Ratatouille!!!

Inspired  by a giant eggplant in today's CSA box, I've decided to make ratatouille! (I have absolutely no idea why I insist of following every mention of it with an exclamation point).  My mother often made the dish for me when I was but a little girl and I have had a deep affection for it ever since.  Most recently I have fallen head over heels with the animated picture bearing the name.  I have watched it 3 times and  I absolutely swoon with pleasure just thinking of it. And yes, I am a nerd.   But a tiny adorable mouse in Paris cooking french food with the eiffel tower as a backdrop? Sign me up please.  And without further ado, may I present my recipe for rat-tat-touille! 

-1 onion

-1 eggplant

-2 cloves garlic

-1 zucchini

-1 bell pepper

-3-4 tomatoes

-a dash of fennel seed

-salt

-fresh basil

-olive oil (about 1/2 cup)

1.  Chop and salt the eggplant and place in a colander to drain (I left it for about 15 minutes. Half the onion and slice thinly.  Saute the onion with olive oil and chopped garlic on low for about 5 minutes.  Add the eggplant and cook for another 10 minutes.

2.  Add the rest of the ingredients (chopped to your preference) and cook for about 45 minutes. There was a bit too much liquid in mine for my preference so I did have to cook it for quite a while.  Depending on whether you prefer it thicker or with more broth, you can choose to cover or not.  Add the basil when you are happy with the consistancy  and allow to cook for a couple more minutes until the basil is wilted.  Salt to taste and voila, your very own ratatouille! (Little chef not included)

----------------------------------------------------------------------

I am serving mine over penne this evening and I intend to drown some fried eggs in the leftovers tomorrow.  

p.s. I guess I should have salted and drained the zucchini as well.  Oops.

-nora

Pasta with cannellini beans, roasted tomatoes and hand chopped pesto

This recipe actually came together in two parts- I made the beans with roasted tomatoes earlier in the day and had a portion for lunch with a veggie hotdog, and later when I was scouring the internet for recipes featuring basil (I just bought a basil plant), I came across this pesto recipe. I am actually generally not a huge pesto fan but chopping everything by hand makes it soooo much better than that stuff that comes out of a food processer. In the original recipe I found for the pesto (from one of my favorite food blogs 101 cookbooks), the writer prepared you to spend 30 minutes on it, but perhaps because I am not a perfectionist it took me less than 10!

First here is the recipe for the beans (loosely adapted from Elana's Pantry)

White Beans with Roasted Tomatoes and Fresh Basil

1 can cannellini beans

3-4 medium tomatoes

1 small clove of garlic

olive oil (2tbsp to 1/3 a cup- depends on how much you like olive oil)

salt to taste

balsamic vinegar

basil (about ten leaves roughly chopped)

Quarter the tomatoes and roast for about 30 minutes at 400 degrees. Meanwhile, drain the beans and chop the garlic. Throw the beans and garlic into a large bowl.

Once the tomatoes are done add them to the beans and garlic. Add the fresh basil, olive oil and salt and about a tablespoon of balsamic.

---------------------------------------------------------

As I said, I made the pesto later in the evening and added a spoonful or so to a bowl of pennette pasta. Then I added about a half a cup of the cannellini beans. I served it at room temperature (to myself- ha) and it was quite tasty. I've been eating it everyday for the last couple of days and have yet to tire of it. Actually the nice bit is that, as long as you only mix everything together when you are eating it, you can use the beans or the pesto numerous other ways. (The bean's would be great on crostini or in a salad with some nice greens. You could stir the pesto into a vegetable soup, add it to an omelette, or use it as a base for a nice pizza.)

Free Movies Under The Stars! (sigh.....)

The Pasadena Movie Festival kicked off last weekend and is running through July 25.  Grab a blanket and a picnic and catch a classic film for free.  Sounds tres romantic, no?  Tonight is Shirley Valentine (?) and Singing in the Rain.  Tomorrow you can check out Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory or Sixteen Candles.  You can find the rest of the schedule here.

Missing an old school drive in movie?  Then Devils Night Drive In is for you.  Bugsy Malone, Secretary, and Fast Times At Ridgemont High are the next few movies on the roster.

The W Hotel, the Century City mall, and Universal Studios also are offering free outdoor evening screenings.

Fans of silent films can head over to the Paramount Ranch

For a suggested donation of 5 dollars you can enjoy Silverlake's very own Outdoor Movie Festival.

And of course, I probably don't have to tell you about Cinespia at the Hollywood Forever Cemetary.  It will set you back ten dollars and 5 dollars more for the unlucky driver.

Enjoy!

-nora

Because why not, you know?

