Monday, October 31, 2011

Crafty Find: Paint Brush Hooks



If you’ve ever done any sort of painting in your house, then I bet you’ve experience dried and hardened paint brushes. Sure, maybe you wrap them in plastic, even place them in the freezer, but unless you clean them very well, the paint crusts up and that brush is done for.

Unless, of course, you’re a creative type and realize that the hardened bristles are actually very tough. So tough, in fact, that you realize they can actually serve a purpose - you could shape them and turn them into coat hooks. Brilliant!

And the best part, they would match whatever colour you painted your front hall, or bedroom, or basement… you get the idea.

ON A DIFFERENT NOTE….

Did you notice the new layout of the blog? Isn’t it fun? And it's interactive. If you readjust the size of your window, the pictures move around. Don’t like the pictures. Check out the left hand corner: there’s a drop down menu to try out various other layouts. I’m really digging this new feature. 

Friday, October 14, 2011

Recipe #29: Creamy Polenta-Stuffed Heirloom Tomatoes

Photo courtesy of www.finecooking.com

I bet you already know that tomatoes are a very versatile vegetables. They are great for making salsa for dipping your tortilla (NOT nacho) chips into. They work equally well for making wonderful sauces to smother your pastas in. Or, they can be diced and mixed with onions and olive oil to spread atop toasted pieces of bread to make a lovely bruschetta. Not to mention they can also be enjoyed cut up and added to just about any green salad.  See, very versatile.

I bet you didn’t know that, however, that not that long ago, I enjoyed all of the above mentioned permutations of tomatoes, but I kept telling myself that I did not like tomatoes themselves. How could that be?! Well, I don’t like a single tomato on its own, or with salt, or with mozzarella. But, as Matt keeps telling me, it’s because I have not yet had a GOOD and fresh tomato, the ones that farmers pick in the summer and bring to the markets, not the ones that ripen on the truck they are shipped in. I will give him that much; freshness makes all the difference! 

But, I’m coming around. And to prove it, I found and made this lovely little stuffed Tomato recipe (yup, you can also stuff tomatoes!). The creamy polenta (a variation of corn meal, I should add, which you all know I love!) fills the juicy pockets of tomatoes, then its topped with cheese and baked to perfection. It’s a great vegetarian dish all on its own, it cooks up pretty quickly, and it’s very filling. 

INGREDIENTS
1 Tbs. butter
1 Tbs. diced shallot
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
3 cups lower-salt chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup polenta
1/2 Tbs. chopped fresh thyme
1/2 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbs. freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 large Roma-style tomatoes
2 Tbs. chopped parsley


DIRECTIONS
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the shallot and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, about 2 minutes. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add the cream and then whisk in the polenta. Reduce the heat to a simmer, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Add the thyme and rosemary and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the polenta is tender, creamy, and thick, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in 1/4 cup of the cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 400° F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Halve the tomatoes lengthwise and hollow them out. Cut a very thin slice off the bottom of each tomato half so the filled tomato can lie flat without rolling. Arrange the tomatoes on the baking sheet and season them lightly with salt. Fill each tomato half with some of the polenta, mounding just slightly (depending on the size of your tomatoes, you may or may not use all the polenta). Sprinkle the remaining 2 Tbs. of cheese and the parsley over each. Bake until the tomatoes are soft, about 20 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

A Summer Dress

 

This summer, I set about on a task of making (sewing) a dress for an upcoming wedding. We were heading out to the country to celebrate the marriage of good friends of ours, and I wanted a light summer dress for the occasion. I would say that I am somewhat adept at sewing, but my one weakness, I would say, is actually finishing what I start. My mother can attest (and now husband) to the small piles of fabric that were purchased with such grand hopes of one day becoming a dress or a jacket or a shirt, and now sit in the dark waiting for their time to shine.

You see, sewing, unlike knitting, takes a dedicated space and time, and loads more equipment than just knitting needles and yarn. You need a table big enough to cut your fabric out on, you need to iron, and you need to set up your sewing machine. In our little condo, we currently lack that space for a permanent sewing area, so this also means I have to set up and take down for each sewing session.

