Easy Dinner

So obviously I haven't been a round much.  I'm sitting in the hospital waiting room while my Mom has the nerves untwisted.  My work site won't come up because I'm not on a secure network so what's a girl to do?  This girl pulled up her blog and found some drafts from about 3 years ago.  Not my usual step by step photos but you'll get the idea.

The reason that I made this dinner is because Max thought it was perfectly sane to go to Noodles and company and drop $15 on chicken and buttered noodles!  Are you kidding me??

I grabbed a package of chicken tenderloins, salted, peppered and little garlic powder on top, rolled them in some Panco bread crumbs and fried in a pan with olive oil.  You can see from the photo that there is enough oil in the pan to cover half.  You don't need to submerge the entire thing, it's ok to flip:)  Make sure your oil is hot enough before you put chicken in or you'll be disappointed.  Typically takes just a minute or two.  You can test if it's hot enough by putting the handle of a wooden spoon in the middle and if it sizzles up, it's ready.  Or you can be like me and wait 2 minutes and just drop in a small piece and see if it starts sizzling before I add more.  Flip when it starts looking like this, about 2-3 minutes.  Tenderloins are pretty thin so they cook up quick.

Flip and fry for another minute or two. 



 

Remove the chicken and drain on paper towels.  Sprinkle with salt.

 



Pick your pasta choice and cook to desired doneness.  You should start your water to boil when you start prepping the chicken so it's all done at the same time.  Make sure you put some salt in the water, a teaspoon or so works.  I used the small package of thin spaghetti because that's what I had but they prefer a more twisty noodle or bow tie. 

 

Drain your choice and toss with 1/2 stick of butter and about 1/2 cup of grated fresh parmesan.  You can go heavier with it but that's how my kids like it.  Sprinkle some garlic powder and pepper on top and serve.  You shouldn't need to add more salt but taste it, if it's a bit flat, sprinkle some on.

Dinner is served in less than 20 minutes!

Pasta Carbonara

This is hands down my most requested recipe when I serve it.  So, I thought it time to bring it to the top of the blog so I can find it easier:)  ALSO..I figure this out because Max wasn't in the mood for this and I was.  You can make this in the same amount of time that it takes to heat up the oven and make a frozen pizza!!  So, it goes in my under 30 minutes to table too!!

Maybe I'll even post a new recipe here and there?  I kinda miss you guys!!

True pasta carbonara doesn't have any vegetables but I think they really add something.  Do I think it's making it a tad healthier??  Nah, I just like the way it tastes but I'll eat this with or without vegetables.  You can also tone down the red pepper flakes as I did the last time I made it for the kids but everything else is a MUST.

Spaghetti Carbonara

3/4 box Thin Spaghetti
1/2 lb of Bacon ~ chopped
3 cloves of garlic ~ minced
1/2 T Red Pepper Flakes
1 Pepper ~ chopped ~ I use a variation of colors to equal one just because I think it's prettier
1/2 lb fresh Asparagus ~ broken into pieces
2 Egg Yolks
1 ladle pasta water
1/2 container Shredded Parmesan Cheese ~ I personally prefer Asiago but I had Parmesan handy and NO you canNOT use the grated green can stuff
Fresh Cracked Pepper

Fill a pasta pot with water and a LOT of salt. The water should taste salty, I'm guessing 2-3 T of salt~I've never measured, sorry.

In a pan, add your bacon, garlic and red pepper flakes. A few cranks of the pepper mill. Cook until bacon is good and crispy and nicely browned. Add peppers and stir around a couple of minutes. You can turn off the heat and wait for the pasta to finish cooking at this point if you need to.

The water is boiling, add your pasta and give a stir. Throw your asparagus into the water and boil for about 2 minutes, should still have a little crunch left. Scoop the asparagus out and throw into pan with bacon and peppers, it stays floating on the top so it's not hard to get out with a slotted spoon. Turn the heat back on the bacon pan.

Your egg yolks are in a bowl, scoop out a ladle of water and pour into yolks. You are whisking the yolks as you add the water because you don't want to end up with cooked eggs.

Your pasta should be done. Drain your pasta but don't rinse. Add pasta to the bacon, toss. Add egg yolks and toss again. Takes about 1/2-1 minute to thicken. Turn off the heat. Add the cheese. Toss again, taste to see if you need some more pepper and serve.

See all the salt in the bottom of the pan.
Here is your bacon, pepper flakes and garlic. I took this photo like this so you can see how much we're talking about. I also put a few cranks of fresh pepper on top of the bacon. It's about layering the flavors with this dish and I like the peppery taste.
Here's your vegetables ready to go.
The cheese, gotta have the cheese. Lots of cheese..yum!
See how crispy the bacon is, add the peppers and give it a stir.

See, told you the asparagus would float on top.

The egg yolks have been whisked with the pasta water and is waiting to finish the dish.
Throw your asparagus in.

Add the pasta, give it a toss. Add the egg yolks, give another toss and cook until thickened.
Add the cheese. Don't be cheap with the cheese. A couple more cranks of fresh cracked pepper.
I sprinkled red pepper flakes on mine since I cut down for the kids but if you don't want spicy.  Dig in!!