Spaghetti con crema

In respects to my New Years resolution on spending less money on groceries, and wasting less food, I pondered in front of the refrigerator wondering what I was going to cook for supper a couple nights ago...I bit my tongue, and refrained from asking Jake to take us out to dinner-- for I thought I couldn't do much with what I had found in our fridge. But to my surprise it was just what my taste buds were looking forward to that night.

I found the following in my pantry & fridge:

spaghetti, olive oil, shallots, garlic, 1/2 zucchini,

left over Portuguese sausage, left over tomato & basil pasta sauce,

whipping cream, & Parmesano

1. I heated 1 tablespoon olive oil, added shallots & garlic, cooked for about ten minutes.

2. I added chopped zucchini, a pinch of salt & pepper, and stirred.

3. I added chopped Portuguese sausage, stirred, and covered with lid. Cooked for about 10 minutes.

4. I then added the tomato & basil pasta sauce, stirred, added about 1/2 cup of whipping cream, stirred again. Covered with lid and let it simmered for about 20 minutes.

5. Meanwhile I cooked spaghetti al dente.

6. When pasta was ready, I poured it into to tomato & basil-cream sauce.

7. Served and grade Parmesano on top.

This dish was SO tasty I couldn't wait to have it for lunch the next day...seriously!

Namaste

I've made a commitment to myself, and I feel so good about it, that I'm sharing it with you. Saturday mornings you will find me getting up at the crack of dawn to attend a yoga class that starts at 7:00 a.m.--- at my neighbors house, so, it's not so bad for me, since I only have to walk across the lawn. The session goes for an hour, and thus far there's been two sessions, I hope the sessions continue at my neighbors for a long-long time, for they are so convenient.



First session:
I felt totally uncoordinated and silly. Uncoordinated because I'm not an athlete, I'm a good runner, but that's it. Silly because I don't know the Yoga lingo/terminology, yet. I was constantly lifting my head to see what pose the instructor was posing (who btw is a great instrucor who guided me, a lot), and turning my head from side to side trying to see what my neighbors were doing, which made me lose my balance a lot of the time; that's probably why a couple days later my neck and shoulders were stiff & sore.



Second session:
I was a little more coordinated and felt less silly, the hour flew by. At the end of the session the word "Namaste" caught my attention, and I asked the instructor (feeling silly, since I didn't acknowledge it at the first session) "What does Namaste mean? she responded "To honor the true self in each of us, and recognize that all life is interrelated."--Nice!

I'm excited about my new venture... I feel reconnected with myself, it's been a long time since I have felt that way, because a lot of my energy went/goes to my Darling child, my Darling husband and on our business...which left/leaves very little time for me. BUT, the balance is very well on it's way, for this little lady.


Namaste!

Asparagus 101

Asparagus 101

Snap off the ends by gently bending each stalk (as shown by Chef Estella). The woody end should break off at just the right spot. Soak the stalks in cold water to loosen any dirt and refresh them.

Kill them with kindness

My Darling Jacob informed me on Monday that he received a letter from the City of San Diego, letting him know that the operation of our business was in violation of the home occupation regulations. My heart sank to my stomach, it only means one thing, we have an unhappy neighbor...we've been around the block on that one.

"Mean people suck!" is what I said. Apparently the unhappy neighbor took it upon herself (we think it's a she) to call the City of San Diego and complain about our little Boiler business-- that wasn't very neighborly. What's so hard about going to your neighbor and talking about it? NOTHING!!!!!!, it's just too easy, ignorant people who are MEAN can't comprehend it (now I'm being mean). It's sad to think that this neighbor dislikes us that much, that she would take pleasure in seeing a young family struggle with their small business, over nonsense.....it's unbelievable, it's sad.

Madder-than-a- Bear, I said to Jake "I'd like to give this lady a piece of my mind"... and he gently replied "Kill them with kindness".

Los Tres Amigos

TheUsual Suspects...

I said "Good-bye" to them for 40 days.

Amigo 1

Señor Cafe was my daily morning companion. His aroma was intoxicating to me, and his taste was Divine... we'd smile at the rising sun, sit and enjoy each others company as we browsed through cookbooks for the evening supper~ I miss him the most.

Amigo Dos

Señor Dessert, always-always put a big grin on my face. When those nasty PMS symptoms would arrive, this little buddy of mine always tamed the beast... all I gotta say is "Honey,watch out this month!"

Amigo Tres

Señor Pinor Noir

OK, lets get something straight, I'm not a Wino, but I do have to say that this Gentleman, AND a Gentleman he always was, would woo me at the end of a rough day~ relax me, if you will, with his alluring berry & black cherry aromas, and his velvety smooth texture. Pinor Noir was often enjoyed with a nice supper; supper just isn't the same.

So you see my friends, for lent I usually give up on Señor Dessert, but this year I decided to be an overachiever and give up on three of my favorite things... it's been 14 days without them, and let me tell you, yesterday was tough, today was better, we'll see what tomorrow brings.

The moral of the story "BABY STEPS"!

Lagrimas

After reading nienie recent post's, lagrimas(tears)filled my eyes and my heart ached for Stephanie.
It makes me sad that someone so sweet as she(not of this world) is going through what she and
her family are. I pray that God continues to watch over The Nielson family.

Stephanie was kind enough to make me these lovely silhouettes
of my little family.

The Reifer's