Hot, hot, hot!

I'm on my own for a few days, and so far, it's been like one long weekend—eating whenever I want (nothing like pancakes at noon and pasta after 7:00pm), staying up late watching movies on the basement's big screen, and sleeping in with the cats until 10 or 11 in the morning. Oh, and I've been actively avoiding the outdoors like the plague, rather than do my usual morning walk around the neighborhood (I've settled for Wii Zumba inside instead). This heat wave in the northeast is getting a little ridiculous. I've got the A/C cranked up high and all the lights off to keep the heat down, and the poor cats all look like rag dolls, sprawled out belly up on the back porch. Weather like this makes me want to drink tall glasses Kool-Aid, eat big bowls of fruit, and gorge on ice cream.

The other night, I did what I normally do when I'm on my own for dinner—I rummaged through the fridge, found a few good items, and threw together a meal-for-one. I'd just gotten some fontinella cheese on a whim during a recent trip to the grocery store and, despite the warm weather, a hot, cheesy, saucy pasta sounded delicious. Fontinella, a white, Italian cheese, has incredible flavor—it's like a mix of sharp cheddar, Swiss, Pecorino-Romano, and Parmigiano-Reggiano. That sharp, salty, nutty flavor paired perfectly with applewood smoked bacon and fresh basil, so I had myself quite a nice dinner. Sadly, no recipe follows, as I measured nothing as I cooked and only made a one-person portion, but I wanted to share, because, well, because I can. I'll be posting two new recipes either tonight or Wednesday morning, so stay tuned for some posts with some summery treats, and try to stay cool in the meantime!

Pasta with Bacon and Basil in a Fontinella Cheese Sauce