National Carbonara Day - Recipe Video

I love Spaghetti alla Carbonara. And on National Carbonara Day, I offer up my quick and easy take on this classic Italian pasta dish.

And my outre entree will never be taught in culinary colleges -- you can only learn it in The 99 Cent Chef's kitchen of hard knocks!

Watch my 99-cent creative take on Spaghetti alla Carbonara in my cooking video for the simple step-by-step directions. It doesn't come cheaper than this, and my new pièce de résistance is outrageous enough to fit into my blog of cheap$kate recipes, perfectly!

Typical Carbonara's main ingredients are eggs, pasta, black pepper, grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, and Italian bacon (pancetta or guanciale).

I use cheap Parmesan from a plastic container that I get from my local Dollar Tree. It is described as a "grated topping" with real Parmesan. I guess that means it is not 100% Parmesan. Of course, use real Parmigiano-Reggiano if you can afford it.

I prefer fresh ground Black Pepper, but any type is fine. A lot of Black Pepper is used in this recipe.

I normally use a couple of slices of browned and crumbled bacon because it's convenient, and bacon fat enriches any pasta dish. However, those are a lot of calories, and real Bacon Bits are already cooked, so most of the fat is rendered out, thus making my Carbonara lighter.

I can get two servings out of an .8-ounce package of Bacon Bits. I used to get Bacon Bits and eggs from my local Dollar Tree, but this year, they are a no-show. 

With the Bird Flu decimating the chicken egg-laying industry, egg prices are hitting $10 per dozen, with no price reduction in sight. When I first made the recipe, eggs were one dollar per dozen.

I've been eying Imitation Bacon Bits but have not had the guts to use them yet - The 99 Cent Chef has standards, too!

Real Bacon Bits are a bit dry and slightly powdery. The Bits are quite small, so I do miss the larger, crunchy pieces from broken, crispy, cooked bacon slices. While mostly bacon meat with little bacon fat, Bacon Bits are a light version for all you calorie counters. As with a lot of diets that spin on fatty meals, you do lose that luscious taste.

This is a rich-tasting dish when you add a raw egg blended with Parmesan and black pepper to hot pasta. The trick is to assemble it all in one pan and bring it right to the table before the egg scrambles.

The egg mixture thickens into a decadent sauce, coating the spaghetti, studded with crunchy bacon pieces. 

Worried about using raw eggs? I have an alternative method at the end of this post.

If you have an Italian deli nearby or a well-stocked meat market, you should try Italian pancetta at least once; you only need a couple of slices for this dish. It cooks like bacon, but it's drier, leaner, and with flavorful curing spices.

So, check out my latest recipe video and get cooking! It is a simple and delicious dish.

Spaghetti alla Carbonara with Bacon Bits - Video

Play it here. The video runs 4 minutes, 31 seconds.

Ingredients (one serving)  

• 1/3 package of spaghetti - cook per package directions. I usually shave off a couple of minutes of cooking time for pasta al dente.

• 1/2 package of Bacon Bits - real bacon, not imitation. Okay to use a couple of slices of cooked bacon.
• 1/2 tsp. of black pepper - fresh ground if you have it. 
• 1 egg per serving - for a richer sauce, use 2 egg yolks.
• 4 tablespoons of grated parmesan - I used real parmesan from the jar, but if you have a block of parmesan to shave, all the better.
• Water for boiling pasta - reserve 1/4 cup of hot pasta water for the sauce.

Directions
Bring one pot of water to a boil for pasta. In a small bowl, mix one raw egg with 2 tablespoons of grated Parmesan and about one teaspoon of black pepper. Whisk together until well blended. Set aside until final assembly.

Add pasta to boiling, salted water. Cook pasta while preparing the rest of the carbonara -- I usually shave off a couple of minutes of the package directions' boiling time for pasta al dente.

(If you like real big pieces of bacon, then saute up a couple of slices instead of bacon bits. You can drain off the grease, or leave a tablespoon or two for flavor.)

 
In a large pan over low/medium heat, add bacon bits to heat through. When spaghetti is done, drain (reserving some of the pasta water) and add to the bacon bits.

Add 2 tablespoons of hot pasta water to the spaghetti and bacon bits.

Finally, pour in the egg and Parmesan mixture. Mix well and allow to heat through for about 30 seconds - careful not to make scrambled eggs. The egg mixture will thicken with the addition of hot pasta water.

It is ready to eat with a final tablespoon sprinkle (or more) of grated parmesan per serving. (If you are using freshly shaved parmesan, then add it as a topping when ready to serve.)

For 2 servings, just double everything - maybe go with a whole package of spaghetti and one whole egg and two egg yolks, for a richer sauce?

* If you are wary of raw egg, it's okay to drop a separated whole egg yolk into boiling water for 30 seconds (or longer). When the pasta is done, and parmesan is added, finish the dish by adding the poached egg yolks on top.

Click here to view or embed from YouTube.

I also made an animated stop-motion version of Spaghetti alla Carbonara with Bacon Bits. It's a shorter video, which you can check out below.

Play it here. The video runs for 2 minutes and 58 seconds.

S & W Country Diner - Breakfast Burrito Review

Their Breakfast Burrito is the bomb, or a gut bomb! Served on a plate with Mexican Rice and Refried Pinto Beans, the Breakfast Burrito from S & W Country Diner is loaded. This is a Cali/Mex classic grande burrito.

The eggs are scrambled, the bacon is crisp and in large pieces, and the hash browns are of the shredded variety.

