February's Body & Soul Party

My friends and I decided to throw a party this month!  We called it the Body & Soul Party, and invited ladies who needed some extra pampering.  Each of us had a skill -- between us, there was an esthetician, a professional stylist, a licensed masseuse, and me -- a professional psychic and gourmet cook!  I can make more than disco fries and choochacheechachoo, you know. ;)

We all used our talents to create a night of home-spun luxury, style, and general fabulousness.  The services offered ran the gamut from professional facials and waxing, to hair-cutting and styling, to spa-quality massages, to real psychic readings.  The party ended with all our guests feeling a little more pretty and/or handsome, as well as relaxed and rejuvenated.  A great time was had by all!

My biggest regret is that I failed to get pictures of my food platters!  I made stuffed mushrooms with lemon-herb filling, vegetable nigiri sushi, and fruit salad skewers with a myriad yummy things.  The rice could have been cooked a little better, but overall I'm pretty pleased with my cooking efforts.  We're already dreaming up new ideas for next month's B&S party, and I'm planning my next menu.

If you're in the New England area and you are interested in attending, feel free to visit our website at www.DawnSoul.com :)

Pink Manicotti

I'm starting to realize that 90% of the recipes I post on PGS are of the "evil" variety, i.e. they are tremendously unhealthy and are rarely cooked and consumed by me.  However, if I posted recipes for what I ate as my staples, you'd be pretty bored.  Plus, I'm pretty sure my readers already know how to put cottage cheese in a bowl, grab a baked chicken leg out of the fridge, wash a Granny Smith apple, put some carrots on a plate, or how to place a pool salsa attractively next to a pile of lime-flavored tortilla chips.

Half the fun of making an evil recipe is announcing it to the world.  While this manicotti recipe isn't especially bad on its own, the entire stick of butter gives it some evil cred, much like the sauce in Nicolas Sparks' True Believer.  I have never read a word that he's written (nor have I seen any of the movies based on his books -- no offense, but they look kinda boring), though a friend of mine did mention an interest in trying "the tomato sauce from True Believer."  This is what I came up with as kind of a fancier "pink" version.  I love pink sauce, but real pink sauce with tomato and cream, as opposed to "a jar of red spaghetti sauce plus a jar of alfredo sauce."You can make this recipe with or without the stick of butter.

Pink Manicotti
A classic cheese-filled manicotti in a very rich pink wine sauce with customizable spices.  This recipe makes 2 pans of pink manicotti!

INGREDIENTS:
1 standard-sized box of manicotti pasta

2 28-ounce cans of Tuttorosso ground tomatoes with basil (you can use "blank" tomatoes and add your own basil, but I love Tuttorosso tomatoes!)
1 stick of butter
1/2 brick of Neufchatel cheese (4 ounces)
1/4 cup of red wine
8 ounces shredded mozarella cheese
32 oz part-skim ricotta cheese
seasonings: basil, oregano, thyme, garlic, Montreal seasoning.
1 big yellow onion or  a bunch of green onions, chopped finely
OPTIONAL: 1 pound of ground turkey

Place the tomatoes, butter, onions and some herbs into the crockpot -- I like to season mine with more basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary and garlic.  If you aren't sure how much you like, just do a pinch or two of each. (Mine varies depending on a multitude of factors.)  Let the tomato mixture cook on High for about 3 hours.  Add the neufchatel and wine, then let it melt while you boil the water for the pasta.  If you're cooking ground turkey to add to your sauce, this would be a good time to brown the meat.

Cook manicotti according to al dente directions, then shock the pasta with cold water to keep it from cooking any further.  Stir your sauce, coat your baking dishes with cooking spray, and then spoon a bit of the sauce into the bottom of each dish.  Preheat your oven to 350.

Add some seasoning to your ricotta cheese (I keep it simple; Montreal and some basil, though sometimes I crack in an egg or some spinach), then fill the manicotti with it and add manicottis to baking dishes.  Leftover ricotta can be spooned over the top of the manicotti.  Browned turkey can be sprinkled randomly over the dishes.

Stir your sauce thoroughly, making sure that the neufchatel and butter are well blended.  Taste and adjust seasonings if you need to, then pour the sauce over each baking dish.  Top each dish with mozzarella cheese, and bake in the oven (uncovered) until the cheese gets melted and things start to brown -- it usually takes about 25 minutes.  (Conversely, you can cover the dishes and put them the fridge; bake covered for 40 minutes, then uncover and give it another 10 minutes to brown that cheese.)

