Angry Sauce

So what a nice day I've had! I didn't go to work (I used my "Summer Friday." We get one Friday off per month during the summer months). I went shopping and bought two dresses, one is adorable and the other is very sophisticated and grown up. Then I came home and set myself to cooking. So what did I make on a day when I felt generally great? Arrabbiata Sauce (the "angry sauce" as Teresa calls it) over some penne purchased at A&S Fine Foods in Wyckoff, NJ (awesome as always, and now you Real Housewife viewers out there have seen the inside of A&S!). Arrabbiata Sauce is a spicy sauce, and I can still feel the oils from the pepper flakes on my mouth and lips. Delicious!

So, if my name and super pale appearance in the photo i posted didn't tip you off, I'm not Italian. The majority of my ancestors are from Northern Europe, Ireland, England, France and the Netherlands. So cooking spicy foods shouldn't really be in my blood. It's a joke in my family, actually, when my grandmother eats something sprinkled with pepper she immediately will grab her glass of water and go "oh! oh my! that's too hot for me!" So, generally speaking Northern Europeans overcook their meats and underspice their foods! I don't mind food from Ireland/England/Germanic/Scandinavian Countries, I actually enjoy those foods, but I really really love foods with a lot of flavor (and prefer my meat cooked rare!). That's why I really enjoyed this arrabbiata sauce!

The sauce takes a while to cook, but the good thing about sauce is that it requires little interference when cooking. After I made the "Quickie Sauce" I just sauteed some onions and garlic and pepper flakes and just threw it all in the base tomato sauce I had made. I just let the sauce simmer for an hour!
The recipe recommends 40 minutes, but it goes on to day the longer the sauce simmers the spicier it becomes. Who am I to turn down extra spice? Not being particularly hungry and in a rush (ah the joys of time off) I left it on the extra twenty minutes. With excellent results. The sauce was spicy, but not overwhelmingly so. Like I said, it's the sort of spice that lingers with you afterward. I think that's a good thing!Anyway, I am headed out to a housewarming party (though it's less housewarming centric and more party centric, I believe) tonight, but I might have an update tomorrow! Check back then and enjoy this lovely June Friday!

Second Wind

I know I said I was going to take a few days off, relax and recuperate because this is an emotionally stressful week for me. All of this on top of an intensified (though with good reason, like I said, our publication launched and I am so so happy about that!) week at work. I had prior plans tonight and didn't expect to get home until 11pm. I also thought this would impede my ability to update. However, the prior engagement was canceled, and I found myself home by 7:20. I decided to unwind and kill time by making dinner.
I actually made two dishes tonight! Both were SO easy to make, and equally as delicious. I made Skinny Pasta al Burro and Brushchetta E Prosciutto. Both dishes are simple and require very little prep. Planned right, they could both easily be made in half and hour.


Up first is the pasta. The recipe's preface said that the quality of the dish depends upon the quality of the ingredients used. So I splurged, and I bought fresh pasta and parmigiano that was aged two years. The cheese was sharp, and so delicious. It was a little pricey, but worth it. Plus, I still have a lot of cheese left over. This dish doesn't have much to it as far as ingredients go, but it does have a great taste. It's a total palette pleaser. I bet it would be hard to find someone that would dislike this dish!

Next, the prosciutto bruschetta. Also easy to make! Baking time is ten minutes and prep time probably five. Seriously, so easy. They also look fantastic finished. This little dish would make a GREAT starter dish to serve at a party or dinner. I think I might make it for our annual Christmas party. I have a feeling it will be a hit. The saltiness of the prosciutto really stands out, followed by the olive oil and then the garlic. I do not know if you all have noticed but garlic takes on this different taste when it's baked. It's less pungent but still delicious. It all worked together great in this dish! My suggestion is as follows: MAKE IT (ok, so maybe I am a slightly biased sodium fiend, so what!).
Come back to the blog on Friday! More food-related updates!

A Few Days Off

I wanted to make something from Skinny Italian tonight, honestly I did. However, I stayed at the office later than usual, until about 5:55 (mind you, I got into the office at 8:25 am), was generally exhausted, and emotionally stressed. Oh, and I went the entire day fueled by nothing more than a cup of espresso and legal speed (see caffeine pills). Needless to say, I am not necessarily in the mood to cook.

Instead I went shopping.

Anyway, the point is, this is a very hectic week for me. The publication I work for has just launched, so everything there is a bit more intense. It's also the anniversary of my father passing away this week, and I've been suffering a dull head ache the last 72 hours and I'm on the verge of vomiting anytime I find myself stretched too thin.

