Crafty Returns

Living the life of the unemployed has its peaks and valleys. Peak: I get to be crafty again! Valley: I don't have money to purchase the crafty supplies.

Number 5’s catering staff motto, "adapt & overcome", rings true in my current situation. I am using every yarn, thread, and scrap that I have. In the next few projects, I will have cleaned out the sewing box & most of the knitting box! B will be ecstatic.

Two skeins have been in my knitting collection for over a year. At one time they were to become a shawl-scarf thing, but the needles I used were too big & it ended up looking like a spiders web (not in a good way). Last winter they became a fisherman’s stocking cap, but the directions I had were vague as to how to “sew it up the back” & the hat was going to be too small, even for my tiny pin-head. I have loved this pattern for a very long time & who doesn’t need a winter white scarf? Apparently me, because this is number 3 in the winter white collection. I’m planning a hat & mittens in the same pattern. Yeah, we’ll see….

Having been in the catering business for the past year had taken its toll on my time & desire to create in the kitchen. Summer was booked with 4 weddings (2 of which were out in the middle of nowhere & required UBER amounts of setup), 5 rehearsal dinners, & several bridal showers. There were weeks where I didn't see B until Sunday morning when I finally rolled out of bed, my mind still occupied by the multiple lists of the previous event.

Even before the craziness of the summer events ensued, I was taking three graduate classes two nights a week in Cortland, a 45 minute trip from Binghamton, all while working consistently 45+ hours a week. Needless to say, elaborate vegan dishes were not streaming out of the kitchen. Popcorn became the staple entreé I could manage. (B's family historically eats popcorn for dinner on Sunday nights. I have always loved popcorn & therefore easily adopted not only the Sunday night practice, but the Tuesday & Wednesday night observance too.)


Now I'm back in full force! My freezer is brimming with frozen soups & marinara. I made a couple of B's favorites since settling in: pot roast, homemade mac & cheese, lasagna, apple pie...I am happy to be back on the scene.

Basic Marinara

Based on Recipe taken from Cooking Light October 2007

The plan for this simple sauce was to make a ton, freeze it, & feed Brad when he doesn’t know what to eat. Being the 4th or 5th Marinara I’ve ever made, I don’t have much to judge it on - It was tasty.

A Few T.	Olive Oil
3 med.	Yellow Onion, finely chopped
???	Any Fresh Veggies on hand that your family will eat!
1 T.	Sugar or Honey
6 cloves	Garlic, minced
2 t.	Kosher Salt
2 t.	Dried Basil
1.5 t.	Dried Oregano
1 t.	Dried Thyme
1 t.	Black Pepper
.5 t.	Fennel Seeds
2 T.	Balsamic Vinegar
2 c.	Vegetable Stock (or meat-style stock/broth)
3 (28 oz.) cans	Crushed Tomatoes (pref. no salt variety)
1. heat oil in lg. dutch oven over med. heat
2. in a mortar & pestle, crush the fennel seeds with the salt
3. add onion until softened slightly (approx. 5 min). add fresh veggies of your choice until slightly softened
4. add sugar/honey-fennel seeds. stir constantly, cook until very fragrant (1-2 min)
5. stir in vinegar (30 sec). add stock & tomatoes. cook over low heat until sauce thickens
*Sauce Thickening Tips: simmer means only a few bubbles at a time, stir once in a while so the top layer gets pushed down also lifting solids from the bottom to prevent scorching, look for thickness just shy of tomato paste-add H2O if it’s too thick.

Escarole, Three Bean, & Roasted Garlic Soup

From Cooking Light October 2007

This was a very tasty soup. It made it into the MIG Cookbook, it was that good. I’m also trying to keep a limit on the number of magazines our apartment contains so every recipe from a magazine that is particularly good, into the cookbook & into the recycling.

