Much better the second time around...

This week will probably be a little slow around here as far as posting goes - we are leaving tonight and will be away from home until Friday. I'm not sure how much access we will have to the internet though, so who knows what to expect! This means we won't be around for the Wednesday Treat Day this week, but don't worry - I did take care of Jeff's co-worker's today! I'll let you in on some wicked Marbled Chocolate Caramels Bars when we get back! If you are wondering where we are going, be sure to check back for updates sometime this week.

I didn't get a chance to post last night about the dinner we had, so I thought I should get that up before we left. Since I was quite busy baking in the kitchen, I didn't want to make something that would take too much time - I went ahead and decided to make this Pasta Carbonara Florentine. With bacon, pasta and cheese it was hard to think of this as a light dish - but using center-cut bacon, whole wheat pasta and tossing in some tender baby spinach made a difference in the end.

Pasta Carbonara was one of the first dishes I tried to make a few years ago when I started to get serious about cooking - I was not all that successful though as I had little chunky pieces of scrambled eggs throughout. However, this recipe resulted in a smooth, creamy sauce that gave the pasta a wonderful sheen. You wouldn't normally find spinach in this dish, but it added a nice pop of color and it helped to cut through the richness. Since you cook the onions in just a little of the bacon fat, you get that smoky background all through the dish without adding too many calories. At four servings, the portions are a little small - but with a serving of fresh vegetables or maybe even a couple quick drop biscuits like we did, it was a very satisfying dinner.

Recipes
Pasta Carbonara Florentine