Weekend projects...

Pretty much all I can do at work is think or write about the things I would do at home if I had the energy, and while I'm at work, I convince myself that I'll have the energy when I get home......and I never do. Bleh. BUT! This weekend, I'm going to get a headstart on at least one of my projects, and sooner or later, I'm going to post pictures of a FINISHED PROJECT. Right now, my list of projects includes:

Crocheting an afghan
Re-covering my wingback armchair
Trying one new recipe a week

This week, I've already accomplished my recipe goal: Spaghetti Carbonara (the healthier version).

From start to finish it only took 30 minutes, and all I had to do was cook some thin spaghetti, shred a couple of cups of parmesan cheese and mix 2 eggs into it, then toss them together with some turkey bacon, onions, and garlic that I sauteed while the pasta was cooking. I think that it turned out well for a first try, because getting the creamy consistency from the eggs and parmesan is pretty much a learned art, from what I've read. I'll keep trying. As for this batch, at least it tasted really good! I added some kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper, and some cayenne pepper (because for some reason, I can't make a pasta dish without feeling like it needs a little extra "ummph"). I think I'm going to try some kind of chicken enchilada dish next week. Last week's dish was also a success: stuffed anaheim peppers and spanish rice.

In my opinion, anything stuffed with cream cheese has to be good, and this recipe didn't disappoint. The sauce was actually really easy to make (onions, garlic, oil, chile paste, broth, cornstarch...lots of chili powder...), and the rest of the dish took some time (blanching the peppers, cooking and shredding the seasoned chicken, stuffing the peppers with the cream cheese/chicken mixture, broiling the peppers), but each step is actually very simple. It's a great recipe for impressing people!

Also, my afghan project isn't quite as impressive (it still looks like a scarf), but one day, it will grow into an actual blanket! :)

That's all I've got for today; hopefully I'll have more progress to report soon.