A Day in the Life of the Earnest Family: August 2009

Okay, so I'm not a food blogger like sister Liz, but I do like to indulge my taste buds once a month on this meal. It's a Rachel Ray recipe. Really! She's super excited about everything and her energy level is never on low (perhaps from her carb recipes, like this one). She's always kind of worn me out, but I think it's because I feel like she's always going and never just takes a deep breath. Slow down Rachel Ray and enjoy your food, it's pretty good!

Pasta with Bacon, Tomatoes, and Cheese

4 servings (generous)

1 lb. short-cut pasta

1 T. Olive Oil

4 bacon slices, chopped

1 large onion, chopped

3 large garlic cloves, chopped

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

black pepper

1/2 c. white wine

1/2 c. chicken stock

1 pint grape tomatoes

1 ball fresh mozzarella, diced

1 bunch fresh chives (I rarely have these, so I usually leave them out) 10-15 fresh basil leaves (torn, again rarely do I have fresh so it's usually dried)

1/2 c. grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions, drain but reserve 1/2 c. of cooking liquid.

While the pasta is cooking, start the sauce. Preheat a LARGE skillet over med.-high heat; add the oil. Add the chopped bacon and cook, stirring every now and then, until crispy. Add the onions, garlic, red pepper flakes, and a little pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 min., or until the onions start to brown. Add the white wine and cook for 1 min. Add the chicken stock and reserved pasta cooking liquid, then bring up to a bubble and simmer for 2 minutes. Add the grape tomatoes and cook them for about 30 seconds, just to start getting them hot and ready to burst. (my mouth is watering) Add the cooked drained pasta, toss to coat in the sauce, and let some of the sauce soak in, about 1 min. Turn the heat off and add the diced mozzarella, the chives, basil grated cheese, and black pepper to taste.

Note: I don't actually use the oil, I find the bacon has enough fat to fry and I actually remove most of the bacon grease before adding the onions and such. Also, when I don't have the wine I just use 1 c. chicken broth.