Tortellini, Peas, and Bacon with Carbonara Sauce

/

This is such an easy meal that everyone likes. You can’t go wrong with pasta in a creamy sauce topped with bacon. I hope you give it a try!

Tortellini, Peas, and Bacon with Carbonara Sauce

Ingredients

  • 3 slices of ham (or Canadian Bacon)

  • 5 strips of bacon

  • Package of Tortellini (or Spaghetti Noodles work too)

  • 1 cup frozen peas

  • 2 large egg yolks

  • 1/2 cup heavy cream (half and half would also work if you only have that; milk will be too thin.)

  • 1 cup Parmesan cheese

  • 1/2 cup water reserved from your pasta water

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

  • Start a large pot of water boiling for your pasta.

  • Cook bacon in a skillet. While that’s cooking, dice up your ham slices. Once cooked and crispy, remove the bacon strips to a paper towel lined plate. Then, toss in the ham pieces and let them cook for a few minutes, until they are warmed and a touch crispy. Remove those to the paper towel lined plate with the bacon. Once cooled, cut the bacon into small strips and mix together with the ham.

  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, cream, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. Set aside.

  • Cook the pasta according to package directions. If you are using tortellini, add the peas and cook for 2 minutes, then add the tortellini. If you are using spaghetti noodles, add those first and when there are 4 minutes or so left, toss in the peas.

  • Set aside 1/2 cup of pasta water, then drain the pasta/peas in a colander. Return to the pot.

  • Add the egg/cream/cheese mixture to the pasta in the pot and pour in the reserved pasta water. Cook over low heat, tossing gently, until the sauce is thickened and coats the pasta.

  • Add in the bacon and ham and toss gently to mix. Serve immediately.

Homemade Spaghetti and Meatballs

/

Spaghetti is one of my favorite meals! This recipe is from Dylan’s grandmother, and it is amazing! It has come to be one of our family’s meals for special occasions—birthdays, Valentine’s Day, as well as Christmas Eve. I love to set a fancy Christmas Eve or Valentine’s Day table and dig into a plate of scrumptious spaghetti with homemade meatballs. There is nothing better!

This is from Valentine’s Day a few years ago, but I just love penelope’s face here. :)

Homemade Spaghetti & Meatballs

Sauce Ingredients

  • 1/2 onion, chopped

  • 2 cloves of garlic

  • 2 – 16 ounce cans of tomato sauce

  • 1 – 16 ounce can of tomato paste

  • 1 tablespoon sugar

  • 1 tablespoon oregano

  • 1 tablespoon basil

  • 1 tablespoon parsley

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

  • 1 – 2 bay leaves

  • Dash of Tabasco sauce

  • salt and pepper

  • 1 cup water

Meatball Ingredients

  • 3 slices of old bread soaked in 3/4 cup of water

  • 1/2 onion, chopped

  • 1 tablespoon parsley

  • 1.5 pounds of ground beef

  • 3 tablespoons of Parmesan Cheese, shredded

  • 1 egg

  • Salt and Pepper

For Serving

  • Thin Spaghetti Noodles

  • Parmesan Cheese

  • Salad and French Bread

Sauce & Meatball Directions

  • Before you start the sauce:

    • Put the bread slices into the bowl of your stand mixer (or a large mixing bowl) and cover with the 3/4 cup of water.

  • Make the sauce:

    • In a large pot, saute the onion and garlic in 1/4 cup of olive oil.

    • Add the rest of the sauce ingredients, stir to combine, cover the pot, and simmer for 30 minutes.

  • As the sauce is simmering, make the meatballs:

    • Give the bread a good stir, now that it is softened, to break it up.

    • Add all of the remaining meatball ingredients into your bowl with the bread. Gently mix until just combined.

    • Form into large meatballs. Set them on a cutting board or tray as you work.

  • After the sauce has simmered for 30 minutes:

    • Gently add the meatballs to the sauce. Just plop them in and put the lid back on.

    • Continue to simmer for 90 minutes to 2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes or so to make sure it isn’t sticking to the bottom of your pan/burning. (If it doesn’t seem to be bubbling enough, turn it up just slightly. If it seems to be sticking on the bottom, turn the burner down slightly. Be very gentle as you stir the meatballs. You don’t want to break them.)

When you are ready to eat, boil the thin spaghetti noodles, drain, and divide into bowls. Serve with sauce and meatballs on top. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese to your heart’s content.

We love to make a fancy meal of this, so we usually have salad and warm french bread for a delicious meal!

I hope you love these Spaghetti and Meatballs as much as we do!

Iced Coffee at Home

/

I have always loved iced coffee from coffee shops. I used to think making it at home was a doomed pursuit. It just never seemed to turn out well. Last summer, I decided to try my hand at it again to see if I could figure out what I was doing wrong. I read lots and lots of other blog posts, and I think I was having two issues—my ratios of water to coffee were distorted, and I wasn’t letting it steep long enough.

This post from The Rising Spoon was super helpful! I have been using her ratios of 1 cup coffee grounds to 4 cups water, with one change. See below.

