Cross Stitch

This is the bread cloth I created for my Thanksgiving table this year. The letters are in dark purple to match my dining room, and napkins I am sewing.

Jobs

I have great news to report. After months of searching I have landed a new job. I start on 11/23 as a Financial Advisor with Edward Jones. I am looking forward to the challenge. This is a great opportunity to take my career to the next level. I am also excited about helping people achieve their financial goals.

I start off by spending two months studying for the Series 6 & 7. I am confident I can successfully pass the tests. I will then spend time training here at home and out of town. Mr. Foodie has been very supportive through the process. I don't know what I would do without him.

Good luck to anyone out there looking for a job. I know it is hard, but just keep trying. Good things come to those who work hard.

Handmade Holidays

About a month ago I purchased a sewing machine from costco.com and have since fallen in love with sewing. I have made a Jaguar print apron with black accents, and a Fall-themed table runner shown in an earlier post.

I am the type of person who must have a goal/purpose/task to keep me occupied. The sewing machine has been my saving grace through the past few stressful months.

For my Thanksgiving table I am making Dark Purple napkins, and napkin rings made out of the same cloth as my table runner. I hope to start cutting the fabric this evening. I have already washed/ironed the fabric so all I need to do now is start cutting and sewing. I am going to make 8 napkins. My dining table seats 8 people so I am making an entire set.

I also stitched a bread cloth for my table. It has a cornucopia on it and says Happy Thanksgiving along the sides in dark purple thread. I would be posting more pictures but unfortunately my Nikon lens is in need of repair and I haven't sent it away yet. I need to get on that so I will have it for the holidays!

Dinner...

Tonight Mr. Foodie and I tag-teamed dinner and the result was spectacular! We baked on dish, and put the other in the refrigerator for another night. We will definitely be making this on again.

This recipe is another great one from Simplyrecipes.com

Sausage, Spinach, Ricotta Stuffed Pasta Shells

Ingredients

• 1 12-ounce package jumbo pasta shells
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup finely chopped yellow onion
• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic
• 1 large egg
• 16-ounces ricotta cheese
• 10-ounces chopped frozen spinach, thawed, squeezed dry, chopped further (or 10 ounces chopped fresh spinach)
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 cup unseasoned bread crumbs
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 28-ounce can tomatoes with herbs, including the liquid, tomatoes broken up (or your favorite tomato or pasta sauce)

• 2 9x13 shallow baking dishes

Method

1 Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil (1 teaspoon salt per quart of water). Cook the pasta shells according to the instructions on the package. Drain, rinse in cold water, and set aside.

2 Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium high heat. Add the onions and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the sausage to the pan, breaking up the sausage into smaller bits. Cook sausage until cooked through, and no pink remains, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds to a minute more. Remove pan from heat.

3 Beat the egg lightly in a large bowl. Mix in the ricotta, chopped spinach, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese, basil, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, and sausage mixture. Fill each cooked pasta shell with some of the ricotta, spinach, sausage mixture.

4 Spread 1/2 cup chopped canned tomatoes over the bottom of each of the baking dishes. Arrange the stuffed pasta shells in the dishes. Spread the remaining tomatoes over the top of the pasta shells.

At this point you can make ahead, to freeze (up to four months) or refrigerate before cooking. (If freezing, cover with foil, then wrap with plastic wrap.)

5 Heat oven to 375°F. Cover the pans with foil and bake for 30 minutes, until hot and bubbling. Remove foil and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese, bake uncovered for 10 more minutes.

Serves 8.

Cranberry Walnut Bread

I love cranberries. This fruit is my favorite thing about fall & winter. I am always searching for inspired recipes to incorporate fresh cranberries. My favorite food blog, SimplyRecipes.com has been a great resource for amazing recipes. Below is the recipe for Cranberry Walnut Bread, adapted from the Simply Recipes original recipe.

Cranberry Nut Bread

Ingredients
2 cups flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1 cup chopped cranberries
1 Tbsp Vanilla
3/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 egg, beaten
1 Tbsp grated orange peel

Method
1 Pre-heat oven to 350°F.
2 Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add the chopped cranberries and walnuts to coat with the flour mixture.
3 Mix together orange juice, butter, egg, and orange peel. Add to flour, cranberry, nut mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until just blended.
4 Pour into a greased 9x5 or 8x4 loaf pan. Bake at 350°F for 55 to 60 minutes or until done (a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean).
5 Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool on a wire rack.
Serves 8.