dinner for mom!

 i am the queen of making fancy meals for around 5 bucks a head. less because i dont have to buy spices etc every single time i cook or whatever. i wrote out my methodology for a friend, but i thought, with mother's day right around the corner and money being tight for a lot of people, i would share it a bit more publicly for those who want to celebrate with a nice dinner but your wallet's a little thin right now.

the prices are estimates, of course, because prices vary across different states. but in general all of these items are very cheap and you may even have some already in your kitchen. i included two different options, one which involves making your own (very basic) spaghetti sauce and one using jarred sauce. i do most of my shopping at walmart, but some of these things if not all of them can also be gotten from the dollar tree, dollar general, or a grocery store---but the grocery store will be a bit more expensive. either way both options should cost you less than $15 to make.

option 1:

ingredients

• 1 lb box of spaghetti/angel hair/whatever - $0.98
• 1 large can of tomato sauce - $0.88
• 1 large can of ttomato puree - $0.88
• 1 small can of tomato paste - $0.88
• 1 lb of chop/ground beef/meat - $3.00-$4.00
• 1 loaf of italian or french bread - $1.88
• 1 canister of grated parmesan cheese - $2.48
• butter/margarine/butter substitute - $1.98
• some spices if you don't have any already - $.50-$2.00

spaghetti sauce

• mix the tomato products in a pot
• add spices (oregano, garlic, onion, italian seasoning, basil, pepper, whatever you like)
• simmer on low heat for as many hours as possible. add a tablespoon of baking soda to cut the acid if desired.
• brown the meat in little chopped up bits and put the same spices you used for the sauce in the pan (make sure there's no red visible anymore)
• dump the browned spiced meat AND the liquid drippings into the sauce pot. (trust me. the drippings are where all the flavor comes from.) 
• continue simmering the sauce. it should be on the stove for at least 3-4 hours before you serve it to really get the most taste.

garlic bread

• mix up some melted butter, grated parmesan, and garlic powder or garlic salt in a small cup or bowl
• cut the italian bread into 1-inch-thick slices, without cutting all the way through to the bottom of the loaf.
• spread the butter mixture between every slice, wrap the whole thing in tin foil 
• stick it in the oven at 250-300* depending on your oven for about a half hour to an hour, checking it regularly to make sure it doesnt burn. 
• once the inside is a nice light brown (the slices will be slightly crispy but softer in the middle) it's ready to go.

spaghetti/angel hair/linguine/whatever

• boil some water in a pot and put a capful of extra virgin olive oil in the water if desired
• cook the spaghetti. (that was super easy, right?)

option 2:

ingredients

• 1 lb box of spaghetti/angel hair/whatever - $0.98
• 1 jar of premade spaghetti sauce (i prefer the "meat flavored" prego) - $1.88
• 1 loaf of italian or french bread - $1.88
• 1 canister of grated parmesan cheese - $2.48
• butter/margarine/butter substitute - $1.98
• garlic powder or garlic salt - $0.98

follow the directions from option 1, skipping the make-your-own-sauce bit.

light some candles, turn on some easy listening music and voila, you have a super fancy dinner for less than 15 bucks! :)

and yes, in case anyone was wondering, i am terrific while watching the price is right. if i ever got on that show i would win ALL the things because i know exactly how much pretty much anything costs.

my girlfriend calls me and asks "how much does this thing cost" and i can tell her right away. once we were at pier one and she was buying xmas presents for all her co-workers and non-family obligations (about 20 people total.)

she looked in the basket when she was done and said "how much money do you think i spent?" and i hadn't even been with her when she picked out half the things--i was off wandering on my own--so i didnt even see any of the prices. but i looked over her basket of presents, gift bags, wrapping paper, gift tags, cards, ribbons, etc for all 20 people, and i said "around $215 bucks." she paled and said there was no way. i just shrugged. we got up to the register, they ran her up.. total including tax? $211.78.

she just looked at me. and now its like a party trick.

