Goodbye, Leticia

My heart broke today.  A friend and former colleague told me that one of my former students committed suicide.  She was 17 years old.

 Leticia joined my multicultural lit. class for the 2nd semester.  I actually had a handful of kids who joined the class in the middle of the year, but she was the one who stood out the most to me.  I can't tell you why she stood out from the rest, but she did. 

My first impression of Leticia was not favorable.  She looked and behaved like an angry cholla.  Wearing droopy, tan carpenter pants and a plaid over shirt, she would sit in the back of my class and attempt to not fall asleep.  She wasn't disrespectful, nor was she disruptive.  She just didn't want to be in a class in which she not only had to read, but discuss what she read, as well.  When called upon to answer a question, she would either respond grudgingly or say, "I don't know."  She would also either not turn in her homework, or turn in homework that was only half completed.  But she had lovely handwriting. 

I can't remember exactly when she started to actively participate in class.  I wish I had paid more attention to what we were talking about that sparked for her.  It's so hard to see what sparks for individual students in a class of 30.  Especially when they all spark on something different.  But one day, she actually started to ask questions. 

I loved when my students ask questions.  I loved when they answered each other, too.  I'm not talking about who did what, when, and where, but why.  I loved when they talked about character motivation, whether they were right or wrong or just blowing smoke to try and score points.  When someone can speculate on motivation, they can connect with the character and story, and that's the first step in appreciating literature.

Let me explain something before I go on.  I taught at a college prep school for low income students, predominately Hispanic students.  School was not a priority for most of my students.  They were at our school because their parents wanted them to be there, they were unsuccessful at the public schools in the area, they were misfits who were looking for a better atmosphere, or because our school was closest to their home.  Most of the students were far below grade level.

Our school had a fabulous Early College Program (ECP), but almost all of the students who were in my class had decided that college wasn't for them.  I taught juniors and seniors, and by the time I got them, they had either flunked out of the ECP, or they never had the desire to be in it.  It didn't matter.  My goal was to try to prepare them in case they decided after they graduated that they did want to go to college.  I knew most of my kids would not only not go to college, but they wouldn't ever open a book to read for pleasure.  I had a small window of opportunity and only a minute chance of changing this.  

So, when I talk about my students starting to ask questions and have conversations about the literature, you can see how exciting it was for me.  When a student like Leticia started talking, it made me want to do a happy dance at the front of the class.  Now, I'm not saying she started talking post-modern lit. theory, but she did start to engage.  And at the same time, she started to smile. 

I like to think I won her over with my engaging personality and my intellectual prowess, but I think it was actually the fact that I would dance and sing and tell stupid jokes and crawl on the floor along the front wall to illustrate "The Yellow Wallpaper."  In other words, I think she liked the fact that I was crazy.  That's okay.  I wanted them to see that literature could be fun; it could be crazy.  I think she got that.  I think she saw someone with a passion, and seeing that, her spark started glowing.

By the time we reached our unit on Asian lit. near the end of the semester, Leticia was a completely different person.  She still had days in which it seemed she would rather be home sleeping, but she had many more days in which she talked, laughed, smiled, told jokes, answered questions, told me about herself, rapped, made fun of me as I acted the goofball.  She became one of the lights in my classroom.  She still looked exactly the same, carpenter pants and all, but she wasn't the same taciturn child who walked into my room in January. 

I remember when she told me that she wanted to be a DJ/Rapper.  We talked about how hard it is to break into the music business.  I told her that no matter how hard it was, if it was her dream, she should follow it.  After all, how would she know if she could do it if she didn't try?  She then asked me why I didn't become a singer (remember, I used to sing in class.) I told her that I had the opportunity once, but I chose not to take it.  I wanted to finish college.  The opportunity never came again, but I was okay with that, because I'd rather sit with a bunch of people and talk literature.  It was a lot more fun being at the front of my classroom than it ever was on stage.  She gave me one of her patented frowny-faced nods, and that was that.