So, anyway, I am taking a few days off from the blog. I'm took off from work on Friday, 11 June, and I will most likely have an update then. Another dish from Skinny Italian. And since I have the WHOLE day to myself (well, I will probably go to the gym and a hatha yoga class that day, I think it would be good for me) I might try to make something slightly more complicated. Or perhaps I will make both a lunch and a dinner!

Any suggestions?

A Hypocrite is a hypocrite is a hypocrite

Hypocrisy: Moral self-contradiction whereby the behavior of one or more people belies their own claimed or implied possession of certain beliefs, standards or values. It's total hypocrisy of Danielle to pick and choose when gay slurs are acceptable, and claim to be an advocate, as they never are.

So calling someone a "faggot” when they aren't gay is more acceptable than calling someone "gay" when we're not actually aware of their sexual preferences? In what world does this logic make sense (Kelly Land?) You did not say anything (as I mentioned in last week's recap) out of protection ? You'd let down a group you "advocate," aka protect, because you were being "protected." That's what I call spineless. Gay slurs are just never acceptable, because no matter how you say it or who you are saying it to the implication is that being Gay is a negative thing worthy of derision (which it's not!).

Who is this Kim "G"ranatell? My mother has apparently met her several times, but can give me no insight. However, is she is so concerned about her son's friendship with Chris, why if she even bothering to hang around Danielle? That's playing with fire! It almost feels like she just wants the screen time, or they're bringing her in to be a cast mate.

Now on to the text message. Since when is "Bye" a synonym for "I am going to kill you?" That's like Kelly levels of delusion. However, was it acceptable for Ashley to send that text message? No, that's not going to solve any problems, and it is as Jacqueline said a bit trashy. It is very high school though, and Ashley is high school age. However, the fact that she and Danielle were going back and forth in some facebook/text flame war? Danielle is 50-year-old woman, why are you trying to tear down a high school girl about her weight (as someone that has struggled with eating issues I do find that particularly abhorrent)? Why are you getting into facebook fights with her? It's really indicative of the type of person Danielle is. That's abnormal. It's bad enough to go after your peers, it's even worse to go after people more than half your age!

Back to Danielle, like she's so convinced that Dina is trying to ambush her or somehow get her. At a public place (ps, that restaurant, Chakra, had some of the worst Calamari I've ever had)? That she needs to bring her entourage with her? And did we notice how Danielle tried to manipulate the situation "I formed my opinion about you based on what Jacqueline told me." Danielle, we all recall how desperately you wanted to be friends with her.

Some final thoughts/comments:

Anyway, the place that I ALWAYS GO to get my supplies for cooking out of Skinny Italian(!) A&S DELI was featured on the show tonight! That fellow, Angelo, is insanely friendly! Fellow Bergen Countyites (and Passaic, and Essex, et al) Go there, I promise you will not be let down!

Who is that random guy that doesn't talk at all but follows Danny Provenzano around? He's like an even bigger stereotype! He just stands there, fist in hand, never says a word but makes funny, reactionary facial expressions.

So who is leaving the show? I think all signs point to Dina. What do you all think? (Also, I guess we know why they brought on Kim Granatell-to replace the outgoing housewife).

Never Again

I am never making this dish ever again. Not because it was particularly bad, it was decent enough, but the drama that ensued from this dish is enough to turn me off from it.


What dish caused so much turmoil in my household might you ask? Luscious Linguini with Manila Clams. I think objectively I can recognize that I made this dish well; however, I was not enthusiastic about this dish nor were the other members of my family mostly due to the fact that we're not big into little neck clams.


The dish was easy enough to make, though cleaning the clams took a while. The last thing I wanted was sand in my white wine clam sauce! But actually cooking everything took no more than 20 minutes. And after the 20 minutes of cooking, the presentation looked nice, too.


Sadly, my sister left the leftovers out on the counter (along with a huge mess created with the help of her friends last night), and my mother was very displeased about this when she came downstairs in the morning. However, my sister was not around to take the brunt of my mother's frustration about the mess, I was though so I had to deal with the ire of a 50 year old woman at 7am in the morning. Needless to say, not fun and just drama drama drama. All because my sister left a bowl of linguini and pasta on the counter, totally stinking up the kitchen. She has a serious inability to take responsibility for her actions or think about other people (she also left a window open, a window she removed the screen from, and left the lights on).

So, maybe you have more responsible people in your family, or perhaps you enjoy little neck clams more than my family. If so, make the dish. Like I said, objectively I think I made it well, however we're just not big fans. If you're a fan you'd probably like this.


Anyway, check back soon. Some more food and thoughts (food for thought?)!

Fiscal Realities

I assume we've all seen this article? ? I do feel badly for them, as I feel badly for most people that end up in this situation, in particular when children are involved. However, ultimately, we have to take responsibility for our fiscal well-being.