Let it stand for a bit, then enjoy!  This is an extremely rich, decadent sauce; a nice green salad on the side can complement that.

Goth After 30 on Facebook

A couple of my friends started a Facebook group called "Goth After 30" in... I think it was 2009?  Anyway, another friend kept singing "Goth After 30 on Facebook!" to the tune of the "G. I. Joe" theme song.  We decided it would be fun to record it as a mock commercial.  Enjoy!

And by the way, anyone who fits the criteria of the group is welcome to join it.  Basically, we just discuss music and post pictures of cool things that we find online.  We also talk about crafting and ways to decorate our homes, as well as what it's like to be a moldy oldie. :)

Some people think that our logo (the skeleton guy in the office chair on the left) is silly or cheesy or whatever, but who cares?  We're just having fun and enjoying ourselves.  Come join us at http://www.tinyurl.com/ElderGoths if you're so inclined. :)

Food For Thought

If you know me, then you probably know that I'm a sucker for a good cause.  I have been donating stuff, making calls, writing letters, babysitting people's kids or pets, scrubbing floors, baking, cooking, taking phone calls, mailing packages, stuffing envelopes, making or accepting donations, comforting people or animals, knocking on doors, moving shit, picking up trash, and generally being what some people refer to as a "do-gooder" for over two decades now.  I even did volunteer work for a Free-Net in the 1990s!  (Do those things even exist anymore?)  Truth be told, I'm not really sure where I came upon this habit.  It's just kind of the way things have always been.

You may also know that I love to cook.  Back when I was more mobile than I am now, I was the kind of person who'd throw elaborate dinner parties, with multi-course meals featuring an insane amount of choices for my guests.  Or I'd just cook for my husband, who often disliked exotic or unusual foods; he also isn't a fan of leftovers, so much of the time, the stuff I'd make would eventually depart this world via the garbage disposal, as opposed to the toilet, as a good meal should.

I view cooking as an art form; an extremely temporary and short-term way to get the gratification of making something, without the hassle of storing it forever or figuring out how to put it to good use.  You cook the food, you (or the people you love) eat the food, you toss the leftovers.  And if there were actually people to cook for -- oh, happy day, like when my husband's workplace used to have their holiday parties -- I would bake cheesecake for days, thrilled to impart some of my happy vibes into the dessert assignment!  (I miss those times!)  But, how sad it is to cook food that might not get eaten.  So for the longest time, I have wanted to help out at a shelter or a food pantry.

Upon finally learning of a shelter that accepted donations of cooked food -- something which hadn't really occurred to me until then -- I decided to roll up my sleeves and make something good.  I did an enchilada casserole, which was basically ground turkey in beans and rice, with some cheese and spices.  It wasn't a lot of food -- only one little tray, which might have feed half a dozen hungry folks -- but I was still proud to make something good for someone.  It was such fun that this month, I decided to have a cooking party to prepare something good for the shelter.  And yesterday, that's just what we did!

I am still battling with phone issues, so I didn't get any pictures.  But I will say that we had an absolute blast.  And so many friends helped out -- one of them went out of her way to do our shopping and kicked in 20% of the food bill!  Another friend helped to straighten up the house in a hurry, played chauffeur to a partygoer in need of a ride, donated some surplus canned food, and ran a bunch of errands.  We even had a friend drive from 40 minutes away to help me peel apples, chop celery, and dice onions.  And of course, there was my man with his mighty chili-stirring arm.  Between all of us, we were able to produce 6 trays of food -- that's 3 apple-raisin noodle kugels and 3 turkey-chili tamale pies -- for the Lowell Transitional Living Center.  I didn't get to come along for the food delivery since I was hosting, but I was told that the chili received an especially enthusiastic welcome.

Things went so well that we've decided to do it all over again next month.  I haven't decided yet what we're going to make.  I'd also love to have some more volunteers and/or food donations.  I paid for almost everything myself.

One thing I would suggest to readers, though: If you want to volunteer to do something, don't think "there's nothing I can do."  I have to take it slow even on my best days, and then there are days when I hurt so bad that I can't even get out of bed -- in fact, I tend to stay inside almost all of the time because of my health issues.  But I didn't let that stop me from helping; I brought the playing field onto my turf instead, and made my own volunteer event.  Anyone can do it, really.  And if you're feeling particularly down about your own life, isn't it nice to stop worrying about your own problems for awhile & do something to help people who are even more screwed than you are? 

