Creamy Pasta Carbonara

You can't really call this a "traditional" carbonara, but if it's good enough for Giada, it's good enough for me.  And boy, is it good!  I adapted her recipe quite a bit to appeal to my own tastes, and because I simply could not justify putting 6 egg yolks into this one dish (but 2 cups of cheese, that's fine).  Any way you make this, you really can't go wrong. With tons of cheese, cream, and smoky, salty bacon and pancetta, this is pasta heaven.  Just be very careful not to boil the cream mixture once you've added it to the pasta, or you will end up with a curdled, separated, disgusting mess (trust me, I know).

I first had pasta carbonara at Three Tomatoes Trattoria in Burlington, VT and I was immediately hooked! How can you not be? And the addition of veggies in their version really lightened the dish and made it absolutely perfect.  I've thought about adding some white wine to the recipe, but I haven't gotten around to it yet.  Feel free to play around and tell me how it goes!

Oh and the best part about this dish, it keeps great in the fridge and reheats wonderfully. Yay leftovers you actually WANT to eat! 

Cranberry Apple Crisp

Cranberries aren't just for Thanksgiving! If you still have frozen cranberries in your freezer, or just think this recipe is as yummy as I do, then you should make it!  I did happen to serve this recipe for Thanksgiving, but that certainly does not mean I won't be making it again soon!  It had such a terrific flavor. Not too sweet, not too tart, and was a favorite snack all week after the giant meal was over.

Of course, crisps are the best warm from the oven with a nice scoop of vanilla ice cream and maybe a drizzle of caramel sauce too.  But even at room temperature this was delectable and we couldn't keep our spoons out of it. You could also make these in individual ramekins for a cute personal dessert or to make it easier to reheat if you want to enjoy it warm again.

So go ahead, it's probably nice and chilly where you are. Wouldn't this just make the perfect comforting treat? mhm...

Thanksgiving!

So Thanksgiving has come and gone and I finally have a chance to post a little bit about all the goodies I made this week.  While I know none of this will be helpful for anybody this Thanksgiving, lots of the these recipes will be great for any time of the year.  For now I will post a list of what Guy and I (and my mom) prepared with a few pictures, and then use this opportunity to spread the recipes out over the course of many posts.  I don't think I could fit them all into one post anyway.

So here is what we had for Thanksgiving at my house:

• Gruyère and parmesan cheese gougères
• Bacon and cheese stuffed mushrooms
• Clear wild mushroom soup
• Celery granita
• Sweet potato casserole with mini marshmallows
• Potato gratin with gruyère and parmesan (aka Pie Guy)
• Sauteed mushrooms with white wine
• Green beans with garlic and pine nuts
• Challah dressing
• Apricot and Sherry cranberry sauce
• Mushroom and white wine gravy
• Parmesan herb butter roasted turkey
• Maple glazed roasted turkey
• Creamy pumpkin and yam pie
• Apple cranberry crisp
• Black forest cake