But I was determined to change all that and find time this summer to make myself a dress. There were two reasons for this: 1) I find it very hard to dress shop: dresses can be a financial investment, and most often I can’t seem to find exactly the right one worth spending the money on. 2) Making my own dress allows me control of the pattern, fabrics, and fit. Of course, fabric shopping can in and of itself be just as challenging as finding a dress already made, and you still have to sew it! But not matter. I was able to find a fairly simple and geometric black and white linen (boring, I know) and a bright splash of green to add as a belt. The pattern I choose had no zippers or buttons, so there were not too many difficult elements to it. It did have an elastic waist, a belt, and pockets (I think every dress should have pockets!), but all in all, I was fairly confident that I would be able to get it done in the time allotted, about 2 months.

Well, it was the weekend before the wedding and the dress was still in the fabric pile. Nothing like a little time crunch to put the gears in motion. I dedicated two days to the project: the first for cutting and ironing, the second for sewing. Turns out this was just enough time to get a dress together.

To be honest, I wore the dress the next weekend with a little hesitation. I was sure that it looked “too homemade” and not fancy enough for the wedding, but I was assured (albeit it by loved ones) that it looked just fine. I know there are still some tweaks that I need to finish before I wear it again, but luckily a little black sweater hides most of the imperfections. I’ll fine-tune it as I work on my next dress, using the same pattern and adjusting the size until it fits just perfectly. Off to my fabric pile I go….

Tuesday, October 04, 2011

Recipe #28: Pasta with Tomatoes & Garlic Breadcrumbs



I was inspired to search out and make this recipe after having a similar dish at an Italian restaurant (Parkette. Review coming soon). It was nothing overly exciting, just fresh spaghetti with tomato sauce, but the topping of fresh breadcrumbs was really what made this dish a standout! I wouldn't have thought that adding carbs on top of carbs would be so delicious, but then again, I have been known to be wrong.

And, because I love fresh pasta (and it’s really not that scary to make), I decided to skip the packaged stuff for this recipe and whip up a batch of fresh pasta with dried basil and red pepper flakes. Yes, having a pasta roller handy does make this task much easier, I will admit, and it still is time consuming, so this isn’t a regular weeknight meal. I made the pasta on a weekend and then attempted drying and freezing the extra pasta, which worked really well. Just lay it flat on a tea towel or baking rack to dry, then toss it into a freezer bag and into the freezer. When you want to eat, take out from freezer and drop directly into boiling water.  I would say just as fresh as if you made it that day. 

If you already have your favorite tomato sauce for spaghetti, then just use this recipe for the bread crumbs. Once you try it, I can almost guarantee that you’ll never go back to ‘un-breadcrumbed’ pasta again! But make sure you’re not using store-bought crumbs. Save a few pieces of fresh bread and pulse them in your blender or food processor for the best results.
  
INGREDIENTS

Kosher salt
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2-1/2 cups fresh coarse breadcrumbs
Freshly ground black pepper
Freshly grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 pt. cherry tomatoes, halved
6 Tbs. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

DIRECTIONS

Set a large pot of salted water over high heat and bring to a boil. Heat 2 Tbs. of the oil and half the garlic in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat until the garlic is fragrant but not brown, about 30 seconds. Turn the heat to medium, toss in the breadcrumbs, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring often, until the crumbs brown and turn crisp, 6 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl.

Put the pasta in the water.

Add 2 Tbs. of the oil to the skillet and cook the remaining garlic and red pepper flakes until the garlic is fragrant but not browned, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, season generously with salt and pepper, and sauté for 5 minutes so they start to soften and lose their shape. Fold in all but 2 Tbs. of the parsley.

Finish cooking the pasta until it's just tender, about 10 minutes total. Drain the pasta, put it in a large serving bowl, and toss with the tomato mixture, half of the breadcrumbs, and 2 Tbs. of the olive oil. Taste for salt and pepper. Drizzle each serving with 1/2 Tbs. of the remaining oil and sprinkle with the remaining breadcrumbs, grated cheese, and parsley. Serve immediately.

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