I participated in another round of recipe swap. This latest theme was Pasta and the recipe I received was for a "kicked-up" carbonara from A Taste of Home Cooking. I suppose it's time to confess that I've never eaten carbonara before, so I was excited for this opportunity. When I saw the ingredient list I was pretty confident we would enjoy this dish, and I went ahead and made it as-is with no substitutions.

While we liked this dish, and JR even ate leftovers (yay!), I will warn you that it is heavy (like dragging your overstuffed-after-vacation luggage up the stairs heavy). I was a bit surprised that the bleu cheese flavor did not come through as much as I imagined, so don't be afraid to use the full amount. The only regret I had was that I made the mistake of making the full recipe, so we have had our fill of creamy pasta for a bit and probably gained a few pounds this week eating the leftovers.

Thank you to The Home Cook for another successful swap and a great recipe! Be sure to check out The Taste of Home Cooking for an upcoming Recipe Swap Round-up of Pasta. 

Here is what you'll need:

• 1 lb pasta (I used fettucine)
• 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut
• 8 slices bacon, cut into1-inch pieces
• 1/2 large onion, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2-8 oz cans quartered artichokes hearts (in brine), drained and rinsed
• 1 cup crumbled bleu cheese
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup half and half
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh basil (I used 3 frozen cubes)

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

In a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add bacon and cook until the bacon just becomes brown and begins to crisp. Add onion for 8-10 minutes, cook stirring occasionally, until onion begins to become translucent and browned. Add garlic and artichokes and continue to cook for about 3-5 minutes until garlic becomes fragrant.

Add pasta to pot of boiling water and according to package directions or until al dente. About 3 minutes before pasta is done, add asparagus to pot to cook. Drain and set aside.

Add bleu cheese, heavy cream and pepper to Dutch oven, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until sauce thickens about 5 minutes.

Add pasta and asparagus to the artichoke cream sauce. Toss to coat pasta.

In a medium mixing bowl, beat eggs, half and half, Parmesan cheese and basil together. Pour mixture over pasta and toss to combine. Serves 6.

Source: Modified from Gourmet Day to Day, as seen on A Taste of Home Cooking