It's summer in LA and all I'm up to is sleeping late and talking on the phone. Still, this ought to prove interesting. The Lucie Foundation will be projecting images from masters and emerging talent alike on the walls of the courtyard (I'm assuming) at Space 1520. I don't think I can make it, but you kids should definitely go, have fun now. Take the car, stay out late.


However tomorrow, tomorrow, I think I can drag Nora out to Space 1520 for the Pangea pop up opening party. Mostly I'm interested in seeing what looks to be a fun installation by Confettisystem. And even though the outing will likely combine retail and alcohol I have vowed not to buy one thing as Nora and I are funemployed and off shopping all together. Somewhat. A little.

xoxo, Noelle

Puppy love, get it for free

As Nora and I were headed downtown to cover the LA Art Walk for Funemployment we stumbled across the world's most harrowing sight, a lost puppy! This puppy was running across 6 lanes of traffic on Sunset, dodging cars, left and right. We did what any reasonable people would do, flipped a 180 in the middle of the road and began chasing the Chihuahua like madwomen, despite the fact that one of us was in heels. We eventually wrestled the little monster into our car and got it home.

The following day we went back to Echo Park to put up 'Found Dog' signs when we stumbled upon a treat. A local man we had talked to the day before had left us a cryptic message, nailed to a telephone pole. He didn't know our names or numbers, only that I lived in Beachwood, so it simply said "Beachwood, I found the owners. Call me ASAP." Thrilled, we trotted back to our car to give him a call when the most unfortunate thing happened. We found a second lost Chihuahua! This dog had been forgotten at a taco stand by it's owner, and we were already posting up signs that said 'Found Chihuahua' so we figured, the more the merrier, and grabbed him too.

Friday rolls around and we're up to our asses in Chihuahuas. Luckily, we were able to find both of their owners, one who turned out to be a super hot BMX biker (bonus) who tried to give us money. We didn't take it despite our funemployed status, but we're seriously considering asking him out on a date because cute, BMX riding, animal lovers don't grow on trees in LA, you know.

I'll be you're wondering what this has to do with funemployment. Well, there are a lot of animals out there that need love. Not everybody has the time or space to foster a puppy or a kitty. However, if you contact your local shelter, they have great programs where they allow you to take doggies out for walks, either for elderly people who can no longer move at their pace, or for shelter dogs who need some time out of their cages. So check out this link and this link to find your shelter and get your ass up runyon canyon. Let's face it, you could probably both use the exercise.

xoxo, Noelle

Centerfolds and Savings

I love magazines the way most women love tiny little babies. I could spend an entire Sunday slowly drinking a cup of boozy coffee and pouring over the pages of Elle Decor and Lucky, picking out stuff that I know I'll probably never buy.

Now that I'm in LA and don't pass 50 newstands a day subscriptions are the way to go. However, like with most things, I don't feel like paying for them. Luckily, free subscription offers can be found all over the internet. Usually you have to fill out some quick asinine survey. Sometimes you have to provide your career info- which you should always lie about, claim you're massively successful and invent a corporation, they don't check. I'll try to post links regularly when I spot them. Here are a few to get started.

NYLON - Oy, we're angry youth with asymmetrical haircuts

INTERVIEW - Celebrities interviewing celebrities, could we be more self indulgent? NO!

ELLE - It's like the bible. I won't mock Elle.

xoxo, Noelle

99 cent strawberries at Rock and Roll Ralph's!

Creamy Summer Squash Soup

I'm really lazy and I don't feel like doing this but I haven't posted anything since Sunday so here goes....

Are you excited?

Yeah, me neither.

So I made this lovely summer squash soup last night and it was pretty good.  I actually think it's even better served cold.  That is what I plan on having for dinner with parmesan crostini.  I don't have a terribly exact recipe but I think soups are hard to screw up.

Creamy Summer Squash Soup

-3 very large squash (whatever you have on hand)

-1 enormous green onion (probably the size about two normal ones- 1 medium regular onion would work well but I didn't have that)

-vegetable stock or water (enough to cover the vegetables and a little more)

-3 leftover roasted new potatoes from the night before

-4 cloves garlic

-heavy cream

-herbs (I used a bit of nutmeg and herbs de provence)

-salt 

-pepper

I chopped the squash into large chunks and threw it into a roasting pan with some olive oil and nutmeg and herbs de provence.  I roasted it covered for about 30 minutes. 

Saute the garlic (please mince it first) in a large pot.  Throw the roasted squash and onion in after a couple of minutes and let it cook for a couple more minutes before adding the roasted potatoes (or not roasted) and chopped onion.  Add enough water or vegetable stock to cover the vegetables plus maybe a quarter of an inch on top.  Add a bit more herbs de provence (a combo of rosemary and thyme would be a good subsitute) and bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer, cover pot, and cook for about 45 minutes.