I haven't seen Leticia since class ended last year, but I've thought about her several times.  She made fun of me once when I demonstrated my superior rapping abilities by singing the song "Buffalo Girls" from the eighties ("you got mad skills, miss.")  It makes me smile every time I think about it.  I'm smiling right now.  But I'm crying, too.

Leticia committed suicide because she was bullied.  She was bullied because she was gay.  This lovely, talented, sweet, tough young woman couldn't take any more. She gave up, and it makes my heart hurt.  I don't blame her for giving up.  It's hard to be different, and teenagers are not equipped to handle the kind of pain she went through on a daily basis.  They shouldn't have to.  I remember being a teenager.  It was hard.  It was ugly.  It was brutal.  And I wasn't an "other" like Leticia was.  If it was that hard for me, I can imagine how much more she struggled.

I have no idea what these bullies said to her.  I have no idea who these bullies were.  I have no idea how long she had been bullied.  I have no idea if I could have helped her had I been there.  What I do know is that this shouldn't have happened.  But it did happen.  It keeps happening.  It will keep happening for as long as people try to force belief systems on other people. 

In my classroom, we talked a lot about discrimination.  All kinds of discrimination: racial, sexual, gender-bias, religious, political, and on and on.  I encouraged this, even built lesson plans, many lesson plans, around discussing discrimination, marginalization, and the effects on society these negative things have.  I did this to try to stop what happened to Leticia.  I did this to try to create a generation of people who accept a person for their individualities.  I did this to try to help create a world in which love is the guiding factor, not hate. 

But how can one teacher in a small school change the world?  How can the students take such a teacher seriously when they see the courts upholding someone's "right" to discriminate against another person?  Why should they believe a teacher when members of their own government show them how to hate so much more effectively than I can show them how to love?  How can they feel safe to be different if someone can legitimately bring a bill to their state senate that says homosexuality should be a crime, and everyone convicted should be put to death by firing squad?  Why would they believe anything I say, when society is actively showing them that it's not okay to be a person of color, a woman, LGBT, non-Christian, etc.  I'll tell you how. 

I can't. 

Goodbye, Leticia.  We failed you.  I failed you.  And I'm sorry.

 With love,

The Crocheting Cat Lady

 

 

 

 

 

Hot Topics = Hot Button (Common Core Standards)

Okay, my friends.  I'm going to weigh in on a rather hot topic right now:  Common Core.  I keep seeing videos and articles going around the internet that argue Common Core math is destroying our young people.  Every time I see one of these, I have one of two reactions.  I either laugh and say, "What a moron" or I get really angry.  So today I'm going to discuss why I have these reactions.

 Let me remind you that last year I taught high school English.  The school I taught at was a charter school that was in the process of adopting the Common Core standards.  Because of this, we were very focused on studying them and learning how to apply them.  Each department in the school met weekly to discuss the implementation strategies.  We even had workshops in which outside professionals came in and helped us navigate these new standards.  So let's just accept that I have read the standards, and I'm not just blowing smoke out of my rear end, m'kay?

 Let's start off by talking about why I have the moron reaction to the anti-Core fanatics, especially when I see the video of the Arkansas woman "destroying" Common Core.  It's quite obvious that these people have never actually read the Common Core standards.  Let me explain how I know this, and why I'm willing to bet everything I own on this knowledge.

 For those of you who have never read a teaching standard, I'll explain them a little.  Teaching standards have been in place for years and years and years. Pretty much for as long as actual schools have been around.  For a long time, they were determined by each township that had a school.  Then they started to be governed by specific counties.  Eventually that evolved to the point that each state was setting standards that encompassed every school in the state.  That's what I grew up with .  (I'm betting that's what most of us grew up with.) 

 A teaching standard is a benchmark, a learning goal that a child is supposed to reach before he/she can be forwarded to the next level of learning.  For example, a child must learn to count before he/she can be forwarded to learning how to add and subtract.  No method of instruction is introduced, only the benchmark that must be reached. 

 Common Core is the next evolution, in which every state has the same benchmarks at the same grade levels.  Speaking as someone who went to 4 different elementary schools, 1 junior high school, and 3 different high schools (in different states,) this is very beneficial.  I don't want any child to experience what I went through: changing schools to discover you have completely missed part of your education because it was taught in a lower grade than the school you just left.  (You know the less than/more than signs?  Yeah, I completely missed that when I changed schools once.  It took me years to figure them out, because no one thought to question whether I had actually been taught this lesson.  They just assumed that I had, and that I was just particularly thick!  Instead of giving me the lesson, they marked the answer wrong and moved on. Standards that are the same across all of the country would have eliminated this misunderstanding.)

 The Common Core standards are really not that different from most of the standards that the states individually instituted previously.  In fact, they surpass many states' learning expectations.  Rather than dumbing the standards down to match the lowest state expectations, they actually raise the standards up to match the highest.  (I was surprised to see some of the suggested literature for each of the grades.  Several of the texts suggested for study  in the lower high school levels were texts I didn't study until I was in college!  But don't get me started about my high school English education.  Let's just say that I didn't develop a passion for the subject until I was much, much older. )

A method of teaching, on the other hand, is a way for the teacher to impart the knowledge needed for said student to reach that benchmark.  For example, the method of teaching I learned concerning multiplication included boxes, dots, and counting.  (2 X 3 would be 2 boxes, each filled with 3 dots, count all the dots, the answer is 6.)  It worked really well for me, not so well for others.  Another method of teaching was memorization of the multiplication tables, which I also had to do.  It also worked for some, but not others.

 Do you see the difference between the two concepts?  A standard is a goal that must be reached to move forward, a teaching method is the tool used to help a student reach that goal.  So, why do the anti-core people make me laugh?  BECAUSE THEY SAY THEY ARE ARGUING AGAINST A STANDARD, BUT THEY ARE ACTUALLY ARGUING AGAINST A TEACHING METHOD! Nowhere in any of the Common Core standards can you find methods for instruction!  Only the benchmarks!  Funny, right?  Yeah, not so much.

 This leads me to why I get angry.  These people who come out against the Common Core because of teaching methods have not done their research properly.  Anyone who has written a research paper knows the wrath of an English teacher who witnesses poor research!  I am no different.  I get incredibly upset when people use only secondary sources (or tertiary sources) to prove a point.  You have to look at the primary sources, too!  In this case, that would be studying the Common Core standards.  It is the proverbial horse's mouth!  As a teacher, by not providing documentation from the primary source, by only quoting what other people have said about your subject, when I read your argument, it's going to be pretty clear to me that the primary source didn't actually say what you wanted it to say, so you had to resort to perversions of the primary source to make your point.  Not kosher, dude! It makes me angry, and you wouldn't like me when I'm angry.

I'm not saying I am advocating Common Core.  I'm not saying I am condemning Common Core.  I see the potential in having a set of standards that encompasses every state.  I also see that while Common Core is a beginning, I don't think it's the ultimate answer to the U.S.'s education woes.  What I am saying is that if you want to create an effective argument, make sure you actually know what you are arguing against.  In the case of the Arkansas lady, I can only say that I weep for the quality of her education.  Because no matter how disjointed and poor my education may have been, it must have been better than hers.  (Really lady, you should be ashamed!)

 With Love,

 The Crocheting Cat Lady

 P.S.  For those of you who want to check out the horse's mouth, here's a link to the Common Core standards.  (Make sure to drink lots of caffeinated beverages.  They're every bit as boring as the old state standards.)   Common Core Standards

 

 

 

2 years? 2 YEARS!

How can it have been 2 years?  When I started this blog, I did it to keep my writing skills from getting rusty.  I was trying to follow the sage advice of my favorite writer to just write.  He said it didn't matter what I wrote as long as I wrote every day.  I'm sorry, Stephen.  I have failed you and myself (and my 4 readers.)  However, the good thing about writing is that you can start again at any time. 

So, here's what's happened in the last two years.  I found a job.  Yay!  I taught junior and senior English at a small charter school in Pueblo, CO (Go, Scorpions!) for a year.  Yup, you read right.  1 year.  That's all I had before budget cuts forced the board of directors to decide they needed to cut one of the three English teachers at the high school.  If I sound a little bitter, well, I am.  I really enjoyed talking about literature with the kids.  I loved seeing them light up when they realized they were smarter than they thought.  It was fun when I hit on a lesson they actually enjoyed.  These moments made the stuff that really sucked bearable. 

Some of the stuff that sucked was the lack of parent involvement, the parents who only became involved when their child was failing and wanted me to make an exception, the students who really didn't want to be in class and decided that none of the kids should be enjoying their learning time, the ridiculous amount of testing that had to be done to prove that I was doing my job, the mandatory sponsoring of an after-school club when there were no facilities or money to make the club worthwhile, and finally, the complete loss of any semblance of a personal life (of course, this was mostly due to the fact that I was a first-year-teacher and was creating two programs from scratch.) 

However, one really good thing came from my very short stint in public education: I realized that I really don't want to be a teacher.  A tutor, sure, but never a teacher.  It's not worth it.  Too much crap, no respect, and the pay is horrible.  Of course, since I've been unemployed since July, I really miss that horrible pay check.  Thank goodness I have a wonderful brother who allows me to live in his house for the price of my cooking abilities.  (Much respect, Jeremy!)

So, that pretty much brings me up to date.  I now spend my time looking for jobs (again,) crocheting, making memory movies for my grandmother's birthday, and trying to help my brother grow his business enough to be able to employ me.  Once again, I'm going to try to keep up with my blog. So, hopefully, you'll be seeing some of my recent crochet and craft projects soon, and I'll keep you up-to-date on my job prospects (still working on that craft supply store) and perhaps I'll start talking about my reading habits, as well.  Until then...

With love,

The Crocheting Cat Lady

Look at the Baby Blanket I made!

Haloooooo!

I hope everyone has had a wonderful week.  I've been doing all right.  I decided to treat my unemployment and search for a new job as the vacation I was rarely able to take before.  I've got a certain amount of work I do every morning: searching job sites, filling out applications, blah, blah, blah.  However, once this is done, I have the rest of the day to do what ever I want.  That means that I usually spend a lot of time watching movies and crocheting.  I guess I could do some house work, but why?  Vacations are for doing what you want to do, not what you should do! (I know my logic is faulty, but I'll stay out of your reasoning if you stay out of mine.)

Anyway, one of the things I had time for was this baby blanket.  I just love the colors.  It reminds me of taffy in a wrapper; so, I've decided to call it Taffy Stripes.  What do you think?

If you want to make this, here are the instructions. 


Caron Simply Soft Yarn - 2 colors -aproximately 2 to 3 skeins of each

size H hook

stitches: Chain (ch), single crochet (sc), half double crochet (hdc)

With color 1:

Chain stitch 99

Row 1: Hdc in third chain from hook(counts as first hdc here and throughout), ch 1, skip next ch--repeat across, hdc in last chain--turn

Row 2: Ch 3 (counts as first hdc and 1 ch), skip next ch, hdc in next hdc--repeat across, hdc in ch 2--turn

Rows 3-10: repeat row 2

Row 11: Ch 1, sc in first hdc in each hdc and ch space all the way across, join color 2 in last sc--turn

Row 12: Ch 1, sc in first sc and in each sc across--turn

Rows 13-23: repeat row 3

Row 24: repeat row 11

Repeat rows 2-24 two more times, then repeat rows 11-24 for last color stripe--do not finish off. Turn Afgan.

At this point you should have four stripes of color 1 and 3 stripes of color 2.

Ruffle edgeing: From now on out, when the directions say to turn, it means to turn the blanket to work on the next edge, rather than working on the back side or front side. For example, if you are working on one of the short edges, turn will mean to start work on the long edge.

Row 1: 2 sc in first sc, 1 sc in next sc and in every sc across to last sc, 2 sc in last sc--turn--1 sc in first row and each row the end--turn--2 sc in first sc, 1 sc in each sc across to last sc, 2 sc in last sc--turn--1 sc in first row and in each row until the end--join in first sc with slip stitch

Row 2: Ch 1, 3 sc in first sc, 1 sc in each sc to last sc, *3 sc in last sc (this is your corner), repeat from * 3 times, slip stitch to join with first sc

Row 3: Repeat row 2

Row 4: Ch 1, 3 sc in first sc, 2 sc in each sc across to last sc, *3 sc in last sc, 2 sc in each sc to last sc, repeat from * 2 times, slipn stitch to join with first sc

Row 4: Ch 1, 3 sc in first sc, *2 sc in next sc, 1 sc in next sc, repeat from * across to last sc, **3 sc in next sc, *2 sc in next sc, 1 sc in next sc, repeat from * across to last sc, repeat from ** 2 times, slip stitch to join with first sc

Rows 5-6: Repeat row 4, fasten off

Weave in all ends

Well, there you go.  This is the first time I've ever written down instructions for something I've made, so I'm sorry if they're hard to understand. If you have any problems, just write me a message, and I'll try to help you out and then fix the directions.

With love,
The Crocheting Cat Lady

 

Hey Crocheting Cat Lady! Where've you been?

Oh holy cow! I didn't realise how long it's been since I last posted.  Two months!  What's up with that?  I wish I could say that I neglected my posting because life was just so exciting I couldn't find the time.  But I can't.  While life over the last two months has definitely been eventful, I can't say it's been exciting. 

The most important event over the last two months is that I finally quit my job.  Yay!  I know I haven't mentioned my job very much previously, but I didn't want to use my blog as a bitch fest.  Suffice it to say that my job made me very unhappy for five and a half years, and I finally had enough about two months ago and started looking for other work.  (That was about the time I started investigating how to open my own craft supply store.)  I really didn't want to leave my job without another one to take it's place, but circumstances forced me to. 

My job was supposed to be temporary employment while I went to graduate school, but when the economy tanked, I ended up staying there.  It was just so hard to find a new job, especially since most of my work experience was in the medical career field.  Do you know how hard it is to get a job outside of the career field that your experience is in?  Throw degrees in English on top of it, and no one wants you.  Not only do you not have the experience they want, but they think your education will make you dissatisfied with anything but a job concerning your degree.  ARGH!

For the last two years, I had been having minor anxiety attacks while at work.  Shortness of breath, tight chest, dizziness, that sort of thing.  (However, one time I had an attack while on the phone with a patient and actually lost consciousness for a few seconds.  I should have quit then.)  Anyway, on my last day of work, I had a major attack that landed me in the ER.  The Urgent Care doctor didn't want to take the chance that it wasn't actually a heart attack, so he loaded me into an ambulance and shipped me to the hospital.  Understandable, but expensive.  Well, it wasn't a heart attack, but it was a wake up call.  I decided then, while in my little hospital johnny with tubes and wires sticking out all over, that if I didn't quit my job, my anxiety attacks would end up actually giving me a heart attack.  The next day, I quit.  And again, Yay!  Or maybe, Yay?

Soooo.  Now I just sit around the house and fill out job applications and hope my prospective employers will look beyond the masters degree and lack of experience and just give me a chance.  (Are you listening Hastings?  I think I would make a great book or video department manager.  Heck, I'll work in the coffee shop.  Anything to work at my favorite store.  And have an income, of course.)  Shameless plug over. 

So, I haven't been wasting all my time.  I did finish three baby blankets and make a hair tie and arm bracelet for my niece's junior prom.  (I've got a lot of time on my hands, now.)  Here are pictures of the jewelry:

I crocheted silver wire and weaved beads in for a cute arm bracelet to match my niece's Greek goddess style dress.

 

This is the matching hair piece.

 

 

And the complete look.  I had a little fun having her pose with that vase.  Isn't she just a lovely, young lady?  (I know I'm biased.  Cut me some slack!)

 





Well, I think that's going to be it for now.  I have to go clean my office and open every box to look for my transcripts.  It seems that the Colorado department of Education requires that information when you apply for a high school English teacher position. 

 

With love,

The Crocheting Cat Lady (unemployed, but anxiety attack free!)





How Do I . . .

Business loans, distributor searches, rental space searches, oh my!  For the last two years, I've been dreaming of starting my own craft supply business.  Until last week, that's all it's been: dreaming.  But last week, I finally decided that I was tired of working for other people.  I was tired of working at jobs that were unfulfilling and completely inept at taking advantage of my strengths and talents.  I was tired of watching the people I work with get rewarded for being lazy, unethical, and stupid. 

This Saturday, I decided to start really researching how I would go about achieving my dream.  The first thing I did was search the Internet for distributors of what I wanted to stock in my store: yarns, crocheting/knitting tools, cross stitch threads/patterns/tools, beading supplies, general crafting supplies, and whatever else I decide I have space for in the future.  I was wildly successful.  I have several folders filled with bookmarked websites that seem like they'll be useful to me.  Yay, me!  Of course, all that searching has left me confused and worried that ordering stock from so many different places will cause me headaches.  Hopefully, though, once I get going and become more experienced, I'll be able make contacts that will make ordering easier.  I'm optimistic.

The second thing I did was go to the SBA website and browse through all the advice and tools they have for starting a new business.  Holy cow!  Talk about scaring the bejeebies out of me.  The SBA site is full of information: good, interesting information. There's a whole section about businesses owned by women. It's also got information about help for veterans. The problem is that it's so full of of information, that I'm left overwhelmed and confused as to what to do first.   The site tells you what to do, but not how to do it. When I was creating a resume and cover letter for post-college employment, I had examples to follow that made it easier to create my own.  I'm not saying that I want some kind of formulaic template that you plug information into and, presto, you have a business plan.   I'm just looking for some kind of map to help me find my way. I can find anything with a good map.

The one thing I know for sure, is that there is a definite need for my business.  You see, I live in a relatively small, rural town in southern Colorado, and the only option for purchasing craft supplies we have is Walmart.  (Anyone who has browsed the craft section in Walmart knows that it's horrible.  Not only is the selection incredibly limited, the product is mostly cheap, and not in the good way.)  My community is loaded with retirees and artists/crafters.  I'm not going to have any problems finding customers.  Furthermore, the nearest real craft supply store is Hobby Lobby, 40 miles away in Pueblo.  With gas prices today, it's just not economical to drive to Pueblo every time you run out of yarn or Mod Podge.  Speaking from a crafter's point of view, a small craft supply store in town would be lovely.  My obstacle is, how do I translate that need into funding to meet it?

According to the SBA, I need a business plan to get funding.  Well, I have two English degrees.  It shouldn't be hard to write, right?  Uh, yeah.  I can write short stories, poetry,and an analysis of Hemingway's treatment of PTSD in The Sun Also Rises.  I can also write detailed instructions on how to bathe your cat.  Hey, I can even write a blog! But how the heck do I write a business plan?  The site says I need to include demographic information, details on how my business will benefit the community, and a hundred other things that I know trying to organize into coherent written communication will offend my delicate writing sensibilities.  (This is where that map would come in pretty handy.  I'll keep searching the net for it, and I'll let you know where I find it.) 

And, oh yeah, the site doesn't really address how to get financing if you have a questionable personal credit history.  As Pooh would say, "Oh, bother."

In all honesty, though, as overwhelmed, frustrated, and terrified as I am trying to figure out how to get this business going, I'm happy.  I've taken my first step towards making my dream a reality.  Granted, it's just a teeny, weenie step, but it's a step.  Knowing that I'm working towards leaving my current job makes doing that job a bit bearable. 

Now, if I could just win the lottery, all my financing worries would be history. 

With love,
The Crocheting Cat Lady

Hey Cat Lady! What's For Dinner?

When I was a kid, we had a restaurant in town that served a fantastic manicotti.  I left town to join the Air Force and spent the next 8 years living in Omaha, NE dreaming about that manicotti.  Unfortunately, once I moved back home, I found that the restaurant had changed, and not for the better.  The manicotti that had made my mouth water in my dreams on a nightly basis didn't exist anymore.  In its place was a horrible parody of manicotti.  Crushed, I thought I would never enjoy my favorite Italian dish again.  That was 15 years ago. 

