Recipe of the Week; BIRTHDAY PENNE

I had the most scrumptious penne dish for my birthday this past June. It didn't come from any restaurant, and it wasn't made especially for me by my husband (who is an excellent cook, by the way!) because as usual he was working well into the evening.

Craving something a little more exciting than an every day weeknight meal, I left work early and stopped by the supermarket for inspiration. Just browsing the isles is all it takes to for me to come up with an idea. I decided pasta was in order, penne in particular as it's my favorite. This is what I literally threw together, and it worked out deliciously! It made a ton of food, so much that I ended up freezing half of it. Of course, you could always just cut the recipe in half. Also, it is important to note that the butter and olive oil measurements are only suggestions. You could go lighter or heavier, depending on your preference.

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 cup butter

1 medium onion, diced

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 lb. box penne

1 lb. frozen precooked shrimp

1 lb. Polish sausage, sliced into rings about 1/4-inch thick

1 bag frozen vegetables (the bag I chose included snap peas, broccoli, mixed peppers, mushrooms, asparagus, carrots and cauliflower)

1 can chicken stock

1 lemon, for juice OR about 2 teaspoons lemon concentrate (less or more, according to your preference)

shredded Parmesan chesse

handful fresh parsley or cilantro, chopped

salt, pepper, garlic powder and dried oregano to taste

Place frozen in shrimp in large bowl of cold water to thaw. It only takes a few minutes. Drain in colander and set aside.

Bring large pot of salted water to a boil, add penne and cook to al dente. Drain and set aside, reserving at least 1 cup of the hot water.

While penne is boiling, melt butter and olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. (You will be adding everything to this pan, so make sure it's a big one!)

Add sliced sausage, onion and garlic, saute for a few minutes. Add frozen vegetables, 3/4 can of the chicken stock, the juice of the lemon, salt, pepper, oregano and garlic powder. Put a lid on skillet to allow vegetables to thaw. After the vegetables are thawed, add drained penne and shrimp.* You can add more butter or olive oil, additional stock, or some of the reserved pasta water to get the consistency in the sauce that you prefer, if it's too dry or not flavorful enough for your preference. It's important to TASTE the penne while it's in the skillet, before and after you've added your seasonings and additional liquids! Mix well, put the lid back on and allow to heat through.

Once everything is at an equal temperature, sprinkle with chopped parsley or cilantro and a large handful or so of grated Parmesan.

We ate this with some homemade garlic toast, and forewent a salad because the penne already had a ton of veggies mixed in!

*I pulled the shrimp tails off before adding them to the skillet, but you don't have to.

Even if it's not your birthday or someone else's, this is great "anytime" sort-of recipe. And it's ready in about a half and hour or so.

The Best Things in Life Really Are Free!

This recession has my purse strings drawn together so tightly, I have a bear of a time opening them just to find my chapstick!

Upon moving into the new place last fall, I discovered that buying everything desired will take some time and some serious scouring through thrift stores and discount outlets. Remember, I'm a cheapskate. Or, well, I prefer to just be called frugal!

My cousin turned me on to Freecycle, a resource for things on the best side of cheap- try ABSOLUTELY free! (Move over, Craigslist!)
What is Freecyle- you ask? In short it's a network of amazing people who, instead of throwing something curbside, offer it to group members for absolutely nothing. Like what?- is your next question. To answer, anything you can think of, really. Furniture and household items, empty boxes, baby formula, (unopened and not expired, as those are the rules with food items). Even trees dug up from someone's yard have been offered! One major Freecycle rule, however- you cannot offer animals or people. Good idea.

What are the other rules? Well, no firearms, nor advertisements for services, no alcohol or medications, etc. No selling. Period. Everything must be freely given away, no string attached. No bartering or trading. You must go and pick up the items, nothing can be shipped or delivered.

Freecycle groups are designated to a cluster in a particular area, so all the items offered are within a short driving distance from where you live. Makes sense, I surely wouldn't want to drive to Dallas just to pick up some free end tables.

It's very simple to join Freecycle. Look it up at http://freecycle.org/ to see if there is a group where you live. Sorry if there isn't, but if a group hasn't been initiated in your area, consider moderating your own group!

