Nov 19, 2009

Mini Farfalle With Creamy Mushroom Sauce

Now that I'm menu planning again, I have started pulling out recipes from my enormous "to try" pile. This recipe is adapted from the December 2007 issue of Cooking Light. The original calls for onions and shallots, which Marc and I don't care for, and wild mushrooms, which I didn't see at Trader Joe's. I also omitted the white wine, since I didn't have any, substituted half and half for whipping cream, and doubled the amount of cheese.

The original recipe calls for a pound of uncooked pasta (farfalle = bowties), but I reserved 1 1/2 cups of cooked pasta for the boys in case they didn't like the mushroom sauce (they didn't).

Mini Farfalle with Creamy Mushroom Sauce (adapted from this Cooking Light recipe)
Serves 8

14 ounces uncooked mini farfalle (I used Barilla Piccolini, but any farfalle or even rotini would work)
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 tablespoon onion powder
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
8 ounces sliced cremini mushrooms
8 ounces sliced button mushrooms
1 cup half and half
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup freshly grated Asiago cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or 1 tablespoon dried parsley

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

2. Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. (Or use the same pot that you cooked the pasta in if it's nonstick.) Add onion powder, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper and mushrooms, and cook 12 minutes or until liquid evaporates and mushrooms are tender, stirring occasionally.

3. Remove the pan from heat. Stir in the half and half, cheeses, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add the pasta and stir to coat. Sprinkle in the parsley or use it as garnish.

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Nov 13, 2009

Meals from my Pantry, Fridge & Freezer

Our bills this month are substantial, because I finally paid some of the big hospital bills, we had to buy a big boy bed for Tyler, and some insurance premiums and property taxes are due. The insurance and tax bills are taken care of by our infrequent bills account (easily one of my top 10 best financial decisions ever), but I still hate to see our savings dip so much in one month. So I've decided to cook mostly from what's already on hand. I'll still hit the stores every week for loss leaders and perishables, but for the most part, our grocery bill should be less than half of what it usually is for the rest of the month.

I tried to vary my menu, and some of the things I keep on hand may surprise you. But I hope my list sparks a few ideas for your own menu. (Note: I always put a small serving of the entree on the boys' plates, but they rarely eat more than a few bites. I'm okay with that. They get enough to eat at dinner through fruit and starches, and they generally have substantial lunches so they're in no danger of not getting enough calories. I think it's good for them to be exposed to the type of food that Marc and I are eating, and figure that e-v-e-n-t-u-a-l-l-y they will come around.)

Our November Menu:

Butternut squash risotto with scallops - I have a large squash that I'm going to use this weekend; the scallops are already in the freezer

Butternut squash and potato gnocchi, using Cheap Healthy Good's recipe as a starting point

Baked rotini with meat sauce - I have some ground beef in the freezer, and an open jar of pasta sauce that needs to be used up

Potato & Pancetta Frittata - I am going to experiment with freezing the five pounds of potatoes sitting on my counter, and use some leftover diced pancetta that's already in the freezer, using my own Spanish tortilla recipe as a starting point

Potato & Shrimp Frittata, using frozen shrimp

Homemade pizza

Pasta Puttanesca - I always have anchovies in my pantry

Slow Cooker Chili, using more frozen ground beef

Pan Bagnat

Tuna Melts

Tuna Noodle Casserole

Tuna Pasta Salad, although now I leave out the pine nuts for allergy reasons

Chicken Nachos, using frozen chicken

Beef Tacos, using frozen beef

Of course, there's Thanksgiving to think about. I don't have to cook the turkey, but I will be making a couple of side dishes and at least one dessert!

Nov 12, 2009

LAUSD Program Choices: Application Deadline is December 18, 2009

I've previously discussed the various public school options in the Los Angeles Unified School District, which most notably include magnet schools. Since Alex will be entering kindergarten next year, I've been monitoring the eChoices web site, which is LAUSD's informational site.

Last October, there was an informational session at UCLA, so I kept waiting for the announcement about this year's session. But October came and went without any announcement, and I had to conclude that the session was a casualty of the district's massive budget cuts. In fact, the site remained unchanged from last school year.

