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Spaghetti Carbonara- Pasta Night

May 11, 2012 by     No Comments    Posted under: Blogroll, food, recipes

This is a simple and classic meal. Very cheap too but full of nutrition. I like to add a handful of frozen cooked peas for a bit of color. I got this recipe from a British cookbook I bought and use often.  See below.

Friday pasta days/nights are my effort to use all the dried pasta that I have in the pantry.

Spaghetti Carbonara

2 tbsp oil
1 onion
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 tbsp butter
6 oz bacon, chopped
6 tbsp dry white wine
12 oz. spaghetti
3 egg yolks

¾ cup Parmesan cheese

1 tbsp chopped parsley

 

Heat the oil and fry the onion & garlic until soft but not brown.  Add the butter and bacon and fry until crisp. Add the wine, bring to a boil and simmer until the wine has evaporated.

Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in boiling salted water until just tender, then drain and rinse in hot water. Beat the egg yolks with the cheese and parsley and season to taste. Toss the spaghetti with the egg mixture, then mix in the bacon mixture. The heat from the spaghetti will be sufficient to cook the eggs.  Serve immediately.

Serves 4

Olive Bread with Sage & Oregano

May 7, 2012 by     2 Comments    Posted under: Baking, Blogroll, food


I first had olive bread in France at our kids house. It is so good, that it’s hard to keep from eating it. I found this recipe for Olive Bread with Sage & Oregano in the Australian cookbook series called The Australian Women’s Weekly. I have several of these cookbooks and have enjoyed many of the recipes.

Olive Bread with Sage & Oregano

4 teaspoons dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1¼ cup warm milk

1cup warm water

2 cups plain flour

1/3 cup olive oil

3 ½ cups plain flour, extra

1 teaspoon salt

1¼ cup of seeded black olives, halved

2 tablespoons shredded fresh sage leaves- I didn’t have fresh so I used dry from my spice drawer

2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano- I used dried, and had I  bought fresh spices, I would have spent about 5€ more.

Instructions:

  1. Combine yeast, sugar, milk and water in large bowl, whisk until yeast is dissolved. Whisk in sifted flour, cover, stand in warm place about 30 minutes or until is doubled in size.
  2. Stir in oil, then sifted extra flour & salt. Turn dough onto floured surface, knead about 10 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic. Place dough in large greased bowl, cover, stand in a warm place about 1 hour or until dough has doubled in size. Turn dough,  onto floured surface, knead in remaining ingredients.
  3. roll  dough to 12×15 oval. Fold dough almost in half, transfer to large greased oven tray, shape dough into an oval. Cover dough, stand in warm place about 45 minutes or until dough has increased in size by half. Sift about another 2 tablespoons of flour over dough, bake in moderately hot oven about 45 minutes.

* I didn’t sift the flour.

 

My Blog has a NEW look

May 3, 2012 by     6 Comments    Posted under: Blogroll, Family

As you can see I have a NEW appearance to my blog thanks to the skills and time our son-in-law Neil shared with me. He has been a wealth of information and is extremely patience in his teaching this ‘old dog to learn new tricks’. I hope these new tricks  will become salient and I can move on to learn even more from him.

Each on one of our kids has so many talents and attributes and John and I appreciate these in Neil:

  • He is willing to share his knowledge & skill
  • He is a continual learner
  • He’s patient
  • It’s a good teacher
  • Good father
  • Serving & loving husband
  • Humble
  • Hard worker/diligent.
  • Godly man
  • He’s very fun to be around!

I thank God for  Neil  as I know all of our family does.

Fun reading: Common Errors in English Usage

May 1, 2012 by     3 Comments    Posted under: Blogroll, Kindle

I’ve downloaded this fun book to my KINDLE called: Common Errors in English Usage by Paul Brians and have enjoyed reading about the English grammar mistakes I hear and make. Here are 5 under the redundancies section:

 

  1. Cheese quesadilla/quesadilla- Queso is the Spanish word for “cheese,” so it’s redundant to write “cheese quesadilla” on a menu. If you think your customers need a definition or if you want to distinguish the purely cheese-filled ones from – say- chicken quesadillas, you can add a brief explanation such as “cheese-filled fried tortilla”
  2. added bonus- should be: as a bonus
  3. HIV virus- “HIV stands for “human immunodeficiency virus’” so adding  the word “virus”  to the acronym creates a redundancy.
  4. ATM machine/ATM- “ATM,” means “Automated Teller Machine,” so if you say “ATM machine” you are really saying “Automated Teller Machine machine.”
  5. heading/bound- If  you’re reporting on traffic conditions, it’s redundant to say, “heading northboud on I-5.” It’s either  “heading north” or northbound.”

Sometimes it’s just nice to read something interesting and fun.

