Tasty Tuesday

I am so enjoying using my new cookware. It’s so pretty and cooks so well. One of my first recipes using it was pasta with vodka sauce. It was better than ever!

Pasta With Vodka Sauce

Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 cup vodka
1 cup chicken stock
1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup heavy cream
12 ounces pasta – I use penne or ziti
20 basil leaves – chopped

Directions
1. Start pasta water boiling.
2. Add oil, butter, and garlic to a pan over medium/high heat. Saute garlic until soft, but not brown.
3. Add vodka to pan. Reduce by half – about 3 minutes.
4. Add stock and tomatoes. Bring to boil and then reduce to simmer for about 10 minutes.
5. Cook pasta while sauce simmers. Drain
6. Stir cream in sauce. Bring to bubble and then remove from heat.
7. Toss pasta and sauce with the basil leaves.
8. Enjoy with some parmesan cheese.

Writer’s Workshop #4 – BFFs

Kristen and I have been friends for a hundred years 28 years. (Wow, I just calculated that in my head and can’t believe it’s been that long!) I am an only child, but she is just like a sister to me. We are very similar and also very different, if that make sense. She has been “adopted” by my family and I have been by hers.

She and I met at the barn where we rode our horses. We are 4 years apart so for a few years she was actually my babysitter. If my parents went away for a day or two, she would come stay over and “watch me”.

Being in her “care” was fun we watched movies, made popcorn, rode our horses, and talked. I idolized her as a kid. One time, when she stayed with me while my parents went out of town, another friend and I talked her into calling in sick for us to our school. She agreed and while she called the school office, sounding like such an adult, we rolled around on the floor giggling. We got ours though, because the afternoon we played hooky we laid out by the pool and all got really bad sunburns. Fun times! Just last year Kristen and I went out for wine with my mom and we told her that story. We promised mom that was the only time it happened. I’m not so sure she believed us.

In high school, college, and early adulthood we were inseparable. Most everyday we saw each other, hung out, or caught up on the phone. Over the last ten years though our lives have gone in different directions – mine towards my career, hers towards her husband and three kids (some of my most favorite people.)

Even though we don’t talk as often and see each other even less. We have each other’s backs for the big stuff. We don’t miss a birthday or Christmas. When her dad was diagnosed with cancer I drove to her house in my pajamas. When my dad had his heart attack, she was the first person I called. She dropped everything and came right over to help me pack. She watches my dog when I go away and I babysit her kids.

She knows and loves me no matter what and I do the same. Kristen is my oldest and dearest friend.

Tasty Tuesday

Some fresh vegies sounded really good last weekend. These bowls can be made with any vegetables you like. I didn’t add them this time, but next time I will add water chestnuts too. Slainte!

Noodle Bowls
Ingredients
3 quarts chicken broth (or vegetable)
1 pound linguini
1.5 pounds chicken breast, cut into small pieces
8 scallions, cut into small pieces
2 cups shredded carrots
2 cups broccoli florets, cut into small pieces
1/2 pound snow peas, cut in half
chopped cilantro (to top bowls)

Directions
1. Bring broth to boil in a soup pot.
2. In another pot, cook pasta until almost tender, drain. The pasta will cook more in the bowls.
3. Share pasta amongst 4 deep bowls.
4. Add chicken to boiling broth and poach for about 5 minutes.
5. Add raw vegetables to the bowls of pasta.
6. Spoon broth/chicken into the bowls, covering the vegetables and pasta.
7. Cover bowls tightly with a small plate to steep for about 5 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.
8. Add cilantro to soup as a garnish.

My picture came out a little blurry. I must have been really excited to start slurping my noodle bowl!

Welcome, Come On In

Awhile back I posted about my own personal screwy bank story. At that time I had not been able to take advantage of the low, low interest rates because my home had lost value during this economic crisis. Just this past month however, the “funny business” that was giving me trouble actually worked to my advantage. The investor of my mortgage contacted me and has changed the terms of my loan to a REALLY low interest rate for the next five years. This saves me a lot of money for the time being and while doing so will hopefully let me refinance into something better for the long term when things begin to pick up again. To
celebrate, since I get to keep my house, I thought I’d invite you all over for a tour. Welcome!

As you enter the front door, you arrive in the dining room/living room. This model intends this room to be the living room, but the last owners turned the wall behind me into a door, so there is only one wall to put furniture on. Now it’s my dining area. About once a month it gets used. Please notice the beautiful dining room chairs.

To the right of the dining area is my backyard. Really the main part of the yard is on the side of the house, hence the creation of the door in what was once the living room. It’s a nice size yard for my area. I kill any type of plant that gets pretty flowers, so everything is just green. I guess that’s better than brown.Let’s walk through the dining area into the kitchen. It is the smallest kitchen ever – very little counter space and even less cupboard space. There are only two things I like about it – the granite countertop and my Amana gas stove. I love to cook and be in the kitchen, just not this kitchen.

If you follow me, we can head into the living room which is right off the kitchen. Because the dining table and chairs is in the other room, my living room area is huge. I have had my furniture since I lived back in Providence. It is time to get some new pieces, but I just love the colors and patterns. The downstairs bathroom is a little “funny”. The old owners had it topiary-ed out. There were topiaries ALL over the place including painted on the toilet seat cover. We painted over the trees on the wall and changed the seat cover immediately. Someday I will paint it all one color, but other than changing the toilet seat, it hasn’t been one of my top priorities. We’ll head back through the dining area to the stairs and the upstairs landing. The first room on the right at the top of the stairs is the office/art room/gym. Just this summer I moved the office into the larger of the two additional bedrooms. My supplies needed more space. The 3rd bedroom was recently changed from the art room to the guest bedroom. Still working on it with art work and what not, but it will suffice if you’re feeling sleepy. The upstairs guest bathroom.Here we are on the landing, facing the backyard. One of my favorite parts of the house. These etched glass windows are just beautiful. Here’s where all the magic happens I spend most of my time because I LOVE my bed. Lastly, this is the master bathroom. Yes, yes, that is a pink bathtub! As you can probably tell from the other pictures, the previous owners where big time, do-it-yourselfers. This pink, spackle painted bathtub is just another example. Someday I will have a new bathtub/shower put in, but for now I have to live with it. At least it matches the tiles, which I do kind of like.