Until this week.

For the first time, there was a new date at the upper right, indicating this year's application deadline of December 18, 2009. That's almost a month earlier than last year (when applications were due on January 9 of this year).

Applications were mailed to the homes of current LAUSD students on Friday, November 6. For those like me who don't have any students enrolled yet, you can pick up an application at your local LAUSD school, Los Angeles Public Libraries, and at Local District offices in late November, or at the Student Integration Services office at 333 South Beaudry Avenue, 25th Floor, in Los Angeles (90017).

One thing to keep in mind about the magnet program is that each year that you're rejected, you accumulate "wait list" points that can help you get accepted the following year. Several of the magnet schools start in the first grade, so my plan is to apply to one of the few kindergarten magnets with the hope of getting rejected. (You don't accumulate points if you get in and then decline to attend.) Then if we decide that a magnet school is in our best interest come first grade, we'll be in the best position possible to get into that school.

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Nov 9, 2009

It Pays To Re-Evaluate Your Services

I didn't set out to reduce my monthly landline and DSL bill by $20 per month, but that's exactly what happened when I called AT&T recently. I'd had a momentary lapse (or at least, that's what we're going to call it) that caused me to forget to pay the bill online before the due date. I remembered a couple of days later and immediately paid the bill, but a day or two after that, I received a statement showing a past due amount and a late fee.

Since I'd never paid the bill late before, I knew I had an excellent chance of getting the late fee waived. And indeed, the customer service representative I spoke to looked our account over and agreed to waive the fee without hesitation.

Then she asked if I had a few minutes to review my bill and services. I agreed, and she suggested a couple of changes that would result in a lower monthly bill and a $20 Visa gift card. The changes involved giving up two services we never used, but which had been included in the bundle I'd signed up for two years ago. That had been the best deal at the time, but the phone company had since changed their bundles, and the new bundle is definitely a better deal for us.

I just got our statement from the phone company, and it's $25 lower than our previous bill. I don't know yet if that will be the new monthly amount, or if it's a little lower than normal because of some credits resulting from the change in service.

I also periodically review our insurance coverage with our agent, and while that hasn't really resulted in any savings on the premium (since our deductibles are quite high to begin with), we've tweaked our coverage over the years to ensure that we have the right coverage. For instance, for an additional $10 per year, we added extra rental coverage that came in handy when our car was in the shop for over a month after we were rear-ended last year. I estimate that ending up saving us $150 to $200.

So although this is the busiest time of year for many of us, don't forget to make some time to review your services - it just might save you enough to buy some nice holiday gifts.

Nov 2, 2009

Public vs. Private School: Resolving our dilemma

One year ago, I was agonizing over whether to send our boys to public or private school. In our area, most parents in our socio-economic class seem to have this debate. I've discussed it countless times, and in the last year, I've done a ton of research into the topic. I've learned about the public school options, researched magnet schools in particular, attended an information fair put on by LAUSD, attended open houses, sought out other parents, and generally became a sponge for any and all information on the topic.

The bottom line conclusion we've reached is that our local public school is as good as any private school that we can currently afford. The very best private schools, at $20,000 per year per child, are simply out of our price range right now.

We'll be revisiting this topic as middle school approaches, because our conclusion currently applies only to the local elementary school. But for now, we're quite at peace with our decision. Of course, the real test will be next fall, when kindergarten actually becomes a part of our lives.

In the meantime, for parents who are experiencing the same dilemma, I highly recommend being as proactive as possible. Reach out to other parents, read informational booklets and web sites, and attend any events that are open to the public. I was pleasantly surprised and pleased at how well-run the events at the public school were, and it gave me a chance to meet some of the teachers, administrators and parents. I've gotten to know a few moms whose kids are kindergarteners at the public school this year, and seeing their satisfaction with the school has been extremely encouraging.

One final note: I've been keeping a close eye on the web site for LAUSD's Choices program, through which you apply for magnet schools and such. It appears there is not going to be an informational session this year, which I'm guessing is a casualty of this year's steep budget cuts.

Image credit: School Crossing Safety Sign at Amazon.com.

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