Broccoli Carbonara

Ingredients:

Coarse salt

Ground black pepper

7 slices of bacon

1 crown of broccoli, cut into small pieces

2 cloves of garlic, squeezed and sauteed in butter or bacon fat

1 box of short pasta (16 oz.)

2 large eggs

1/4 cup grated parmesan, +more to taste

chopped parsley for serving, optional

1) Place bacon slices onto baking pan. Place in cold oven and turn oven to 400 degrees F. It will take about 15-20 minutes for the bacon to get crispy. Once it is crispy, place on paper towels.

2) While bacon is cooking, blanch the broccoli in boiling water for 2 minutes or so, until desired tenderness. Drain in a sieve.

3) In the bottom of a large bowl, whisk together eggs, parmesan, garlic, salt, and pepper.

4) Boil pasta. While boiling, use 1/4 cup of pasta water to temper the eggs: pour it in slowly while whisking constantly.

5) Drain pasta and immediately add to the large bowl containing the egg mixture. Add broccoli and crumbled bacon. Stir to combine. Add any additional salt, pepper, or parmesan.

Sloppy Joes more Super than Rachel Ray's

Here is my improvement upon the slightly bland Rachel Ray recipe. It is a great way to stretch ground beef.

Ingredients:

1 tbs extra virgin olive oil for the pan (or butter)

1 1/4 pounds of ground beef

3 cloves of squeezed garlic

1 tbs brown sugar (or to taste)

2 tsp - 1 tbs steak seasoning (Montreal Steak Seasoning)

1 medium onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 tbs red wine vinegar

1 tbs Worcestershire sauce

2 cups canned crushed tomatoes

2 tbs tomato paste

splash of red wine

toasted and buttered rolls/buns

Heat and oil/butter a large skillet over medium high heat. Add meat to the pan. Once the meat is broken up, add crushed garlic, brown sugar, and steak seasoning. When the meat has browned, add the onion, green bell pepper, red wine vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce. Cook on reduced heat for 5 minutes. Add tomato sauce and paste. Reduce to simmer and cook for another 5 minutes (or longer).

Quick, Cheap, Easy, Kid-Pleasing Stroganoff

Um, what the title says.

Ingredients:

~ 1.5 lbs ground beef

salt to taste

ground black pepper to taste

tbsp of onion powder

tbsp of garlic powder

1 box of pasta (I used bow-tie. Use egg noodles for more authenticity)

2 cans of cream of mushroom soup

splash of rice vinegar

While pasta is boiling: in a bowl, mix beef and seasonings. Brown the beef. Drain the pasta. Add the beef and two cans of mushroom soup. Heat until hot. At the end of cooking, add a splash of rice vinegar. DONE.