Thank you so much for coming. I am so glad that you could make it. When I first bought my house at the height of the market certain things about it bothered me a lot. I used to point them out because I didn’t want anyone thinking that I didn’t realize that it wasn’t that great of a house for almost a half a million dollars. I’ve been here for four years, and I’m realizing it’s a pretty nice little house considering it’s now worth nothing, ha!

Let Me At ‘Em! (Writer’s Workshop #4)

This week’s Writer’s Workshop is about moxie, more specifically a time where moxie was evident. Last Friday at student dismissal “Moxie” was my middle name.

As to not have to completely explain my school’s dismissal procedures, just know that my school has dismissal procedures that we work very hard for our families to understand. These procedures are in place first and foremost for safety and running a close second is for efficiency/ease of dismissal. Every-so-often a family member doesn’t follow the procedures. That could be because they are new to the school (most of the time) or because they are inconsiderate idiots that don’t think the rules apply to them.

There is a grandfather who picks up his granddaughter everyday at school, and he is just a grumpy, old man. He would fall into the latter category of rule breakers. He never wants to follow the procedures and when he is asked to he yells at school staff (in front of his gd) and drives away.

This past Friday I had had enough! In his impatience and annoyance with a new parent who accidentally drove in the wrong line he decided to pull out in the middle of the driveway/road to prove a point. Because of that, he blocked the entrance into our school. That meant the school bus, Boys and Girls Club bus, teachers who had gone to lunch and were coming back, and maintenance workers were all blocked from getting into our school. It all happened so fast that I wasn’t able to do anything about it, and therefore became so annoyed and upset with this jerky guy that I paced up and down the walkway, thinking about what I would say when he finally drove up.

Up until this point, I didn’t even acknowledge the man, not wishing to be scowled or yelled at. On this day however, I did acknowledge him and just about flew into a tirade over his behavior. When he pulled up, I opened the door for the granddaughter and said, “You can yell at me as much as you want, but I need you to listen to me about this dismissal.” He looked shocked. I told him that he couldn’t block traffic. I told him he needed to be patient. I told him that we would take care of the people who were new and didn’t know the “rules”, and if people who knew the rules kept breaking them they were causing more of a problem. I told him that he blocked all the employees and buses from getting into the parking lot. I told him that he needed to worry about himself and no take matters into his own hands. I told him that all of these procedures were about one thing, safety.

He didn’t want to listen, but I held open the door of the truck, not letting him drive away until I said my piece. When I did, I was exhausted and just walked away, shaking.

Most of the time at school, we are treated with respect and the school rules are followed by both students and parents. Sure, it’s frustrating when the kids don’t follow the rules, but it’s even more frustrating when their parents break them without even a thought. This man’s behavior was inappropriate and I had had enough of it. I am a rule follower, and it angers me when others don’t. I respectfully tore him a new one and maybe that’s what it took to get him to do what he’s supposed to do.

Tasty Tuesday

For the last few months I took a little break from my Tasty Tuesday posts. I love to cook and I love to eat, but I haven’t been too inspired to try anything new. That was until my new cookware arrived. I have enjoyed cooking with them and am inspired again. Over the last couple of weeks A LOT of cooking has been done and I have a few recipes to share and hopefully more to come. This week, however, I have to share one that has been a staple for me all summer – basic bruschetta. After my trip to Italy, where I learned how it was really supposed to be made, I make it almost daily. I make it so much I may just turn into a bruschetta. I’ve had prepared numerous ways here in the US, but this is the best I have had. Slainte!

Bruschetta – the way it’s meant to be

Ingredients

5-6 small, ripe tomatoes – sliced thin

3-4 fresh basil leaves – chopped

2 slices bread (I use crusty Italian)

1 garlic clove – sliced in half

extra virgin olive oil – to taste

salt and pepper – to taste

Directions

1. Mix tomatoes, basil, olive oil (about 1 tbsp), and salt and pepper in a small bowl.
2. Toast or grill bread on both sides. I use the panini press so it’s crispy.
3. Rub each piece of bread with the cut-side of the garlic. This gives the flavor of garlic without the bitterness.
4. Spoon the tomato mixture onto each slice of bread.
5. Drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper.
6. Enjoy! I know I do.

The ingredients are enough for two pieces. Adjust accordingly.

Just like heaven on a plate.

Another Funny School Conversation

A post written by Maureen over at Island Roar got me thinking about a funny conversation I had with a student last year.

Shawn arrived in my classroom upon our return from winter break. At first sight he was as cute as can be; a very tiny boy with the voice of minnie mouse. Over the next few weeks, Shawn developed a crush on one of my other students, Danica. She was a very sweet girl who also happened to be one of my selective mutes (that's right, I had two last year). On a daily basis, Shawn told me how much he liked her, how nice and kind she was, or that he couldn't wait for recess so he and Danica could play.

One Friday at dismissal, after a hug and a high-five, Shawn looked up at me and very seriously asked, "Do you think I could get Danica's phone number?" "Oh," I said , "why do you need that?" "I'd like to ask her to spend the night." I gulped and of course told him that it wasn't appropriate for me to give him her number, etc. Certainly, it was an innocent request, but I was still taken by surprise. Thinking back now, it just makes me laugh.