Puree in the blender VERY CAREFULLY!   I once had a batch of tomato basil soup explode all over me and it was very, very painful. 

Stir in cream to taste (a couple of tablespoons or so),  salt and pepper, and you are done!

-nora

Noelle plans your weekend for you...um, you're welcome

FRIDAY

Stella Im Hultberg, whose laptop and Ipod skins may sadly be more famous than her work, has a show opening on Friday at Thinkspace, so conveniently located in Silverlake. While my attraction to her work has always been the fact that it's super fucking pretty and crazy girly, she has escalated from fairy tale inspired Schiele-esque nudes (which I loved) to more morose, reflective portraiture (which I relate to). Her underwater series reminds me so much of Noelle and Nora's all time favorite break up song, The Blow's True Affection. Yeah, I know that's lame and probs not what ol' Stella had in mind. But you're allowed to make whatever you want to of art, so it's not like she can stop me, so ha. Noelle 1 point, Stella Im Hultberg 0 points. Oh snap.

SATURDAY

Chung King Road is fun. For starters you can eat cheap dim sum before the shows there. Secondly, the buildings are pretty and make you feel like you're in China. Thirdly, there's a bunch of kids rides and video games outside for when stuff gets dull. But Saturday shouldn't be dull. It's POV's One Year Anniversary and while I'm not the biggest fan of their artists, truthfully I find their Hi-Fi/Low-Fi approach a little kitschy, I'm always ready to have my opinion changed. Particularly if I'm holding a glass of complimentary wine in my hand. So come one, come all.

SUNDAY

A Sunday show! I hate Sunday but I like it a lot more when I'm pretending it's still Saturday. And Suru on Melrose is totally going to facilitate that little fantasy for me this weekend. It's kind of a cool concept actually, to benefit Riders for Health (um, whatevs) different artists will pick motorcycle elements to use as their mediums. I always like thematic shows like this because it does drag artists out of their box a little, sometimes the results are great, other times I drink free wine and meet cute boys. Anyhow, the roster here is pretty sweet with Barry McGee, Joe Hahn, Mike Shinoda, Audrey Kawasaki and Estevan Oriol contributing. Also it says Jesse James has a piece in the show, which almost makes me want to stay home. But then I think, hmmmm, what if he brings Sandy Bullock, whaddup Two Weeks Notice, this could be the best night of my life.

xoxo, Noelle

Fire and tears, oh yeah

How was your 4th of July? Mine was horrible, but I did pick up a little funemployment tip. If you cry in bars, people will buy you drinks!

Now please enjoy this wonderful photo of a fireworks accident. That is what my life looks like right now.

xoxo, Noelle

Roasted Beet Salad with Beet Greens and Feta (and possibly a little kale)

Part of being on a budget means cooking at home, so I have decided to post some of the recipes I try for better or worse. I'm not an incredible chef but since Noelle can't cook worth a damn, I figured I would have to be in charge of this. So let this be my first attempt to bring you a simple, delicious dish.

There were a few beets included in my CSA haul today so I decided to make Bon Apetits Roasted Beet Salad with Beet Greens and Feta. Because there weren't a lot of green attached to my beets I added in some kale (also in the box). A friend of mine made this for me about a month ago with fresh beets from her garden and I fell in love for the first time with beets, something I had not really been a fan of before. So without further ado, here is the original recipe that I halved and added kale to, and also left out the capers- but I will leave it up to you.

• 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic

• 7 medium-large beets (about 3 inches in diameter) with greens
• 1 cup water
• 2 tablespoons chopped drained capers

• 3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese (about 3 ounces)

preparation

Preheat oven to 375°F. Whisk oil, vinegar and garlic in small bowl to blend. Season dressing generously with salt and pepper.

Cut green tops off beets; reserve tops. Arrange beets in single layer in 13x9x2-inch baking dish; add 1 cup water. Cover; bake until beets are tender when pierced with knife, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Peel beets while warm. Cut beets in half and slice thinly. Transfer to large bowl. Mix in capers and 1/4 cup dressing. Season with salt and pepper.

Cut stems off beet greens; discard stems. Wash greens. Transfer greens, with some water still clinging to leaves, to large pot. Stir over high heat until just wilted but still bright green, about 4 minutes. Drain greens; squeeze out excess moisture. Cool; chop coarsely.

