Pasta y fagioli

This is the best recipe ever! My mother in law taught me how to cook italian peasant style and sometimes that = FATTENING but I actually saw an extremely similar recipe in the WW cookbook. I am posting this as my first recipe post but I must warn you; I don't measure things. This explains my inability to cook brownies from a mix. Part of my wants my mother in law to read this and critique to see if I do it right. Yes you heard that right.

Ingredients:
3 cloves garlic
1 onion
salt
pepper
italian seasoning
olive oil
1 15 oz can plain hunts tomato sauce
1 19 oz can cannellini beans
1 cup ditalini pasta

Finely chop onion;

Whn I'm chooping onions and I don't feel like using the food processor I use this doohickey which I LOVE

sometimes I know I won't have time before dinner so I cut everything up in the morning and put in these handy dandy containers I bought on Amazon; they have covers so you can just pop them in the fridge so there's less prep work when I get home ..

Rinse Cannellini beans

Chop up 3 cloves garlic; don't use the store bought minced stuff; the real thing makes a HUGE difference

Saute about 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large sauce pan; once the oil is very hot, add the chopped onion and garlic and add a few shakes of italian seasoning, salt and pepper.

Meanwhile boil a few cups of water for the pasta. 

Wait until the onion is transluscent (about 5 minutes) and add the tomato sauce.  Fill the empty tomato sauce can with water and empty into pan.   Cook about 10 minutes. This is where I often walk away and forget about the pot and come back to a petrified pot of burnt SHIT. But I digress....   

When the pasta is ready (about 8 minutes), strain it with a bowl underneath to catch a few cups of the water from the pasta.  

Add pasta to the sauce along with a cup and a half or so of the pasta water. Add the beans and a few shakes of parmesan cheese. Can you tell i don't like to meausure things? Oh and for all of you organic people who happen to have "shaved homeade parmesan cheese" on hand: BITE ME. Note the Kraft bottle below.  

This is what it looks like done. If you are making this ahead of time don't add the pasta and beans till the last 15 minutes or so. 

Yarn balls

I never know what to do for a centerpiece; I always have a big ugly bowl in the middle of the table and on my list of things to do is to go buy something cool to put in it. Fake lemons are expensive. I bought real ones once and filled up the bowl but no one ever even came over to see it and they started rotting within a week. UGH. So when I saw this craft I figured it would be a good way to keep Megan entertained and give me something to decorate the house with for easter. I bought all kind of spring colored yarn and a thing of glue and some 5 inch balloons. When I went to the craft store and party store for balloons they only had 12 inch and I needed 5 inch. Typically me finding a craft that seems simple and making it complicated. I ended up asking the clerk at the party store and they had some.

1. Blow the balloons up only about half way. The ones in the picture are from blowing them up all the way and they came out way to big. Although they do look like easter eggs which is sort of appropriate.

Step 1a (optional) have the kids rub the balloons on their hair and stick them to anything and everything. This worked for about an hour of entertainment for the kids.   

Sam does not seem to enjoy this game

2. Put some elmers glue in a tupperware container and mix with water.

3. Take the yarn off the skein (I know you're impressed i know that word) and wrap around your hand, wrapping maybe 20-25 times. I didn't wrap enough yarn and you can see my ball isn't quite covered enough in yarn.
4. Cut the yard and drop it in the glue making sure all the yarn is covered in glue. Be careful not to mix it around too much or you will get the yarn all tangled.
5. Wrap the yarn all over the balloon in a criss cross pattern
6. Once your yarn runs out dip the whole ball in the glue.
7. Let it dry ont he counter or a paper plate. I put pam on the counter so the glue wouldn't stick to it
8. Let it dry 24 hours then pop the balloon and pull it out through the hole

Megan and I did this with a friend and I didnt' take any pictures along the way but I am going to do more this weekend and will update. Megan loved this whole thing start to finish. And i didn't make enough to fill the bowl so this is to be continued...

Taken from http://www.makeandtakes.com/glue-yarn-ball-tutorial