit home to see friends and family - and as it turns out, also to run 4.5 miles, see my first musical in years, and enjoy a few Schlafly's!  i spent today with a long trip back to my college home.

this is where my 15 pasti minuto, Amos Lee pandora station and the remaining of my forche renault comes in.

the friendlier printer version

whole wheat spaghetti carbonara
serves one, 15 minutes

1/8 lb bacon, chopped
1/3 c. portabella mushrooms, chopped (or finely sliced)
3 garlic cloves, diced
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 lb whole wheat spaghetti, cooked a la dente
1 egg, beaten
black pepper, freshly cracked
thyme leaves, dried
sea salt

start by frying bacon until crispy in medium skillet over medium heat.  prepare pasta.  remove bacon and drain, saving 3 tbsp of drippings.  add garlic, mushrooms and black pepper to skillet and saute 2 minutes.  add bacon, pasta and 1/4 c. Parmesan to pan and saute 1 minute.  remove from heat, add egg and thicken but do not scramble.  plate, top with remaining Parmesan and serve.

notes:

the only trick is to add the eggs at just the right temperature.  the residual heat will cook the egg, but too much heat will turn your dish into a scrambled egg pasta.  i suppose either is just as tasty!