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This is totally my favorite pasta dish I make. It's simultaneously easy and impressive; great for company. Have you ever had pasta carbonara? The sauce is a decadent mixture of cream, raw eggs and parmesan cheese. The hot buttered noodles are smothered in the sauce, and then tossed with bacon and parsley. Top with fresh cracked pepper and serve!
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Pasta Carbonara
source: All Recipes

1/2 pound bacon, cut into pieces
4 eggs room temperature
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 lb dry spaghetti 
1 stick of butter, softened
handful of parsley, chopped
ground black pepper

Start boiling a big pot of water for your spaghetti. Cook bacon pieces in a large pan until crisp and set aside to drain on paper towels. Reserve the bacon grease if you want and wipe out the bottom of your pan with a paper towel. 

Cook the spaghetti according to package directions. In a medium bowl, beat eggs and cream together. Stir in the parmesan and set aside. Cut up the stick of butter into a few pieces.

Once the spaghetti is cooked, drain it and put the noodles into the pan you cooked the bacon in. Plop the pieces of butter onto the spaghetti and stir until melted. Pour in the egg, cream and cheese mixture and toss until mixed. Stir in the bacon and parsley, and serve
 
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This salad really surprised me! I thought it would be bland and dry but I was wrong, it's perfect! Even though the feta wasn't beautifully breaded it was still a great complement to the tangy greens. The grilled tomatoes release just enough moisture to really coat the greens, allowing the dressing to be used sparingly so the flavor is fresh and light, not heavy. 

Grilled Tomato Salad with Green Beans and Feta.
adapted from Real Simple
Serves 4

5 tablespoons olive oil, separated
juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon capers, drained
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 pound green beans, ends trimmed
1 8 oz piece of Feta cheese, not crumbled
2 large tomatoes sliced thick, like 4 slices per tomato.
1 tablespoon fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
6 cups greens, arugula, spinach or spring mix.

In a small bowl stir together 4 tablespoons of the oil, lemon juice, capers and parsley. Set aside. I always make salad dressing in a mason jar and shake it to blend the ingredients.

Boil a large pot of salted water. Add green beans and cook for 4 minutes. Drain and run under cool water to stop the cooking process. We want them to be crispy and fresh.

Cut the block of feta into 4 slices. If necessary, place on paper towels to absorb the liquid it's stored in.

Heat a non stick pan over medium heat. Sprinkle salt, pepper and thyme on both sides of the tomato slices. Cook tomatoes until lightly browned, only about a minute per side.

Wipe out the skillet and heat 1 tablespoon of oil. Cover the feta with bread crumbs and cook about 2 minutes per side until browned. (This is where my feta started falling apart so I just gave up and put it on the plate. It was still delicious!)

Arrange greens, beans, tomatoes and feta on plates then drizzle with vinaigrette. You may think there's not enough dressing for 4 people, but trust me there is! The liquid from the tomatoes makes the dressing go a long way.

This may seem a little involved for a salad, but trust me it's really good and not difficult!
 
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I love this salad! It's a great way to showcase juicy, bright peaches plus it's a unique summer side dish. Enjoy! I'll definitely make it again.

Peach and Mozzarella Salad
Source: Real Simple


3 peaches
1 cup fresh basil leaves torn or chiffonade
8 ounces fresh mozzarella cut into 1 inch pieces
a bit of olive oil, like a couple of teaspoons
salt and pepper to taste.

Cut each peach into 6 or 8 slices then cut each slice in half. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and serve!
 
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You know what I eat for breakfast when there is no granola left? Pie! Sometimes I eat pie even when there are more reasonable breakfast options available. Like this morning, as I am writing this post, I am enjoying this unique Strawberry Basil Pie. Have you ever had a Strawberry pie? Me neither, and definitely not one with basil. It is quite tart and refreshing! 
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The filling is 2 pounds of strawberries, 10 torn basil leaves, 3/4 cup brown sugar and 1/4 cup cornstarch. Mix it until it looks like this, as if the strawberries were covered in syrup. You just pour that into a baked pie shell, form a lattice crust and you're done!
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Strawberry Basil Pie
slightly adapted from Esa's of Butter Love Bakeshop recipe published in the August 2011 issue of In Style Magazine.

