What Do PB&J, Easter & Carbonara have in common? All topics in my blog this week!

NATIONAL PEANUT BUTTER AND JELLY DAY is TODAY, APRIL 2nd…

It’s so common now, it’s hard to imagine that peanut butter was considered a delicacy in the early 1900s and was only served in New York City’s finest tea rooms!  Oddly, in May 1896, an article appeared in Good Housekeeping magazine and “urged homemakers to use a meat grinder to make peanut butter and spread the result on bread.”  I have a feeling that was very gritty, chunky peanut butter!  

National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day celebrates a classic food favorite.  The average American will have eaten over 2000 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches by the time they graduate from high school…WHOA – that’s a lot of PB&J’s!!!!! 

According to the Peanut Board, during World War II, both peanut butter and jelly were part of the United States soldiers’ military ration list.  Imagine a PB&J MRE (Meal Ready to Eat)!   But in WWII, I’m sure that was definitely a treat, as their rations were quite interesting. like franks and beans, along with canned fruit, chewing gum, some instant coffee, some toilet paper.  There were some processed cheese and some “biscuits”, but really they’re crackers.  

EASTER SUNDAY, APRIL 4th…

McKayla and I wish you every good thing at Easter and always.  Enjoy your Easter, and may you be blessed with joy this year!  

Love, chocolate, and sunshine—what more could you need?  It’s such a hopeful time of year and I thank you for celebrating with us! 

Happy Easter from our family to yours!  And if the Easter Bunny didn’t bring you Extra Ordinary Delights, it’s not too late…shop our delectable treats now!

INTERNATIONAL CARBONARA DAY is APRIL 6th…

What is ‘Carbonara’ You Ask?  Just one of my favorites Italian Pasta dishes, and I’m sharing my recipe with you below!  But, first a ‘lil history…

Carbonara is among the most appreciated Italian pasta specialties in the world: a simple dish, prepared with equally simple ingredients, which, although cannot boast ancient origins, is nevertheless very traditional.

Strange as it may seem, the oldest written evidence about ‘Carbonara’ pasta, one of the symbols of Italian cuisine, is not from of an Italian cooking manual, but can be found in a guide to Chicago restaurants published for the first time in 1952!  WHAT?  Maybe everyone in Italy already knew how to make it – LOL   Try my recipe below, and please let me know how you did!  We always love to hear from our customers!

RECIPE FOR AARON’S SPAGHETTI ALLA CARBONARA

Ingredients:

1Lb Spaghetti cooked in seasoned water a little shy of al dente

2T Olive oil

4oz Slab guanciale, pancetta, or bacon cut into about 1/4” cubes 

4 Eggs

2oz Pecorino Romano Cheese

Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet and cook guanciale until the fat is rendered and just beginning to crisp aound the edges. Remove the guanciale from the pan and set aside.

2. On medium heat place the slightly under cooked spaghetti in the skillet and allow it to finish cooking to al dente as it absorbs the guanciale flavors from the pan. Ladle some starchy salty pasta water into the pan if desired. Return guanciale to the pan to reheat.

3. Add pecorinocheese keeping some for topping later, and a pinch of pepper.

4.  Remove from heat and stir in egg. The residual heat from the pasta and skillet will cook the egg without scrambling it. Serve immediately.

A couple of notes:

•This dish is best made one serving at a time with one egg per serving.

•Sometimes referred to as the breakfast pasta, you can place your leftover carbonara in the oven the next day for a little morning casserole.

•Spaghetti carbonara is so simple and delicious that it doesn’t need to be changed, but there are infinite variations on this Italian favorite to make it your own.  Try adding a little half n’ half for a creamier pasta.  I’ve even done a southern version with andouille sausage!  And, I’ll never forget the wild boar and fresh truffle carbonara I had with my new bride in Florence on our honeymoon! Just perfect! And yes, that is her in the picture above, just as beautiful today as the day we met.   Also just perfect!