10 reasons I like Spain

Apr 30, 2012 by     1 Comment     Posted under: Blogroll, Spain


Isn’t it great to like where you live? Or.. at least see the best in your surroundings and to look on the positive side? One other thing… I think a lot of people these days might use the word ‘love’ instead of like. I’m learning to be careful of my use the that word. I want a ‘fuller’ meaning to be the definition of ‘love’…eg; I love God, but I like hamburgers.  Love people …like things…

10 Reasons I like Spain:

  1. the Spanish culture
  2. our wonderful church
  3. the Spanish food~ cocido, paella, tortilla de patata … etc
  4. the style of homes they build
  5. the history & ruins
  6. the weather/sun
  7. the Mediterranean diet
  8. the beautiful Castellano language
  9. the use of round-abouts (rotondas) instead of all the stop lights in the USA
  10. a ‘good’ Rioja wine

Navajo Fry Bread

Apr 24, 2012 by     4 Comments    Posted under: Blogroll, food, recipes

This is some seriously good eating! I’ve been making this recipe for about 30 years and it’s always a hit.

Keep in mind that:

  • even though it is fried, if you fry in very hot oil it doesn’t absorb the grease.
  • I made mine large, but smaller ones can be made too
  • They can be a snack (merienda), for tacos, with soup or for breakfast
  • I timed the process today and from start to finish including the clean-up and drying and putting away the dishes… it was only 28 mins!
  • I re-use my oil in and keep it in an oil can for the next time I fry.
  • I made mine bigger than 5″

Navajo Fry Bread

 

Sift into a bowl:

4½ c.  flour

½ t. salt

2 t .baking powder

Stir in:

1½ c.  water

½ c milk

Knead with hands. pat or roll into circles approximately 5″ in diameter. With fingers make small hole in center. Fry in several inches of hot oil at 400°. Dough will puff and bubble. Turn when golden brown. Drain on absorbent paper and serve hot with honey or use while fresh for Navajo tacos.

 

Pasta with Arugula, White Beans, and Walnuts~ It’s Friday Pasta Night!

Apr 21, 2012 by     2 Comments    Posted under: Blogroll, food, recipes, saving money

I got this recipe from Everyday Food magazine. I am really enjoying the recipes in it.  Since it’s Friday, this is the day I fix pasta. I do this in order to move through my stock of  dried pasta and use up what I have, all the while trying new recipes and flavors. This is a meatless meal but has plenty of protein with the nuts and the beans. We tried it & we both liked it. I’ll do it again! Also… the only thing I had to buy for this recipe was the bag of arugula. A bargain!

Ingredients

  • 12 ounces farfalle (bow-tie pasta)
  • Coarse salt and ground pepper
  • 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 1 pound baby arugula
  • 1 can (15 ounces) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1/3 cup walnut pieces, toasted if desired

Directions

  1. Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water; drain pasta, and set aside.
  2. Place pasta pot over medium heat. Add garlic and 1 tablespoon butter; cook, stirring, until garlic is fragrant, about 2 minutes.
  3. Add arugula to pot; toss just until wilted. Add beans, pasta, and remaining 3 tablespoons butter; season with salt and pepper. Toss, adding enough reserved water to mixture to coat pasta. Garnish with walnuts.

My Household Notebook

Apr 19, 2012 by     4 Comments    Posted under: Blogroll, Organizing


I took this photo of what I call my ‘Household Notebook’. It’s not the first I’ve had, but I’ve upgraded to a neater and smaller version and this works for me. I’m using the Martha Stewart brand. This is not a book I haul around with me, unlike an agenda. It’s to help me manage our home and make sure everything gets done and organized. I have found that the more organized I am, the more money I  am able  save.

Here are a few of my categories:

      • Housekeeping~I use this section to keep running lists of things that need to be done or fixed around the house. It may be a deep clean in the guest room and a total re-organization of this room or the goal of re-painting. Some of these things I can do myself, others John has to help me with.
      • Finance & Goals~ I keep track of my goals and where I’m at with each one. I have a page for my weight goals. I weigh myself every morning and every evening and write it done in order to monitor where I want to be in this area. I have goals for a vacation we want to go on or places I want to see. Goals for what books I want to read.
      • Daily~ This is where my notebook is open to everyday. I look at what has to be done for the day, which I have written up generally a week or 2 ahead. This might include the office work that needs to be done, what household chores need to be done. I try to rotate  cleaning out drawers and getting rid of things.  It might include a list that looks like this:
      1. office work ( I detail my tasks)
      2. buy chicken feed
      3. call Ana
      4.  send a birthday card to…
      5. laundry- whites
      6. deep clean fridge
      7. make the rent payment
      8. plan dinner for Sunday for guests
      9. Scripture reading,etc… you get the picture
      • Birthdays~this is where I keep all of our family birth dates which is limited to parents, and our 12 kids & 26 grandchildren. I try not to ever forget.
      • Information~I might jot done a product I’m interested in, a recipe to look up,  a web site that has been recommended to me, etc. I also keep a short list of family phone numbers in this category.
      • Travel~ Whether we’re planning a vacation, a trip to  a language area or to the USA to see friends & family or to get medical help, this takes  lots of planning. To put together a trip in an orderly way, all the documents, financial resources needed for the trip, and a list of items that need to be accomplished during the trip  have to be planned for.  Issues I generally have to address are: flight information,making reservations at the long-term parking lot, and  making sure the credit card company has been called so my card will work when I leave Spain for another country, among other things.
      • Christmas~ these are the pages I where I write down every name I will give a gift to for Christmas and what that gift is and the budget & cost. We have a large family and I get stressed if I think I’ve forgotten someone. Financial planning has to be done for this too.
      • Gardening~ this is a new category and I’m still working out my thoughts about my garden for this year.

