I have been a bit of a slacker lately. I missed the last cookbook because of hand surgery…and this time I don’t really have much of an excuse besides just not prioritizing cooking! OH THE SHAME!

I did however make a few things from the latest cookbook, Canal House Cooks. I made the Spaghetti Alla Carbonara, and the Rhubarb Syrup for an Amante cocktail.

My Mom used to make Carbonara growing up. I loved it. This might beat my Mom’s recipe!! Oh man, it was delicious…and the boyfriend approved. Maybe because it was full of yummy salty bacon. This was an easy recipe and I would definitely make it again.

Cook a 1/2 lb of bacon. I cooked the whole package. 🙂 I also cooked it on a cookie rack on an edged cookie sheet in the oven. I loved this. My house smelled delicious, but it didn’t smell like grease for 2 weeks.

Mix up egg yolks, butter and pepper. This was what I think is a key step for not cooking the yolks so fast in the hot pasta.

Add a little of the pasta water and it makes a creamy pot of goodness.

Next up, the Rhubarb Syrup for the Amante cocktail. This was good…but the syrup was an undertaking. It was difficult, I just made a serious mess on my stove and counter. You have to boil down the rhubarb and then strain it through a fine mesh. This part took awhile. I suppose if I did it again, I would plan a little better and do this during the day.

Now the best part was drinking the drink. 🙂 It was kind of like a rhubarb orange margarita. YUM.