Tomato Bolognese as 2008 fades away.

It is New Year's Eve and I ended up with no plans. I have been in relaxation mode for a few days now and the thought of putting on a bra and mascara was more than I could handle. So I opted for a new year's meal with the people I love most. My parents, sister, and Baby Love.

I had never made my own sauce before but a clip on the Food Network made me willing to try it. My recipe is adapted from Anne Burrell.

Tomato Bolognese

Ingredients:

1 large onion roughly diced
2 large carrots, peeled, ½ inch dice
3 stalks of celery, 1 inch dice
4 cloves of garlic roughly chopped
olive oil
2 pounds ground beef
18 ounces tomato paste
1 ½ cups red wine (I used a strong shiraz)
water
1 bunch of thyme
1 large can crushed tomatoes
salt
pepper

Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cooking Time: At least 2 hours

Directions:

1. In a food processor puree onions, carrots, celery and garlic into a thick paste.
2. Heat 2 to 3 tbsp. of olive oil in a large stock pot at medium heat.
3. Add pureed vegetables, stirring frequently until moisture has evaporated and vegetables begin to brown, season generously with salt and a little pepper. This takes about 15 to 20 minutes.
4. Once browned remove vegetables from the pan and add ground beef season generously with salt and garlic powder about ½ teaspoon. Again taking time to brown the meat, 15 to 20 minutes. After beef has cooked through about 15 minutes add vegetables and continue browning for another 5 to 10 minutes.
5. Add tomato paste, stirring and allow to cook for another 5 minutes.
6. Add red wine stirring the wine will be absorbed quickly allow to cook for another 5 minutes.
7. Add water into the pan until it is about an inch and a half above the meat. (More water can be added later if the sauce appears to become too thick, as water will evaporate.)
8. Bring to a simmer add crushed tomatoes and bunch of thyme. Let simmer on low heat stirring occasionally. Sample and season as needed. Let simmer for 1 to 2 hours. More if time allows. Adding water as needed.
9. Serve with pasta and enjoy!

My father is fairly picky about his sauce so his nose was in the pot tasting every few minutes. The project that started as mine quickly became ours and in the end turned out wonderfully. Well worth the time and effort. Plus you get and abundance of sauce which can easily be frozen and served later.

Happy New Year!

End of the semester

I think I have survived. The semester that is. I am quite proud of myself for my accomplishment. I really want to pop a bottle of champagne and celebrate with someone but I am just too tired or maybe too alone. 

It has been quite the semester:

• Starting with a topsy start to the school year at work, with difficulties with co-workers and space issues. 
  
• Then I was sick again and again, every week it was something, more doctor's visits and antibiotics in the last 12 weeks then the last 12 years of my life. 
  
• Let's not forget every weekend a blessed event of marriage to attend. 
  
• Or all the babies that needed to come into the world. 
  
• We probably shouldn't even begin to discuss that at the start of the semester I had a roommate and now I don't. Thankfully I know a little bit more about what divorce might feel like and why I never want to go through it. But I must admit that the whole experience did re-ignite some trust issues.
• We can't even discuss my love life. 

But somehow despite all of the craziness I think I may have pulled a 4.0 and actually learned something. I worked hard. I am proud of me. 

She's left on a jet plane.

... and she won't be back again for 2 whole months. my sister that is. She has gone to the United Arab Emirates to visit a boy. A boy who may possibly be taking her away from the United States for 2 years. I just don't know what I would do if that happens. So right now I am just hoping it's 2 months and not 2 years. This is not some mail order bride scheme, or my parents attempt to rid themselves of my sometimes worrisome middle sister. No this is my sister falling for a boy a few months before he was scheduled to leave on a government contract for 3 years. They have been apart for 6 months and now she is flying on a plane to be with him for the holidays. Him not us. 

If there is one lesson I have really learned in the last few years it is that my family will always be there for me. Lovers and friends come and go but my family is always there. I just really wish that "there" wasn't halfway across the world. I like to be able to pick up the phone and talk to my sister whenever I want. But I will have to get over it and be happy for the opportunity she has been given. It does make me wonder how much longer I will live in the steel city when my family is just too far away.

you say mice i say mouse

"Why are you limping?" I asked my student as we walked down the hall. 

"A mice bit me," he responded. 

"A what?" I asked. 

"A mice" he replied.

"Wait, did one mouse bite you or more than one?" I ask again. Now let's pause because even as I am having this conversation I am kind of like... huh, a mouse! But for some reason I first focused on a grammar lesson- I know call me crazy. 

"One but it was a baby so the small ones are called a mice." 

