Dine and Dish

Food blog with family recipes

Admiration and I’ll admit it… Jealousy! (Pasta Carbonara)

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Do you ever run across a person, whether in real life or in the virtual world that you are so impressed with? You meet them and wonder… how the heck do they do it all and you walk away thinking “Wow – I wish I could be like them.”

I’ll admit… some of you out there turn me green with envy. You seem to really  have it together and manage to keep it together. You are on the top of your game as mom’s, as business professionals, as wives. You manage your household with such finesse and on top of that run these amazing websites and businesses. You cook, you clean, you parent, you budget, you organize, you exercise, you craft, you PTA. You probably even manage to have regular sex with your husband without it having to be on the calendar weeks in advance! You seem completely happy and what is even more amazing… you seem really real. Like someone I would enjoy calling up to go out and have coffee with someday.

Amy Clark of Mom Advice fame is one of those people that I’ve admired for quite some time. All you have to do is take a look at one of her many websites (and not to mention all of the various sites she contributes to) and I’m sure you will agree. Amy is a smart, talented, professional woman that I deeply admire. In fact, I think I’ve even sheepishly mentioned to her before that I want to be her! Imagine my surprise when I get a flattering email from Amy herself the other day with the words “I’m such a fan of yours…” and “I admire you so…” in it. I was flabbergasted that first, Amy even takes the time to read Dine & Dish. Second, that she was coming to me for something.

Amy has recently started a great radio show called “Mom Advice Simplified“. “Mom Advice Simplified” is a weekly radio show that airs at 1pm CST on Blog Talk Radio. Amy’s show aired last week for the first time and I was so excited to hear that the topic was simplifying your to-do list. Considering that my theme for 2009 is to simplify, the broadcast came at a perfect time. And guess what? Come to find out, Amy isn’t perfect. In fact, her to-do list struggles sounded an awful lot like mine. Amy’s business coach, Charrise McCrorey of Emergence Business Coaching, provided Amy’s listeners some great ideas for simplifying our to-do lists.

Amy contacted me, of all people, to be on her 2nd show this coming Thursday at 1pm CST. Amy and I will be sharing ideas with her listeners about simplifying family meal time. I will be the first to admit, I am no expert but hopefully I will have some advice and tips to share with you that will help you to make dinner time at your house just a little bit easier.

Thank you, Amy, for the opportunity to share in your new adventure! I hope that you all will come and take a listen over at Blog Talk Radio on Thursday, January 15th at 1pm CST. Amy and I will also be online at that time to chat with you and to answer any questions you may have. You can access the site by clicking HERE. (And, don’t worry… if you miss the broadcast on Thursday, you can still go to Blog Talk Radio and listen to it after the fact.)

Speaking of simplifying family meal time, this is a recipe that I pulled from my favorite “I wanna be like them” magazine, Real Simple. Not the healthiest of options for those of you watching your fat and carb intake, but a meal my entire family loves!

 

 

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Pasta Carbonara

Pasta Carbonara from Real Simple Magazine
Author Dine & Dish

Ingredients

  • 1 pound linguine or spaghetti
  • 6 strips bacon diced
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 1 cup grated Parmesan
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley chopped

Instructions

  • Cook the pasta according to the package directions.
  • Meanwhile, fry the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat. Transfer to a paper towel and reserve the drippings.
  • In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks. Still whisking constantly, add 2 tablespoons of the drippings. Working quickly, add the drained pasta and Parmesan to the yolk mixture and toss to combine. Add the salt, pepper, parsley, and bacon. Serve immediately. (The heat of the pasta cooks the eggs, but not thoroughly. It may be advisable for young children, the elderly, and anyone with a compromised immune system to avoid eating this dish.)
  • Tip: Use a pair of clean scissors or kitchen shears, not a knife, to dice the bacon. It's much quicker and makes less of a mess.

 

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. camille says

    I used to work in a bookstore and we sold magazines, including Real Simple. I was always a combination of baffled and amused that a magazine about simplifying your life is the size of a suburban phonebook and costs $7.

    camilles last blog post..Pierogi Lasagna

  2. Maris says

    This sounds so good – I love Real Simple recipes, because you’re right, so easy! But they sure can be calorie traps! Sometimes I wonder how they come up with such high calorie counts.

    Mariss last blog post..Stovetop Macaroni & Cheese (With Peas)

  3. Susan at Sticky,Gooey,Creamy,Chewy says

    I think that quite a lot of us look at each other and feel a little bit inept. I know I do. But then some of those very women that I think have it so together will confess that they’re a mess and thought I was the accomplished one! I guess it all depends on how good we are at faking it.

    I have to say, Kristen, that when I think about women at the top of their game, you are right at the top of the list.

    Congrats on the radio gig. I will certainly do my best to tune in.

    Oh yeah, love that carbonara! It’s one of my faves.

    Susan at Sticky,Gooey,Creamy,Chewys last blog post..TWD: Savory Corn and Pepper Muffins

  5. Rosa says

    Some people also make me “jealous” ;-p… I love that gorgeous dish! Your carbonara looks delicious!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

  6. Navita says

    girl u do a pretty awesome job too …atleast at this website.

    Hi First time here n u sure have a treasure trove of tips & great recipes…loved it n wud be back for sure.