2 pie crusts (I used Pillsbury brand, I'm not good at making pie crust!)
2 pounds strawberries, washed hulled and quartered
3/4 cup brown sugar (if your strawberries are very sweet use 1/2 cup)
10 fresh basil leaves, torn into quarters
1/4 cup cornstarch

Bake the pie shell in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes. Be sure to weigh down the shell by lining it with parchment paper and place pie weights or dry beans or rice on top. This helps the shell keep it's shape as it bakes. It's important to bake the shell in advance because this pie filling is super watery and the shell would be soggy otherwise.

While the shell is baking, prepare your strawberries and basil. Stir together strawberries, basil, brown sugar and cornstarch in a bowl until the strawberries look like they are covered in syrup. Once the pie shell is baked, pour in the strawberry filling and top with a lattice crust. Bake for 60 minutes or until the juices are bubbling and the lattice is browned. Let cool and serve!
 
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Did you know that July is National Ice Cream Month? Yep! And what better way to celebrate than with a bowl of vanilla ice cream accompanied with warm berry cobbler? I've never made cobbler before, so I was surprised at how easy and simply delicious this recipe is. It's a great way to enjoy all those beautiful blueberries in season now.

Blackberry Blueberry Cobbler
adapted from Food Coma
1 pint blackberries
1 pint blueberries
1 cup sugar
2 tbspns corn starch
3/4 cup flour
zest of 1/2 a lemon
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup butter, melted

In a 9 X 9 baking dish stir together the berries, 1/2 cup of the sugar and 2 tbspns corn starch. You just made the filling! Easy!

For the crust whisk the flour, the second 1/2 cup of sugar, lemon zest, baking powder and salt together in a separate bowl. Stir in the egg, milk and vanilla until incorporated. Pour in the melted butter after it has cooled  a bit (you don't want to scramble your egg!) and stir until you have a nice batter.

Pour the batter over the berries. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until the batter is cooked through. Serve with vanilla ice cream and enjoy!
 
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I made these sandwiches for Jared's parents as they visited this weekend. I wanted to serve something summery and memorable but something that wouldn't pull me away from our guests and imprison me in the kitchen. This was perfect! 
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All you have to do is roast and peel the peppers then marinade them for a couple of hours or overnight in a blend of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, chopped garlic, capers, salt and pepper. Then you just assemble the sandwiches when you're ready to eat!
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The marinated peppers have a bright flavor that are perfectly paired with creamy goat cheese, peppery fresh basil leaves, and crisp red onion. Try these sandwiches! They're ideal for guests or for a summer picnic.

Roasted Pepper and Goat Cheese Sandwiches
slightly adapted from Barefoot Contessa at Home by Ina Garten
Serves 4

2 red bell peppers
2 yellow bell peppers
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 cloves garlic chopped
2 tablespoons capers, drained
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
enough fancy bread for 4 sandwiches, ciabatta or focaccia perhaps
8 oz goat cheese
1 red onion
lots of basil leaves

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. I know, it's the middle of summer, who wants to have a 350 degree box in their house? If you just can't stand heating up your oven, you could buy 2 bottles of roasted red peppers instead. Otherwise, roast the peppers for 30 minutes then place in a folded paper bag or covered bowl to cool and sweat a bit. After they are cool enough to peel, slice them in half and remove the seeds. Peel the skin off and cut the half in half again, so you should have 4 slices for each bell pepper.

In a bowl mix together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, capers, garlic, salt and pepper. Spoon the mixture over the peppers and marinate for a few hours. When you're ready to eat, assemble the sandwiches. Spread the goat cheese on both sides of the bread, top with peppers, then add a few slices of onions and cover with fresh basil leaves. 
 
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This sauce has been really popular on food blogs recently. here, here and here for instance! I got tired of seeing it on my RSS feed all the time so I had to try it. Like most of the bloggers above express, I was doubtful that the sauce could be really as good as everyone says since it is so simple. 
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This simple: Just 28 oz crushed tomatoes, 1 peeled and bisected onion,  5 tbsps of butter, and salt. I liked it, and I'll probably make it again. But reading all of its praises made me expect something phenomenal, so I was a little disappointed. I do not want my readers to be disillusioned, so I will cut it to you straight (did I just invent this idiom? sounds vaguely drug related?), this sauce is bland. I do think this would be a perfect pasta sauce for picky kids, but for the adults make sure to provide basil and parmesan to give it more flavor.

Full disclosure, I did forget to add salt to my sauce which is a culinary no-no. Also, I kind of just cooked it for a random amount of time because I was hungry! So it is possible that the sauce is as good as everyone says if you season and cook it properly. I'll let you be the judge! 