I also decided to buy this Iced Coffee Maker. I know you don’t need a special gadget to make iced coffee, but I felt confident that I would be more likely to make cold brew at home if it was as simple as possible. I have used it so much this season! It is very simple to set up, very simple to remove the grounds, and then it’s so nice to stick in the fridge and pour straight from it to dispense the iced coffee. If you are thinking of getting something like it, I would certainly recommend it.

Long story short, it’s been going great this summer! I usually have a cup of hot coffee in the morning, but when the kids have their quiet time after lunch, I enjoy a little cup of iced coffee and a few tranquil moments to read or think my own thoughts. :) It’s been a lovely summer tradition.

How to Make Cold Brew Coffee

Making Cold Brew Coffee is simple enough. You measure out your coffee grounds, add water, and then let it steep.

Like I mentioned above, I have been using The Rising Spoon’s ratios of 1 cup coffee grounds to 4 cups water, with one change. I add 1 tablespoon of sugar to my coffee grounds. This makes the cold brew just a smidge sweet and very smooth. I hate getting a sip of grainy sugar in my iced coffee.

Here’s what I’ve been doing—

Cold Brew Coffee

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup measuring cup

  • Iced Coffee Maker

  • 1 cup coffee grounds

  • 1 tablespoon sugar

  • 4 cups water

Directions

  • Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, add 2 scoops of coffee grounds to the inner grounds holder of the Iced Coffee Maker.

  • Add 1 tablespoon of sugar on top of your coffee grounds.

  • Add the last 2 scoops of coffee grounds.

  • Slowly, add the 4 cups of water to your Iced Coffee Maker. It is best to pour a bit, let it sit and drain, pour a bit, let it sit and drain, until you’ve added all of the water.

  • Put the cap on and set aside to steep for 18-24 hours. (I leave mine on the counter to steep.)

  • When you have steeped the coffee long enough, remove the inner grounds holder. I like to gently press out the coffee that is remaining in it as I pull it up. Set that aside to clean, and replace your cap.

  • Now you are ready to serve your iced coffee! Add ice to a cup, pour in cold brew, and add milk/cream as desired. Enjoy!

  • Store remaining cold brew in the refrigerator.

Cheers to tasty coffee, right at home!

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

/

There are many varieties of zucchini bread out there, some better than others. I do enjoy a more traditional zucchini bread (like this Classic Zucchini Bread or this Old-Fashioned Zucchini Bread), but this one is a nice change when you want a bit of a treat. It’s moist and rich and chocolatey. It could be served as a dessert or as a decadent breakfast bread. I hope you enjoy!

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup sugar

  • 3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted (+ a bit extra to grease the loaf pan)

  • 2 large eggs

  • 1 cup applesauce

  • 2 cups flour

  • 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa

  • 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

  • 1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini

  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

  • 9 x 5 in loaf pan

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 350º. Use a little of your coconut oil to grease your loaf pan.

  • Add sugar, coconut oil, and eggs into the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat at a low speed until well blended. Stir in applesauce.

  • Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir well with a fork or whisk. Add flour mixture to the sugar mixture, gently mix until just moist. Stir in zucchini and chocolate chips.

  • Spoon batter into loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour, or until a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out almost clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe slightly adapted from the Cooking Light ‘Pick Fresh’ cookbook.

Caprese Tortellini (A Simple Summer Dinner)

/

Ok, so this Caprese Tortellini could be a simple dinner for just about any time of year, but it feels particularly fitting for summer alfresco dining. It also is just barely a recipe. Adjust the ratios as you see fit. Definitely enjoy it outside if you can!

Caprese Tortellini

Ingredients

  • 1 package of Tortellini (I like Four Cheese, personally)

  • 1 lb Sweet Italian Sausage Links*

  • Half a pint of Cherry Tomatoes

  • Container of Marinated Mozzarella Balls

  • Balsamic Glaze, for drizzling

  • Fresh Basil, thinly sliced, for serving*

Directions

  • Fill a large stock pot with water and bring to a boil. Cut the Italian Sausage into bite-sized chunks and cook in a skillet with a drizzle of oil until browned and cooked through. Meanwhile, cut cherry tomatoes in half and set aside in a bowl. If using, cut fresh basil and set aside as well.

  • As the sausage is nearly done, cook the tortellini according to package directions. Drain the tortellini and either put it back into your large pot or put it into a large bowl. Drain off the grease from the sausage and add to the bowl with the tortellini.

  • Add in the cherry tomatoes and marinated mozzarella balls, with the marinade. This serves as the ‘sauce’ and brings through the flavors from the marinating oil. Gently stir everything together and serve on plates or bowls. Top with fresh basil and drizzle with the balsamic glaze. Enjoy!

Notes

  • If you have a smaller package of tortellini, I would consider only using 3 of the links to keep the ratio of pasta to meat more balanced.

  • If you don’t have fresh basil, don’t worry! I liked it without any fresh basil added.

  • I will say, I did not care for this as leftovers. It did not reheat well, and I personally didn’t enjoy it cold. So keep that in mind as you decide how much to make.

Recipe adapted from Lately with Alexa.