Quick and Easy Pasta Carbonara

August 20, 2015August 20, 2015 ~ Marlee And Christie ~ Leave a comment

Pasta Carbonara is one of our favorite dishes. Christie had it at least 9 times while we were in Rome for two weeks.

We nicknamed our favorited restaurant “The Little Tomato”. Well, when you hear the ingredients, you might think “Breakfast?”, but this is definitely a delicious dinner or breakfast if you’re into that sort of thing!

Pasta Carbonora

Ingredients

1 Box of Spaghetti
2 Large Eggs
1 Cup Parmesan (Grated)
5 Slices of Bacon (Diced)
5 Garlic Cloves (Minced)
Kosher Salt
Fresh Cracked Pepper
3 Tablespoons Fresh Parsley (Chopped)

Step 1:

First, fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Next add the salt and cook the pasta according to the boxes instructions. Before draining, reserve at least one cup of the cooking water. Set the pasta aside.

Step 2:

Over medium-high heat, heat a large skillet. When the skillet is hot, add the bacon and cook for about 6 minutes. You want the bacon to be cooked, but not over cooked. Drain the excess fat.

Step 3:

Next, stir in the garlic and cook for about a 1minute or until the garlic is fragrant. Turn the heat to medium.

Step 4:

In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs together and then add the parmesan.

Step 5:

Stir the pasta into the bacon and garlic and slowly pour the egg mixture over the pasta. Making sure you are stirring constantly. Add a little pepper and salt if needed.

Step 6:

One tablespoon at a time, add the reserved pasta water until you achieve your desired consistency. Garnish with parsley and serve immediately.

We found inspiration from this blog for today’s recipe

Key Lime Pie Ice Cream

August 16, 2015August 16, 2015 ~ Marlee And Christie ~ 1 Comment

Here in LA we are experiencing some major summer heat. The past couple of days have been brutal. So brutal that we haven’t even been in the kitchen because it’s just too hot (this is what it’s like living with no Air Conditioning).

So instead of cooking over a hot stove, cool down with this tangy and tart summer treat. Key Lime Pie Ice Cream is perfect for those who love ice cream but aren’t fans of the overly sweet stuff.

Now, you may be thrown off by seeing vodka in the recipe, but don’t be! Vodka can’t freeze, so adding it to your base will help make it smooth and creamy.

Enjoy and stay cool!

Key Lime Pie Ice Cream

Ingredients

1 (14 oz) Can Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 Cup Key Lime Juice
1 Cup Half and Half
1 Cup Heavy Cream
1 Tablespoon Key Lime Zest (Heaping)
6 Graham Crackers (Broken into pieces)
1 Shot Vodka (to keep it smooth)

Step 1:

In a medium bowl, mix together the milk, half and half, vodka, and cream together.

Step 2:

Add the key lime juice and zest and stir until thick, smooth and creamy. Pour into a jar and allow to chill for at least 30 minutes.

Step 3:

Next, pour the mixture into your ice cream maker and churn to your manufactures settings. In the last five minutes of churning add the graham cracker pieces and let mix in. Transfer to a freezer safe container and freeze for at least three hours to firm up.

Holy Guacamole!

August 13, 2015 ~ Marlee And Christie ~ 2 Comments

In preparation of the Fall heatwave in Los Angeles, we thought guacamole would be the perfect recipe to post today! Not only do we LOVE our avocados in this house/city/state, but we also didn’t want to make something that involved heat since it’s currently 97°F outside. The only heat we want is from the cayenne and chipotle peppers!

Holy Guacamole!

Ingredients

4 Large Has Avocados (Reserve one pit)
1 Jalapeño (Deseed and diced)
1/2 White Onion (Finely diced)
2 Roma Tomatos (Deseeded and diced)
1 Large Clove Garlic (Diced)
Garlic Salt
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Chipotle Pepper
Green Onions (Chopped)

Step 1:

In a large a bowl, using an electric mixer, blend the avocados until no longer large and chunky.

Step 2:

Next, add the diced jalapeños, onion, tomatoes, and garlic and stir to combine.

Step 3:

Add your garlic salt, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne and chipotle and mix well. Adjust seasonings to your liking.

Step 4:

To serve, place your reserved avocado pit in a bowl and cover with the guacamole. Sprinkle with chopped green onions and serve.

The pit will help the guacamole from oxidizing, but if you really want to prevent oxidation, sprinkle your guacamole with either fresh lemon or lime juice.

