I Want to Crochet a Rug!

OMG crocheted rug!

Frustrated As All Get-Out

I try to pay my bills on time. Granted, as I have very little in my own name, and am not currently working, these bills are not particularly many. However, there are several that effect my life.

One -- "temporary" ex-roommate still owes us three weeks worth of rent, and is not responding to phone calls nor returning them.

Two -- I am a guarantor for Mister's car payment, and we just received notice that we're 21 days away from defaulting on this loan.

Three -- last month we had to receive an email from our landlords requesting that we pay rent on the first, not the fifteenth or the 22nd... yeah.

Four -- I received notice from UMass that because my tuition is late, they are charging $100 extra.

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How I am dealing with these:

One -- I am going to be filing papers as of Monday to take her to court.

Two -- I am going to beat the ever living hell out of Mister. And make him change his godsdamned bank account so the direct deposit that's set up works.

Three -- I am attempting to remember to remind Mister about these on the weekends, so that I don't have to hound him at work and he gets pissy.

Four -- I am making my dad deal with that, as it's his fault that it's late.

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Why don't people pay their godsdamned bills on time? Why does it have to bother my life? I want to stab things... grr... maybe I should buy meat for dinner.

Recipes to Save

http://desertcandy.blogspot.com/2007/03/repeat-offender.html
http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/main-courses/slow-cooker-chicken-tikka-masala/
http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/main-courses/honeyed-welsh-lamb/
http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/main-courses/roasted-butternut-squash-sausage-and-orecchiette-pasta-in-a-brown-butter-sage-sauce/

чаепитие

No, that's not a typo up there (if it actually comes through at all), it's the Russian word for "tea drinking". I'm going to be hosting a Russian Tea party Nov. 5th, as Mister, J and I need to practice our Russian. I'm also inviting a classmate, JQ (too many people with J's in their name...) as he speaks far better Russian than I, and he can help keep us on track.

I'll make pierogi, little cakes, and lots of tea. Probably also bread with jam and butter. There's also a cabbage/potato pie that I've seen recipes for that looks tasty... I just love Eastern European food, and I want to make way more than I need.

My main source for what to serve is this site. The full official invitation as issued is:

я хочу пить чай с вами в ближайшее. суббота пятый ноябрь в один час равно дня я приглашаю вас на чай в моем доме. я буду готовить вареники и пирожни.

Which translates hilariously as:

I want to drink tea with you shortly. Saturday November fifth to one hour of the day as well, I invite you to tea at my house. I'll cook dumplings and cakes.

Sometimes, I love how Russian works.

Lurking

I'm sure most of us are familiar with this feeling. Currently, there is a cabbage lurking in my fridge. Just seeing it in the store meant that I had to buy it, as it's one of my favorite things about fall. So, Mister laid down the law that I need to do something with it (by which I mean he remarked 'oh hey, did you know that we have cabbage?'). I looked quickly at those recipes that I have ear-marked for cabbage and came up with a couple options.

The Cabbage and White Bean Soup that I made last year from 101 Cookbooks, Hungarian Noodles and cabbage, and Cabbage Pierogi Filling

I'll probably not make pierogi tonight, as that's a massive amount of work, that one's out. I've left it up to Mister as whether he wants soup or noodles. I know that both are tasty.

Success!

And there are my first two loaves of sourdough! Let's get a closer look...



Oh my, I cannot wait to slice into this beauty! I realized, as I was staring longingly into my oven as these baked, that I have not mentioned my little sourdough project. It all started when over at Pinch My Salt she started a new sourdough starter and invited the internet to join in. This bread has been two full weeks in the making, as I started on a Saturday two weeks ago. It was all going decently, but my starter was moving MUCH slower than the one on Pinch My Salt. I realized it was probably due to it being in the window, and it was probably chilly. I moved it next to the stove, and it perked right up.

I also followed the recipe for her bread, since I was using her starter. I started the sponge last night, popped it in the fridge so it wouldn't overproof, and let it rise for its three rises all day today, as it was beautiful and over 80 degrees F. The only change I made when making it was to mist it with water 3x in the first three minutes of baking. It is now sitting on my counter, on a cooling rack, tempting me.

I will let you know if it's as tasty as it looks!

The Last of the Bounty

So I just picked the remaining tomatoes and peppers that were on the plants and did a quick search of my blogs to find green tomato recipes. Here's a quick list:

Pickled Green Tomatoes

Green Tomato Chutney

Spicy Green Tomato Vinaigrette (can be made into a salsa)

Curried Green Zebras

Mock Apple Pie

Stewed Green Tomatoes with Cheese and Croutons

Fire Roasted Salsa Verde

Salsa Verde

Green Tomato Salsa

Green Tomato Chutney

And two recipes that aren't linkable:

There is a recipe in _Fresh From the Farmers Market_ for Sicilian Green Tomato Sauce that goes like this:

1 pound green tomatoes, chopped very fine
1/2 c olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 t hot red pepper flakes

You mix it all together and let it stand for an hour or two. Then add salt, pepper, fresh basil, and cooked spaghetti, and top with toasted pine nuts. (I use walnuts.) I also recommend parmesan on top. Yumyum. Not sure if you could freeze it... the tomatoes would probably become mush upon thawing, but I think that would be OK. It is a sauce after all.

Green tomato and lemon marmalade.

1 lemon, thinly sliced and seeded
2 1/4 pounds green tomatoes (about 5 large tomatoes), cored and thinly sliced
3 1/4cups sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Pinch of salt.
1. Bring lemon slices to a boil in a pot of water. Drain.

2. Combine all ingredients in a saucepan along with 1/4 cup water, and bring to a simmer, stirring, to dissolve sugar. Cook at a bare simmer until tomatoes and lemon slices are translucent and syrup thickens, 20 to 30 minutes. Cool completely; store in refrigerator.

Yield: 1 3/4 cups.