"No they aren't, if it's one it is a mouse."

"Nuh uh." 

"Ok let's not keep doing this... you got bit by a mouse? How?" 

"I don't know, it bit my foot. We have mice in my house."

"Did you tell your mom?"

"She said 'why did you let it bite you?'" 

"What did you say to her?"

"I said, I don't know mom the mice just bit me." 

"Are you gonna be able to walk on the field trip today?"

"Oh yeah, it's just a mice bite." 

Purpose

I wonder if others wonder about purpose...

It is my constant life perplexing question. 

It keeps me awake at night. 

It causes me to question every decision I make. 

It makes me want to leave school, my job and move to France, or Italy, or Buffalo, or somewhere, anywhere. 

It makes me want to stay in this town and never leave. 

It is circular, shades of gray and frustrating. 

Sometimes I wonder if the questions will haunt me my whole life. Or if some day I will find the answers. 

Sometimes I feel like I am in limbo waiting for my life to happen but somedays it feels like life is happening so fast that I am missing it. Or that it should be something more than what it is. 

On rainy days like today I can't help but be driven by these questions, in the solitude of my mind I am sent stumbling around searching for answers, longing for a more naive day when I believed life would just happen in the American Dream sort of way, now I know better. With my knowledge comes no answers just a continued pursuit of purpose. 

Sunday Blues

Perhaps it's because I have had bronchitis for 5 weeks and am heavily medicated, or perhaps it is just because this was my first weekend without a wedding in over a month or perhaps it's just cause I love my house so much but I barely left it. I cooked, I slept, I watched movies, I messed around on the internet, and I tried not to cough but most of all I stayed in, with the exception of a few hours I was a happy prisoner of my house all weekend long. And for once my former roommate didn't show up. It was bliss. Although I feel slightly guilty because I accomplished nothing, not guilty enough to get off the couch. And the best news- because I have now been sick for so long I have lost 5 pounds. And my mother called today to read me some research that states apparently dark chocolate cures coughing better than codeine. Which is why I just can't believe I am still sick since I have been sucking down cough medicine with codeine and dark chocolate for 2 days now. Anyways I am sad that the weekend is over. I am thankful that I have Tuesday off- thanks Veterans- at least I can get everything done on Tuesday that I should have gotten done this weekend. 

I did get out and take a few pictures, and got text messages from 2 men of my past. Hmm weird. Not even sure what that means. But MD text me yesterday asking if we can hang out next time I am home and my 'ex' and I actually had a brief text conversation after not communicating for a year and a half. So random. 

wedding soup

I am a big fan of wedding soup... it is something I actually never tasted until I dated an Italian a few years ago. A love of wedding soup is one good thing that came out of that relationship. But I had never tried to make it myself, until last night. I am now poor, since my roommate went psychotic and has flown the coop and I have been sick now for a month and therefore all my money goes to prescriptions and doctor visits. I went to the doctor again yesterday and as I picked up 4 prescriptions from the pharmacy counter the girl said, "have a nice evening." I wanted to say, "well i plan on sipping on this cough syrup with codeine all night so it should be a GREAT evening." But I just said "you too" and proceeded to the check-out. Now if you can explain this to me that would be fabulous - how does a single girl spend $106 at the food store. What did I buy? Stuff to make cheese cakes, chicken fingers, wedding soup and chili... and a colossal size box of soft pretzels. They are my new favorite late night snack. They are low fat and they quench my after class hunger pains. Back to wedding soup. I have been buying it by the pint from my local italian restaurant for a few weeks now but decided it's easy enough to make myself. 

Here is my recipe. 

12 cups chicken stock/ broth (I ended up with 2 containers of stock and 1 broth) 

1 pound of chopped escarole

2 cups mini meatballs (I was exhausted and since I use them more for flavoring than actually eating them I bought pre-made frozen meatballs, gasp!)

1 cup diced carrots

2 tbsp parsley 

3 large eggs 

3 tbsp grated parmesan cheese (plus more for topping)

1 cup acini di pepe (little ball pasta)

salt and pepper

Bring stock to a boil in a large pot. 

Bring water for pasta in a boil in a separate pot. When boiling add pasta and cook for 10 minutes. 

When stock is boiling add carrots and let simmer for 1 minute then add meatballs, and escarole. Let simmer until tender, about 9 minutes. 

Whisk egg and parmesan in a small bowl. Stir soup in a circular motion, add egg mixture slowly stirring soup with a fork to create strands of egg. Add pasta and parsley. Serve, top servings with parmesan cheese.

So good I had some this morning for breakfast.