Spaghetti Carbonara ~ Jaci

This is SO fast and SO yummy, and yet I always forget about it.  Hopefully you'll try it one of these nights when you're desperate for a good, fast dinner or lunch.  The leftovers are great, too.  By the way, I believe this is very close to the recipe Tom Cruise uses (he's quite the cook, and shares my b-day, which was a lot cooler before he jumped on Oprah's couch) that he learned from a real Italian guy who told him that real carbonara doesn't have cream in it....just a little trivia. ;)

• 1 pound spaghetti (I use whole wheat)
• 3-4 eggs
• 5ish strips of diced bacon - unless you really like bacon (duh!) and then however much you want (I keep my bacon in the freezer and dice it up frozen, then toss it in the pan - no thawing required)
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
• black pepper to taste

Cook the pasta according to directions in well-salted water.  Meanwhile, cook the bacon in it's own grease with the garlic (don't let the garlic burn).  You may want to pour off some of the grease - I think 1-2 Tbsp is plenty to keep.  Beat the eggs in a separate bowl.  When the pasta is done cooking, drain it and quickly return it to the pan on the stove (turn off heat) and QUICKLY stir in the bacon, eggs, pepper, and about half of the parmesan cheese.  The heat from the pasta will cook the eggs.  Serve immediately.  Top with the remaining parmesan.   Buon Appetito!