Creamy Bacon Carbonara.

It's not often I cheat on this blog. But today, I'm totally cheating.

Instead of showing the sub-par photos of this wonderful dinner we enjoyed, I am totally going to link you directly to the original recipe.

I know. It's a shame.

But I'm totally doing it.

Trust me, you'll appreciate her pretty photo much more than mine. I took mine with an upset toddler yanking on my apron strings after the sky was already completely dark. It wasn't pretty.

But I did I give valiant effort in making this dinner. Stuart loves pasta. And I love Stuart. So I wanted Stuart to love the pasta I made him.

I scanned a few sites for a new delicious creamy pasta and found a one that seemed to fit the bill - it did, after all, include bacon.

It's not often we enjoy pasta on the homestead. Though we make it ourselves, I've yet to find a really good homemade pasta recipe without all-purpose flour, so it's generally reserved for special occasions. Ya know, when we feel like splurging with white flour and all.

Tonight was one of those nights.

We enjoyed this pasta with a delicious pomegranate and pine-nut salad. It was a nice vibrant touch to the creamy dish.

Even though it really wasn't hard to make, I must admit, I am totally pooped as I type this. All I can think about is crawling into another warm bubble bath and letting my muscles relax. If it weren't for the fact that one of our hot water tank elements is out, that may be an obtainable dream. But laying naked in four inches of luke-warm water just doesn't have the same effect as a deep and steamy bubble bath. So I may just reach for my favorite faux fur blanket and crash on the couch instead.

Regardless, I'm really thankful to have a belly full of this pasta at the moment. It makes the world a better place.

Recipe and Directions Courtesy of Get Off Your Butt And Bake!

CREAMY BACON CARBONARA

3 eggs

1/2 cup cream

2/3 cup grated Parmesan

Fresh diced parsley or dried flakes

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 lb. bacon fried crisp then crumbled

1 small onion, chopped (optional)

1/2 lb. pasta

DIRECTIONS:

Beat the eggs, cream, Parmesan, parsley, salt and the red pepper together in a bowl.  I just used a fork.  Fry the bacon until crisp, then crumble and set aside.  With 1 -2 Tbsp. bacon grease, saute the onion and the mushrooms until the onions are translucent and golden.  Drain the pasta and while still warm, add to the onions and mushrooms.  Pour cream mixture into the pasta, and stir over low heat for one to two minutes. (**I doubled the sauce recipe and I saved a bit of the pasta water, just in case my sauce got thicker than I liked – simply add a bit if you need it)   Don’t do this on high heat, or you will make scrambled eggs.  Crumble the crisp bacon over the top & serve with additional Parmesan.

I hope that you make this. And that it brings your belly as much pleasure as it brought mine. I share because I love you. And if you don't want to be as sinful as I was, feel free to sub in a quinoa or rice pasta instead of homemade.

Now if only I had a mug of hot chocolate to round out this meal with....yes, that's what a belly full of pasta needs, a mug of hot chocolate...

Happy Thursday, my friends!