 The Pico de Gallo of chopped onion, tomato, and cilantro is fresh, all wrapped in a large flour tortilla topped with a mild Salsa Verde (green tomatillo) and melted, shredded Cheddar Cheese. Who could ask for more?

The Breakfast Burrito is bookended with Refried Beans and Mexican Rice. The Refried Beans are made the way I like them. Refried Beans are sometimes mashed to mush, but I like them with a bit of texture from small, solid pieces. The Mexican Rice is tangy and blushed with tomato sauce/paste. This is the way I had Beans and Rice when I lived in the Mexican border state of Texas.

The flour tortilla is extra-large and bulging with typical breakfast ingredients. The Breakfast Burritos I've had usually are stuffed with beans and rice, but this version has Hash Browns instead - I enjoyed this version.

You can skip lunch after this breakfast. My wife kept it simple with Eggs Over Easy, Hash Browns, and Turkey Sausage.

They make a darn good cup of Joe. We arrived after the breakfast rush. The service is quick and efficient, keeping the coffee cup filled - you don't even have to ask for water.

Click on any photo to see larger.

The decor is old-school diner with vintage posters and classic metal signage. You seat yourself at the counter or tables - we sat in a roomy red upholstered booth.

Bring a fat wallet as the Diner is "Cash Only". Breakfast with coffee for two was $41.86, excluding the tip. 

The Breakfast Menu is as large as the Lunch Menu. All the familiar diner classics are here to enjoy.

In the heart of Culver City and next to the Kirk Douglas Theater, S & W Country Diner has metered parking out front and parking structures nearby. 

S & W Country Diner is home cooking in the big city with a small-town atmosphere. They are open for breakfast and lunch and closed by 2pm.

I think my next breakfast will be  Eggs Over Easy with Biscuits and Gravy.

S & W COUNTRY DINER

OPEN 8AM – 2PM DAILY

9748 Washington Blvd. 

Culver City, CA 90232

310.204.5136

Website: https://sandwdiner.com

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/s-and-w-country-diner-culver-city

National Cocktail Day - Video Recipes

Belly up to the bar and raise a glass to National Cocktail Day!

This Cheap$kate Mixologist enjoys a Happy Hour at home these days after a long YouTube video-making and blogging day. I haven't had many Cocktails published on the internet, but I have a few so read on and click on any intoxicant name to get all the boozy details from my original blog post.

 While a fifth or pint of booze is expensive, most of my Cocktail Recipes can be made with a cheap single-serving airline bottle of liquor. I get them for a buck or more - still much cheaper than drinking at a bar.

While bottles of liquor do not show up at the Dollar Tree, they carry happy hour garnishes like pickled green olives and small cocktail onions.

Click on any photo to see larger.

After a hectic workweek, if you need a Bloody Mary weekend morning, dollar stores have all the ingredients...except vodka (crunchy celery is easy enough to find cheaply at your local grocer.)

I like to cook with alcohol, and my first Cocktail, a Loaded Egg Nog, uses a lot of eggs. And the Egg Nog can be finished with an airline bottle of Brandy, Rum, Scotch, or Whiskey. 

I still can get milk or milk substitutes for a Loaded Egg Nog for around a buck a piece...not bad. Half a dozen of eggs for a buck have disappeared, but I hear prices are dropping?

This was originally a Christmas holiday drink recipe, plus at the end of the video is a Tree Trimming that goes off the rails...oh, boy, you are in for a wild ride so watch it below.

My next Cocktail is a classic called an Old Fashioned. It's typically made with Rye Whiskey, a couple of shakes of Bitters, sugar, a splash of water, a bit of orange zest, and sometimes garnished with a cocktail cherry. I've had them that way, and they are in my Cocktail Top Ten. 

I came up with a meaty spin, an Old Fashioned with a sweet and savory Candied Maple Bacon garnish. 

I guess you could say my version is on the trendy side of specialty garnishes and something you would not serve every day.

I went out on a limb and served my tweaked classic hootch to my friends, whom I invited over for an evening of Film Noir that shows on regular TV in Los Angeles. (If you have an antenna, you can get it, too, so look it up in your local TV guide - the channel is also on local cable.) 

The channel is called Movies! and it's on channel 13.3 in the home of  Film Noir, Los Angeles. Click here for their broadcast schedule, and "arrow forward or backward" to Thursday and Sunday night to see what they are showing. My version of an Old Fashion was a hit, and everyone had seconds and thirds, whew! 

Film Noir is still big in Los Angeles, and every year there is a movie festival that celebrates these crime thrillers from the 1940s and 1950s called Noir City. Check out my slide show below to see the scene on opening night.

I made my own Maple Bacon, so my recipe video is worth the price of admission.

Check out my Old Fashioned with a Maple Bacon Garnish video below, it's best served on a cold and stormy night to your roguish friends and favorite femme fatale.

Along with garnishes, Cocktail mixes like fruit juices and bubbly water show up at dollar stores. 

Even if you're "on the wagon," just pour this beverage over ice with a Maraschino cherry for a non-alcoholic Shirley Temple.

Have you had a Mojito? It's a refreshing tropical drink made with rum, club soda, sugar cane juice, and garnished with mint leaves. This concoction comes all the way from Cuba. 

Hey, can we end this embargo of Cuba already? Geeze, you may not agree with my politics, but do join me and hoist a glass in solidarity to my Homemade Mojito!

Keep checking back every year for new CheapSkate Cocktails.