Cooking: Pasta with Bacon and Peas

One random evening, I went home early. I skipped the gym to relax. Mr. Meat & Potatoes calls me from his ride home and tells me he's hungry. So instead of ordering in again, I decide to use what's in the kitchen. I always claim that I don't have any ingredients but I'm always stocked. The only missing thing is usually fresh vegetables and fruit. That needs to be bought on a weekly basis. Everything else, I stock up big time at wholesale markets. So I looked around for something easy and quick but also tasted good. I found some pasta, the last strips of slab bacon, and some frozen peas. That's an easy pasta dish! I start by bringing a pot of water to boil for the pasta (add salt). Then, off to sauteing the bacon. I cut them into small strips then cook the fat out of them. And again, yes, I saved that lovely bacon fat. Crispy and ready for eating. But that's for later. Wandering hands get away from my cooling bacon! I also found some frozen vodka sauce in the freezer. I brought that back up to a simmer with some chicken stock to dilute it. I added the frozen peas. By this time, the pasta is ready. Still a slight hard bite to it. I drained it and added it immediately to the sauce. Stir to saturate. Then I took a step from Andrew Carmellini's book, I added some butter. Turn the heat off, then add the butter for a nice finish. Lastly, add the bacon back to the pasta. Stir to combine. And there I have it: pasta with bacon and peas. So how did it taste? Goddam good. The butter does make a slight difference. It leaves a nice creamy finish. The bacon was good and crispy. And the best part, this meal was SUPER cheap. I would guess it would be less than $5 for 2 people.