Creative Leftovers

I was raised Italian, so when I cook, I cook for lots. There are only two of us and we seem to often have leftovers. I get really annoyed when we throw out food. It makes me feel like we are throwing out money. So I try to get creative with leftovers; patiently sitting in the refrigerator waiting to be eaten. I am conscience of the fact that if we do not eat the leftovers in a few days, they will probably never get eaten. But I do not want to throw them out, so what do I do? I make a new dish out of an old dish, and make sure that there are no leftovers this time!

Tonight I took leftover quinoa with sautéed veggies and turned it into a yummy looking Casserole. The dish originally contained quinoa, onion, mushrooms, carrots and peppers. I added more of all the veggies, some leftover chicken, spinach, almonds and Raisins. Yes, raisins. I saw a recipe online that added them and it sounded good and even though I hate raisins, I figured I would give it a try. I also added some orange zest and squeezed some fresh juice in as well. I added paprika, a splash of rice vinegar and ground pepper.

I am very excited to see how it all comes together. It smells unlike anything I have ever made. I tend to use sautéed garlic and onion (What I call it Italian air-freshener) as the base for most meals. I want a new flavor and am really enjoying playing with the locally grown fruits and veggies. Soon I will have to grow my own.

Idea of the Hour #1

I swear my brain never stops. Even when I sleep I look like I am thinking! I've seen pictures, they are very funny.

So the idea of the hour today, Friday March 26, 2010, 3:53 pm, is to turn a bike chain and tube into a bracelet. This is inspired from a bracelet that Julie Silvestri once made that I absolutely loved. I always knew I wanted to make it and I finally have time to try."It's Friday, I ain't got no job, I ain't got shit to do!" After 4 days of chains soaking in Citrus Degreaser, hours of scrubbing, and many hand washing later, I am ready to take apart the test chain and play with the pattern. I can't wait to see how long this takes to become a finished product...

California

That is me in my Hot Pink Kayak, love it. I am at my my happy place, Salmon Lake in Maine. By far my most favorite place in the world. Life is always wonderful at the lake, dinners, family, friends, it is such a great place.

I hope I get there this summer, but for now CA is where I reside. It's different then MA, that is for sure. Some days I love it, some days, I wish I was back East. It has been a little rocky since we moved but all in all, I am psyched we are here. It is the start of a new adventure, let's see how it goes...