Travel

I have started a travel blog, all about my broke adventures and my practical tips.

If you are so inclined, join me at Travelin' Lass

Soup!

I really do cook, I promise.

Monday night my roommates and I did a collaborative dinner, and watched the third Jurassic Park movie.  You know the one, with William H Macy, and the kind of forgettable plot.

I have been craving minestrone soup hardcore, so I found a recipe in my multitude of cookbooks.  I used the Minestrone recipe from Clueless In the Kitchen  by Evelyn Raab with a few tweaks.

For the record, I love this cookbook.  I got it when I was in high school, and I use it all the time.

So back to the soup...

I substituted Kale for Spinach, and added some Italian herbs and a bit of rosemary.  I also messed with the veggie levels a bit.  I like a lot of veggies in my Minestrone.

It turned out really good, everyone liked it, there's hardly any left.  I'm going to call that a win.  I am posting my recipe, but not the one from the book, for obvious copyright reasons.

Jurassic Minestrone

1 Onion Chopped
3 Celery Stalks Chopped
2-3 Carrots Chopped
(I used Pre-chopped from Trader Joe's because I hate chopping onions, celery and carrots)
4 small garlic cloves Chopped or smushed or whatever
3 medium zucchini sliced or chopped
about half a bag of frozen green beans defrosted
28 oz can of died tomatoes  DO NOT DRAIN
15 or 16 oz can of Kidney beans drained
4 large handfuls of chopped Kale
1/3 Cup orzo
About 2 Tablespoons Olive oil I eyeballed it
About 1 Tablespoon McCormick Italian Seasoning
About 2 Teaspoons Rosemary
Salt and Pepper to taste
At least 8 Cups of Water

Heat up the oil in a large stockpot, add the garlic and cook on medium for a couple of minutes, just enough to soften it, add the chopped, onions carrots and celery and soften a bit, add some salt and pepper and the herbs, mix it up a bit and let it meld a bit.  Add the tomatoes and their juice, then the water.  Bring to a boil and cover, lower heat and simmer for about 20 minutes.
Add the Orzo and green beans, cover and cook for about ten minutes, making sure to stir beforehand so the orzo doesn't stick.
Add the kidney beans and Kale and cook about ten more minutes until the Kale is softened.
Serve with Parmesan and crusty bread, should make at least six servings.

Sew here's the thing...

I have a problem, I can't stop.  I think I need help.  I am a crafting addict, and my drug of choice is my sewing machine.  It's an expensive habit, but I love it so much.

 So... I am proud of myself for making:

- An entire 1840s/1850s dress in a lovely black cotton sateen for The great Dickens Christmas Fair.  The dress (which I will at some point post pictures of) is really a skirt that goes over a hoop and a bodice.  There are buttons down the front  and the bodice is fully lined.  I did not line the sleeves.

- A bonnet with a buckram base (thank you Jen!) that I covered with silk, and put ribbon and trim onto.

- A new Waistcoat for my boyfriend.

- A spectacular Dickensian/ Sherlock Holmes style cloak for my boyfriend.

- New Bloomers and Chemise for Dickens

Yes I have a problem, I look at the fabric store the same way a kid looks at a candy store.  At the same time, I would like to think that my sewing skills are pretty good.  Things I make look good, not "home sewn" and I understand how to fit things on other people, fitting things on myself is still a bit of an issue (note to self, move those buttons) but I don't have a dressform.

I am especially proud of all that I have sewn recently because it was in the span of two weeks, and I had a migraine for a sizable chunk.  I also managed to solve a problem late at night with a migraine and still make the waistcoat look FREAKIN" AWESOME!

I have a problem.


P.S. I drafted the pattern for the covering of the bonnet too.  =)

P.P.S. My problem is I forget to take pictures.

Stupid money

I am an actor.  That is how I view myself, I have a high level of professional training in the field of theater, and many years of experience in both theater and film.  I love it.  Sadly, acting is a profession that very few people make much money doing. 

So I embark on a journey, a quest if you will.  To find a job that both pays the bills (I don't need a lot of money, just enough to get by) gives me the time to do theater, and makes me feel like I am doing something important.

