The Story of Three

…It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.
~Winston Churchill

So my dear husband says that I don’t blog enough about the everyday life. I have to agree, so I’m going to attempt to do so. I found a sale on photo batteries, so I can use our camera again and start photo documenting. By the way, the photo is of my kitty, Logan, when he was a little kitten. It’s an example of my desire to use my own pics eventually.

Anyhow, the end of the beginning. Right.

I have finally, almost, reached the end of the concert season! I still have a school assembly concert for my choir kids on Tuesday, but that will be a cakewalk in comparison with the rest of it. I have, however, reached the end of my teaching schedule! Break time!!! I have four weeks off for the schools and some of the private lessons and two weeks for the other private lessons. Somewhere in that time we’ll be heading down to SoCal for a week with my family. Included in that trip is a day at Disneyland! We’re both so excited to go back to Disneyland. My mom, sister and grandmother will be with us, so it should be a lot of fun. We actually have lucked into a deal on parkhopper passes, so our three family companions will be able to experience California Adventure for the first time. Sure, it’s no Disneyland, but it is a lot of fun.

I feel like now that I’m on break I get to be domestic again. I miss making intricate gourmet meals and having the freedom to do most of the housework during the waking hours. I begin Monday with Christmas cookies! I have a whole day to create little morsels of sweet goodness. I may even surprise Eric with another batch of vegan sugar cookies. For those of you wondering what makes them vegan, just think soy butter. Honestly, I can’t tell the difference, but they make me feel less guilty for eating them. This year I even have stuff to make icing to decorate them. I have to admit they are cuter when their shapes are adorned with red/white/green detail. I think I just might take pics of the journey from ingredients to treatsies. That is if I get the photo batteries. Our camera sucks the life out of the poor regular batteries. All we have to do is put them in the camera and turn it on, and the battery life is blinking low. I’ll just have to see if I can get something that lasts.

Well, I think my pepsi from dinner (tonight was pizza night–we spent the day celebrating the start of break for me) has finally worn off enough for me to sleep. We’ll call it a night.

One of the least expensive ways to feed people is………….pasta! Now, if you know how to make lots of sauces offhand, it can also be one of the easiest ways to feed the masses. Now to those who are scared to make a sauce from scratch in favor of the (eck, should I even say it) the jar of pasta sauce, fear not! It is so easy and sooooo much tastier.

Sauce #1—–Marinara/Bolognese Sauce
Think equal parts tomato sauce and water, diced onion, 1 TBS of italian spices (basil, parsley, organo) per can of tomato sauce, and lots of time simmering. I use 3 cans of tomato sauce, 3 TBS spices, half an onion, lots of garlic!, and an hour of simmering time. Now I personally like bolognese much better than marinara, so I also add 1 lb of browned (grease drained before adding) ground beef. So tasty! You can also add a lot of parmesan cheese after serving, and it tastes so good.

Sauce #2—–Red Wine Sauce Florentine
Half a cup butter/soy butter, one cup red wine (I use chianti), 1 TBS of each marjoram & basil & parsley, 1/3 cup parmesan cheese, 1/2 cup sundried tomatoes (dry packed and cut into quarters), 1 cup fresh spinach…….Now add the first three ingredients and let simmer for about 5-10 minutes, or until the wine is halved. Now add the parmesan cheese and sundried tomatoes. Let that simmer for another 5 minutes. Lastly, add the spinach and let it sit in there for only about a minute until the spinach is slightly wilted.

Sauce #3—–Creamy White Wine Sauce
One part butter to two parts white wine–This is smoother if you have clarified butter/ghee, but it will work either way. Let simmer until the butter is melted and the wine has had some time to boil out the alcohol. Add in one part half and half (or cream if you want it really creamy!), 1 TBS herbs (parsley, tarragon) per cup of wine and one part cheese of choice. Parmesan will give a more alfredo-ish flavor, but you can use anything that will melt and taste yummy. Let it come to a boil for a minute or two so that all the fats and flavors can combine. Serve over a penne or other pasta that will allow sauce to sit in hidden crevices and such.

Well, enjoy your frugal friday and all that pasta!!!