Now, if you're just out to get something for nothing, Freecycle isn't for you. In order to be a member, you must also give stuff away. I've found Freecycle to be a wonderful outlet for finding a new home for mismatched dishes, my son's outgrown clothes and baby things, boxes of paper I had no need for, and a large 1960's console radio that took up too much space in my dining room. As I unpack boxes from the move (yes, still...) I continue to find things that I don't need or want, but so far everything I've offered has been claimed!

That's the beauty of Freecycle, often your would-be trash becomes someone else's new found treasure. Just imagine the things that ordinarily would have gone to the landfills!

And YES- I've inherited some of my own treasures as well. Most notably my storage cabinet for the basement that I've been eyeing at Lowe's for months! And to think I almost paid $200 for one brand new, when Larry across town needed to get rid of his!

I also picked up a great little desk for my son's room. With a little TLC and a can of black spray paint- voila! I also landed a great poinsettia cookie jar, brand spankin' new and still in it's original box, as it was an unwanted Christmas present from someones evil Mother-in-Law. Along with the jar came the story... the secrets we Freecycler's share!

On the charitable side of things, I've come across many an offer for gently used furniture that I've passed on to my tenants, many of whom are happy just to have it.

Offeree's always appreciates the fact that their beloved castaway will be used and cared for by a grateful recipient, and not someone who would turn around and try to make a buck of their generosity.

Which, by the way, is horribly offensive to any Freecycler, not to mention strictly forbidden according to the Freecycle rules and code of conduct!

So, whether you're giving or looking to receive, consider joining the Freecyle network... lighten your load, and make a few friends along the way!

*Side note- the day I wrote this blog entry I picked up a great 7-shelf plant stand. Score! :)

Recipe of the Week; WILD ABOUT RADISH GREENS

Recently my Mom gave me a heaping helping of radishes from her garden. Growing up, I ate radishes on a regular basis, especially during the summer when they were fresh from the garden. Often, we would eat radish sandwiches. It may not sound so appealing, but believe me- it's quite the contrary. My Grandma K baked homemade bread daily, I think, and fresh bread is what makes this yummy summer lunch just perfect.

To make the sandwich, simply spread a generous amount of real butter onto fresh white bread. Slice radishes into thin slices and layer over the buttered bread. Shake on a little salt and pepper, top with another slice of bread, and you've got yourself a country delicacy!

Having eaten radishes so often however, I was not aware until just recently that the green part was also a tasty treat. Wanting to use up all the greens in a creative way, I researched recipes for Radish Greens Soup, and eventually pulled ideas and ingredients from several which became my final version. My five-year-old actually LOVED it (I think it may have been the crazy green color), but at any rate he's been asking me to make it again. I just love that my son has a palette for particular flavors... it makes trying new recipes so much fun for us all!

Don't be scared- just try it!



INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 cup green onions (white and green parts), chopped
3 medium potatoes, diced
6 radishes (stems and tips removed), diced
2 1/2 cups radish greens, chopped*
5 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

In stockpot, saute the onions in olive oil for about two minutes, or until the onions are tender. Stir in the potatoes and diced radishes and toss over medium heat for a few minutes. Add the stock, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer with lid on for 20 minutes. Add the radish greens and simmer for another 10 minutes.

When ready to serve puree the soup lightly with an immersion blender, or with regular blender a few cups at a time. Allow the soup to retain some chunky texture from the potatoes. Stir in the butter and cheese; ladle into soup bowls and top with any or all of the following garnishes, if desired.

GARNISH

• 4 raw radishes- minced and marinated in a few drops of balsamic vinegar. Prepare this prior to starting soup to allow radishes to absorb flavor.
• Homemade croutons- slice stale bread into one inch pieces. Melt butter in skillet and toss bread in butter, allowing to brown all over. Season lightly with garlic salt. Drain on paper towels before adding to soup.
• Additional Parmesan cheese
• Sprinkle of lemon zest

*Be certain to wash greens thoroughly. Remove any brown or damaged areas.

My husband, who cannot eat a meal without any kind of meat, suggested I should add pieces of ham. I can't bring myself to take away from the natural radish flavor, so I refuse to do it. If you get the urge to add meat, let me know how it turns out.

