Eating Out of the Pantry :: Breakfast Porridge

Gratuitously cute picture of Hobbes...



My mum started this thing in the beginning of January called "eating out of the pantry." (My dad accidently refers to it as "eating out of the cabinet" or even better "eating out of the closet" which we think is pretty hysterical). She decided that she was going to use up all of the stuff that was in her cabinets and try to keep her food budget down to $1 a day. She's managed to eat on $1.89 a day, which I think is fairly impressive

It's no secret on this blog that Mr. G+N and I have hit upon a pretty thorny financial patch these last few weeks. I've been trying very hard to follow my mum's lead. I tallied up my grocery receipts today and we've been eating for $2.61 a day. Not as thrifty as mum, yet, but I'm trying.

This morning, I thought if I ate another pan-fried egg that I was going to scream. I needed something different, something more luxurious. I desperately wanted an eclair from one of my favorite bakeries, Sweet Dreams. Alas, at $3.75 a pop, that was not in the cards, but I did find everything in my kitchen that I needed to make breakfast porridge.



This recipe was given to me by Lucy Tuttle, of Tuttle's Red Barn, and originally appeared in Cooking Light in the October 2007 issue. I've amended it here to be slightly less light by substituting whole milk for fat-free milk. Because, seriously now, what the hell is fat-free milk? Blech!

Multigrain Breakfast Porridge

4 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup uncooked wheat berries (hard winter wheat), rinsed
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup regular oats
3 tablespoons uncooked quick cooking grits
3/4 cup whole milk
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1) Combine first 3 ingredients in a large saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes.

2) Stir in oats; simmer, uncovered, 12 minutes, stirring often. Stir in grits; simmer 5 minutes, stirring often.

3) Stir in milk and syrup; simmer 1 minute or until porridge thickens, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Serve with walnuts.

My notes: This is not a quick breakfast recipe (see the simmering times above). However, it reheats beautifully. Make a batch on a day that you're free and enjoy it throughout the week. I'm planning on doing just that!

***

I'm glad that many of you approve of the vlog post. It was fun to do something different, and it's nice for when I'm too tired to deal with writing. To answer Sonya's question, you're correct. I just took the video with the camera in my Mac. Nothing fancy. I'll definitely do it again sometime!

I'm going to teach a dance class tonight at my old place of work. Insert ominous DUN DUN DAHHHHH! here. Some of you who have been reading for some time now (Flossy, Gemma, Diane, Nat, S'mee etc.) might be gasping at this development considering all of the heart ache and ridiculousness surrounding me leaving that job last June. Calling them up was not an easy phone call to make, but, I am absolutely desperate for money. I said, "I will teach ANYTHING you've got," so they are trying to help me out. It feels so weird, to be sure. However, I'm thanking my stars that I didn't burn that bridge when I left.

After that, I'm going to head over to the parentals' house for a little dinner, and maybe some knitting time with mummy. Oh! That reminds me!

HOLIDAY HANDMADE CRUSADERS :: Your deadline to posts ornaments on Flickr, Craftster or leave a comment here linking back to your finished item is MIDNIGHT TONIGHT! I mean TOMORROW, the 31st! If you have no idea what I'm talking about please refer to this post.

***

I'm going to bring back the "thankful" sign outs. Things have been pretty crappy lately, so I have to remind myself that even amidst the poop that there are good things in my life.

Today, I am thankful for Mr. G+N. As long as we've got each other we'll make it through. We always do. What are you thankful for today?

G+N has vlogged! Shocking!

Hi all -

So for the first time in seven something years of blogging, I thought I'd give the video thang a try. It's a bit rough, no fancy editing here! I just did this one quick and dirty to give you sweeties an update to my, as of late, crazy life!


G+N Vlog from Sarah Cost on Vimeo.

Links:

Homemade Biscuit Mix : Okay, it was from Cooks dot com...

GrayGoosie

Sriracha Sauce: Not Sirachi, and it has a rooster on the bottle, not a dragon. Facts: 2 Sarah: 0. *laughs*

Eye Spy...Something With a "J"

I'm going to dance nerd it up for "Eye Spy" this week. Theme courtesy of Lauren

The ballet company, that I just began working for, is doing George Balanchine's evening length work Jewels later this season.

