Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Pasta Sauce St. Paul's

Pasta sauce St. Paul's

Last Sunday, one of our parishioners who also sings in the choir brought 25 pounds of Roma tomatoes from her garden to share. Here’s a recipe for pasta sauce I made with some of the tomatoes

For the pestata
2.5 ounces pancetta or bacon cut into pieces (optional)
½ large onion, cut into chunks
1 small red bell pepper, seeded and cut into chunks
Garlic (your preference for the quantity)

Olive oil for the pan
2 Tbs tomato paste
1.5 pounds Roma tomatoes, peeled, seeded and roughly chopped
2 Tbs chopped basil
Salt
Red pepper flakes

Grind all pestata ingredients in the food processor until well chopped. (You can put anything you want in a pestata. Carrots and celery are common ingredients.) Heat oil in large frying pan to medium hot. Add pestata (stand back so the steam doesn’t hit you). Cook until all the liquid is absorbed. Clear a hot spot in the pan and cook/brown the tomato paste in it. Season with salt and hot pepper flakes. Add tomatoes and basil. Cover and simmer until tomatoes have disintegrated and the sauce has thickened (anywhere from half an hour to an hour).

Remove top from pan and cook until sauce is the right consistency. Serve with your favorite pasta. Add freshly grated parmigiano reggiano. Drizzle with more olive oil if desired. Top with shredded fresh basil if desired.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Built for Lust

Cara Logan is a lone wolf, literally -- a werewolf female unwilling to submit to either a human or a wolven mate. An expert in electronics and engineering, Cara builds herself a mate she can turn on and off at will. Only somehow, Gray becomes real, and not only can he satisfy her as a wolf, he can shift to human and perform that way, too. Now, she has to accept that she's mated to a male with a mind of his own, and the two of them have to find their places in her pack.


This is my first werewolf story...ever. I was intrigued by how an independent, strong woman might react to being a member of a close-knit pack, especially if she didn't feel she belonged. When she created Gray, it seemed inevitable that he'd become real.

The wonderful thing about writing is that you can play with the impossible and (with any luck) make it not only possible but necessary.

Friday, September 3, 2010

Help a legendary drummer -- Clyde Stubblefield



"Funk music legend Clyde Stubblefield needs our help. Clyde's innovative beats on many James Brown hits set a standard for funk drumming and, through sampling, have heavily influenced the direction of hip-hop and drum & bass music. Today Clyde continues to perform while receiving intensive weekly dialysis treatment since his kidneys failed in July 2009.

"Please consider making a donation to help him find some relief as he braves this journey.

"Every penny helps and donations travel directly to Clyde safely through PayPal. You can even join us in spreading the word and placing our widget on your own websites.

"Thank you & GIVE THE DRUMMER SOME!"

From Alice:

Those of you who know me personally know that I'm an addicted mega-fan of the classic soul band Tower of Power. The sounds of James Brown hugely informed TOP, and in fact, if we hadn't had musicians like Clyde Stubblefield, I likely wouldn't have my beloved band at all.

Several years ago, the call for help went out when TOP's legendary bass player, Rocco Prestia, had a medical emergency. Musicians ain't rich, folks, and they often don't have health insurance. It's up to us to keep the music playing.