Strawberry Lemonade

My husband loves strawberry lemonade (esp from the cheesecake factory).  For Father's Day I wanted to make some to go along with his dinner.  He enjoyed it and later froze it for a slushy.

(recipe from Emeril Lagasse)

Ingredients

• 2 cups water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
• 1 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 pint fresh strawberries, hulled and halved
• 2 cups cold sparkling water or club soda
• Ice
• Mint sprigs, garnish
• Whole strawberries, garnish

Directions

In a medium saucepan, bring the water and sugar to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves. Add the lemon peel and lemon juice, stir, and remove from the heat. Let cool completely, then strain into a clean pitcher.

In a blender, puree the pint of strawberries and add to the pitcher with the lemon juice. Stir well to combine and refrigerate until well chilled.

Add the sparkling water and stir well. Pour over glasses filled with ice and serve, garnished with mint and strawberries.

Pasta Carbonara

I haven't posted in a long time.  I haven't been making anything exciting.  I need to start trying more recipes again.

We had family staying with us for a week and I needed something that would please everyone.  So I decided pasta (my kids love noodles).  I went on Giada's (from the food network) site.  My husband loves her, most likely b/c her show is full of her cleavage.  But her recipes have always been good.

I didn't have pancetta so we used thick bacon.  I also added some peas b/c that is how I always have seen it at restaurants here.  Everyone enjoyed the meal.  I served it with salad and the Pioneer Woman's cheesy garlic bread. 

Ingredients

• 1 pound pancetta, diced into 1-inch cubes
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 6 eggs, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup heavy cream, at room temperature
• 1 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 1 pound dried penne
• 4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

Directions

Heat a large saute pan, until hot. Add pancetta and saute until golden brown and crispy, about 5 minutes. Season with black pepper and remove pan from heat.

In a medium bowl, beat the eggs and cream. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in Parmesan, reserving 2 tablespoons for garnish.

In a large pot, boil 6 quarts of salted boiling water. Add pasta and cook until al dente, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta in a colander. Do not rinse with water; you want to retain the pasta's natural starches so that the sauce will stick. While the pasta is still hot, return it back to the pot. Add the browned pancetta and mix well. Add the cream mixture and coat the pasta completely. It's important to work quickly while the pasta is still warm so that the cream mixture will cook, but not curdle. Add remaining Parmesan and chopped parsley.