I did a search on Flickr, to show a friend of mine photos of the famous Karinska costume design. That's when I came across zxDavem's Royal Ballet "Jewels" photo set. He's taken beautiful photos, and I favorited quite a few!

Balanchine was inspired to do this literally glittering evening length ballet by jewels in the window at Tiffany's in New York. The ballet has three sections. Emeralds with music by Faure, Rubies with music by Stravinsky and Diamonds with music by Tchaikovsky.

If you're interested in more in depth program notes, see what the George Balanchine Trust has to say about Jewels

Want to see a clip of it? I was only able to find a one minute clip of "Diamonds" on YouTube. Balanchine's choreography is copywritten and the Trust is pretty strict about going after people who post it on YouTube. I'm guessing the video below is legal because it is an advertisement for a DVD:



I've never seen the full length ballet myself, so I'm excited to attend (FOR FREE - BECAUSE I'M AN EMPLOYEE - YAY!)

Hope you enjoyed this nerdy dance segment!

***

P.S. Thank you for all of the lovely comments left on my last post. Things have been sh#$%y to say the least, and I haven't felt like using G+N as a forum to moan about it. Hopefully, I'll have something a little more inspiring to bring to this space soon. Until then, enjoy Jewels!

The straw that broke the camels back

The week keeps on getting better and better - I was let go at work yesterday :(

I could cry!

Why is it that my life is either stellar or complete crap lately?! I want off the emotional roller coaster. NOW. I'm done with this ride.

I had lunch with a dear, dear friend who I had not seen in ages today, and we walked back from the restaurant to find this on my car:



I got the boot.

I have twenty four hours to come up with $265 dollars ($190 dollars worth of overdue parking tickets and a $75 de-booting fee) CASH or CERTIFIED CHECK, no personal checks no credit, or my car gets towed away indefinitely, with goodness knows how many fees tacked on top of that.

How much money is in my bank account right now??? $27.53.

I. don't. know. what. to. do. except. cry. my. eyes. out.

I hate Portsmouth. Granted, this is definitely partially my fault. I accept that. However, in my defense I used to work in the same building as the meter people. You had to be a ninja to beat them to an expired meter! Our cars were always the first that they'd hit, hence the many accumulated tickets. They have no mercy. It was 10 degrees F out today, never mind the wind chill. The evil parking overlords have no hearts. I'm lucky I could flag my friend down before he drove away.

I'm so sad. I don't know how to fix this one.

Craigslist, I love you

I've been on the prowl for a new hutch on Craigslist for quite some time now. When I saw the listing for the one shown above, I couldn't believe it. The photo was grainy, and I thought, maybe this is too good to be true. Maybe it was a particle board nightmare. My instincts told me different and I was rewarded with the hutch of my dreams for $20!

Here's what the wall of my kitchen looked like before:



An unbelievable amount of stuff was stuffed into this little tiny pressboard printer table, leftover from my college days. The table had seen better days, and its surface was constantly cover with piles of unread mail and catalogs. Not functional.

Here's the after:



Cue chorus of angels: Ahhh, ahhh, ahhh!!! Oh, I am in love.

After two days of intense cleaning and rearranging, I feel like I have a whole new kitchen. Everything has a place, and not only a place, but SPACE. There is a difference. No more digging for ingredients in the dark of my narrow, deep pantry closet. Frequently used ingredients are all on the shelves, at my instant disposal!

The hutch is all oak, and has only a few quirks indicating that it's used. One of the drawer pulls has been broken off, and one of the drawers has a nasty scratch. All of the drawers have dovetail joints, and cabinet drawers have a beautiful tone on tone inlay. EEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!! Can you hear my squealing?!

I can't get over the organized goodness!



Bonus photo: My sweet Nutcracker themed matryoshka dolls on display atop the hutch.