and hey, that was a lot of money but broken down she only spent about 10 bucks a person and included the gifts themselves, the wrapping, cards, etc. not too shabby.

any way, i hope you all enjoy the upcoming holidays and i hope somebody out there benefits from this post.

until next time, dear minions. :)

thankful.

i have so much to be thankful for this year.

first, i want to say that above everything else i am thankful for the ENDLESS kindness i have been shown. i cannot even begin to name all of the people who have selflessly helped me, sent me supplies, stayed up late talking to me, guided me through this maze of illness, sent cards, gifts, made things for me. in most cases these amazing things have come from people i have never met in person. in some, it has come from people i have never even talked to. i am absolutely blown away by the outpouring of love, of time, of energy and kindness that i've experienced, not just this year but througout my life. every time i have fallen down or seen myself stumbling, someone has stepped to my side and taken my arm and helped me up. especially since i have been here in new jersey, essentially alone and a thousand miles from my family.

"I am calling from a payphone,
twenty three hundred miles away.
Bad things I can not even say.
If not for the kindness of strangers,
I would not be alive today."
- Bif Naked, Story of My Life


which brings me to major point #2---my family. you are all insane, every one of you. you are crazy people. i come from a long line of nutjobs. but my god, how much i love you all. i see so many people who have been rejected by their families, or had no choice but to reject their families. people whose families aren't involved or simply dont care. and every day i am thankful that as batcrap crazy as you all are, you're always here for me. i always know in a crisis that my family will step up, no matter what else is going on, and pull my butt out of the fire. i love you all--whether we share blood or don't, i know that we share love which is a much stronger bond anyway.

i am thankful for j. i wouldn't be alive right now if it wasn't for her, and i don't mean that figuratively. for the past 13+ years she has been at my side, holding my hand and keeping my head above water.

i am thankful for every last one of you reading this right now. i am thankful for my best friends, i am thankful for my friends, i am thankful for every one of you--my LJers, my GTLers, my former-TAA'ers, my whedon-ers, and everyone in between.

and now the smaller things i am thankful for:
- that i live in a time where i don't have to die because modern medicine has designed tubes and bags and formulas and medications that keep me alive, even if i'm not always functioning at the higher levels.
- that i have a medical team that honestly cares about me and wants to help.
- that i have the opportunity to go to school and that i am able to get the accomodtions i need to make this possible.
- i am thankful for marinol. as much as i hate feeling stupid, marinol has enabled me to eat small amounts of certain foods by mouth and kept me off TPN when things were at their worst.
- i am thankful that i am slowly finding what works for me and becoming able to spend less of my life focused on my medical situation.
- i am thankful for the three beautiful loving cats that are currently cuddled up to me trying to stay warm, even if occasionally they are furry little abominations who drive me nuts.
- i am thankful that despite the abuse i heap onto it and the fact that i am well overdue for an oil change, my car---which is solely responsible for my personal freedom--has held up.
- i am thankful for all of the little things in life that make me happy--dinosaurs, sara bareilles, hunger games, harry potter, john green, francesca lia block, joss whedon, jennifer lawrence, west wing, super soft cuddly things, sunsets, my favorite books and authors, my favorite comfy sweatpants.

and finally, i am thankful that i was lucky enough to know laura kostecki-howe, shea heribacka, haley stonehocker, joe 'koker' kayes, and shane cornwell. i carry you all in my heart every day, and i miss you all every day. sometimes the pain is overwhelming, but i try to remember how lucky i am to have known you, and that none of you are in pain anymore, and i try to let that comfort me. i miss you all, and i hope that somewhere out in the universe you're all there, waiting for our friends who are not doing so well, and waiting for me someday. keeping an eye on rontu, fiver, annabel lee, sweet j, christopher, and all the other furry family members that are no longer here.

my life is complicated, and sometimes it feels like its too much for me to handle. a lot of the time i am scared about what my future holds. but i am still here. i am still fighting. i am still screaming for a cure for all of us, every last one of us.

and i won't ever, ever stop.