Northern California Renaissance Faire
Have you ever been to a Renaissance Faire? This was the first year since I’ve met Aaron that we were not planning on going. Most of times its just Aaron and I, but sometimes we are lucky enough to mix it up with a variety of family members from both sides. I was a Faire virgin the first time Aaron and his Mum took me. I remember being so excited about getting to dress up and dive into the world that the Faire builds up. I found a cheap bodice and peasant skirt online and I was ready to roll. A Renaissance Faire is a different world and I have really grown to love it.
So this year I was sad; we don’t have money in our budget to go to the Faire let alone the gas to drive down to Hollister. Seems like everything we want to do now days is getting put on hold, and as you can guess it’s really depressing at times. So I knew Faire was about to start up and I tried not to think about it because I knew it would upset us both, but then we got an email from Aaron’s Mum, Brenda. She had decided it would be a grand idea to give us tickets, and a little bounty to spend at the Faire for a early Christmas Present. I tell y’all this really lifted our spirits.
Full Recipe
Spaghetti al Tonno (Spaghetti with Tuna)
This is one of my monthly go to dinner recipes. I love it cause it is healthy, fast, simple, and absolutely delicious! Spaghetti with Tuna was inspired from my Silver Spoon Pasta Cookbook. I really love that cookbook, and Italian cooking because more often then not Italian recipes are simple and contain a handful of quality ingredients.
So please don’t get turned off by the Anchovy; it’s just one Anchovy chopped up into itsy bitsy pieces and melts in the sauce. I buy my Anchovy’s in these little tins like most people. They come with about ten, and don’t keep long after you open them. This is a problem for me because I don’t cook with Anchovy’s daily. To help prevent wasting them after I open them I freeze them. I take a large piece of plastic wrap and place it on the counter. I put one Anchovy down at the edge of the plastic wrap and then fold the plastic wrap over it, then I put another Anchovy and do the same thing. Basically, I am freezing them in an accordion type fashion, so I can pull out one at a time when I have a recipe that calls for it.
Full RecipeSloppy Joe’s; Can Mix… Move along!
Sometimes there is something comforting about Sloppy Joe’s. Maybe it’s because they are sweet, tangy, and what kid (adult) would not get a kick out of eating something sloppy for dinner. I prefer to make my Sloppy Joe sauce from scratch instead of buying the canned mix because it is just as easy, and only requires a little bit more planning. Having a can of tomato sauce, onions, and bell peppers in your pantry is a much more versatile commodity that can be turned into many different tasty dinners. Whereas an expensive one shot dinner of Manwich is not so versatile; it’s unhealthy with a whopping 410mg of sodium per serving, and contains High Fructose Corn Syrup.
The point of view on this post is not to teach you how to make Sloppy Joe’s, but to show you that keeping whole ingredients in you pantry can yield you a wide variety of meals that do not come pre-made from a factory. You can simply use most of the same ingredients and make meatballs, or burgers, or pasta sauce. You don’t have to buy pre-made tomato based sauces. They are very simple to make, and much healthier for you.
Full RecipeBirthday Cake
This is a rant. This might offend most of my friends and family. In fact I am to be shamed as well. We all have purchased cakes from nice Bakery’s or from neighborhood bulk store for birthday celebrations. I know we all have done it, I am going to make a stand. I am done with the store bought cake.
I think no matter what age you are you deserve a homemade birthday cake. Nothing fancy but at the same time something that was made with love, not something that came out of a Betty Crocker box. If you make box cake I give you props for at-least trying to making something yourself. But if you look at the effort of a box cake.. you add eggs, fat, and water. You still have to mix it up, dirty cake pans and your kitchen. I hope you realize that with a little more planning and a few more items in your pantry you can make homemade cakes for your special occasions namely birthdays.
Full RecipeAmy’s Roasted Cornish Hens
There is something about game hens that reminds me of my childhood. I remember going to San Jose Family Camp in Yosemite with a neighborhood family. They had a mess hall area were all the family’s would come to eat three meals a day. I still remember the night they served game hens. I was scared out of my mind. What do I do with this hen? It seemed so big to me, how was I suppose to eat it all? I was like ten years old at the time and I had no idea how to cut into it. I stared at it for sometime before my girlfriends mother finally helped me break it down. My fear of the little hen seemed to disappear as I watched her take the little legs off, they were so cute. I gobbled them up along with the entire thing. Well I think I ate most of it. (yes my camp served game hens… Mere and I had the life)
Till this day I still don’t eat a whole hen myself but it is common place to serve one to each guest. If you have never had them I would recommend it, they go on sale quite often, and are a great stand by meal to have ready to go in the freezer.
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