Okee dokey - still sick that's all I have energy for right now. I'll have plenty of time for posting this week, since I was only scheduled Friday and Saturday. Yup - this is me officially feeling the economic downturn. I just went from a five day week to a two day week. Hurray for unpaid, unexpected vacations!

Oh sarcasm...but I do have a pretty new hutch, yay!

That was my attempt at seeing the glass half full,

Eye Spy...Something I Want to Try in 2009

If you had asked me five years ago if I was interested in home brewing, I would have answered no in a heartbeat. Too much work!

Then about a year ago I favorited this photo from Liz aka Pocket Farmer on Flickr:

the beet ginger porter is finished, originally uploaded by Pocket Farmer.

Beet ginger porter?! Oh be still my heart!

Before I saw that photo, I don't think that I really thought about how creativity could play a part in home brewing. Then articles on home brewing and microbrewing starting popping up in a few of my favorite magazines. My interest was peaked. I guess I am just a slave to trends!

My curiosity doesn't just extend to beer. I'd love to make my own wine, cider, liqueurs, etc. My sister has made wine for years, maybe this year I can ask her to teach me about it!

:::

I'm nursing a terrible cold right now. I spent most of yesterday and today shuffling around, rearranging my kitchen to accommodate my new kick ass hutch! Pictures tomorrow - I can't wait to share!

Mittens 2.0

Today was a nice day off.

My friends Allison and (her sister) Rhi-Rhi came over for a coffee date in the morning. Then later in the afternoon my mum came over to knit with me for a bit. That was great, because the increasingly annoying symptoms of this stupid cold keep making it difficult for me to function at a high level. Stockinette knitting and tea guzzling seem to be the extent of my abilities today.

I'm off to bed!


P.S. Thank you for all of your well wishes about the new job! I'm just ecstatic!

Random Amazingness

The last few days have been either very bad or very good.

Here's the bad:

- I returned to work on Monday to find that my (very loved) manager had resigned the day before. This was surrounded by lots of uproar and tension, that has carried throughout the week.

- The plague that infected my family over the holidays has finally settled upon me. I thought I could escape, but, alas, I could not. My body is so achy right now it's crazy.

The good:

I'm feeling terribly yucky, but I have an amazing new shawl to cuddle in!



My mom knit this for me for Christmas. Isn't it beautiful?



The shawl pin is by Leslie Wind



:::

I received an unexpected gift at my Stitch n' Bitch the other day. My second mom, Betty, pulled these cute little embellished gloves out of her bag...



I said that I liked them, and Betty gave them to me just like that. I couldn't believe it! I love them, Betty, thank you!

:::

I finished my first Christmas craft of the year, in spirit for the Holiday Handmade Crusade, a little ornament...



Mini-Mittens! I love this little pattern, I can't wait to make more.

:::

Major thrift score - I found a hutch on Craiglist for $20. I'm picking it up on Sunday!

:::

AND for the biggest news of all...

I'VE BEEN OFFERED A JOB AT BOSTON BALLET!!!

In a few weeks I'll begin working for BB's outreach department, teaching an after school program for middle school aged girls. I could not be more thrilled. Not only is it a great job, with a superb company, I get free tickets to the ballet and get to take classes for free. My heart is just dancing right now!

Today I'm thankful for the very good outweighing the very bad! What are you thankful for today?

Holiday Handmade Crusade Announcement!

Wow - I'm blown away by all of your enthusiasm for the Holiday Handmade Crusade!!! In less than twenty four hours, between my blog, Craftster and Flickr we have about 100 people playing along! Such excitement!

On to the announcement...

The prize for the month of January is a $10 Gift Certificate to SewMamaSew: One caveat, the certificate applies to product only, not the shipping costs.

Entries close 1/31/09 at midnight. The winner will be announced on 2/1/09

SewMamaSew is a wonderful online fabric resource, and they have a tremendously fun blog as well. One of my favorite features of their blog is the Handmade Holidays Series they put together in November. Each day of the month they focus on a different theme for gift-making, with links to patterns. SewMamaSew provides ton of crafty inspiration for prezzy making! Many thanks go to Kristin Link for making this giveaway possible!

