Martha Stewart.. This is reality calling!
Welcome back!
Photo from Flickr
I have been a Martha Stewart fan since I was a teenager. My mother and sister used to make fun of me for my Martha Stewart obsession. I have always admired how she has such attention to detail and makes sure that things are done properly. I do recognize and always have, that she tends to go a bit overboard on some things. I have been a loyal reader of her magazine and I used to watch her show on NBC. I bought her products and I was even going to go to a book signing.
As the recession hit, I continued to watch her show. She had on guests like Jim Cramer who was talking about stocks and the stock market. While this is helpful to some, it is not helpful to all. While the rest of the country geared up for the recession, to me it seem as if it was business as usual at Martha Stewart Omnimedia. I watched her show to see if she would have money saving tips for the average American household, but I never saw anything of the sort. Eventually I got fed up and just stopped watching her show. Last week I read an article that said that viewership was down for her show. I was not surprised.
My annoyance did not stop with her television show either. I continued to read the magazine but I soon found myself feeling betrayed. I felt like the Martha magazine was targeted to a different audience, one that had not been effected by the recent recession. Recipes and crafts in the magazine still required pricey ingredients and pieces. While she talked about the recession did she actually realize what the average middle class household was going through? The final straw for me was a piece about what every woman should have in their closet. While the pictures were beautiful, the clothing was outrageously priced.
I eventually started reading the magazine Real Simple. I like this magazine because I feel like it has the same quality as the Martha magazine but that it is more accessible to the average middle income house hold. They too have their out- of touch artciles too, but not as bad.
Even though I have been annoyed by Martha Stewart’s constant bragging about the vacations she goes on or the show about designer dresses, I do not hate her and I occasionally do watch her show. I just wish that she would realize that we aren’t all millionaires and target her show that way. I bet if she did, her ratings would go back up.
The Art of Canning
Harvest fresh from the Garden
One weekend not to long ago I received my first lesson on how to can tomatoes. I have always been interested in the process but I have never had the chance to learn until now. My mother-in-law called me one Saturday and asked me if I would like to learn how to can tomatoes from their garden. I am always up for learning new things, especially if it was save me money down the line. So off I went to learn how to do it.
The process was relatively simple. Here is a quick breakdown.
1. Wash your tomatoes in a cold water bath to wash off dirt. Inspect them for holes, mold and anything else that you would not want to eat.
2. Boil your washed tomatoes for about 2 minutes or until the skin starts to peel.
3. Peel the skin off the tomatoes, cut into medium size pieces and put into a bowl
4. We choose to leave the seeds in our tomatoes so we simply mashed them with a potatoe masher.
5. We made sure to boil our Mason jars and lids prior to starting this process- This is VERY important.
6. We filled each jar, leaving about 1/2 inch unfilled at the top.
7. We submerged each jar in boiling water, using a canning pan, until each jar made a “pop.” You must wait until you hear the “pop” noise to know that the jar is sealed. Do not store jars that do not seal as the contents will spoil.
I had a lot of fun learning how to can tomatoes. I think I may actually do it again in the future. If you are interested in canning, I would picking up a book on how to do so at your local library. The process may look overwhelming but it is actually pretty easy. Happy Canning!
An Inexpensive And Elegant Dinner
Although I may be what some consider “cheap” I do not eat like it. I do not believe in eating garbage food. I believe that what you put into your body you can expect to get out of it. Now I am not saying I eat lobster and drink champagne, but there are staples that I must have in my house. The recipe below are made from items that I alway have in my house. I accompany this meal with a red wine. I prefer Robert Mondavi cabernet. Just a note on wine, you usually get what you pay for when it comes to wine, so it is worth the few extra bucks. This recipe should feed about 4 people. This recipe just goes to prove that one can eat will and not spend a fortune. So without further ado here is one of my favorite meals;
Ingredients
1 pound of good linguini (I prefer Barailla)
4 Tablespoons of olive oil or enough to coat a medium frying pan
3 Cloves of fresh garlic. Do not use jared garlic.
1 Tablespoon of crushed red pepper
1/2 Cup of tomatoes. The tomatoes can be diced fresh or canned. You can use any type of variety of tomato that you like
1/4 Cup of Parmesan Cheese (optional)
Let’s Get Cooking!
To start set water to boil in a large pot for the pasta. Add salt to the pasta water (about 2 tablespoons). Meanwhile, in a seperate frying pan, coat the pan with olive oil. Heat the oil with medium heat. While the oil is heating finely chop the garlic and add to the oil. You want the garlic to brown slowly. After the garlic has browned add the crushed red pepper. By now the water should be boiling and add your linguini. While your pasta is cooking add diced tomatoes to the olive oil pan.
When the pasta is done drain it and dump it into the pan with olive oil. Toss the pasta over medium heat so the olive mixture coats all of the pasta. Once it is fully coated, serve the pasta hot. Pour Parmesan cheese on top and enjoy. Bon Appetite!
