Green Bean and Bacon Spaghetti Carbonara

For starters, I tend to hate Rachel Ray recipes (sorry Rachel) but they are usually really heavy and the type of recipe that I could think up without actually requiring a recipe.
I do, however, receive her weekly online recipe lists and like to use them to find dinner ideas that I can "kateify".

This week there was a green bean carbonara recipe.

I had grand plans to attempt to teach myself how to grill using only wood that you find and harvest and grill yourself.
(D is gone all today)
I take Little O and we head out to the woods with pictures of oak trees, hickory trees, ash trees, and mesquite (duh on this one...we LIVE in TEXAS).
The first I found was a hickory tree.
To be honest the Monster found it because he took a stick to it and started screaming that he was going to "infinity and beyond".
It matched my picture and description so I gathered up a bunch of logs and smaller fallen chunks, loaded him and my own Buzz Lightyear Monster into the car and headed home.

Little O told me he was tired so while he napped I began the process. I won't describe it in whole because a)I have mostly no idea what I'm doing b)I'm still learning c)it's complicated.

Needless to say, after much prep work and a nap for Momma, it freaking started pouring.
It hasn't rained here in over 6 months.
6 months!
It chooses the day that I want to experiment with wood smoking???
ugh and triple merde.

So, tonight D gets K8's version of green bean and bacon spaghetti carbonara....

Start with some lovely diced onion from the overly productive garden...

And about 4 cloves of diced garlic.

(side note: have any of you found a garlic press that actually, seriously works. If so, tell me).

I let those slow cook in some bacon grease while I started a load of laundry and pulled barbie out from inside a lamp (looong story involving a rocket shit to da moon and a pwincess).

At this point I get a compliment from D..."mmm...that smells goooood". They should invent garlic and onion perfume. There would be no single ladies!

Next up toss in some leftover spaghetti (the best part of the recipe is using left overs) and about 1/2 cup chicken broth with about a ummm....1 cup or 2 of green beans. Go with what ya want me thinks. And ya know, peas would also be good in this dish. As would a splash of lemon juice.
Only a splash Mo, not the entire bottle.

Now, dice up your leftover bacon (told ya this was a good left over recipe).

Now for the fun part of this recipe (read: the delicious part)...

Whisk one egg (I scaled this recipe down to serve just D and I so if making for a family double everything). Add salt and pepper. I went pretty heavy on the pepper. Then whisk in about 3/4c. finely grated parmesan so it becomes all creamy and eggy and awesome.

Toss in the egg/cheese mixture (off the heat) and sprinkle a little more parm on top before serving.
It was very delicious and a fairly well- balanced meal. Veggies (onion/garlic/green beans), protein (egg and bacon), some carbs (whole grain spaghetti), and dairy (cheese).
Not too shabby.

Then I found The Monster attempting to go "I go to da night night. sweepies" on the kitchen floor by putting his "buzz white year jimmy jammies" on his arms...