Sunday Sauce

Recently my husband has started taking an active interest in the house hold chore of cooking. Could it be because I burn everything? nahhhh We have been watching Lifeschool tv, and Stve Schirripa's "Hungry?" is our new favorite cooking show. He recently did a program featuring a Sunday Sauce. This is an Italian favorite and we decided to try the recipe for Dale's(my husband) birthday dinner. The recipre included Braciole, meatballs, sausage, cavatelli, and lotsa cheese! The recipe was shown on the show and made in a resturant in Littel italy in N.Y.C. We cooked the sauce for about 4 hours and the results were the hands down best sauce I have ever eaten,in fact the entire family agreed that the Irishman made the bets we Italians ever had! Thanks Steve! Here is the recipe, invite lots of friends over get some good red wine, and some home made canoli for dessert never does any harm! Braciole parsley, grated parmigiano cheese, sliced garkic, grated provolone, prosciutto fat, pignoli, raisins soaked in water, salt, pepper, chuck filet shoulder(pounded flat) mix your parsley (chopped) bread crumbs, chopped garlic and olive oil to a thick paste. Lay out each filet and put about 1.1/2 tbs of breadcrumb mixture in each slice. sprinkle cheeses, raisins, nuts, and place small piece of fat on top. wrap tightly with butchers twine. Braise in Olive oil on all sides. cook in sauce. Sauce 1/4c of olive oil and 2 cloves sliced garlic add 4 smashed shallots to pan and brown to golden. add 1/2 cup diced inions. 3 quarts of sauce(plain tomato) pinch oregano,lots of fresh basil , salt pepper to taste. add meat, braciloe, meatballs, and 6 sweet sausage. cook for 3-4 hours, add serve over cavatelli, with generous dallop of ricotta cheese! enjoy

Usinig "down" time to better our skills as artists.

There is no getting around the fact that we are in an economic down turn. For many of us in the Decorative Arts field, we are experiencing a slow down in work flow, as is the entire country and other fields. During slower times people can do many things to continue to help secure work, and market themselves. Today I would like to focus on bettering skills as an artist during a slower period. Maybe you have a few days here and there that are not filled. Can this time be used to paint a project purely for the sake of challenging yourself as an artist? Have you been wanting to try a different medium? such as pastels? Have you been thinking your landscape skills, or composition skills are lacking? This is the time to be painting, researching and planning for future jobs. This is a time when a painting a day, or week can really build upon skills you already have , or skills you would like to really fine tune. Libraries are free, as is internet resources such as ARC and Wikipedia, I find so much inspiration on these sights. Why not plan a project for yourself, today. I have come to realize that although I am slower than I would like in my business, I have never spent more time cranking out painting after painting these past few months. Once the creative juices flow, let yourself go! If you do start painting I would love to see what you are working on. I will be sure to share some of my newer inspirations. Have fun!

Kitchen Cabinets Revamped

Let's face it Kitchen cabinets are expensive, in a sluggish economy renovating a kitchen can work itself right off the "to do " list. If you have a kitchen that has wood cabinets, they can be finished in a ver affordable , highly durable, beautiful finish. We strip the wood, prime then and apply the desired finish. The finish can be a lovely faux wood, a warm cherry look or glazed oak. Some of our lovely finishes can include crackling, distressing, pickling, and handpainted designs. Our variety of samples also show various plasters, activated finishes and all colors.