# 124 V-Day, and cooking

V-day, Joe Cain, and Chinese New Year was this past Sunday, 2/14. Whew. Thomas and I decided not to go out to the Melting Pot due to the weather on Thursday(Winter Storm warning). It did snow on Friday though for about 15 minutes! It was GORGEOUS! Of course, I was "snowed-out" from the honeymoon but it was great to see it nonetheless. Wish there was more now. Dang. Anyway, we didn't get to go to the Melting Pot so I was kind of sad seeing that now I was craving their amazing cheese fondue mixed with wine. I remember the 2 best parts of that restaurant- the dessert and the cheese. Thomas hand-dipped strawberries in chocolate perfectly and stuck them upsidedown with their sticks in styrofoam so that there would be no squish parts from setting it down. Instead, they were even and beautifully presented. He also popped open a bottle of champagne and gave me a sweet little double-heart necklace made of white gold and tiny diamonds. Part of the proceeds go to helping autistic children which I adore.

On to the delish part. So I am still craving cheese/wine fondue mixture but starting tomorrow for Lent, I'm giving up restaurants. Therefore, I went nuts and made this fantastic pasta dish completely from my head.

Crystal's Woodbridge Chardonnay Portobello Pasta

- Woodbridge Chardonnay

- Extra sharp cheddar cheese

- diced mushrooms

- Italian seasoned ground turkey(more lean)

- creamed corn

- EVOO

- thin spaghetti

Setting a saucepan on medium heat, I threw in the cheddar cheese and wine, both about equal parts. You can add more wine since it'll reduce to a nice, thicker consistency by the time you're done cooking everything else. Boil your pasta and set it aside. While sauce is simmering, start cooking diced onions first, then throw in the ground turkey. Once the turkey reaches medium, push it aside to make room for the mushrooms. Add about a teaspoon and a half of EVOO and the mushrooms. You can add the creamed corn after the mushrooms are cooked halfway. Add garlic salt and pepper. I added a little bit of Kikkoman's soy sauce to the mushrooms to burn it a little. Stir the entire mixture- slowly add the cooked pasta to the pan. Once evenly heated, add the now-reduced wine/cheese sauce and toss again. Turn off the heat. You are ready to eat.

OPTIONS: Due to the lack of color, I would suggest next time cooking thin strips of red and green bell peppers to your dish when you start cooking the mushrooms.

Voila! delicioso!

# 38 Tutorial: Fabric Appliques

I was inspired by a bird's feather- in fact, so much so I made each petal from scratch. My first tutorial- kind of nervous but I thought these would be cute on some bridesmaids!

1st: GATHER MATERIALS: 2 thicker fabrics(i.e. wool, cotton, upholstery fabrics), scissors, needle, thread, and felt for the backing.

2nd: CUT OUT FELT BACKING: this will be your base and general shape to work with. It can be round(like a flower) or tear drop shaped- whatever you prefer but the teardrop is one I'm most in love with because it conforms to your head shape. Cut 3.5" x 2.5"

3rd: CUT 1" long PETALS in your choice and color of fabric. Same tear drop shape.

4th LAYER AND LAYOUT THE PETALS FROM THE BOTTOM TO THE TOP: that way you won't be able to see the stitching.

5th SEW: sew towards the top of the teardrop petal so that the pointy end can flare out nicely as opposed to being stuck on the side of your head.

6th SEW & FOLLOW step 5

7th FINISH UP: once you get to the top(the end), sew very small stiches towards the top to secure in place. Now add a little patch in the back so you can add a bobby pin or a safety pin to place where your heart desires. Preferably on the side of your hair!

8th WEAR IT PROUDLY!
Now add a little patch in the back so you can add a bobby pin or a safety pin to place where your heart desires. Preferably on the side of your hair!

TIME SPENT: about 1 to 1.5 hours

P*S* Hotglueing would probably work. Most of the time spent is on cutting each individual petal. 1/3 of the time went into sewing the applique. If you're the fast & easy type, go for it but it'll make the piece a bit stiffer and it'll lose its value because it's not "sewn" but hey, what ev. I would appreciate if you were to post this tutorial to reference me por favor! Have a great day!!