Our latest additions to the homestead are quite happy in their new home.  Steve has done an amazing job on the “Coop De Grace“.

Pris and Roxie are each laying a perfectly light brown egg per day.  The yolks are a deep yellow and the flavor is better than any I have ever tasted.  If you’ve ever considered keeping chickens, give it a try.  They’re so easy to take care of and they’re a joy to have around. Ours are spoiled beyond words, but happy chickens lay delicious eggs!

Pasta Carbonara is one of our favorite dishes.  We’ve made it twice in the last couple of months with our girl’s eggs.   Try it & let me know what you think.  This recipe is adapted from The Silver Palate Cookbook.  I have increased both the number of eggs and the amount of chopped parsley because we like it better that way.  Another adjustment I typically make to this recipe is to reserve some of the cooking liquid from the pasta.  I add it at the end if the sauce seems too thick.

1 lb thick-sliced bacon, diced
1 tbsp salt
1 lb spaghetti or linguine
4 eggs
1 cup chopped Italian parsley
grated Parmesan cheese (at least a cup)
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Saute the diced bacon in a small skillet until crisp.  Remove with a slotted spoon and drain well on paper towels. Bring 4 quarts water to a boil in a large kettle. Add 2 tablespoons salt and then drop in the spaghetti. Stir with a wooden spoon to separate strands and let water return to the boil. Cook until tender but not mushy, about 8 minutes, although cooking time will vary.

Meanwhile, beat the eggs and cheese thoroughly in a large bowl suitable for serving. Have the cooked bacon and the chopped parsley ready at hand.

When the pasta is done, drain it immediately in a colander, shaking briefly to eliminate excess water.

Pour drained hot spaghetti into the bowl of eggs and immediately begin tossing it (this is where I reserve a cup or so of the pasta cooking liquid).  As the strands of pasta become coated with the beaten eggs, their heat will cook the eggs.

Sprinkle on bacon dice, bacon and chopped parsley, toss again, and serve immediately.

**One more thing worth mentioning. . . there’s a product in the bacon aisle called “ends and pieces bacon”.  This is exactly what it says – the ends and chunks of bacon that don’t end up in perfect slices.  This is one of our favorite products as of late.  It’s cheaper and by far, more delicious than strip bacon.  It needs to cook a little longer and render out the fat in order to get crispy, but it’s absolutely amazing.