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...

Cheese Gougères AKA Cheese Puffs

I had never heard of gougères before seeing a post about them on smitten kitchen's website.  I still don't actually know how to pronounce them.  So let's just call them cheese puffs and be done with all this pretentious nonsense, shall we?

Whatever you choose to call them, know that they are fantastically delicious in every way.  Probably one of the biggest stars at this year's Thanksgiving dinner, and that's saying a lot considering their small size and lack of importance to the meal.  But really, I should have seen it coming, a traditional French choux pastry (the kind of thing you use to make profiteroles, cream puffs, and eclairs) spiked with a TON of cheese could be nothing less than addictive.  

As if the cheesiness wasn't enough to make you start looking for excuses to produce these little gems, they are also impossibly easy to make! In fact, why more people don't make cream puffs and the like is beyond me.  I don't even know if it is possible to ruin them, because so far they have turned out fantastic each time.   So, without further ado, to the great relief of my friends and family, here is the cheese gougères recipe:

Balsamic Marinated Flank Steak

I felt that my blog was getting a little too carb heavy (not shocking to those who know me), so I decided it was about time to post some protein.  I could not think of a better steak recipe to share with you.  This recipe is so simple, even my two brothers could make it! Although I'm sure they won't (but they should!).  It is crazy delicious AND makes an amazing sandwich with the leftovers.  So unless you don't eat red meat, I cannot see any reason why you should not go out and get the ingredients to make this right now!

My family is used to my standard teriyaki marinated flank steak.  Which is also amazingly delicious, but was getting a little tired and requires brand name bottled products.  This recipe uses only the simplest ingredients you can find anywhere and has a more subtle flavor.  

I stole the idea from Nugget Markets here in Davis.  They make this flank steak, which they sell in the deli (like whole foods) and also use it in one of their amazing sandwiches.  I found myself eating this sandwich at least two, if not three days a week! So I decided it was time to make it myself and stop shelling out $8 every meal.  I also attempted to make my own ciabatta, which was not a complete failure, but still is not at sandwich level yet.

Once I have breads mastered, I think I will be set for life. Until then, here is some steak: