shortly after i moved back to san jose from phoenix, i finally gave in to the scrapbooking bug. most of my friends were doing it. and god knows, i had about a million pictures to work with.
i started slowly. i attended a creative memories party with one of my friends. it was either mrs. L or our dear departed friend Shauna. i can't even remember now. my first few pages were over embellished messes. but over time, my process has changed and grown.
Shauna had a huge dining room table so, every other friday a group of us would meet at her house. we would have a potluck dinner with her family and then we would spread out whatever we were working on. at that time Shauna was working on her Japan book. most of us had traveled to Japan in 1998 to see our sharks play the first games of the new hockey season against the calgary flames. we only had 6 days in tokyo. but we made the most of every minute. we went to the 4:00 am fish market, we went to the samurai museum, we visited temples and the imperial palace. some of us took a day trip to mount fuji. some of us took in disneyland - tokyo. so we all had a ton of pictures from that trip and Shauna was the furthest along in making her memories of that trip come alive.
we would sit there in her dining room and talk, laugh and just be together and reinforce the bonds of friendship. sometimes one or more of us wouldn't even bring a project. we would just come for the company.
Shauna was diagnosed with stage 4 inflammatory breast cancer in october of 2005. we continued our every other friday night tradition for as long as we could. it was more about spending time with our friend than working on our projects.
after Shauna got too sick, we quit gathering to do it and started just spending time with her, mostly one on one but sometimes there would be a few of us gathered around her bedside. after Shauna passed, we quit the scrap get-togethers completely.
since that time, most of us have scrapped very little. until recently. it is almost as if we have all decided that it is time again. time to work on projects with a few friends, time to learn a new technique, and more importantly, time to spend keeping our bonds to each other healthy and thriving.
after chatting with NSM and Mrs L, at my ornament party it was decided. on sunday, january 25th, we are bringing back the tradition. since i have the biggest house and the most tables we will gather here for an afternoon of crafting, talking, laughing and just bonding.
i am cooking lunch for us. the menu will be:
Barefoot Contessa's Lemon Fusilli with Arugula
Ingredients
1 tablespoon good olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic (2 cloves)
2 cups heavy cream
3 lemons
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 bunch broccoli
1 pound dried fusilli pasta
1/2 pound baby arugula (or 2 bunches of common arugula, leaves cut in thirds)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
Directions
Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the garlic, and cook for 60 seconds. Add the cream, the zest from 2 lemons, the juice of 2 lemons, 2 teaspoons of salt, and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until it starts to thicken.
Meanwhile, cut the broccoli in florets and discard the stem. Cook the florets in a pot of boiling salted water for 3 to 5 minutes, until tender but still firm. Drain the broccoli and run under cold water to stop the cooking. Set aside.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add 1 tablespoon of salt and the pasta, and cook according to the directions on the package, about 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain the pasta in a colander and place it back into the pot. Immediately add the cream mixture and cook it over medium-low heat for 3 minutes, until most of the sauce has been absorbed in the pasta. Pour the hot pasta into a large bowl, add the arugula, Parmesan, tomatoes, and cooked broccoli. Cut the last lemon in half lengthwise, slice it 1/4-inch thick crosswise, and add it to the pasta. Toss well, season to taste, and serve hot.
and for dessert:
Lemon Angel Food Cake - which is ironically, also a barefoot contessa dish.
Ingredients
2 cups sifted superfine sugar, divided
1 1/3 cups sifted cake flour (not self-rising)
1 1/2 cups egg whites, at room temperature (10 to 12 eggs)
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Combine 1/2 cup of sugar with the flour and sift together 4 times. Set aside.
Place the egg whites, salt, and cream of tartar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and beat on high speed until the eggs make medium-firm peaks, about 1 minute. With the mixer on medium speed, add the remaining 1 1/2 cups of sugar by sprinkling it over the beaten egg whites. Whisk for a few minutes until thick and shiny. Whisk in the vanilla and lemon zest and continue to whisk until very thick, about 1 more minute. Sift about 1/4 of the flour mixture over the egg whites and fold it into the batter with a rubber spatula. Continue adding the flour by fourths by sifting and folding until it's all incorporated.
Pour the batter into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan, smooth the top, and bake it for 35 to 40 minutes, until it springs back to the touch. Remove the cake from the oven and invert the pan on a cooling rack until cool.
if you are in the neighborhood and want to come by feel free. :) the more the merrier, i always say!
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