Summer Carbonara

I've said it before, Rachael Ray is one of my favorite sources for new recipe ideas. I found a great summery pasta recipe I wanted to try, but as usual I had to do my own little switches and changes to make it my own. So here is my first ever carbonara! One piece of advice, chop everything before you start, especially the first time you make it. It isn't overly complicated, but it will help with the timing to have everything ready to go. I think it will be a lot faster the second time now that I know what I'm doing but either way I'll probably keep making it, because I have to say, it is YUMMY!

Ingredients
1lb fettucine
few tbsps of olive oil
1/2 package of turkey bacon, finely diced
12 oz bag of frozen corn, thawed(or canned corn)
1 small jalapeno, finely chopped
6 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 tsp thyme
2 tbsp parsley
1/2 cup white wine
3 large egg yolks
1/2 cup of pecorino romano cheese
1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup of chives, chopped

Start by putting a large pot of water over high heat, and boil the pasta according to the instructions on the box.

Right before you put the pasta in the water, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the bacon and cook until crispy.

Then add the corn and cook until its lightly browned.

Once that the corn gets a little color, add the garlic, thyme and jalapeno. At this point I would recommend turning the heat down a little, and you may have to add a little more olive oil. Cook that for a couple of minutes and then add the parsley and white wine, reducing the heat to low. Simmer on low until the other components are ready.

When the pasta is done, get a cup of the cooking water out and reserve. Drain the pasta. While it is draining, use that water to temper the egg yolks. I had never done this before, but it is pretty easy! Basically you slowly beat the water into the egg yolks to bring the temperature up without scrambling the eggs.

Combine the pasta, the corn mixture, and egg yolks, and remove from heat. Add in about a handful of each cheese and start tossing the pasta. In about 2 minutes, the liquids will start to form a wonderful silky sauce.

You can top with more cheese and chives if desired!

Happy (Summer) Cooking!

All Photos By Emily Catherine Photography
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Margarita Fish Tacos

Let me start by saying I have always thought that fish tacos were weird sounding, and would never have even attempted them if I hadn't seen this recipe. Even then I was skeptical, but I have NEVER been more wrong about a food. This recipe turned out ten times better than I hoped! There were NO leftovers and I almost licked my plate clean. This recipe was originally a Rachael Ray, I tweaked it a little, but I definitely have to give her the credit for this one! The recipe below is the way I made it. It has a lot of ingredients, but it isn't that complicated. It took me a little while to make it the first time, but I think if I made it a second time, it would go about twice as fast. I had a lot of fun even if it did take a little while though, because my 10 year old brother helped me make the entire meal! He was such a good helper, he even took a lot of my pictures for the blog!

Ingredients for Fish
4 portions of tilapia
2 ounces of tequila
Lime Juice (I used the bottled kind)(equivalent of one lime)
1 tbsp Old Bay
1 tsp chili powder
2 tbsp vegetable oil

Mix up the marinade for the fish, and then pour it over the fish in a casserole dish or anything that the fish can kind of soak in. I also flipped the fish about halfway through since the marinade didn't cover them. I only let them marinade while I was making the salsa mixture.

Ingredients for Salsa Topping
Small red onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
8-10 tomatillos, husked and chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
Juice of 1 lemon (again I used the bottled kind)
1 generous tbsp of honey
Fleshy part of one small avocado

I had never used tomatillos before, but they were awesome! They are like little green tomatoes, and you just peel the husk away. It was very easy, you can see my 10 year old brother helping me do it in the picture. After he removed the husk, he would rinse them for just a second because they have a slightly sticky feeling if you don't.

In a medium skillet,saute the onions and garlic in about a tbsp of vegetable or olive oil over medium heat until soft, then add tomatillos. Cook until tomatillos soften, then add cumin and pepper to taste. Cook another 5-7 minutes and remove from heat, letting the mixture cool for 5-10 minutes.

Next, preheat a grill pan or an outdoor grill.

After the mixture is cool, put it in a food processor along with the honey, lemon, and avocado. Pulse until a salsa like texture forms.

Grill the fish 3-4 minutes per side or until cooked through.

Other Ingredients
Tortillas
Shredded Red Cabbage

We heated our tortillas on the grill pan after the fish was done. Then we each would use the spatula to get about half of a piece of fish, top it with shredded cabbage and the salsa mixture, and there you go! Tangy and fresh and just the right amount of heat tacos!! I served my Memphis Guacamole along side since I had a lot of the ingredients from the tacos.

Try this one, you won't regret it!
Happy Cooking!


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Seasame Ginger Chicken w/ Teriyaki Rice

This is a recipe I invented the first year I was married..I was in a cooking rut and looking for ways to make chicken interesting. The first 5 times I made it I only used the chicken and the salad dressing, it wasn't until later that I dug around in the spice cabinet and started adding ingredients. The point is it can be as simple or elaborate as you like! Oh and the low fat dressing tastes the exact same as the regular dressing. Just a little FYI :)


Ingredients
1 pound of chicken breasts or tenderloins
1/2 bottle of Newman's Own Sesame Ginger salad dressing
Ginger
Sesame Seeds
Lime Juice

To start, chop the chicken breasts into strips. Put in a nonstick skillet or wok over medium high and cook for ten minutes or so. Flip chicken pieces halfway through.

While that is cooking, prepare your rice according to the directions on the bag or box.

After the chicken is cooked through, turn down to medium. Add liberal amounts of lime juice to the chicken. Pour in dressing, enough to fill the bottom of your pan. Sprinkle ginger and sesame seeds in and let simmer for 10-15 more minutes.

When the rice is done, add teriyaki glaze over each portion as it is plated.

You now have a wonderful Asian dinner with NO takeout costs! It costs around $6 for 4 people!

Happy Cooking!


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