Cravings can be a wonderful thing especially for me in the kitchen. When it gets cold outside, I want to be in the kitchen. Cooking makes me happy. I enjoy it. I was craving spaghetti carbonara. Again, a pretty simple dish, and one that I normally have the items in either the pantry or the fridge.
Chop three to four cloves of garlic.
Cook bacon, and keep the fat in the pan. Remove the bacon from the pan, and coarsely chop.
Barilla has this wonderful pasta that has 17 grams of protein so I can have some pasta and not feel as though I am cheating completely (because we all have those days). Follow the directions on the pasta to al dente. Drain, but reserve one or two cups of pasta water for later in the dish.
Mix together two eggs and one cup of Parmesan. You can add more eggs just make sure that you whip or blend it with the cheese thoroughly.
Add the pasta to the pan (with the bacon), stir to coat. 
Quickly stir in the egg mixture, and add a generous amount of black pepper.
Add some of the pasta water if it seems thick, but just continue to stir until the cheese mixture is fully coated on the pasta.
Top with grated cheese and parsley if desired.
This made my night! It is rich and creamy, and completely satisfying.
Let me know if you try it.
Blessings.
Saute’ in Olive oil, salt and pepper for about two minutes. 
Add the dried Orzo to the pan, and saute’ until bits are browned. Gentle stir to coat the orzo with the oil on a medium high heat.
Add in two garlic cloves grated (won’t be as bitter as chopped, and you just want to heat it through).
Bring three cups of chicken stock to a boil, and add in the browned orzo. 
Simmer until the Orzo absorbs most of the stock. Taste, and add salt and pepper if needed.
Add in one medium bag of spinach leaves, coarsely chopped.
The spinach will wilt as you stir it into the orzo.
Then add cheese (I added a half of cup of fresh mozzarella, and let it melt before adding the Parmesan). I used about two cups of Parmesan – largely grated – reserving 1/2 cup for the table.
I loved it, and it was a nice accompaniment to the Salmon.
My plate with the added Parmesan cheese to the Orzo, Salmon with the 
Cook the pasta to the box directions, drain, and add some olive oil and cool.
For the chicken, the original recipe called for marinating and cooking the chicken tenders. I cheated, and used Rotisserie chicken. I added 1/2 cup of lemon juice, garlic powder and Cavender’s Greek Seasoning. I heated it up in the microwave for a couple of minutes just to warm it (and for the seasonings to mingle).
For the dressing, 1/2 cup of olive oil, 1/4 cup red wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon oregano, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1 clove garlic (minced), and juice of 1/2 lemon. Whisk together to blend.
Melt the butter, and add two tablespoons of olive oil. Saute the garlic, and once bubbly add the Panko bread crumbs.
I took it off the heat, and it still got a bit darker than I wanted. Tasted great…but looked over done.
Mix together the orzo, dressing, cucumbers, tomatoes, chicken and feta cheese. Taste, please add salt and pepper at this stage as the pasta will absorb the dressing quickly (the feta cheese can be salty so I will sometimes over salt my dish). Then add the bread crumbs, and stir. 
You can serve this warm, room temperature or cold. I prefer it warmed a bit.
David’s plate.
My bowl…and yes, it is a pig face bowl. This was so good, and I have plenty for lunches and a couple of dinners next week.
Chopped three stalks of celery, and green onions. I sliced four radishes as well.
Add a quarter cup of apple cider vinegar, half of cup of mayonnaise, and yellow mustard to taste. I also added two boiled eggs, chopped. Mix all of the ingredients together, and add salt and pepper to taste.
It was not my mother’s, and certainly not the recipe from the Food Network, but it was so good.
Sprinkle with paprika…or not. Just eat it.
Cook the meat mixture (beef, sausage, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning). Cook, stirring, until the meat is cooked. Remove meat, drain, and set aside. 
Mix the Cheese Mixture: In a mixing bowl combine the ricotta, egg, mozzarella, Parmesan, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, oregano, salt, pepper, and parsley. Use a fork to mix thoroughly. Set aside.
I used a pasta sauce, and spread about 1/2 jar on the bottom of a 9×13 pan. Then layered the no-bake noodles, then more sauce. 
Then layer the meat mixture.
Then the cheese mixture.
I used fresh, baby spinach (almost the entire small package).
Another sauce layer.
Continue with the noodles, and repeat until meat and cheese are done. Top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Spray aluminium foil with non-stick spray and cover the pan, bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.
Uncover, and bake until cheese is golden or about 10-15 minutes. Remove from oven, and cool for about 15 minutes before cutting. Enjoy!
David liked this, and I was not able to eat a lot of it at all. I mainly ate the everything but the noodles. Ugh.
mommajerryanns.com 