1 whole head	Garlic
1 can	Great Northern Beans, rinsed, drained, & divided
1.5 t.	Fresh Sage, chopped (omitted)
1 T.	Olive Oil
1 lb.	Escarole, chopped
4 c.	Vegetable Stock (or meat stock if preferred)
2 c.	Marinara from above
1 t.	Black Pepper
1 can	Kidney Beans, rinsed & drained
1 can	Pink Beans, rinsed & drained
6 T.	Parmesan Cheese (omitted)
1. in a 350° oven, bake garlic wrapped in foil for about 45 min, or until squishy
2. once cooled slightly, squeeze out garlic & mash to combine with .5 c. of GN beans (if using sage, mix in after garlic & beans are of a pastelike consistency
3. heat oil over med. heat in large pot & add escarole until wilted
4. add everything except the garlic paste and lest simmer until the greens are as tender as desired (about 20-30 min. or so)
5. stir in garlic paste & let rest unheated for 10 min.
6. some non-lactose intolerant people can add the cheese

Meat Lovers Lasagna

Adapted from The Domestic Goddess

B thought it was the best lasagna I’ve ever made him. I used the marinara from the freezer & added a few things. The sauce smelled just like pizza! We were amazed by this.

1 lb.	Ground Beef, extra lean
2	Beef Sausages, thinly sliced
1 T.	Olive Oil
1 med.	Onion, diced
2 cloves	Garlic, minced
1 pkg.	Button Mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 med.	Zucchini, thinly sliced
3 med.	Carrots, v. thinly sliced
1 sm.	Broccoli, finely chopped
.5	Red Pepper, finely chopped
.5	Green Pepper, finely chopped
3 c.	Marinara Sauce
.5 can	Tomato Paste
	S & P
1 t.	Chili Powder
1 t.	Paprika
.25 t.	Cayenne
.5 c.	Red Wine
250 g.	Ricotta
250 g.	Cottage Cheese
100 g.	Shredded Parmesan
1	Egg, beaten
2 T.	Flat-Leaf Parsley, minced
600 g.	Mozzarella Cheese (used shredded but will try sliced)
	Noodles
1. brown ground beef & sausages. set aside. sauté onion, garlic, & mushrooms until onion is translucent. add the rest of your veggies until softened. spice it up with chili powder, paprika, cayenne, s & p. add tomato paste, wine, beef, & sausages. simmer over low heat until all veggies are softened.
2. cook the noods in salted water. rinse with cool H2O & set aside.
3. preheat oven to 375°. mix ricotta, cottage, parmesan cheeses together with the beaten egg. add parsley, s & p.
4. the layering: sauce, ricotta mixture, mozzarella, pasta. repeat: sauce, ricotta, mozz, pasta. last layer: sauce, mozz (3 sauce, 3 mozz, 2 of everything else)
5. cover with foil & bake for 30 min. remove foil & continue to bake until bubbly & cheese begins to brown. be sure to let it sit for 10 min before serving.

1 yr. Post the Post

Should I bother to explain? Over the course of the next few posts, the reasons for absence slowly be unveiled. Please be patient.

The News: B & I moved to Chicago! We recently settled into a cozy loft on Michigan Avenue-amazing views, close to the lake, transportation, restaurants, shops, my brother, B's entire family, friends, etc.

I received a job offer from a catering company in the suburb of Wheaton, which I accepted. We decided on where to live, based on this job. It seemed almost perfect...a little bit of sales, event management, & office management. The drawback to the job: the commute. It wasn't going to be perfect, but I was willing to train/drive for the experience I was about the gain.

The day before I was to begin I got a devastating call. They had reconsidered my position, didn't think I would last long, thought I would hate the commute...so I am currently looking for a job.

But check out our digs! Let's take a tour.




The long hallway flanked by our "art" leads to the main room.



The kitchen is much smaller than Binghamton's kitchen but I'm loving the "upgrades." We put up a storage system. B & I can make a pretty good team.















The bedroom gets plenty of sunlight with this partial wall. The bathroom is nondescript.







And the selling point of the condo was the office nook in the back for B. We only have two closets-hence the store looking thing in our bedroom. Eventually it will be covered with some sort of apparatus.

















The view is spectacular! We get to look out onto one of the most beautiful bodies of water every day.
Soldier Field: GO BEARS!




A little harbor.