Check out SewMamaSew's Handmade Holiday Archives!

2007
2008

Join me for the 2009 Holiday Handmade Crusade :: An All Year Craft-a-long

Friends, Craftsters, Countrymen, lend me your ears...



Do you love Christmas? I don't. I hate it.

HAHAHAHAHA Yeah right!

Seriously though, let me share a little story with you.

Once upon a time there was a stunningly beautiful, totally modest, girl who loved absolutely everything about Christmas. For years, said girl was a sucker for advertising and a slave to the Mecca of Capitalism - the mall.

One day she took up knitting. Then sewing. Then cooking. Suddenly, she was obsessed with transforming herself into a craftastic domestic goddess. She was 21 years old.

When it came to be Christmas time that year she decided that the mall sucked because she could never find anything there that was a) affordable, b) not a cheaply made piece of crap or c) meaningful enough to give as a gift.

That's when our beautiful heroine found a craft-a-long thread on Craftster all about crafting your Christmas gifts bit by bit over the course of the year.



She solemnly vowed to do so, and the next year she was leading the aforementioned thread, and the next, and the next.

Fast forward to today.

If you haven't figured it out yet, I am your Christmas heroine! These past few weeks I've been marinating on an idea to encourage more participation in my holiday craft-a-long so that I can spread my crafty gospel throughout the land.



Here's what I propose:

* At the beginning of each month I will post a few ideas and themes to inspire you to craft for Christmas.

* By midnight on the last day of each month you can notify me of your completed gift project one of three ways a) posting a picture and comment to the thread on Craftster, b) uploading a photo to the Flickr Group or c) post it on your blog, and leave me a blog comment with a link to your post.

*YOU DO NOT HAVE TO FOLLOW MY THEMES I'm totally flexible here, the point is to get some gifts done ahead of time, non-conformity is welcome.

* Winter holidays of all races and religions are welcome. Christmas is my particular flava', so that's what I'll be writing about here.



What's in this for you?

At the end of each month, I will compile all of the entries via Crafster, Flickr and my blog comments into a single raffle drawing for a FABULOUS PRIZE!!! I've called upon some of my favorite fellow craftsters, artists and indie businesses and they've agreed to generously donate their goods and services to YOU!

* You can participate one month, two months, twelve months. Whatever works for you.

* If you make two or more gifts per month, each will count as an entry to the raffle. Pretty sweet, huh? That's what I call INCENTIVE!

Remember, participating in a Christmas craft-a-long does not mean that you have to deck your house out in red and green and sing carols all year long. Simmer down. I like to think of Christmas as a culmination of crafty love that accumulates all year long.

So, who's down for the crafty lovin'?

Your theme for January is: ORNAMENTS!: Make one, make one hundred. Ornaments are a great small gift to have on hand for anyone!

Need some inspiration? Check out the 2008 Holiday Ornament Swap Group via Flickr

Join me to take back Christmas from the mall with our loving, crafty hands!

Much Love,

Your Craftastic Christmas Crusader

Goodbye 2008, Hello 2009!

Happy New Year, everyone! I hope that you all had a great holiday. I just got back from my trip to New York/New Jersey last night and I'm puttering around the house until I have to return to work on Monday.

New York was amazing. Matt and I stayed in a little cabin on one of the smaller lakes in the Adirondack park with two of our friends. We did a whole lot of nothing, and that was just fine with me! I have a few photos to share that I'll upload over the next few days.

2008 was a roller coaster of a year, to be sure. There have been highs - like the exciting family additions of my nephew Aaron and my grand-niece Isabelle. And there have been lows - the gut-wrenching decision to leave my steady dance teaching job and not being able to find employment for over two months. I welcome 2009 with open arms, and am hoping that the clean slate of a new year will allow me to re-evaluate and focus on what I love.

For all of you that enjoyed the Christmas posts - tomorrow I will reveal something special for you. A new project for me, a little journey that we can take together, and I should mention; IT'S GOING TO BE FREAKIN' FUN!

Today I'm thankful for new beginnings. What are you thankful for today?