Curious About The Old Curiosity Shop

Sometime around 1998 or 1999, I came across a peculiar set of dishes that piqued my curiosity. I was meandering through a little antique store in Gallup New Mexico, looking primarily for old school textbooks, as this store kept a nice stock of such.
I paid $100 for all of them- they were not quite a complete set, but more like 2 or three mismatched sets, because I came away with 10 dinner plates, but 12 cups and 13 saucers. This box also included bowls of two styles, one butter dish and one creamer, and two larger platters with "handles" on either side. Curiouser and curiouser.

Around this time, my adventures in antique stores and thrift shops were really at the preschool level. I was just starting to learn about the different brands and types of dishes that were popular for collectors. I had never seen these before, and what caught my eye perhaps more than anything was the way they matched, but each piece offered a different picture on the front, some with a scene from winters in Victorian England, while others, such as the saucers, offered only a simple picture of a metal coffee pot, or of a Grandfather clock. Which, by the way was an illustration in Master Humphrey's Clock, the serial which was published weekly by Charles Dickens. I also enjoyed the dingy, grayish-green color that they are. Not a bright, cheery green, but more of a dull, dreary green. If Dickens' novel The Old Curiosity Shop was a color, this would be it. Poor Nell.
Through the years, I've collected pieces to add to this collection here and there- a sugar bowl in Scottsdale Arizona, and two larger serving bowls at the Goodwill in Gallup. Just this past week I came across nine pieces, different sized plates, and one cup- selling for $24 for all at the Fleatique in North Huntingdon. Seeing these pieces revived my interest in these dishes once again.

I've often wondered what the story was behind these dishes. When were they made, in the 1800's? (Only during the last decade, as The Old Curitosity Shop was published in the 1880's) Early 1900's? 1930, 40, 50??? What other pieces were out there, that I didn't have in my collection? Oh, hope of all hopes there was a teapot! I decided to do a little online research, to which I found little information. I came across a couple sites offering individual pieces for sale. I was quite surprised to see a set of salt and pepper shakers for sale on EBay for $45. And yes- there IS a teapot! My research did result in something else very interesting...

These are my "Wish-List" pieces- I'm on the hunt! I just can't seem to bring myself to order them online- but, you know me and teapots- I just may cave! The tiered plate is selling for as much as $90! I've also come across a site selling empty boxes for $25!

The dishes were manufactured in the 1950's, so they're not as old as I originally thought. They were made by Royal China company in Sebring, Ohio, and designed by Gordon Parker. The dinnerware was not sold as a full boxed-set that included cups, plates and bowls, but rather as individual sets of each item, such as a box of four plates, or a box of four cups, etc. They also manufactured separate serving pieces (such as my precious teapot and the casserole dish I spotted online!) as well as advertising and decorative pieces to compliment the dinnerware. I read that occasional promotional pieces were offered and individual pieces of the dinnerware were given away with products such as laundry soap. I am unclear if the Old Curiosity Shop was one such pattern by Royal China that was given away with the purchase of laundry soap.

Royal China sold their dinnerware through retail department stores, catalog mail order, and supermarket chains, most notably the A&P, which I remember. I'm not certain if A&P's still exist, but we had one in our little town were I grew up in western PA, and I remember visiting the huge one near Grandma H's house in West Orange, New Jersey. Yes, I'm that old.

What I really found out to be interesting however, was the ownership of the Royal China company at the time of The Old Curiosity Shop's manufacturing. It was bought out by the Jeannette Glass Corporation.

Bear in mind, I first purchased the bulk of my dishes in New Mexico. I've collected pieces in other states. The Jeannette Glass Corporation is located in Jeannette, Pennsylvania which is east of Pittsburgh. I have worked in the city of Jeannette since last November. All these years, I have enjoyed my dishes, but often I have wondered where they originated and what their story was. And now I end up spending eight hours of my day less than a mile from where they were originally manufactured! Talk about coming full circle! The irony of that curiosity! I would like to visit the glass company some day, perhaps I can get more detail on The Old Curiosity Shop line of dinnerware.

My curiosity has been satisfied... for now.