I'm back. I promise.

Yes, you are correct.  I haven't written a blog post in over threeish months.  My bad, y'all.  I've been planning a little thing called a wedding, and it has taken over my life.  However, now that we're just a few short weeks away from the wedding, my to-do list is much shorter.  So, I'm back.  And, since David and I dubbed February 'New Recipe' month, I've got lots to share.

Over Thanksgiving, David's mom made Snap Peas with Pancetta.  And we couldn't get enough.  So, this recipe, which combines our old favorite item--asparagus--and our new favorite item--pancetta, seemed too good to be true. 

Cooking Light might be my most favorite recipe website ever.  David and I browsed forever, and we finally narrowed it down to 20 new recipes we were going to try.  One of our favorites is Cooking Light's Pasta with Asparagus, Pancetta, and Pine Nuts.  I have altered the recipe just a bit.  I'm not a huge fan of pine nuts, and I despise using the oven when I can use the stovetop.  I always feel like I have no idea what's going on in there!  Click on the link to see their recipe, or read below to see mine!

8 ounces uncooked penne pasta

1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut diagonally into 1 1/2-inch pieces

1 teaspoon minced garlic

2 ounces diced pancetta (You can ususally find this already diced for you in the deli section of most grocery stores!)

the juice of two lemons

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup (1 ounce) any type Italian cheese


1. Begin cooking diced pancetta in skillet on stovetop, medium high heat. 

2. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; add asparagus to pot during last 3 minutes of cooking. Drain.

3.  Once pancetta becomes crisp, add garlic to pan.  Allow to saute a bit with the pancetta.

4.  Add pasta and asparagus mixture to pan with pancetta and garlic.  Mix well. 

5. Combine lemon juice and pepper, stirring with a whisk. Drizzle over pasta mixture; toss well to coat. Sprinkle with cheese.

I'm not gonna lie, a lot of our new recipes are along the lines of this lemon-garlic-pepper mixture over pasta.  Once we had it, we couldn't get enough!  It's such a fresh flavor (and healthier!) alternative to a heavy red or white pasta sauce.

Next up? The to-die-for spinach salad with warm mustard dressing from my mama's cookbook.  mmmmm.....