Let me preface this next segment by saying I have no idea what sorts of mortgages the Giudice's had on their homes (and I will not bother to speculate). The next paragraphs serve as an introduction to my opinions of the pressures of American consumerism, coupled by fiscal irresponsibility and deregulation. Also, what follows is simplified and not a multi-faceted look the recession, with a look at the human factor.

I'm a proponent of regulation. (I think) A lot of America's economic problems are due to deregulation of the market place. Including a failure to check mortgages and bank (and in worst cases, predatory) lending (compounded by real estate speculation. Call it Tulip Mania 2008!). Simply speaking subprime lending allows people to finance a purchase using borrowed money. This person is one with poor credit and they do not qualify for a normal (prime) loan because the risk of default is too high. Instead, at the price of higher fees, higher interest rates and the likelihood that their loan is not fixed (an adjustable rate mortgage), it pretty much is the last ditch effort of loans. Of course, the whole notion that a person that cannot afford to keep up with their credit payments that AREN'T subprime can keep up with payments that ARE subprime is sheer delusion in most cases (but not necessarily all) if you ask me. I think a lot of borrowing, borrowing with over the top ridiculous fees, exists on our notion of achieve the American Dream, of having it all, and living a certain way and that this also played a role in our movement towards recession.

Unfortunately not everyone can afford to live the (nearly non-viable) American Dream: the house, the picket fence, etc. There are a number of various factors that influence our socio-economic status ranging from race, gender, education, etc etc etc and I do not have the time nor energy to go into the various problems that exist in America in the context of class-sex-race-gender. If we look at the credit crisis, an item emerges: Americans are consumers, and the mantra may as well be consume first, think about paying later (or never). As total Neuroscience cutey Jonah Lehrer puts it in his book "How We Decide," we're incredibly short-sighted when is comes to credit. (This is the main reason I plan to get an American Express- it's a charge card).

I've lived in Northeastern New Jersey all my life. It's not a cheap place to live. In fact, it's regularly declared to be one of the priciest places in the United States. Costs are over-inflated in New Jersey, and it can really affect the way you view money growing up here. Also skewed by the cost of living is personal income. Teresa and Joe claim a salary of USD79k (I imagine this is taxable income) plus another USD120k in "family assistance" (this, I imagine, is not taxed). That's a net income of USD199k. Undeniably that's a hefty chunk of change when compared to the national average, however, put into the context of Northern New Jersey costs compared to the presentation of their lifestyle on television, Joe and Teresa were living well beyond their means. Qualifying for mortgages became easier (deregulation people!) over the course of the 21st century as standards declined, and I am curious if the Giudice's even bothered to place a down payment on the mortgage on their "French Chateau." Even at the height of my father's Wall Street career (several years ago; my father is now deceased) when he was making more than the above mentioned income+family assistance, I don't think my family would have EVER moved into a house that would require that large of a mortgage. My mom is, in her own words, a "thrifty New Englander" and loves saving money.

Three homes and eight mortgages? USD104k in credit card debt? And for what? They were attempting to project an image. And when you're around people that are upper middle to upper class the desire to keep up with the proverbial Joneses is perhaps intensified.

Like the underlying assets of a busted speculative bubble, is the American Dream worth anything today? Teresa and Joe are victims of the very dark side American Dream. As were Tamra and Simon Barney, and Lynne and Frank Curtin. However, perhaps the importance of the American Dream has even greater weight for Joe and Teresa because of their upbringing as the children of immigrants. If only they had known that in the modern era the American Dream is a total fallacy.

If something seems too good to be true it probably is.

So Long for now New York

So I never thought I'd say this but I actually agreed with something Kelly said last night: the sense that the wedding renewal was slightly concocted. I've found the whole constant reiteration of the word renewal concocted this season (and that word was used ad nauseum) because it's kind of blatant marketing that goes back to Ramona's newest venture, Tru(e?) Renewal. However, I will tell you what was not concocted and basically wipes out any cynicism I might have felt about the contrived everything's renewed is that Ramona and Mario were really cute and seemed so genuinely happy.

Also, put a bra(r) on!

Jill Jill Jill- you were the mean girl this season. No doubt. I think it's funny that you called Alex one (who was, in my opinion, very endearing this season). I guess it's nice you were finally willing to talk to Bethenny, but that whole scene was SO SO awkward. It reminded me of the time I had to meet up with my ex-best friend for coffee. SO uncomfortable.

I loved Sonja calling Luann out on a matter of etiquette and manners, and Luann couldn't think of a response. Sonja really was a break out character this season. I really like her addition to the cast.

Finally! Luann was totally lip syncing, and I wish the DJ had accidentally started playing an Ashlee Simpson song during her performance.

Bethenny is totally done with the show, right? What are the thoughts on this?

Come back tomorrow for a helping of dinner!