Pasta Carbonara – Russ Lange’s Favorite Birthday Meal

There is no food on earth Russ loves more than pasta carbonara, but because he is such a nice husband he has pretty much given up eating pasta at home. Back in the army days of our marriage we did not have any governor on the amount of pasta we ate and it showed on both of us. Now in our clear middle age we have cut pasta down to birthdays only and it is about the only way we are going to live into old age.
Since yesterday was Russ birthday we got to have his very favorite meal. It may be a very fattening meal, but it is about the easiest thing to make on earth and you probably have everything in your kitchen to make it on any night. See, carbonara could be called bacon and eggs spaghetti. So next time you are looking for a fast and yummy meal, make this.
10 oz. Bacon- cut into 1 inch pieces

1 lb spaghetti

8 eggs

1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese

Black pepper
Put the bacon in a big fry pan and cook it over a medium heat stirring it often to cook it evenly. Don’t cook it until it is too crispy. Keep the bacon in the pan, but tilt it to the side and spoon out most of the oil. 
While the bacon is cooking boil a big pot of water and cook the spaghetti to just a tad under the time suggested on the box.  
While the pasta is cooking beat the eggs and add a big amount of black pepper. That is then “carbon” part of carbonara.
As soon as the pasta is cook use tongs to transfer it to the fry pan with the bacon and the little bit of bacon fat that was still left in the pan. Reserve the pasta water. Turn the heat on medium on the fry pan. Pour the eggs evenly over all the pasta and bacon and keep turning the pasta over for a minute so the ages can cook a little on the hot pasta. Add 1/4 cup of the pasta water to the pan to help even out the eggs. Add then Parmesan and keep stirring. Add a little more pepper and serve. You don’t want the eggs to cook too much, they should not look like scrambled eggs on pasta, but a yellow coating.
Since this is like breakfast it makes a great leftover for the morning.