The girl I left behind me...

So as far as I can tell, "carbonara" means "creamy eggy thing with salty meat and other stuff." And it's smeared all over hot pasta.

Well. Sign me up! I decided that this would be my next stop on the Campaign for Not Sucking (and not eating out all the time.)

( I modified the recipe a little... )

...Holy crap that's good.

Also, the rats really enjoyed eating a few of my creamy-eggy-covered noodles and licking my fingers after I was done.

I am teaching myself to not suck at cooking. Mostly because I've gained six pounds this summer (BAH!) and I'm tired of spending a significant chunk of my income on eating out. Therefore: The Campaign for Not Sucking, Part Deux.

So far I have conquered tortellini in tomato cream sauce and chicken with rice. Tonight, things got a little more complicated. ( Chicken-Parmesan Bundles )

I just made an apple pie, and not to sound vain, it was pretty amazing. That had more to do with the recipe than the cook, though, so I don't feel too bad saying that.

I got this recipe from one of the volunteers at Colonial Michilimackinac; I can't vouch for its period-ness, but I can certainly vouch for its tastiness! The poor girl was young and totally unprepared for the rave reviews her pie got--Roger proclaimed that it was the best pie he'd ever eaten and I positively gushed over it...so the next time she came in, she'd written the recipe down for me. God bless you, Sarah! You (and your pie) are amazing!

( Paper Bag Apple Pie )

I added some cinnamon to the pie filling, because apples and cinnamon just go together. I'm glad I did, even though I just sort of sprinkled it on there 'til it looked good rather than measure it out. I'd hazard a guess that I put about the same amount in as the nutmeg, though.

Anyway, if anyone tries this recipe, let me know! :) I highly recommend it.