Monday, August 27, 2012

Pasta Sauce - AKA What to do With All These Fuggen Tomatoes

We planted a container garden out by our pool, in lieu of building a fence and putting one in the ground in the backyard. It's been quite fruitful, but I've found myself each weekend wondering WTF to do with all these tomatoes before they spoil! So, I made pasta sauce. It doesn't just have to go on pasta. We used it on garlic bread pizza. It is super tasty with chicken and pasta, though. And not too complicated. I bet even an Italian would be satisfied.


Garden Tomato Pasta Sauce
makes 3-5 cups of sauce
Cooking time: 2-4 hours

Ingredients:
Tomatoes - However many you have! I just use all the ones in our bowl that are going to spoil if I don't use them... which is typically all the ones in the bowl. For the most recent batch, I used around 35 cherry tomatoes, 3 Parks Whoppers and 4-5 Lemon Boys

2 TBSP Olive Oil

3-4 TBSP minced garlic

1 onion, diced

1-2 TBSP Oregano

1-2 TBSP Sage

1 TBSP Thyme

1-2 TBSP Paprika

(Optional: 2 tsp crushed red pepper)

Salt and Pepper to taste

About 3-4 TBSP Fresh Basil, chopped - what you can find. Supplement with dried if it's not a lot.

1 TBSP white sugar

1 TBSP Balsamic Vinegar



For all tomatoes except Cherry, cut, quarter and remove any bad spots and the stem of your tomatoes. Food process them until there are no chunks left, and set aside.

In a large pot, heat the olive oil over med-high heat. Once heated, add in the garlic and onion and sauté until the onion starts to turn translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Lower heat to medium, and add in your spices (except fresh basil), stirring constantly, until they become fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.

Pour in processed tomatoes, fresh basil, sugar, and vinegar, and heat until simmering. Simmer on medium or medium-high until most of the juices have evaporated out. Let cool and transfer into container to freeze or refrigerate. Use refrigerated sauce within 2 weeks. Frozen sauce will last 6 months.




Tomatoey Chicken Pasta

12 oz pasta, cooked and set aside

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thawed and cut into bite-sized pieces

2 TBSP Olive Oil, separated

1 TBSP minced garlic

1 TBSP Oregano

1 TBSP Sage

1 TBSP Thyme

3-5 cups Pasta Sauce

Salt and Pepper to taste

Parmesan cheese


Put the pieces of chicken in a bowl, and toss with Olive Oil, garlic and spices.

Heat remaining oil in large skillet. When hot, add in chicken. Cook over medium-high until chicken is done, and most of the moisture has evaporated from the pan. Add in the sauce and heat until everything is hot. Pour sauce and chicken mixture over cooked pasta, and toss to coat evenly. Stir in some parmesan cheese, or portion on plates, and allow each person to add their own cheese.

Great with garlic bread or yeast rolls.





Enjoy!







Monday, April 30, 2012

2012 - The Summer of the Pool Cocktail

I've found these delicious cocktail recipes for by the pool this summer. Screw you, Mike's Hard Lemonade - we're going DIY!





Vanilla Pear Vodka Cocktail: http://www.two-tarts.com/2011/09/vanilla-pear-and-vodka-cocktail.html

Blueberry Lavender Mojito: http://www.drinkeattravel.com/cocktail-recipes-memorial-day-weekend/

Lavender Lemonade (But add Vodka): http://www.munchinwithmunchkin.com/2012/03/19/lavender-lemonade/

Blueberry Infused Vodka Lemonade: http://www.keepitsimplefoods.com/summer/blueberry-infused-vodka-lemonade/

Raspberry Beer Cocktail: http://www.acupofmai.com/2012/02/raspberry-beer-cocktail.html



Mainly just made this blog to save the recipe links. Enjoy! Cuz we sure as heck will!

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Did you ever have a friend...?

Did you ever have a friend that you felt like didn't really give a shit about being friends with you, but more they care about you being around so they can talk about themselves?

I have a friend like this. I guess more of an acquaintance... I only know him from work. But I've known him for years, since I first started with the company. Lately, I've been questioning WHY we're friends, and why we've been friends for so long. Although we lack a lot in common, and he's about 15 years older than me, I've always seen him as kind of a work mentor, even though we don't work in even similar fields. Lately, I feel like when I turn to him for professional advice, he's super quick to turn the conversation to himself. I know two main parts of being friends with someone, as with any relationship, is give and take. As much as you expect your friend to be there for you, you have to be there for them. I can say with confidence that it makes me feel bitchy to think that he's not providing the friendship for me that I'm asking of him, which I mean, nothing I'm asking for is live-saving. It'd be nice to just once though, have my though/question answered, rather than have it turned into, "Your thought made me think of this thing about ME. ME. ME."

Then it occurred to me - am I this kind of friends to others? Do I take everything that is brought to me and turn it around to be about myself?  I have been accused before of being selfish and self-absorbed. But I hate to think that I'm so selfish and self-absorbed that I don't recognize what it is my friends are needing, or are asking for, from me. I think often times, in conversations, I refer back to personal experiences to enter the dialogue about a friend's issues or problem. Is that seen as focusing on myself? To me, it's a way of saying, "I understand you. See, I had this experience once that was like the one you're in now, and this is how I handled it." Is that interpreted as, "I'm not hearing or don't care about what you're saying, but am instead using this as an opportunity to talk about myself"?

While I don't care enough about it to confront my friend about his conversations with me, I do care enough about it to not be this kind of friends to others. I will focus more on LISTENING, rather than CONTRIBUTING, unless of course I'm being asked to contribute. Maybe if I can be a little bit less selfish as a friend, it will translate into being less selfish as a person.

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Just a thought about your pregnancy...

So, when your little bundle of joy is finally here, are you going to let him or her know that all you did the whole time you were pregnant with them was BITCH about how miserable you were?

Jeeeeez. You're not the first woman to do this, and you won't be the last. I promise your pregnancy isn't the worst one on the books, and women STILL somehow managed to go 9 months to have a kid, WITHOUT modern medicine.

Seriously, QUIT YOUR BITCHIN'!


#end rant