Christie’s Chicken Salad

August 11, 2015 ~ Marlee And Christie ~ Leave a comment

Today’s recipe is a simple and classic. We’ve already shown you how to make traditional Chicken Salad, but today’s version is Christie’s take.

What makes this recipe special is it’s made with a combination of mayo, for the flavor we always look for in chicken salads, but also it’s made with greek yogurt, to cut out some of the calories of mayo and adding a tanginess. This is what happens when you have leftover shredded chicken and random fridge ingredients!

Christie’s Chicken Salad

Ingredients

2-3 cups shredded chicken breast
1/2 cup of celery (fine dice)
1/4 cup of onion (fine dice)
3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
Turmeric
Mustard powder
Cayenne pepper
Salt
Pepper
1/2 cup of mayonnaise
1/2 cup of plain greek yogurt

Step 1:

Finely dice the onions and place into a small bowl. Add the apple cider vinegar with a tablespoon of water into the bowl of onions. This will mellow out the ‘bite’ of the onions without compromising the crunch and give an added sweetness. so good!

Step 2:

Finely dice the celery and add to bowl of shredded chicken.

Step 3:

In another small bowl, add mayo, greek yogurt, turmeric, mustard powder, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. You can also add a splash of the apple cider vinegar onion liquid, but don’t add the onions yet. Combine everything and give it a taste, adjust accordingly.

Step 4:

Drain the onions and add them to the chicken bowl, mix the chicken, celery and onions together until incorporated. Add half of the mayo mixture to the chicken and mix, add more mayo mixture if needed or wanted. 🙂

Hunka Hunka Burnin’ Love French Toast

August 9, 2015 ~ Marlee And Christie ~ Leave a comment

This french toast will truly rock your Sunday! It’s got everything that the King aka Elvis would have enjoyed! We took his famous peanut butter, bacon and banana sandwich and made it into breakfast, french toast breakfast!

Hunka Hunka Burnin’ Love French Toast

Ingredients

1 Loaf of Challah (Sliced)
6 Piece of Bacon (Chopped)
3 Eggs
2/3 Cup Half and Half
1/2 Teaspoon Cinnamon
Pinch of Salt
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
1/2 Smooth Peanut Butter**
3 Bananas (Sliced)

**You don’t really need that much, just to be able to spread the peanut butter on both sides of the bread.

Step 1:

In a medium bowl, beat the eggs together. Next add the half and half, salt, cinnamon and vanilla and mix until combined.

Step 2:

Using the peanut butter, cover two pieces of your challah bread. Continue and repeat until the bread is covered.

Step 3:

On one side of the bread sprinkle some of the bacon and on the other side, place a few of the sliced bananas. Sandwich both pieces together and put the sandwich in the egg mixture and let sit on one side for at least a minute.

Step 4:

While the bread is “marinating” turn on your griddle to medium heat or 350°F. Flip the bread and soak the other side for another minute.

Step 5:

When the bread is good and soaked, place the bread on the griddle and cook for three minutes per side or until each side is golden and brown.

Step 6:

Sprinkle with powdered sugar and enjoy.

Summer Evening Pasta

August 6, 2015August 6, 2015 ~ Marlee And Christie ~ Leave a comment

This is a perfect meal for those who don’t want to spend a lot of time in a hot kitchen during the summer. Fresh basil and tomatoes and your favorite tomato sauce make this recipe quick and easy.

And who doesn’t love a meal that could be cooked in 15 minutes or less. Aren’t there tons of shows on the food network that have that as a selling point? Either way, this recipe is delicious, healthy and a low hassle meal.

Summer Nights Pasta

Ingredients

3 to 4 Roma Tomatoes (diced)
2 Tablespoons Garlic (minced)
12 Large Basil Leaves (chiffonade)
2/3 to 3/4 Cup of your favorite Marinara
Red Pepper Flakes
Kosher Salt
Fresh Cracked Pepper
1 Box Pasta
Garlic Olive Oil

Step 1:

In a large pot, fill with water and bring to a boil. Add salt and begin to cook your pasta.

**You should be able to do the next few steps during the pasta’s cook time, if you’re pasta’s cook time is less than 4 minutes, start with step two and then cook your pasta.

Step 2:

In a large sauté pan, heat one tablespoon of garlic olive oil.

Step 3:

When the oil is hot and ‘dancing’ add the garlic and cook for 30 to 50 seconds or until the garlic is nice and fragrant.

Step 4:

Add the tomatoes and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes stirring constantly, making sure the garlic doesn’t burn.

Step 5:

Next, add the marinara sauce and stir until combined. Mix in half the basil and reduce the heat to low.