Transfer greens to medium bowl. Toss with enough dressing to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Arrange beets in center of platter. Surround with greens; sprinkle with feta. Drizzle with any remaining dressing

3 dollars roses

I stumbled across a great rose stand at the Hollywood Farmers Market today. They had bunches of roses for 7, 3 and even 2 dollars! Obviously the cheaper ones are probably not going to last as long but I think my 3 dollar bunch have at least 5 days in them and they are sooooo pretty!

I don't know exactly where the rose stand was located in the market, frankly I got a bit lost, but I will try and find out next week when I go back.

-nora

South Central Farmers Co-op. Holy crap!!

About a week ago I decided to do some research into local farmer co-ops.  Google came back to me with a few options, the first of those being the South Central Farmer Cooperative.  For a minimum donation of 15 dollars a week, you will be able to pick up an enormous box of vegetables from one of many farmers market locations in the los angeles area.  I chose the Hollywood Farmers Market, located off of Vine and Sunset.  

So I woke up today, feeling like it was Christmas morning , and rushed to the market to pick up my first box.  And after struggling the two block back with the enormously heavy mystery box (might want to take this in consideration when you are picking up), I was headed home to discover the contents. (I didn't let myself peek until I carried the box into my kitchen).  

Words cannot describe.........

Beets, 4 different types of squash, butter lettuce, kale, carrots, green onions, tomatoes, potatoes, green beans, a cucumber, and okra. (I am almost certainly leaving something out).

So now I think I am going to spend the rest of the day cooking!  I will post some recipes shortly....

-nora

Crippled Art Crawl

One of my favorite Funemployment past times is the Gallery Opening. Here's why.

1. Free Art.
2. Free Drinks.

If you're a girl in LA it's not that hard to score a free drink, but the key is to do it in an environment that doesn't make you feel like you're selling your soul along with your vodka soda.

For our first post, your bloggers, Nora and Noelle, decided to go on a little art walk. Our first stop was Kinkead Gallery for the Heather Cantrell (pictured right) show. UNFORTUNATELY, Noelle had misread the date of the show and after arriving in Culver City wearing heels at 6pm, the gallery was shut.

Not a problem, we decided to make our way to another show, guaranteed to be fabulous in terms of the turn out if not the art. However when we got there, more bad news. A line was already forming, cute boys were queued up for the taking. We could see the wine bottles splayed out through the window. Unfortunately, we could also see one of our ex boyfriends so without missing a beat we jumped in the car, slammed on the gas. Because people, free drinks are never worth a run in with an ex. Free gold is barely worth it.

So our art walk had slowed to a limp and the a crawl. What to do? Sometimes you face the facts 'It's 7pm, I'm wearing heels, and I have absolutely nothing to do.' That's when you say screw Funemployment and take yourself out for Thai food and $9 martini's at the local hole. Because there's a time and place for everything and that night was destined to cost about 30 bucks a piece.

So what? My first post was a failure. I've failed at more things than you've even tried. But stay tuned because there are good shows coming up next week and I'll post all the details in plenty of time to attend.

xoxo, Noelle

How I discovered my local library

Ok, yes, I realize this seems like no big feat. But for someone previously addicted to Borders, or Barnes and Noble, or whatever large bookstore happened to be in the vicinity, I believe accolades are in order. (I can waste a lot of time in the magazine section). I had noticed that there was one located a block away from me wedged between a strip club and a creepy motel, so one day with nothing else to do, I ventured out to see what this place was all about.

When I entered there was a sign that said to "form a line here", so I patiently waited, thinking it was strange how there was a queue for the library, and my have things changed since I was 8, but after a few minutes standing by myself in "line", I realized that the sign was referring to the computer area. Feeling rather foolish, I made my way further in. And dear readers (hi mother) what I did next, should probably never be admitted in polite company; I beelined for the young adult section. Because for me there is nothing like reading about Alanna the Lioness to brighten an otherwise crappy week.

I made my way out of the cheerful, art festooned area, feeling like a criminal, slouched over and avoiding eye contact, "It was for my niece", I would say if stopped. I quickly scooped up two Hemingway books to balance out my naughty acquisition, and proceeded to the checkout counter. Now, here is where I will apprise you that in order to get a library card you must have an ID with your current address. If you fill out the form with your current address and it does not match the address on your drivers license, you will be DENIED a library card. And of course, because this is me we are talking about, this is exactly what happened. So after I begged, pleaded, and pouted, I gave up, with a promise from the librarian to hold my books till the end of the day while I went home to find a bill with my name and current address on it.

Of course when I went back, my books were gone, but not yet put back on the shelves and so I had to find all of my books on the various library carts, and since there was a separate cart for young adult books I did get a chance to say "it's for my niece". I am happy to report, it has been smooth sailing ever since, although I do already owe about 70 cents in late fees. Still, it's cheaper than a new book, and they smell divine!

-nora