Simple Tomato Sauce
source: many many blogs, 3 of which are linked above. I hear the original is in "Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking" by Marcella Hazan.

1 28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes with juices
1 onion peeled and cut in half.
5 tbsps unsalted butter
salt to taste

In a medium saucepan, warm over medium heat the tomatoes, onion and butter. Bring to a simmer and then lower the heat so the sauce will stay simmering and not boiling. Simmer for 45 minutes stirring occasionally and crushing the tomatoes against the side of the pan. Remove from heat and throw away the onion. Taste it and add as much salt as you like.
 
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You heard me right! Bacon + Dark Chocolate is currently my favorite dessert flavor. It all started when my dad shared Vosges Chocolate bars and truffles with us after returning from a meeting with them in Chicago. He does marketing work for lots of businesses, and lucky for us, many of them make delicious food!

So Vosges makes chocolate bars mixed with bacon pieces and let me tell you, they are absolutely delicious. I crave them, all the time. The earthy salty bacon flavor is grounded perfectly by the deep creaminess of the dark chocolate. *mouth watering*

Yesterday I found myself with a lot of bacon on my hands and I didn't know what to do with it. I planned on eating it for breakfast every morning but since it's summer I've been sleeping in till 11 without fail. Yes, be jealous of my awesome ability to sleep in! So I had all this bacon, and a huge bar of dark chocolate and it all become suddenly clear what I had to do.
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How could I resist that siren call?
A few notes for a successful outcome. Use good old fatty greasy bacon. You need a lot of fat for this recipe so using Turkey bacon won't work. When you cut it, I found it easiest to do it like so.
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Don't worry about the pieces being too big, they will shrink dramatically as they cook. You also don't have to peel apart each slice because they will separate as you stir while cooking.

Be sure to use dark chocolate, and if you have a bar of it I would recommend that instead of chips. It's not too hard to chop the chocolate if it is stored at room temperature. If it is difficult to cut, microwaving it on half power for a few seconds should do the trick. 

Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies
adapted from Lee Anne Wong for the Cooking Channel
12 oz. bacon cut into pieces
2 1/2 cups flour
2 heaping teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter softened (let it sit at room temperature for a while, don't microwave!)
1/2 cup reserved bacon fat, chilled and set 
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar
2 tbsp rum (the original calls for bourbon, which is probably pretty good, but I didn't have any. If you don't have either, just skip it.)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
8 ounces dark chocolate (65% or more cocoa content) chopped

Cook the bacon in a pan until it's beautiful and crispy. Remove bacon and drain on a paper towel. Carefully strain the fat through a sieve into a container that can hold really hot things without breaking or melting. Don't hold the container while you pour in the bacon fat, you'll totally burn yourself! Put that container in the fridge and let it sit for a good while, perhaps an hour, until it is congealed.

Once the fat is set preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Chop your chocolate while you wait. Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt in a small mixing bowl. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, 1/2 cup of the bacon fat, sugar, brown sugar, rum (or bourbon) and vanilla until incorporated. Add the eggs and beat well, then gradually mix in the flour mixture. Pour in the chocolate and bacon and stir.

I have a funny way of forming cookies, I like to roll them like meatballs. It works for me. Do whatever you like to do, but make sure that you don't use more than 2 tbsp of dough for each cookie. Place them on your cookie sheet and bake 9 or 10 minutes or until the bottom of the cookie is golden brown. Let cool and enjoy your new favorite cookie!
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This is a simple summer dish and a great way to enjoy seasonal zucchini. Cooking your own pasta sauces is really easy and makes any pasta dish fresher and less expensive than buying bottled sauces. In my experience, homemade sauces always taste better, too. In this dish ravioli and sauteed zucchini (and squash if you like) are tossed with a parmesan cream sauce seasoned with lemon zest and chives. It's so simple I really didn't think it would taste good as I was making it, I thought there weren't enough ingredients for the sauce to be tasty. I was wrong and we both loved it. I'll definitely be making it again. Just be sure to add the chives after plating it. The bite of the chives adds a great contrast to the creaminess of the sauce. I forgot to add the chives when we had it for dinner, but when I ate leftovers for lunch today I sprinkled a bit on top and it makes a big difference! Give this recipe a shot, you'll be glad you did!