I just applied for a job that would do just that, and I'm super qualified for the job.

I've been unemployed for about five months and I'm starting to get really disenchanted with the job market.  I know I am a good employee.  I am smart, well educated, and have some experience, but I'm not available 24 hours a day, I don't seem to have every single requirement that they are looking for.  It is starting to seem like employers are looking for "A purple dinosaur"  That perfect employee, and until they find them, no one else even gets a second look.

I want to get a job that allows me to use my skills, and makes me happy.  Is that so much to ask?

You're going to do WHAT now?

So I have come to the conclusion that I might be a little nuts.  Do not fear though, it's the good, creative kind of nuts.  =D  I am participating in this as well as doing a whole bunch of other stuff this summer.  Though I went to school for acting (yes, I know, INSANE) I have always liked telling stories.  I think it is why I decided to be an actor, it's another medium for storytelling.  So I am pushing myself to tell more stories, and it will help my writing skills if friends and I ever decide to create a web series.  So that's my crazy scheme.  This on top of:

• Two consecutive weekends of renaissance faire, in Tahoe, where I will be camping
• A job hunt, 'cause I can't live off unemployment forever
• Acting in Pride and Prejudice (Thank god I'm not the lead)
• Maintaining a full-time relationship with a very patient young man
• A Trip to Comic-Con (more later)
• Various sewing and crafting projects
• Did I mention a job hunt?
• Figuring out a plan for the marketing for said young man's webcomics, I get business cards (and yes that is going on my resume) plus I will get to put my work under the same banner, think art collective for comics, writing, films, and other wonderful stuff.  It is mighty exciting.
• MORE RENAISSANCE FAIRES!
• Quality time with family and friends (super important!!!)

I think I'm going to have a busy summer.  However I think I have found the silver lining to loosing the crappy retail job.  I now have the time, energy, and mental capacity to figure me out.  I am doing good.

You, Con-ho!

I'm writing this from Sacramento.  Yes you read that right, Sacramento.  I am at a comic and anime convention that the boyfriend is showcasing his comics at. We were at image expo in Oakland last "weekend so I've been up to my eyeballs in nerddom.

The differences in nerds from comic nerds to anime nerds is palpable. Comic nerds are far less likely to dress up as their favorite characters. The anime crowd also seems to be younger. There are so many more teenagers here than at image. I am Mindoro saddened that these kids are not reading comic but I think they will get there eventually.  I am however thrilled that kids are coming out and supporting small comics.

So if you're in Sacramento today come out and support your local nerds and help save me from the fanboys.

Adventures in Agriculture

I live in San Francisco.  I am surrounded by cement on a daily basis.  This clashes greatly with my desire to eat food that was grown locally, is in season and is (hopefully) organic.  I grew up very lucky in that my mother made sure the produce we were eating was as fresh as possible.

I started looking into community gardens, but was saddend to discover most of the fruits and veggies I want to eat will not grow in this part of my fair city.  Stupid fog...

Some of my friends have had very good experiences with CSA boxes (community supported agriculture) that are delivered to their doors.  I looked into it, and most were too pricey for my budget.  However I managed to find one that I liked and signed up. Specifically this one.  I'm also pleased to find we can exclude things we know we are not going to eat, like mushrooms.

So far we have received two boxes chock full of organic produce grown relatively locally and I am very pleased.  There have been stir-frys, salads, the best zucchini I have had in years, and really tasty fruits.  However I have gotten a couple of things I don't know what to do with.  Like Persimmons.  I don't really eat them, Xander doesn't really eat them, and neither of us want them to go to waste.  So I have been searching the internet for recipes for stuff like Bok Choy and Arugula.  I found this website, (Potentially NSFW, no nudity, but possibly inappropriate) and it cracks me up, while broadening my dinner repertoire.

I have made some tasty, tasty things, sorry there are no pictures, we ate before photography could happen.  :) If anyone has any recipes they recommend, comment or e-mail.

Note: I have not been compensated in any way by Farm Fresh to You, I'm just pleased with their service.