The House Guest

We had company today, so I made a delectable meal AND used up supplies.

Warning... There is absolutely nothing healthy about the first recipe. In fact, it probably has more fat and calories than the double Whopper at Burger King, which I've personally never consumed. Sadly, though, I ate this, and man was it good. I actually created this recipe for Father's Day after learning that one of my brother's favorite Italian dishes (spaghetti Carbonara) essentially has raw eggs in it. Ew. Apparently the eggs actually cook because the noodles are so hot, but that isn't as reassuring to me as perhaps it is to others. Anyway, here is what I created.

Carbonara-Esque Pasta
1 pound pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound of bacon, diced
1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick)
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 8 oz. package cream cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup cream
1 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, or more to taste

Prepare bacon.

In a large pot of boiling water, cook pasta until al dente. Drain well; toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet add butter to 3 tablespoons of the bacon grease. Once butter has melted, add onion and cook over medium heat until translucent. Then, add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Stir in cream cheese until smooth. Add cream, milk, pepper and Parmesan cheese.

Add sauce and bacon pieces to pasta. Toss to coat thoroughly.


We also had sauteed vegetables and garlic bread.

Sauteed Vegetables
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small zucchini
1 small yellow squash
1 onion, sliced
8 oz. sliced mushrooms
dash of Italian Herb Seasoning

Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add vegetables and seasoning. Cook, stirring occasionally until vegetables are cooked throughout.

*One way I've learned to prepare this which allows the squash to cook without turning the other veggies into some sort of overcooked mush is to cover the skillet and turn the stove to low for a few minutes at the beginning. Then, remove the lid and return the heat to medium. This steams the veggies so they are cooked all the way through, but also allows them to brown a bit.

Garlic Bread
1/2 Italian loaf
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Garlic salt to taste

Preheat the oven's broiler. Slice the Italian loaf in half, and then in half horizontally. Butter the cut side of both halfs of the loaf and distribute the cheese evenly. Add Garlic salt to taste.

Place bread on a cookie sheet and place 6-8 inches under broiler. Broil until bread is golden brown and cheese and butter are melted.

and for dessert....

Pineapple Upside Down Cake
1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 10 slice can pineapple rings in pineapple juice
1 jar maraschino cherries
1 package yellow cake mix
water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Melt butter in a 13 x 9 inch baking pan. Add brown sugar and cinnamon and mix well. Spread as evenly as possible over the bottom of the baking pan. Place pineapple rings in sugar mixture with two rows of 4 pineapple slices each. Divide remaining 2 pineapple slices in half, and place circle side in above the other two rows. Place a cherry in the circular part of each piece of pineapple.

Pour remaining pineapple juice into a measuring cup. Add water until total pineapple juice mixture equals 1 1/4 cup. Add this, oil and eggs to a medium sized mixing bowl and stir. Add cake mix and stir. Pour batter over pineapples. Bake according to cake mix directions for 13 x 9 inch pan, or until toothpick inserted in the center of cake comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes. Turn cake out (up-side-down) onto a cookie sheet.

Brad and our Guest loved the meal, and I used 1 box of pasta (Gemelli) and one yellow cake mix from the pantry, one pound of bacon from the freezer, and finally used up a jar of maraschino cherries I'd had in the fridge since last time I made Pineapple Upside Down Cake.

Success all around.