Step 6:

Just before the pasta is ready to be drained, reserve at least one cup of the pasta water. Drain the pasta and immediately place the pasta into the sauté pan.

Step 7:

Add a little bit of the pasta water and mix everything together until evenly coated. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes, fresh cracked pepper, and the rest of the basil and serve immediately.

Cherry Chipotle Baked Beans

August 4, 2015 ~ Marlee And Christie ~ Leave a comment

Today’s recipe was inspired by one of our favorite Food Network Chefs, Damaris Phillips. She made these amazing looking baked beans with a strawberry bbq sauce and it looked simple how could we not make our version? We thought making beans would take hours! And we’re sure there are recipes we will try where it will take hours, but this recipe is so simple, everyone can make it!

This past weekend we’ve been hosting our good friends Pegi and Beetle for a pork fest! Almost everything we’ve made has had pork or bacon in the dishes. We actually made these cherry chipotle baked beans but instead of brisket, we used bacon. Which, totally works, if you don’t have brisket! This recipe is perfect for using left over brisket!

Cherry Chipotle Baked Beans

Ingredients

1 Red Pepper (Diced)
1 Medium Onion (Diced)
2-15oz Cans Pinto Beans (drained and rinsed)
1 to 1.5 Cups Cherry Chipotle BBQ Sauce
1 to 2 Cups Brisket (Roughly Chopped)*
Splash of water

*Brisket is optional.

Step 1:

In a dutch oven, heat one tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the red pepper and onion and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes.

Step 2:

Next, add your your beans and stir.

Step 3:

Add the BBQ sauce and brisket and mix well. Lower the heat and cover and cook for 25 to 35 minutes. Stirring occasionally. If needed, add a splash of water to make them extra saucy. Serve and enjoy!

Cherry Chipotle BBQ Sauce

August 2, 2015August 2, 2015 ~ Marlee And Christie ~ 2 Comments

We love BBQ sauce. You might say we’re addicted to it, every time we see a new BBQ sauce we end up buying it. We don’t mean to, but we love it! One BBQ sauce we love is from a chain restaurant, called Wood Ranch. And they have this amazing Cherry Chipotle BBQ sauce and it is to die for.

It’s sweet, it’s smokey, and has the most wonderful kick that hits you right at the end. If you’re not a fan of chipotles, you can definitely cut them down and bump up the cherries. But we promise, this is a great BBQ sauce that almost everyone will love.

You can use it on ribs, chicken, as a dipping sauce, in baked beans, basically on anything.

Happy Cooking!

Cherry Chipotle BBQ Sauce

Ingredients

1 Cup Onion (Roughly chopped)
2 Tablespoons Butter
3 Teaspoons Garlic (Chopped)
1 1/2 Cup Fresh Cherries (Pitted and Chopped)
3 to 4 Chipotle Peppers (In Adobo Sauce)
15 oz Can Tomato Sauce
2/3 Cup Dark Brown Sugar
1/2 Cup Orange Juice
1/4 Cup Cider Vinegar
2 Tablespoons Agave or Honey
3 Tablespoons Corn Syrup (Dark)
1 Teaspoon Dry Mustard
2 Teaspoons Adobo Sauce (from the can)
Kosher Salt

Beautiful fresh cherries, that took FOREVER to cut and pit.

Step 1:

In a medium or large sauce pan, melt the butter over medium-high heat.

Step 2:

When the butter is hot, add the onions and sauté until translucent. About two to three minutes.

Step 3:

Add the chopped garlic and sauté until fragrant. No more than one minute.

Step 4:

Finally, add the cherries, chipotles, tomato sauce, brown sugar, orange juice, vinegar, agave, corn syrup, dry mustard, adobo sauce, and salt and stir until combined then bring to a boil.

Step 5:

Once the sauce has come to a boil, lower the heat to low and let simmer for 45-50 minutes uncovered and stir occasionally.

Step 6:

When the sauce has simmered and thicken remove from the heat and let cool for 15 minutes. In batches, transfer to a blender and purée until smooth.

Remember to be very careful when blending the sauce! Always use the top of your blender and dish towel to prevent a huge mess!

Our recipe has been adapted from Get Me Cooking!

Simple Key Lime Pie

August 1, 2015 ~ Marlee And Christie ~ 4 Comments

Happy August! Can you believe it’s already August? Where has the year gone? It feels like yesterday we just started our blog, and it’s been four months! Four wonderful months!