I can't cook the way I used to, but I was certainly able to get onto Facebook, invite my friends to come for a volunteer party, and then put their asses to work! :)  The point I'm trying to make is that you CAN do something.  And even if you don't think the stuff you can do is worth very much, there really are people out there who can benefit from it.  You just have to know where to look.  Trust me!

P.S.  I used a variation of a Wendy's chili clone in my tamale pie.  All I did after that was make the crust (boil 4 cups water, add 1 cup cornmeal & spices if you like, then stir until thickened), pour the crust in the tray, top with chili, & add the cheese.  It was a very easy recipe for a crowd!

Hoarders: PGS Edition

  OK, so maybe I'm not a hoarder!  But, I am seriously drowning in crap over here lately.  I've been flirting with the idea of moving, as I've posted before.  Now that the end of my lease is coming closer and closer on the horizon (I still have several months yet), I've decided to go through my crap and seriously start to purge.  I have a few ideas of where I may be moving, but still haven't quite nailed down the perfect locale; regardless, it will be a smaller space that what I am accustomed to.

Some of you might have wondered whatever happened to my plan to donate one box each month.  Well, I didn't end up doing it every single month, but more often than not, donations were made last year.  A close relative passed away unexpectedly this past year, so donations have been going on a regular basis while we've been travelling between states for the past few months.  It's a mishmash of things -- mine, family's, whatevz.  I did, however, stop selling my used books and things on Half.com.  Way too much work, and I didn't make enough to really justify it.  Most of the stuff I wound up donating, and some of it was just tossed.

This week, I went down to the basement to see what was going on.  I was shocked to see the stuff that was piled up down there!  There were clothes that I didn't even remember that I had, or stuff that I thought was long gone (and have since replaced).  I brought up a big ole vat of things to sort through.

Here's where I worry about my hoarding tendencies... The clothes.  I have stuff that fits, stuff that doesn't, stuff for sitting around, stuff for clubbing, stuff for funerals, stuff for business meetings, stuff for psychic gigs, stuff for repairing, stuff that I save for nostalgia, and stuff that I save because I want to do something else with it.  And quite honestly, it's really hard to make decisions about what to part with.  I love my clothes.  It's not even that I buy a lot of them, but I do save things that I love.  And with the basement being what it was, I've "lost" things that have had to be replaced, so now I have extras.  Not good!

Hoarders have problems with getting rid of things, too.  It can be very hard to make decisions about what to throw out and what to keep.  

I always refer to my guide about decluttering.  (But, sometimes I save clothes that I probably won't fit into next year!)  This year, after saving a couple of boxes of clothes which I still hope to wear again one day, I've decided to just eBay them!  They are way too cute to be sitting in boxes!

I still have a few months before it's time to move; even though I've been decluttering, donating, and tossing all year, I have a whole lot more to do.  Here's hoping I'll get it finished soon!  I miss having a decluttered house! :)

Speak Out & Save the Internet!

Millions of Americans oppose SOPA and PIPA because these bills would censor the Internet and slow economic growth in the U.S.

Two bills before Congress, known as the Protect IP Act (PIPA) in the Senate and the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the House, would censor the Web and impose harmful regulations on American business. Millions of Internet users and entrepreneurs already oppose SOPA and PIPA.

The Senate will begin voting on January 24th. Please let them know how you feel. Sign this petition urging Congress to vote NO on PIPA and SOPA before it is too late.

Sign the petition here.  And be sure to use the widget below to call your representatives to urge them NOT to censor the internet!

To help even more, please share this blog entry (or the links) with anyone and everyone that you can -- repost in your blog!  Forward to your friends and family via email!  Share via Twitter and Facebook.  Do it now, before the internet is changed (for the worse) forever!

Thank you!!!

Q: What Do Disco Bandits Eat? A: Disco Fries!

Ordinarily, I try to eat healthy. Honest, I do! Recently I joined Bat Fit 2012, so my next few recipes should be much healthier than this one.

One of the things that I make during hectic holiday seasons is Disco Fries, which I did a little while before my phone died. It is a spectacularly unhealthy dish which I make only rarely, but wonderfully easy and tasty. This is my thrice-yearly guilty pleasure -- especially comforting when the weather's cold, and our day has been busy and tiresome. I usually have the Disco accoutrements on hand, all we need to do is pick up a big order of our favorite spicy fries.

