Mac and Cheese with Sundried Tomato Pesto

I wanted to share some of my food concoctions but you will have to be patient because I usually wing the measurements.

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp butter
flour or cornstarch
1 cup heavy cream (Milk can be used as a substitute but the sauce will not be as thick)
2-4 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper
16 oz box of pasta, penne or fusilli
Sundried tomato pesto (from trader joe's) (optional)

1. Boil 2/3 of the box of pasta (about 12 oz) until al dente then drain.
2. While pasta is boiling, melt butter in a sauce pan on medium heat. Once butter is melted mix in a small spoonful of flour or corn starch to thicken.
3. Pour in the cup of cream. Add worchestershire sauce. Stir with whisk to mix together.
4. Add in the cheese. I suggest tasting as you go so you know when you reach your cheesiness level. Salt and pepper to taste. Stir sauce and bring to a boil over medium heat. Once you have reached a boil remove from heat.
5. The last step is to add in some pesto to spice it up. Really you can pick any type of pesto that you like. I really like Trader Joe's sundried tomato pesto and it saves me the time of making the pesto myself. I just take a large spoon full of pesto and mix it into the cheese sauce. Then pour the sauce over the noodles, mix it all together and you are ready to eat. If you just want plain mac and cheese, skip the pesto step.

Happy Chinese New Year - Where's the grub?

My house decided to have a little chinese new year feast. Ok, really it was all Bece's idea and she did almost all the work. The rest of us did put together the dumplings and I suppose that's something. Bece also made some lotus root which was really tasty. I will have to remember to ask her for the recipe so that I can post it on here. We also had some sugar candy for dessert. They were pressed blocks of sugar that were so hard that by biting them you risked chipping a tooth. (There is no sweet tooth present in my mouth so I did not even try them. My teeth thanked me.) It was a delicious meal.

Homemade Sewing Box

My mom asked for a small sewing box of Christmas. Since I like to make projects out of as much reused materials as possible, I started searching for a box. I found an old floppy disk box at SCRAP that seemed to be just right. Of course a floppy disk box is not all that attractive so I decided to cover the lid with some cute fabric that I padded so it could also be used as a pin cushion.
I also lined the inside with fabric to hide more of the plastic box. All that was left was to throw in all the fixings; the pins, thread and such. I think that it turned out really nice.

Amazing Maelstrom Show

Amazing Maelstrom playing this Thursday, Jan 15th at 9:00 at the Mississippi Pizza Pub on 3552 N. Mississippi Ave.

I just wanted to let you know that Bece will be playing the musical saw with her band, Amazing Maelstrom tomorrow night. There will be two other bands, Papa Coyote and the Zydeco Ragamuffins, also performing. Bece is just playing for a few songs but the night should be filled with fun music so you should go check it out.

Talented People: Bece Kidder, woman with a saw

I am very proud to say that I have some extremely talented friends. I really excited to use my blog to showcase some of their talents. I thought that I would start close to home with my roommates. The first installment is the musical adventures of my roommate Bece. Her band is the Amazing Maelstrom. Bece is a woman of many interesting and odd talents, one of these talents is that she plays the saw. Yes, you read that correctly, she plays the saw. How cool is that? She can be seen around Portland playing with her band mate (who plays the accordion). They are frequently out during first and last Thursday when Portland has open galleries around town. I am extra lucky because I get to be part of special performances like a holiday party sing-a-long with her playing her saw. Next time that she has a gig, I will make sure to post it if anyone is interested in seeing her. Also, if you have a chance, check out some of her photography at www.jpgmag.com/people/FemmeSole

Recommendation: KEN'S ARTISAN PIZZA

I would not call myself a crazy pizza lover. I like pizza but it is not my favorite. Having said that, I really love Ken's artisan pizza. For anyone with a hunger for pizza in the Portland area, this is the place to go. Ken's pizza is baked in a brick oven so the thin crust is amazing. This is not a mix and match your own toppings kind of place but you should be able to find something on the menu that you like. Go check it out at on SE 28th and Pine. Go early because you will probably have to wait.

Correction- A Bearded Blunder

Liz would like to clarify that she is a captain of industry not a civil war solider. I apologize Liz for incorrectly labeling you. I forgot you were part of the make money not war crowd.

You, sir, are not a Gentleman!

At a craft fair during the holidays, I saw someone selling fake beards made out of felt. I thought my sister would like one to add to her mustache collection but they were super pricey and I figured that I could just make one myself which I did. Unfortunately, I do not have a picture of Lindsay in her beard (It makes her look like a super hot gnome) Since, Lindsay's beard turned out so well I also made a couple more as gifts for my friends Liz and Bryce. For them, I decided to explore some different types of beards. For some reason the 19th century was calling to me. This is how they turned out. I do not want to toot my own horn but I am pretty sure they would fit right in at a civil war reenactment. Mission accomplished!

Can Kitsch be beautiful? Of course, it can.

As a homage to crafts of days gone by, I have a collection of embroidered wall hangings from the 60s and 70s. For Christmas, my sister found two more for my collection. Not only do they have lovely embroidery patterns but the gold frames push them over the edge to a whole new level of kitsch.
I also received this embroidery from my friend Liz. She found the pattern and did all the embroidery herself. I think it is amazing. It is the only one in my collection that was created for me.