cheap eats [brussels sprout bacon and goat cheese pasta]

A quiet weekend at home was a perfect opportunity for D and I to try a new recipe. We used to love cooking together, but have only done so a handful of times since B school started. It's nice to work towards a common goal, to engage in the kitchen dance, to be rewarded with something delicious for your efforts. If we're cooking together, we always make it a bit of an event: get some music going, pour drinks, bust out the aprons.

It's also nice to clean out the fridge, so why not do both? Nothing like a good dose of practicality poured all over romance. I've found my most effective way to use Pinterest  is to search for recipes with the specific ingredients I have on hand- otherwise, I'm too overwhelmed by all the beautiful and delicious food that I can't make without a walk to the grocery store. I searched for brussels sprouts, goat cheese, and whole wheat pasta, all of which I had open and/or available in the pantry. I found a wonderful recipe over here, although I did sub bacon for prosciutto. It was a learning experience for both of us: I learned to reserve some pasta water to make a cheese sauce, and also poached my first egg!

If you're new to the poach game too, I have a source: Pure Wow taught me. You can go watch their video here, or I can just tell you: add 1T vinegar to a pot of almost-boiling water, start a whirlpool, and drop an egg into the middle. Leave it alone for 2 minutes, then fish it out and lay it on a paper towel. Too easy, and it's so beautiful to crack into that runny yolk. Maybe my new favorite way to do eggs at dinnertime.