Carbonara ~ Italian Pasta Dish

Despite the fact that I'm half Italian, I'd never eaten or made Carbonara until I was in my mid-30's! The first recipe I tried was Rachel Ray's, and it was certainly "delish" as she would say. Since then, I've tweaked the recipe to make it a few different ways, and my family loves it no matter which way I dish it up. So, here's my latest version of Carbonara:

 Begin by sauteing about 1/2 c. chopped onions and a couple cloves of garlic, sliced, in a generous amount of butter in a large, deep frying pan. Add in a nice handful of bacon bits. When the garlic begins to turn lightly golden, add a bit more butter and sprinkle about 1/4 c. flour over the onions and garlic. Stir to coat, and let flour dissolve so it begins to resemble a paste. Add approx. 1 to 1 1/2 c. of milk, and stir with a whisk to incorporate flour paste into milk, allowing it to thicken the milk as it heats up. If cream mixture is too thick, add more milk until cream is loose enough to your liking. Salt and pepper to taste. Put on lowest setting and stir periodically. Then:

Get a pot of spaghetti boiling in salted water, cooking enough for 2-3 people. When al dente, drain in strainer, and pour pasta into frying pan with cream mixture. Then:

 Toss thoroughly to coat spaghetti well. Dish up, sprinkle with a generous amount of parmesean cheese and enjoy! This is such a nice change sometimes from the usual pasta and red sauce. But don't just take my word for it, let me know what you think!