My favorite chicken carbonara

Pasta carbonara can be pretty heavy. I like this version because the chicken and the lemon zest lighten it up while the heavy cream makes the sauce as decadent as the original.



Servings 6

Ingredients
2 teaspoons olive oil
4 ounces thinly sliced pancetta, chopped
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 1/2 cups whipping(heavy) cream
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
8 large egg yolks
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
Salt
1 pound spaghetti
4 cups coarsely shredded chicken (from 1 roasted chicken, you can purchase one at the deli OR make your own. you could also bake some chicken breasts if you didn't want any dark meat.)
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel

Directions
1. Heat the oil in a heavy large frying pan over medium heat. Add the pancetta and garlic and saute until it is brown and crisp, about 8 minutes. Cool slightly.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the cream, cheese, yolks, basil, and parsley to blend.
3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the spaghetti and cook until it is just tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Drain.
4. Add the chicken to the pan with the pancetta and stir to combine.
5. Add the spaghetti and the cream mixture and toss over medium-low heat until the chicken is heated through and the sauce coats the spaghetti thickly, about 4 minutes (do not boil or you might end up scrambling the eggs! YIKES!).
6. Season the pasta, to taste, with pepper and salt if needed (the pancetta will most likely add all the salt you need). Transfer the pasta to a large wide serving bowl. Sprinkle the walnuts and lemon zest over, and serve.

Chipotle Lime Fish Tacos

You can grill this fish indoors on George Foreman or outside, or you can bake it in the oven in the marinade! You can top with pico de gallo, avocados, salsa, whatever your little heart desires!

Servings: 6
Ingredients
Marinade
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons lime zest
1 1/2 teaspoons honey
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon seafood seasoning, such as Old Bay
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce, or to taste
1 pound tilapia(or whatever is on sale) fillets, cut into chunks

Dressing
1 (8 ounce) container light sour cream
1/2 cup adobo sauce from chipotle peppers
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons lime zest
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon seafood seasoning, such as Old Bay
salt and pepper to taste

Toppings
1 (10 ounce) package tortillas( used wheat)
3 ripe tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 small head cabbage, cored and shredded
2 limes, cut in wedges

Directions
1.To make the marinade, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, lime juice, lime zest, honey, garlic, cumin, chili powder, seafood seasoning, black pepper, and hot sauce in a bowl until blended. Place the tilapia in a shallow dish, and pour the marinade over the fish. Cover, and refrigerate 6 to 8 hours.
2.To make the dressing, combine the sour cream and adobo sauce in a bowl. Stir in the lime juice, lime zest, cumin, chili powder, seafood seasoning. Add salt, and pepper in desired amounts. Cover, and refrigerate until needed.
3.Preheat your cooking vessel of choice. If it is an outdoor grill use high heat and lightly oil grate. Set grate 4 inches from the heat.
4.Remove fish from marinade, drain off any excess and discard marinade(unless you are baking it in the oven). Grill fish pieces until easily flaked with a fork, turning once, about 9 minutes.
5.Assemble tacos by placing fish pieces in the center of tortillas with desired amounts of tomatoes, cilantro, and cabbage; drizzle with dressing. To serve, roll up tortillas around fillings, and garnish with lime wedges.

Nutritional Data Amount Per Serving Calories: 416 | Total Fat: 19.2g | Cholesterol: 43mg

*If you choose to bake your fish in the oven, preheat to 350 degrees F, and bake about for 10 min or so.
**Please note that you can adjust the chipotle in adobo to your taste, the spice quantity is NOT for beginners. I LOVE spicy food and this was hard to eat without feeling like my tongue was on fire, so try halfing the amount first!

Robertson Christmas Pecans

I absolutely LOVE this candied pecan recipe! I decided that it was my "signature" holiday gift item. It is so simple and delicious. You can easily half or double the recipe. This year, I was trying to be a wee more health conscious so I halved the amount of sugar and kept everything else the same and they still turned out DIVINE!


Robertson Christmas Pecans




12 Servings


Ingredients

1 egg white
1 tablespoon water
1 pound pecan halves
1 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil.
2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the egg white and water until foamy. In a separate bowl combine the sugar, salt, & cinnamon until well mixed.
3. Add pecans to the egg white mixture and toss to coat the pecans evenly. Remove the nuts, and toss them in the sugar mixture until coated. Spread the pecans on the baking sheet.
4. Bake at 250 degrees F for 1 hour. Stir every 15 minutes.

Nutritional Information
Amount per serving Calories: 328 Total Fat: 27.2g Cholesterol: 0mg

First Post

Alright! This is where I am going to share the recipes that I post so frequently on Facebook. Since I am(like many others) turning a new leaf as the year changes, most(hopefully!) of these recipes will be healthy. Hopefully I will be able to post the nutritional data when its possible. If it is just decadent, I won't post it because let's face it we don't really want to know how many calories there are in one of the delicious molten chocolate cakes. TRUST ME! I know how many there are. Ugh. Anyhow, I hope you have as much fun in the kitchen as I do!