12.22.2008

swedish meatballs




one package of gimme lean beef
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 cup of bread crumbs
1 T finely chopped parsley
1/2 t granulated onion
1/2 t dried oregano
1/2 t salt
good dose of cracked black pepper
pinch of thyme
pinch of nutmeg
2 T olive oil for frying

for the sauce:
2 T olive oil
1 small onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
3 T sherry
1 1/2 "beef-style" bouillion cubes combined with 3 cups of water
about 1/4 cup of soy milk mixed with 2 1/2 T of corn starch, plus additional soy milk if needed to thin sauce
squeeze of fresh lemon
lots of cracked black pepper
2 T fresh chopped parsley

half pound pasta of choice, cooked according to package instructions. i used whole wheat "egg" noodles.



combine first 10 ingredients and mix until well incorporated & then shape until 12 1-inch balls.

heat olive oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. fry meatballs in oil until evenly browned on all sides.

to make sauce:

on medium heat, saute onion in olive oil until soft. add garlic & cook some more. raise the heat & deglaze pan with sherry and allow reduce (about 5 minutes).

add broth and allow to cook. add cornstarch slurry & stir to combine. lower heat and simmer until thickened. add lemon juice, parsley, & pepper.

if necessary, thin out sauce with additional soy milk.

top noodles with meatballs & gravy & enjoy.

12.21.2008

baby it's cold outside...



why bother with a blanket of a sweater, when you can use the snuggie? i guess i need to add one more thing to my christmas list.

buy here! act now and get a second one for free(+7.95 per snuggie) plus you get a free book light. whoa!

mmm, sunday brunch.



there is nothing like a hot plate of delicious brunchy goodness to wake you up on a snowy sunday morning. right now it's -5 degrees (feels like -32!), but ryan & i are both full and happy and ready to stay in the rest of the day.

i made biscuits & gravy, (vegan) broccoli quiche, & breakfast potatoes. mm!

12.20.2008

happy birthday to... me!

aw, today was the best birthday ever! last night ryan & i stayed up late and i got to open my gifts at midnight!

i opened up some early gifts beforehand, but all together i gotttttt:

lifetime - jersey's best dancers lp
bikini kill - cassette version of the first two records
bikini kill - self titled lp
haveans to betsy - these monsters are real 7"
heavens to betsy - calculated lp
saves the day - through being cool lp
frumpies - frumpies forever 7"
frumpies - babies and bunnies test press!
kung-fu panda & beetlejuice on dvd.
annnnnnnd set of three new dots pyrex mixing bowls, the pièce de résistance of my pyrex collection so to speak!



we had birthday pie at baker's square... and for dinner we had tonsandtonsandtons of sushi!




i had such a wonderful birthday... i'm such a lucky lady, & ryan went above and beyond (per usual!) thanks everyone for the phone calls & birthday wishes!

polaroid saturday


happy birthday beautiful

12.18.2008

today...

today i dropped off jess at school for her last finals of the semester and went to my brother and sister in-laws to do some intense cleaning(for a small nominal fee, if interested please contact, hehe...). i cleaned for 6 and a half hours. goodness it was exhausting. but my brother and sister in-law's anniversary is today, so it was worth it.

in two days it will be jess' birthday. she is very excited about her school being over, i think the prospect of presents may have evaded her since she is so relieved right now. but we are excited to have a long weekend together and not have much of any responsibility. we will be going to swordfish for her birthday dinner. we are more than excited about this.

soon it will be a new year filled with things not known. i cannot wait. i also cannot believe how fast this year has went. the first year of jess and i living together. it's been wonderful. more to come.

12.07.2008

galena in pictures, & more!

i know i'm a little (okay, a lot) late in blogging, but here are some photos from galena!



(note: every time we stay at hawk valley, we take a picture of us jumping on the bad. so silly bed jumping picture #3!)






i've been pretty busy lately... lots of work to do as the semester winds down and when i actually have some time to relax, i take full advantage of it. we've had a wonderful, lazy weekend... i've been cooking and baking and ryan has diligently cleaned up after me.

i made a wonderful leek & potato soup this weekend. simple, but very flavorful and fulfilling.



ingredients:
2 T extra virgin olive oil
3 leeks, sliced into thin rounds
half a white onion, diced
2-3 carrots, diced
2 pounds red potatoes, cut into bit size cubes
vegetable stock (2-3 cups) [** or 2-3 cups of water with one vegetable bouillon cube.]
1 1/2 cups white wine
1/2 t dried thyme
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
about 1/2 cup of soy milk
salt + pepper

1. saute leeks, onion, & carrots in olive oil until soft & translucent. add garlic and saute for another few minutes.
2. deglaze the pot with a bit of white wine. add potatoes, stock, wine, thyme, and parsley.
3. simmer on low-medium heat until potatoes are cooked through and fork tender.
4. transfer half of the mixture to a blender. add soy milk and blend until smooth and creamy.
5. add the blended mixture back to pot and stir to combine. salt + pepper to taste.
6. garnish with chopped scallion and more parsley.

i used some leftover black bean sauce from the local chinese restaurant to make tonight's dinner. i cheated, but it was still delicious and, not to mention, a lot cheaper than ordering take-out.



yum.