Recipe of the "Week"

The first time my Papaw set this dish in front of me, I refused to eat it. To be fair, I was a child. And I was extremely picky. "One can't pick out everything they don't like", was a comment made by one of Mama's friends years ago. She replied that they hadn't met me. But for me, this dish was completely unsalvageable. Spaghetti - again, to my childish mind - was meant to be eaten with meat sauce. Then again, Papaw did trick me into eating spaghetti with deer meat sauce once. I was none too happy. So, I had reason to be wary. But my family rallied around assuring me this was perfectly normal - not deer bacon or something else weird. Once I sampled it, I was hooked! I hope you are, too.

Spaghetti Dish*

The whole pot

Ingredients:

-1/2 lb. spaghetti (any shape pasta works well)

-1/2 package bacon (not deer, but turkey is great & retains its crispiness the next day)

-2-3 onions (these are optional; Mama wisely added them in recent years)

-1 T butter**

-1/2 c. milk**

-3 eggs**

-1-2 T Italian seasoning

Close-up shot in all its yumminess!

Instructions:

-Cook the bacon & crumble it once it's cooled down, then sauté the onions in the same skillet. When the onions are almost ready, boil the spaghetti.

-While the spaghetti is boiling, beat together the eggs, milk, & Italian seasoning (I do this in my measuring cup, so as to cut down on dirty cookware).

-Drain the spaghetti, return it to the pot, & add the butter, stirring to thoroughly coat the pasta.

-Pour in the milk mixture, stir to coat the pasta, & replace the lid to cook the eggs. It might be necessary to turn the eye on low to speed up the process. If so, stir often to prevent sticking.

-Add the crumbled bacon & caramelized onions & stir together.

-Serve it up topped with Parmesan cheese. Of course, garlic bread & a salad go nicely.

*I discovered a few years ago that, although our family recipe is a little different, this is a legitimate Italian dish, called Spaghetti Carbonara.


**We've just begun using farm fresh eggs, whole milk & butter, & let me tell you, it puts this meal right over the top! We highly recommend it!!