Creamy Ravioli with Zucchini, Lemon, and Chives
adapted from Real Simple
Serves 4+

20 oz. cheese ravioli
olive oil
1/4 large onion or 1/2 small onion chopped (the original recipe calls for 1 shallot, I think this would be a better choice, I just forgot to buy one!)
4 zucchini (and/or yellow squash) thinly sliced
3/4 cup heavy cream
zest of 1 lemon
handful grated parmesan cheese (or if you have really big or small hands, 1/2 cup), plus more for topping
chopped chives to taste

Boil water to cook your ravioli. As your waiting for the water chop your zucchini, onion and chives, grate your parmesan and zest your lemon. Cook ravioli with package instructions.

Warm up some oil in a large pan over medium heat. It has to be big enough to toss around all your zucchini. Add the onion and cook until soft. Next add the zucchini and some salt and pepper to taste. Toss the zucchini often so they don't burn (it's okay if they get a little brown around the edges, but it's not as pretty) for about 4 minutes. They should just be starting to soften. 

Stir in the lemon zest and cream and cook for about 2 more minutes. You may need to lower the heat at this point, you don't want to cream to boil.

Don't forget your ravioli! When it is cooked, reserve 1/4 cup of the pasta water and drain the rest. Put the ravioli back in the pot and toss with the cream sauce and pasta water. Quickly throw in a handful of parmesan and stir it until it is melted with the sauce.

Divide onto plates and top with some more grated parmesan and chopped chives, don't forget!It really is tasty! I'm going to eat some leftovers right now, even though it's 10:30 at night!
 
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I made bread!!! and it's sooo gooooooood! but it's even easier than it is good, which is a lot! Can you tell I'm excited about this recipe? Jim Lahey, a baker in New York City developed it and the Times calls it "revolutionary" because of its "combination of great crumb, lightness, incredible flavor...and an enviable, crackling crust, the feature of bread  that most frequently separates the amateurs from the pros." Are you excited yet?! Don't you want to make this bread right now?! Well don't go preheating your oven yet, because that part doesn't come until 20 hours from now. Yes, what makes this bread so fabulous is that you needn't knead it, because the long time for rising does the work that is normally done by kneading. Does it sound like I know what I'm talking about? Because I don't. I just followed the directions. If you're interested in the science you should read the Times article linked above, very interesting! Ok let's get down to it.
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In a large bowl stir together 3 cups flour, 1/4 teaspoon yeast and 1 1/4 teaspoon salt. Pour in 1 5/8 cups of water and mix together with a spatula or your hands just until the dough comes together. It won't be pretty, don't worry. You can't really mess this up, for instance I thought that 1/4 teaspoon yeast was entirely too little and instead put in a whole packet, as if I knew more than a master baker. But the bread still turned out amazing so again, don't worry no matter how ugly your dough looks at first.
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Put some plastic wrap over it and let it sit for 18 hours. When it's ready it'll look like this, with little bubbles all over. Pour the dough onto a floured surface. The dough will be very sticky so add some flour on top so it doesn't stick to your hands. Flatten it a bit with your hands, then fold it over onto itself twice and shape it into a ball.
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On a cotton towel (not terry cloth) sprinkle some cornmeal or wheat bran. Put the dough on it seam side down. Sprinkle some more cornmeal or wheat bran on top and fold the towel to cover the dough. Let it sit for another 2 hours. After 1 hour and 30 minutes have passed, put a heavy bottomed pot with a lid in the oven and preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
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It should be a lot bigger after 2 hours. Starting to look like bread huh?
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 Now carefully take the hot pot out of the oven and plop the dough into it with the seam side up. Mine didn't have much of a seam, but that's okay.
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Put the lid back on the pot and bake for 30 minutes. Then take the lid off and bake for 15 more minutes or until bread is browned, up to 30 minutes. 
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Let cool on a rack and then stare at it. Is it not the most beautiful loaf of bread you ever saw, and all the more beautiful because you made it? Note the delicious caramel color of the crust, the subtle grid pattern left by your cotton towel, the artful contrast between the cornmeal and the crust. Once you have fully savored this moment and have taken a few pictures for posterity, you may cut into your bread.
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Gasp! Even more to admire! Look at all those air bubbles! Feel the weight of the bread in your poorly manicured fingers. Just the right consistency for absorbing an italian seasoned olive oil.
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Check out this monster sandwich. What a great picture, it looks like it's attacking you! The only downside to this bread, (is it even a downside?) is that the crust leaves a lot of crumbs, you can see them all over the background in this picture. You're gonna have to sweep your kitchen floor after slicing this bread. But that is just the price you pay for a crust that "separates the amateurs from the pros!"

Recipe source: New York Times