Monday, April 28, 2008

My Attempt at Spaghetti alla Carbonara

While we were in Florence, Italy this past Fall, we found a fabulous restaurant near our hotel called Ciro & Sons. It was a cozy little family run restaurant with mama at the helm (we found this to be very typical throughout Italy). We enjoyed many traditional and delicious dishes at this restaurant. One dish that we especially loved was the Spaghetti alla Carbonara. We had it again while in Florence, but it just wasn't as good as the one that we had in Rome. Since returning home, I've had Carbonara on my mind. Last night, with a recipe from Tyler Florence as a guide, I decided to try my hand at making this wonderful dish.



With heavy garlic breath, I present my attempt at the traditional Italian dish called Spaghetti alla Carbonara. I've also added shredded chicken which is non-traditional and not a part of Tyler's recipe. And although I tempered the eggs with the warm milk, I still ended up with a bit more scrambled eggs than I wanted. But it was delicious just the same. Hubster loved it so I would consider it a success nonetheless. The best part was that it brought back fabulous memories and wonderful conversation of a very special trip that we took together.

On another note...my niece has been waiting on a handbag that I promised her 6 months ago. I lost interest in finishing it and tossed it into my "do it later" pile. I pulled it out yesterday and finally finished it. All that was needed was the inside pocket to be attached to the lining, sewing the lining into the bag, top stitching the outside top edge, and a button closure. It took me all of 30 minutes to complete. I felt like kicking myself for not doing it sooner. As you can see, it's very basic in color and should match most anything she chooses to pair it with. Too bad the poor girl had to wait so long. Bad, bad, Auntie!



Please have a most enjoyable day, everyone. See you tomorrow.

Aloha!


***Don't forget to enter my giveaway. If you are new to my blog, please refer to my post of April 8 for the rules. The month is almost over, so hurry and get your entries in!***
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7 comments:

  1. sweetiepieTue Apr 29, 09:56:00 AM 2008

    Lettie - The carbonara looks good. I will have to look up Tyler's recipe and give it a try one of these days.

    That is a really cute purse. I imagine your niece will be thrilled to get it. Joyce in Iowa

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  2. Marit JohanneTue Apr 29, 10:54:00 AM 2008

    I know it is the wrong day for joining the giveaway, but it is my first visit to your blog and I wanted to say hello.The bag is very nice! I am in a bag "mood" and love to look at bags others have made! And all those pincushions you have made! They are cute! I guess they are made for sale. Greetings from Norway

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  3. Sue CahillTue Apr 29, 11:04:00 AM 2008

    Yummy! I love anything pasta and garlic and find I have no portion control once I dig in.
    I love the bag too, looks like it will be nice with just about any outfit.
    You must feel good getting some of your UFO's completed.

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  4. annemarieTue Apr 29, 12:06:00 PM 2008

    Lettie - I absolutely love that handbag. Is it your own pattern or one that we could find somewhere and purchase?? The flower makes the bag so very special. Your pasta dish makes me hungry - guess I will head to the kitchen! Anne from Texas

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  5. AnonymousTue Apr 29, 01:55:00 PM 2008

    Anne,
    Just popping in to let you know that the handbag pattern is from a Japanese book called Machine Made Patchworks.
    Lettie

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  6. UnknownTue Apr 29, 10:07:00 PM 2008

    Thanks for visiting my blog. I just discovered yours as a result and what a find! I LOVE your niece's purse. So...how long will it take you to make mine? :)

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  7. AnonymousWed Apr 30, 03:10:00 PM 2008

    Sorry I'm late. Was out and about all day and didn't even turn the computer on! I've never had carbonara...looks interesting. Love, absolutely love the purse for your niece!

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