This Is Just So Us

So Jon and I had a Saturday all to ourselves which is a rare occurrence. By late afternoon we decided to head out and pick up a few movies to watch while we ate dinner. As I have mentioned in the past, Jon and I have this uncanny ability to have deep, meaningful conversations at the drop of a hat no matter where we are. We've literally solved much of the worlds problems this way. Like our conversation as we were driving home last night.

Jon: That guy really needs to turn on his headlights.

Anne: Yeah, I flashed a UPS driver last night when I was taking Killian to meet up with his dad.

Jon: You flashed a UPS guy?

Anne: Yeah. With my headlights.

Jon: Your headlights. Niiice. So it's OK if I just start flashing the FedEx lady when she shows up at my work?

Anne: His lights were off and it was dark.

Jon: You know that's what the Crips do for initiation. Drive around with their lights off until someone flashes them. They chase the person down and shoot them.

Anne: The UPS driver isn't in the Crips.

Jon: Hey, everyone wants to be a somebody.

Anne: (Sigh)

Jon: I got a call from Cris when he was working in the government and it was THE weekend that the Crips were doing their initiations. He said that if we saw people driving around without their headlights off not to flash them.

Anne: So there are Crips in po-dunk Albany, Oregon?

Jon: Well, not Albany but, you know, the big cities.

Anne: I'll keep that in mind.

So after we got home I proceeded to make Jon's most favorite meal in the world. Pasta Carbonara. If you've never had it, you need to. It's one of those dishes that I hope we get to eat in heaven and if it's not on the buffet table now, I'm hoping by the time I get there it is. It's just THAT good. And easy. Because it's your lucky day, I'm posting the recipe so that you can give it a shot yourself.

PASTA CARBONARA
4 large eggs
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese (I actually do about 3/4 cup)
1/3 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese (make this one at least 1/2 cup)
2 garlic cloves, minced (I use about 4 cloves. Garlic is good!)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (more is better)
4 oz thinly sliced pancetta (Italian bacon), finely chopped (I use regular bacon)
12 oz egg fettuccine (the fresh stuff is better than the dry)1 medium bunch

Whisk 4 eggs, both cheeses, garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in medium bowl; set aside. Cook pancetta(bacon) in large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 7 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer to small bowl. Reserve skillet with a small amount of the drippings.
Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water according to package directions. Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid. Return hot pasta to skillet you cooked the bacon in(off heat). Immediately add egg-cheese mixture, pancetta (bacon), and 1/4 cup hot cooking liquid; toss to combine, adding more cooking liquid by tablespoonfuls to moisten as needed. Season to taste with salt and more pepper, if desired. Cover to keep warm.

I chopped up some spinach and threw that in when I was tossing the pasta. I like to eat healthy and I figure the spinach cancels out the fat from the bacon and cheese, so it's basically a fat-free dish. (At least that's how I justify it in my mind). Jon and I ate the whole thing and had a lovely red wine to go with it(I know, I know, white with THAT kind of a pasta dish, but I'm a rebel and prefer red.)

Oh, and you can skip renting 'The Assassination of Jesse James'. While the pasta was amazingly fabulous, the movie was not.