    Stopped by to say HI as i’m on a frend-making spree..;p
    u c i’m new to the blogosphere..3 months old only. 🙂

    tada!

    Navitas last blog post..Sesame Speculaas & Makar Sankranti

  7. ovenhaven says

    The carbonara looks great! And trust me, as much as you get ‘envious’ of some of those ladies out there, there are so many others who wish they were like you [current company included :P]!

    Congrats on the radio gig!

    ovenhavens last blog post..of health and resolutions

  9. Anna Ginsberg says

    I don’t know Amy, but I’ll check out her blogs.

    Now about that carbonara. I was obsessed with it last week. Tuscan Gun has a cute video where they make it together and throw out some tips. One tip is that you take a small cup of the starchy pasta water and mix it in with the egg yolks. Their recipe is simple and delicious.

    http://www.underthetuscangun.com/files/winter%20lunch%20date.html

    But the last recipe I used was Rachel Ray’s which is almost identical to Tuscan Gun’s but uses egg yolks only.

    For the next one, I’m going to use Farfalle.

    I’m also kind of obsessed with beef stroganoff.

    Anna Ginsbergs last blog post..More Recipes Using Total Cereal

  10. Julia says

    Lord knows I need to learn how to simplify dinner time! I can’t seem to cook a meal in less than 3 pots!

    Congratulations on the great recognition!

    Julias last blog post..Good Morning Vietnam

  11. patsyk says

    Ok, first things first: amazing picture of the carbonara! When I was reading your post, I was thinking that there are so many people I think “Oh, I wish I were more like them”.

    I won’t be able to tune in at the time of the broadcast, but am happy to hear that we can still get it later! 🙂 What a fun way to be recognized!

    patsyks last blog post..Sage Rubbed Pork Chops with Warm Apple Slaw

  13. Asha says

    Women are STRONG but they don’t realize it until somebody tells them and then they don’t believe it! 😀

    We Indians say that it’s women of India who are keeping the country together for thousands of yrs, if left to men India would have been gone long time ago! 🙂

    For me, you are one of those too, pillar of strength to your family and community. Have a great day! :))

    Ashas last blog post..Goan Cuisine; Sorpotel, Alu Ambot Tik, Pulao, Sannas, Dodol

  15. grace says

    it seems to me that i come across at least one person who triggers the green-eyed monster every day. right now, it’s you, because you’ve been eating some good stuff and i’m eating boring ol’ soup.

    graces last blog post..a cinnamon celebration

  19. Elle says

    Won’t be able to listen on Thursday, but will catch it on the blog later…very exciting! Bet you have great ideas to share with Amy.
    This recipe sounds perfect for next time I have extra egg yolks…can’t always make lemon curd. 🙂

    Elles last blog post..Daily Bread

  24. LyB says

    Kristen, you are one of the bloggers I admire the most! Your site is fabulous, you make great food, take incredible pictures, all the while raising three precious kids. And you seem to be having fun too! 🙂 We love pasta carbonara over here, anything with pasta and bacon is a favorite.

    LyBs last blog post..One Year Ago and Another Caramel Post

  25. Psychgrad says

    I’ll admit some jealousy. But, also some skepticism. It’s fairly easy to present a near perfect image of yourself on a blog. Real life may be a different story all together.

    Kudos to you for being invited to the second show. You must be doing something right :)!

    Psychgrads last blog post..Kapusta – Cooked Cabbage

  27. Foodista says

    Hi Kristen, hope you had a great time! I’d like to invite you to take some time to drop by at Foodista. We have launched an online food and cooking encyclopedia ala wikipedia where you can contribute and share what you know about food and cooking techniques.

    We also have a small embeddable widget that will help you build traffic from Foodista-related pages. This will explain how the widget works.

    Foodistas last blog post..Chanterelle And Smoked Bacon Linguine

  28. Ashley says

    I saw on FB that you where going to be on the Talk Radio Blog…too cool! I came in about 10 mins in to it. What fun! I wish you continued success…so when is the Oprah interview… :-)Remember us little people. Keep cooking!

  29. Ashley says

    I forgot to mention on FB yesterday I stated how I hate playing the, “What to make for dinner tonight game”. The Carbonara looks yummy to make…just have to brave the insane cold to get some ingredients.

  31. Nicole says

    Wow! You guys sure have it all together. I feel like I am barely keeping my head above water and I haven’t even blogged in a couple months. I don’t know how you do it. Do you sleep? This morning I was madly dashing to get some orders out, samples to reps and emails done. Meanwhile the house was a mess and that which wasn’t, the kids quickly destroyed while crawling the cupboards for junk food. I don’t know how you can do so much. Let me know your secrets!

    Nicoles last blog post..Happy Holidays!!!

  32. Wookie says

    Came to your site via photograzing bc your pasta looked so delish–but couldn’t read the first 3-4 paragraphs because that Boca-burger ad must be in the wrong place and won’t close.

  37. Deborah says

    I’m sure I’ve already said it, but you are one of those people that I admire!!

    Deborahs last blog post..The Cake Slice Bakers – Banana Cake with Praline Filling and White Chocolate Ganache

  39. foottsssss says

    XRumer http://WWW.footstar.org FootStar – отличный выбор для всех любителей футбола. Игра не требует к себе постоянного внимания, а следить за успехами своего персонажа всегда приятно. К тому же, активное сообщество – это всегда классно!

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