I Need A Garage

I found out earlier today that it’s been flooding in Iowa - in fact, right down the road from where I have family in Black Hawk County. I don’t read the news, or watch the news, so I was completely unaware there was a disaster area in progress (Aunt B, I talked to mom, she says you’re fine, good to know!!!). I was looking at the news and seeing a lot of places I know that were under water. Very disturbing. I hope the water dies down and gets back under control.

Black-bellied whistling ducks in Jennifer’s back yard.

So yeah, I really need a garage, but all I’ve got is a parking lot, so I’m down here at my mother-in-law’s house borrowing hers. There’s decoupaging going on. I wish I could show you my hands right now. They are covered in primer, Mod Podge and polyurethane varnish. Yum! When it’s done, I will have some cool furniture, but at the moment it’s all sticky and drying in the garage. I have to say, though, that I am lucky to have a handy husband, or I would pprobably be wearing my decoupage project. This is not neat, and requires 4 hands.

Grapefruit in progress.

Jennifer, my mother-in-law, attracts wild animals like the rest of us attract mosquitos and flies. Did I ever mention the parrot that landed in her back yard? The raccoons and deer she used to take in? The squirrel that was sleeping in her bird feeder? The pregnant cat on her front step? I think I posted a picture of some ducks that have been hanging out every night here, I saw them this evening.

There’s some crazy plants around here. Jennifer’s grapefruit and tangelo trees have started to go nuts. This is the subtropics, after all, and citrusy things do really well. Then again, all her plants do really well. Her neighbor also has the green thumb I’ve always wished I had. She has a serious talent for placing flowers.

Hope you and yours are having a restful weekend. We’re having fun with animals. Jennifer has two dogs (a pug and a Lhasa Apso) that our dog usually “herds” when she’s here, as she’s younger and more energetic. However, this time we brought little kitten, who’s giving everyone a run for their money (including me). See you tomorrow! I’m off to apply more acrylic to my decoupage. And hopefully, I’ll try to avoid fumes, and all that nonsense.

Oh yeah, I’m livin’ the life …

So I had three things to tell you all today, and when I stopped and thought about them I was very amused. My three things are (1) organic vegetables, (2) a print from an independent artist and (3) something I just made. You can’t say I don’t do what I preach, er, ramble on about on here.

Organic Veggies: At the moment I’m super crazy excited waiting for my first home delivery of organic vegetables. A friend who already has been doing this for some time swears by Greenling for their produce. They are supposed to be awesome for veggie quality. I got two of their “surprise” baskets. The local basket has an unknown variety of seasonal fruits and vegetables from farms in the area.  The other one is the “artisanal basket” with a surprise variety of breads, meats, cheeses etc. from local shops. I don’t know what I’m getting, and I just love that! I have to admit that although I like the organic part, I’m actually more excited about the surprise element, and the fact that I don’t have to go to the grocery store.  I used to love getting home delivery of groceries in Manhattan.

Art Print: The art print is one called Bear Snug (#214 from March 1 ,2008) from Nut and Bee. What, you’ve never stopped by Annette’s stationery shop?  You really should. Her illustrations are some of the cutest I’ve ever seen, and I love checking out her 3x weekly postings of new Sketchbook Sweeties (her name for her drawings). Check out the Whirlipig and the Drama Llama. You’ll succumb to the spell too.

Kitchen Curtain: In addition to all those WIPs from yesterday, I did actually finish one thing, if only because it was the easiest thing.  I have this wierd spot in my kitchen where the 1970s builders decided to put a countertop for some sort of breakfast nook, I assume.  It would have made about 1000x more sense to put cabinets there, but apparently builders and architects can’t be bothered to be, you know, practical.

So I’ve put up 2 shelves (well, my dad did) and made a curtain to hide the area below.  Now it can serve as additional storage without just looking messy.  Plus, I love the stripe.

My mom had a GREAT idea for making this.  I got a pair of shorter pre-made curtain from Target to do this, and she suggested that instead of cutting off the extra at the bottom I should just fold it over so it’s the right length, and just sew in the rod pocket in the middle somewhere. Then you just sew down the sides. If you use a loose enough stitch, you can pull out the stitches later and reuse the curtains! FAB.

Home is where the food is …

First, I feel I should admit to my attempts to felt wool. Bear in mind that I am highly allergic to wool. We shall see what kind of a mess I make with this one.

Meanwhile. for my theme month - and I will probably return to this interpretation - home is where the kitchen is. Recently I’ve been working on an easy-to-find-and-reference cheat sheet of the things I like to cook most. One of these favorites is vegetable lasagna. If I eat lasagna, it’s always at home, because I am not a fan of meat sauce.

I think many people have their own recipes for this dish, and this is mine, which is criminally simple. This makes a small pan of lasagna -  a 9×12 pan.

Ratings: Easy and tasty, can make with preprepared materials like sauce & no-cook noodles, takes a little while but it’s not mostly active work. Good for leftovers.

First: slice up a favorite vegetable. Of course, not every veggie will work - I like to use peeled, sliced eggplant, squash and zucchini with some type of mushroom. I imagine peppers would do well, but I haven’t tried. Place these in one layer on a baking sheet covered with foil.

Drizzle with olive oil (sparingly, mushrooms soak up oil), salt and coarse ground pepper. I have also been known to add sliced garlic. Put this in the oven and bake until everything is tender at 350. It usually takes 30 - 45 minutes, depending on your chosen veggies.

Second: Prepare the rest of the ingredients.

• 3-4 cups of tomato sauce. Bottled works fine - choose something that complements your veggies. You can also use diced tomatoes (drained if canned) instead of sauce to make chunkier lasagna, maybe mix with a bit of diced onion, some wine and some italian herbs.
• Lasagna noodles, about 12. You can use cooked, or you can use the easy no-cook type and put ‘em in dry.
• Tub of ricotta cheese (15 oz), approximately 2 cups, mixed with one egg, 1/3 cup shredded parmesan
• Mozzarella cheese, approximately 2 cups

Third: Put the lasagna together when the veggies are out and have cooled a bit..

If you’re using no-cook noodles, put a first thin layer of tomato sauce on the bottom, then cover with noodles. Put more sauce on top of that, then a layer of vegetables, then carefully spread the ricotta mixture over that. It is possible not to disrupt the veggies, but tricky.

Add noodles again, then more sauce, then veggies, then ricotta. For the final layer, one more layer of noodles, then sauce then sprinkle mozzarella over the top.

Also: if you’re like me, and love cheese, you can sprinkle a little mozzarella on your ricotta layer. It’s overdoing it, but … it’s cheese!

Fourth: Put the lasagna in the oven (still at 350) and bake for probably 40+ minutes. Depending on the stove quirks I’m dealing with, I’ve had it take up to an hour, but more commonly 45 minutes.

Fifth: Let it cool, says the woman who always burns herself!!  Cut and serve. Yum. Goes well with salad and a nice little glass of wine.