Sub- categories:

      • Habits~ This is where I write down what I want to change about myself.  Habits that pertain to me. Eating fewer carbs; reading a book a week, etc. Keeping my desk neat….erg this is a tough one! I  track my progress.
      • Menu~ I take inventory each night or through-out the day for the meals for the next day. I make my menu for the week but I always want to work in any leftovers, that odd carrot in the refrigerator bin or the abundance of fresh eggs I have. My 3 little hens have been very faithful in giving me their 3 eggs a day so yesterday, I made a Mexican Quiche and Scotch Eggs.  I will use these mostly for breakfasts and light suppers.
      • Grocery list~This is a ‘running list’ I keep. Since I don’t like to have stuff and papers on my fridge, I keep a sheet going in my notebook and I use a code to indicate where I would buy it.
      • Yearly calendar~ It’s actually 18 months for long term planning

My notebook also includes a zippered pouch for pens and white-out, post-it notes and tabs for organizing, & clear pockets that I use for stamps, tax-deductible receipts or prescriptions, etc.

The Grace Card …A Christian Flick

Apr 18, 2012 by     No Comments    Posted under: Blogroll, Videos


A Christian film about grace and forgiveness, The Grace Card tackles prejudice, loss, and grief. After police officer Mac McDonald loses his son in an accident, years of bitterness and pain erodes his love for his family and leaves him angry with God … and everyone else. Can Mac and his new patrol partner, Sgt. Sam Wright, somehow join forces to help one another when it’s impossible to look past their differences—especially the most obvious one? Every day, we have the opportunity to rebuild relationships and heal wounds by extending and receiving God’s grace. Offer The Grace Card … and never underestimate the power of God’s love. The Grace Card stars Michael Joiner, Michael Higgenbottom and Academy Award Winner, Louis Gossett Jr.

Financial Priorities

Apr 17, 2012 by     No Comments    Posted under: Blogroll, food, Grocery Challenge, saving money

John and I are able to get the American news here in Spain and sometimes it’s such an eye opener! We heard that some people say that in order to save money they should try to cook & eat a home a couple times a week. WHAT?! Did we hear that right? we thought it was the other way around… you know… eat at home with the special treat of going out to eat maybe once or twice a week. We know of people who eat out everyday and can’t get a hold of their finances, have debt and struggle financially. There seems to be a serious disconnect.

John & I actually go to restaurants here, maybe 3 or 4 times a YEAR. I realize that we’re probably pretty different in that regard but here are a few thoughts on the ‘why’ we make these choices.

  1. We ask ourselves, ” would we rather have several meals and activities throughout the week, or have a good annual vacation?”  If going out to the movie theater costs $30 for 2 (admission & snacks), would we have just as much fun downloading a flick from the internet or even buying a DVD for our video library and making some popcorn at home?   We’re all different with different priorities,  preferences & budgets but we’d opt for a week long holiday/vacation, & save our cash for that.
  2. When I go out to eat, I like it to be special, you know, to eat something that I can’t make at home myself.  I love a good (emphasis on good) Chinese restaurant or Mexican if I’m in the USA, but chicken and pasta or pizza I can make at home. If the on the west coast; Jack-in the Box tacos… don’t know what they are made of and probably don’t want to know… but they are a taste from our childhood! I couldn’t duplication them if I tried for years!
  3. I actually like the challenge of taking basic ingredients and making a tasty meal. Nothing special, high tech or gourmet… just good food. I have kids who really can make some yummy dishes. Each with their own style… wow, so much to learn from them! One of my favorite dishes is a recipe from our daughter-in-law, Cheri, who has shared her recipe for enchiladas… super fattening & super good.
  4. I like the ‘feeling’ of using my resources well and I don’t like the ‘feeling’ of waste.
  5. Time is an important resource for me also and a good crock-pot meal will take less time putting it together than hopping in the car to bring home dinner and at a fraction of the cost.

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