Fettucine Carbonara

Pasta. Cream. BACON.

It doesn't get any better than that.

Ingredients

2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, minced
12 oz. bacon, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. fettucine
3 large egg yolks, at room temperature
3/4 cup half-and-half, at room temperature
3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, at room temperature
1 - 4 oz. can sliced mushrooms, drained
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the onion and bacon and cook until the onions are translucent and the bacon is beginning to crisp. Add garlic and saute 1 minute more. Remove from the heat and set aside.

2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the fettucine according to package directions until al dente, about 11-12 minutes. Drain pasta in a colander and return to pan. Add in the bacon and onion mixture. Stir over high heat until pasta is coated with the pancetta mixture.

3. In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and half-and-half and add to the pasta, along with the Parmesan and mushrooms. Remove the pot from the heat and toss the pasta until it is well-coated and the egg has had time to cook. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste. Serve immediately.

Shrimp Rolls

I've been craving seafood lately, especially shellfish. And since it seems as though we only enjoy shrimp two ways - in tacos or in pasta - I decided to come up with something a little different this week. These sandwiches, loosely based on a lobster roll, were fabulous. For never having made something like this before, I was surprised at how great the shrimp mixture turned out(it would be great on crackers as an appetizer too!), and these were a perfect meal to be enjoyed on a hot summer evening.

Ingredients

1 lb. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 1/2 tsp. seasoned salt (or Old Bay)
1/4 tsp. chili powder
1/8 tsp. paprika
2 Tbsp. cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 tsp. celery salt
1 green onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh crab meat (optional)
4 sandwich rolls
A few pinches of dried dill weed

Directions

1. In a small bowl, combine shrimp, seasoned salt, chili powder, and paprika. Mix well. heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the butter. Once the butter is melted, add the shrimp. Cook, stirring frequently, until pink and cooked through, about 4-5 minutes. Remove the shrimp from pan and reserve any remaining liquid/butter from the pan. Cut shrimp in half and let cool slightly.

2. In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, mayonnaise, celery salt, green onion and crab meat (I had some snow crab that I removed from the shell and used for this; not necessary but I love crab and it did add great flavor!). Stir in cooled shrimp. Let rest in the refirgerator at least 30 minutes.

3. Preheat broiler. Cut a v-shaped slit in the top of each sandwich roll and remove the top. Scrape out any excess bread from the center. Brush the inside of the rolls with the reserved shrimp butter, and sprinkle with dill weed. Broil 2-3 minutes until butter melts and bread begins to crisp.

4. To serve, stuff rolls with the shrimp mixture. Enjoy!