Friday 13, Bowling, Weather.

Friday the 13th. How many of you are superstitious? I have a very good friend who has a birthday today. Didn't ask her, but hope she isn't concerned.

As usual, Thursday bowling went pretty well. Kept a good average. Matt was not as good but he won the last game. On Thursday there is another couple (usually a threesome, but one is away) who bowl next to us. They play 3 or 4 games in the time we take to play 2 and a bit. They are not young but I think younger than we are. I said to them today, "don't you have any aches and pains?" they assured me they did not. Not that I would want to race through our games, but we are physically unable to play that fast. I am feeling very sorry for the "son owner" who is working some 15 or 16 hours a day this week because his dad has to go to visit his mom after her back operation on Monday. His dad is worn out driving up and down to Toronto every day as well. Apparently her hemoglobin was low today so she had to have a second blood transfusion. Doesn't sound too good to me. Not a medic of any kind though of course.

We are getting some of the predicted wind storm this evening (Thursday) but so far not as bad as some of the pictures we have seen from the States. Hope it won't get worse. It's been blowing pretty hard all afternoon, had trouble walking around. Had to pop into the store which has an underground parking lot and it was howling through there so had trouble walking there too. It was also damp, raining off and on, and pretty cold. I didn't want to take my coat off in the bowling alley for a while. A couple were just leaving when we arrived. I told them they would do better to stay where  they were, but the husband assured me he had bowled so badly he preferred the weather. He had been beaten by his wife so had to buy her lunch.

I occasionally borrow recipes from Kevin at Closet Cooking. He's OK so long as I don't do it too much. He really comes up with some unusual recipes. This one appealed to me.

Roasted Cauliflower and Mushroom Carbonara

Servings: 4

A roasted cauliflower and mushroom pasta in a creamy egg and bacon sauce seasoned with plenty of fresh cracked pepper.

ingredients

• 1 small head cauliflower, cut into florets
• 8 ounces mushrooms, quartered
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 8 ounces fettuccine (or pasta of choice) (gluten free for gluten free)
• 4 ounces pancetta, diced or 4 ounces bacon cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) parmigiano reggiano (parmesan), grated
• plenty of fresh cracked black pepper
• salt to taste
• 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped

directions

1. Toss the cauliflower and mushrooms in the oil, salt and pepper, place on a baking sheet in a single layer and roast in a preheated 400F/200C oven until they start to caramelize, about 20-30 minutes, mixing half way through.
2. Start cooking the pasta as directed on the package.
3. Cook the pancetta in a pan, pour off all but a tablespoon of the grease from the pan, add the garlic, cook for 30 second and turn off the heat.
4. Mix the egg, cheese, pepper and salt and parsley in a bowl.
5. Drain the cooked pasta reserving some of the water.
6. Mix the pasta, egg mixture, cauliflower and mushrooms into the pan with the pancetta, adding reserved pasta water as needed.

Note: To speed things up, about 20 minutes into roasting the cauliflower and mushrooms, get your pot of water for the pasta on the stove and start bringing it to a boil.
Option: Replace the parmigiano reggiano with pecorino romano.

Have a great day