Pasta with Cauliflower, Bacon, and Bread Crumbs for Two
It’s 19 degrees outside right now with snow covering everything, but inside it’s toasty warm and smells like bacon and herbs. Smelling fresh herbs in the winter makes me happy! Smelling bacon ALWAYS makes me happy! 
Easy weeknight meals also makes me happy but I also don’t want to sacrifice flavor for ease. This recipe delivers on both. Pasta, nutty cauliflower, meaty bacon and crispy bread crumbs are a wonderful combination and the flavors are so well balanced. The lemon juice at the end really helps to brighten it all up. Browning cauliflower in a skillet develops its flavors and cooks off some of the water to keep it from becoming mushy.
Cooking the pasta in a small amount of water skips the draining step and makes a creamy sauce as the pasta cooks. Topping the pasta with bacon-flavored bread crumbs adds texture and another layer of flavor.
Pasta with Bacon, Butternut Squash and Sage for Two
Butternut squash and sage are two ingredients that say winter to me and I love them both, but together they are a marriage made in heaven! Add bacon and you’ve got a happy little family of yummy flavors!
Cooking the sage in the rendered bacon fat makes the perfect herb infused oil for sauteing the squash.
There are a few tricks to coaxing the most flavor out of butternut squash and one is caramelizing it. It helps to dry out some of the wateriness of the squash and brings out some of its inherent sweetness, adding butter and sugar help to bring out the sweet nutty notes of the squash even more.
The scallions add some brightness to the dish and the nutmeg adds just the right spice or earthiness to the dish. Adding parmesan and a little lemon juice at the end along with toasted almonds for some textural crunch really brings the whole dish together!
Easy Hearty Omelette for Two
I have to admit, I’m not very good at making omelettes! Folding one side over the other, making sure they are actually done in the center, keeping the filling INSIDE the omelette, it’s all just too much for me! This omelette is just as good as any I’ve ever eaten and SO much easier!! The best thing about this omelette (besides the ingredients) is that it’s BAKED in the oven! No folding required! It’s filled with potatoes, onion and bacony-cheesey goodness! This serves two very hearty servings so bring your appetite for this one!
The first thing you’ll do is preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Get out your bacon and cut in 1-inch slices crosswise. (I use my kitchen shears for this) Get the bacon going in an 8-inch oven proof saute pan until nice and brown. Dice up your onions and chop the potatoes while the bacon cooks. Also go ahead and dice up the cheese and grate a little for the top for later.
Drain the bacon on paper towels and then discard the bacon fat. No need to wash the pan though, just add the butter to the pan and also go ahead and spray the pan with nonstick spray, even if it is non-stick. I find it’s much easier to get the omelette out and looking pretty if you spray it first. After the butter melts add the potato and onion. Cook over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion starts to brown and the potato is tender but firm. Add the jalapeno pepper and cook for 1 minute.
‘B-L-T’ Pasta for Two
I love pasta dishes! They are so quick to put together and so comforting to eat! This one is reminiscent of a BLT in that it has bacon, spinach and tomato and also a few garlic toasted bread crumbs on top to mimic the bread. I think this tastes a lot better though!
Caramelized tomatoes give the sauce deep flavor, and the leeks add sweetness. The garlic crumbs on top are optional, but they add fabulous texture to the dish. If you’re not familiar with leeks be sure to slice only the white parts and throw away the green as it is too tough to eat, also be sure to swish the sliced leeks around in a large bowl full of cold water to clean them, they can sometimes be gritty. Lift the leeks out of the water with a slotted spoon. If you pour the leeks into a strainer you’re just dumping the grit back on them. I just love leeks! They are more mellow than green onions and give such a lovely flavor to the sauce. Serve this with Orange and Red Onion Salad and some of the Italian bread you used to make crumbs. I hope you love it as much as we do!