And, before you ask... no, I'm not exactly sure where the term "Disco Fries" originated.  All I really know is that while there are various versions of cheese fries in America and, indeed, the world, fries which are topped in a cheese and brown gravy are known as Disco Fries in the NYC area.  One thing I do know is that if you're getting ready to don some sparkly bell-bottoms and bust a move at your favorite discotheque, you'll need lots of dairy and carbs to keep your booty shaking all night long!

INGREDIENTS:
spicy fries -- a serving for as many people as you're feeding!
shredded cheddar cheese
brown gravy (make your own, buy it, steal it... whatevz!)

You can buy some fries at your favorite fryery if you're feeling lazy and/or want that great factory-fresh taste.  Even McDonald's would be OK, but if you can find or make spicy fries, it'll be even better.  After they have been purchased or prepared, place them onto individual plates, and spoon some brown gravy over the fries.  Then sprinkle some cheese over the whole thing.

I've heard that some people melt the cheese in the broiler in the oven, but I just microwave mine for about a minute; I like my cheese a bit on the firm side.  The trick is to keep your little eyes on it, so that it doesn't burn or get nasty.  Just let the cheese melt and the gravy bubble, while feasting your eyes on the majesty of Disco Fries.  Then remove from your heat source, let it cool for a few minutes, and enjoy!

I will leave you now with the Disco Fries song by Parry Gripp, to prepare you for this culinary odyssey.

Farewell, 2011!

As we ring in this new year, I want to take a few minutes to wish a fond farewell to 2011.  With that, I am also bidding goodbye to eleven things that I hope not to experience in 2012, so let's leave them in the past.  Here goes!

Goodbye, anxiety!
See ya; wouldn't wanna be ya, negative self-talk!
Laterz, procrastination!
Hasta la vista, disorganization baby!
Smell ya later, powerlessness!
Adios, closed minds!
See you in hell, despair!
Farewell, crankiness!
Cheerio, needless worrying!
Toodle-oo, stress!
Peace out, chaos!

....And a big HELLO to a postive, prosperous, happy and healthy 2012 -- for all of us!

Love, Peace, & Chicken Legs

I'm not exactly sure how or why, but I recently came across this blog entry from Dine & Dish about baked chicken legs.  Somehow, the author has become obsessed with them to the point where she wants to eat them every day!

I showed Fuzz this article, and he was like "WTF is so special about baked chicken legs?"  And it's true; the ingredients are pretty simple -- just salt and pepper, a soupçon of olive oil, and the legs.  You basically pop them in the oven, and Bob's your uncle, baked chicken legs!  The commenters seemed to be singing the praises of these simple leggies to high heaven.  They were so fanatical about the glory and wonderousness that is baked chicken legs, that I had to try it and figure out what the deal was.  We made a half-batch for dinner soon afterward.

Well, I must say, dinner was rather unimpressive that night.  "Um, yeah, it's just chicken," Fuzz said, picking at his legs.  I wasn't quite as snobby about it as he was, and enjoyed it for what it was -- just some simple chicken, salt and pepper, a tiny bit of Frank's, no big whoop.  We packed up the excess legs, and within a day or two, I was requesting some of the leftovers for lunch and/or dinner.  Much to Fuzz's surprise, I enjoyed the hell outta those leftovers!

For the record, I don't consider these baked chicken legs to be quite as orgasmic as the enthusiastic commenters in each blog.  However, these sure were easy.  And the leftovers were just what a mobility-challenged gal like me needs on a high-pain-score day: plentiful, great without heating, and highly "grabbable."  What's more, a medium-sized chicken leg, sans frying or crazy sauces and condiments, is approximately about 70 calories or so (80-something if you absolutely have to eat the chicken skin).  So, even though I wouldn't call them God's gift to chicken legs, I would absolutely say that they're very tasty in their own right, convenient, and quite healthy too.  I'll be experimenting with some more seasoning techniques in the future, and will let you know how it goes!

P.S.  Apologies for the lame-ass clip art -- it was either clip art or nothing, and I didn't want to break my own anti-perfection rule!  Turns out that my Motorola Cliq has officially bitten the dust!  Fortunately, my replacement phone has been ordered, and should be arriving any day now.  So I'll be going back to some more regular posting in the near future, I'm sure. :)