Fettuccini with Herbs and Buttery Egg Sauce

In September, the month I turn a year older, I usually like to talk to you about what might fall under the category of life thoughts. But this year, I’m in the throes of writing a book that includes lots of life thoughts. So, in the interest of time and at the risk of repeating something I might want to put into the book, I thought I would just skip the minor, wordy tradition this time around.

But as I sit here on Sunday night, trying to put together this post, I find myself with all of these… thoughts. Thoughts on the process of writing a book; on being 6½ months pregnant; and on, all the while, still being myself, which means constantly having to deal with my own array of wants, needs, hang-ups, and emotions.

I want to be a good pregnant person; I want to go to prenatal yoga; I want to read books on pregnancy and parenting and how to take care of a newborn, but at the same time, I want to finish writing this book, bake anything and everything, read books that aren’t about parenting, watch every single episode of The Mind of a Chef in three days time, shoot fun cooking videos, and well, to put it bluntly: enjoy this time before life as I know it changes forever.

In a way, of course, this is all part of it, of motherhood and of life, right? To feel pulled in opposite directions, or perhaps, to want to go in opposite directions at the same time.

Take pregnancy. At times it feels like such a private, personal undertaking and yet you must wear it on your sleeve, publicly, right in front of people’s faces. And then there is also the fact that women everywhere do it and have done it since the beginning of humankind.

Take this blog. Sometimes I feel really strange and self-conscious about the fact that I use this space to share both my honest thoughts on the state of my life thus far as well as tips on how to be sexy in the kitchen. When I find myself feeling this way, I have to remind myself that these are all parts of who I am, who I’ve always been—Vintage Amelia, is how my mom described the video we did to help out Ms. Terry Gross.

This fettuccini, on the other hand, is pretty straightforward. In fact, it’s so straightforward and such a tribute to my good friends, butter and pasta, that I didn’t even feel the need to sprinkle it with Parmesan, something I typically do with just about any kind of pasta—linguine and clams included.

If this dish ties in at all to what I’m talking about, I guess it's because it represents those easy moments when you don’t feel like you’re floating in the middle somewhere, when you’ve chosen a side and have decided to really go for it. I mean, it calls for an entire stick of butter and serves just two. And (obviously) it’s completely delicious.

Point being, I don’t know if I have a point. My 32nd birthday, as it turns out, came and went without a grand conclusion, just a lot of thoughts. (And one giant slice of cake.)

Thanks as always for stopping by and reading them.

Fettuccini with Herbs and Buttery Egg Sauce slightly adapted from Martha Stewart

serves 2

8 ounces fresh or 6 ounces dried fettucini
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1 stick unsalted butter
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup mixed fresh herbs, such as chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves and chopped chives

Cook pasta in a large pot of generously salted water until al dente.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add eggs and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, undisturbed, until edges of eggs begin to set, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat and gently stir a few times to break up eggs into large strands. (Eggs should be undercooked and very wet.) (I let them cook just a little bit longer and they were still great.)

Immediately add hot pasta and herbs to skillet. Season with pepper and toss to evenly coat pasta with sauce and herbs. Divide between 2 plates and serve immediately.