Are you tired of cloyingly sweet desserts? Then this recipe is perfect for you. Key Lime Pie is not overly sweet and and perfect for those who like desserts but not sickeningly sweet ones. Key Lime Pie is light and refreshing and perfect for a hot summer day.

Traditionally, in key lime pie you use the egg yolks in the pie and save the egg whites to make a meringue topping, but we decided against a meringue topping and stuck with powdered sugar, but you can make a meringue or a fresh whipped cream. The day we made this, we didn’t have cream so we went with the classic and simple powdered sugar.

Can you guess where Key Lime Pie originated? If you guessed The Florida Keyes, you’re correct! And you get a pie! Well, only if you make this super easy recipe! We promise this recipe is a crowd pleaser.

One more tip for the road, if you come across key lime pie that is green that pie is not correct. Key lime pie should be a pale yellow because real key lime juice is a light to pale yellow color.

Simple Key Like Pie with Coconut Whipped Cream

Ingredients

For The Crust:

1 1/3 Cups Graham Cracker Crumbs (finely ground)
2 Tablespoons Sugar
1 Tablespoon Key Lime Zest
1 Stick Butter (Melted)

Filling:

1 (14 oz) Can Sweetened Condensed Milk
4 Large Egg Yolks
2/3 Cup Key Lime Juice (Fresh, but bottled is okay)
1 to 2 Heaping Tablespoon Key Lime Zest

Topping

Fresh Whipped Cream
Fresh Powdered Sugar

Step 1:

Preheat your oven to 350°F.

Step 2:

In a food a processor, grind graham crackers until they are finely ground. Next, add the sugar and zest and pulse to combine. Then, with the food processor running, slowly add the melted butter until the graham mixture looks slightly moist.

Step 3:

Pour the mixture into a 9-inch pie plate and press the mixture evenly into the bottom and on the sides. Bake the crust for 10 minutes, then remove and let cool.

Step 4:

While the crust is cooling, mix together your egg yolks and condensed milk until smooth.

Step 5:

Next, add the key lime juice and zest and whisk by hand for about 1 minute. The mixture will be smooth and will have thickened slightly.

Step 6:

Pour the filling into the pie pan and bake in the middle of the oven for 15 minutes. Remove and let cool on a wire rack. Allow the pie to cool to room temperature before covering and putting in the fridge. Chill for at least 3 hours or until set.

Grandpa Parrish’s Sausage Gravy

July 28, 2015 ~ Marlee And Christie ~ 4 Comments

A couple of weeks ago we posted a recipe for Easy Homemade Biscuit. After making them, we realized, what could we do with all these tasty biscuits? Make sausage gravy of course.

Making sausage gravy is super simple, all you really need is sausage, milk, and flour. We of course added a couple of other things to really give the gravy a little bit more depth of flavor.

Sausage Gravy and Biscuits is a super hardy meal, and will keep you going for hours. It’s a not a light meal and should only be made once in awhile…. 😉

Sausage Gravy

Ingredients

1/2 pound of breakfast sausage (spicy or mild)
1/4 cup of AP flour
1.5 to 2 cups milk (2%)
1 teaspoon season salt
3 hefty dashes of cayenne pepper
1 to 2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper

Step 1:

Using your fingers, break the sausage into bite sized pieces. Using a cast iron skillet, brown the sausage over a medium-high heat until the sausage is no longer pink.

Step 2:

Lower the heat to medium-low, slowly sprinkle about half the flour mixture on the sausage and allow it to absorb, then add a little bit more. Stir and allow to cook for another minute (or two).

Step 3:

Over low heat, slowly pour in the milk and stir constantly until combined.

Step 4

Cook the gravy over medium-low heat, stir constantly until it thickens. At this point stir in the season salt, cayenne pepper, and black pepper. It’s okay if it gets too thick, just add a splash of milk or water.

Step 5:

Taste the gravy and adjust the seasoning to your liking. Serve the gravy with warm biscuits and enjoy!

Here’s Grandpa Parrish (Marlee’s Grandpa) who loved his biscuits and sausage gravy.

Cultured Swines

Cookbook Lovers, Recipe Hoarders, Travelers, Sisters, Best Friends

Recipes

Quick and Easy Pasta Carbonara

Key Lime Pie Ice Cream

Holy Guacamole!

Christie’s Chicken Salad

Hunka Hunka Burnin’ Love French Toast

Summer Evening Pasta

Cherry Chipotle Baked Beans

Cherry Chipotle BBQ Sauce

Simple Key Lime Pie

Grandpa Parrish’s Sausage Gravy