Since then, I've become more comfortable experimenting with recipes.  One of the first I experimented with was the Betty Crocker manicotti recipe.  The first time I made it, I copied it straight out of the book.  While it was good, it had no zip.  It wasn't something that would make me crave it for 8 years.  It took me two years of playing with it and two very special people (thank you my dear brother and niece) tasting each version to come up with a recipe that I love, but I did it.

I thought I would share the recipe with you, but I must warn you, I don't measure,  I just pour, mix, and taste.  So, if you are one of those people who have to know exactly how much of a spice has to go into it, you may be out of luck.  I'll try to give you estimated measurements, but let me tell you that the best way to know how much of a spice to use is to put a little in and taste it.  If it doesn't taste like enough, add a little more.  That said, here we go.

 

 

Ingredient List:

 

Manicotti Shells

 

Filling:

 

Sweet Italian Sausage     1 lb

Cottage cheese                1 large tub 

Parmesan cheese            1/2 cup (I use fresh because it's much less oily than pre-grated)

Mozzarella cheese           2 lbs

Fresh spinach                  1 to 2 cups (I used 2, but I love spinach)

Mushrooms                     4 or 5 large ones (I used button mushrooms, feel free to use something else)

Fresh garlic                     4 or 5 cloves

Nutmeg                           1 tsp

 

Sauce:

 

4 cans tomato sauce                

6 Roma tomatoes               

1 large onion                             

1 red bell pepper

5 or 6 large mushrooms (Again, I used buttons, but you don't have to.)

1 bulb of fresh garlic (Not a clove, 1 whole bulb.  You can use less if you don't like garlic as much as I do.)

2 tsp basil

2 tsp oregano

1 tsp chili powder

1/ 4 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp brown sugar

Salt to taste

 

Let's get started!

 

First of all, to make this recipe you will need a good blender, chopper, whatever.  I'm a big fan of the Ninga.  See how pretty it looks? Best kitchen appliance I ever bought myself!

 

 

 

(You may ask why a blender is so important.  Well, everything in this recipe is pureed, accept the noodles, of course.)

 

1.  The first thing you need to do is brown the sausage in a stock pot or other similar type pot.  Once it's browned, remove the sausage from the pot and place in a large mixing bowl for later.  This is my favorite brand of sausage to use, because the pie ends up being less greasy than with other brands I have tried.  I don't know if you can get it outside of Colorado, though.

 

 

2.  Next puree the tomatoes, onion, bell pepper, mushrooms, and garlic and pour into the pot you cooked the sausage in.  (The little bit of sausage grease left in the pot will give it a little flavor.)  Mix in the tomato sauce, basil, oregano, chili powder, cinnamon, brown sugar, and salt.  Bring to a boil, then let simmer, stirring occasionally, until you're ready to pour over the stuffed noodles. 

 

(Don't forget to taste the sauce every once in a while so you can add more spices if it isn't to your liking.)

 

 

3.  Puree the sausage and mushrooms and pour back into the mixing bowl.  Next, puree the garlic, spinach, and half of the cottage cheese.  Pour that into the mixing bowl.  Then puree the rest of the cottage cheese, about 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese and the Parmesan and put it in the mixing bowl.  (Don't forget to grate the Parmesan.)

 

 

(If you don't have one of these, get one.  I love, love, love mine!)

 

 

4.  Mix all the ingredients in your mixing bowl until the mixture is a uniform greenish color.  (Sounds gross, tastes great!)  It should look like this:  

 







 

5.  Now comes the pain in the rear part.  You've got to stuff the uncooked noodles with the green mixture.  (I don't precook the noodles because I can't stuff them without splitting them wide open.  but if you're good at stuffing cooked noodles, go right ahead.  Just cut the baking time to about 1/2 hour if you do.)

 

6.  Place stuffed noodles in a large baking pan like so:

 

(I prefer glass baking pans for anything with pasta.)

 

 

7.  Cover noodles with sauce.

 

8.  Top off with mozzarella cheese and bake at 375 for 45 minutes to 1 hour.  Let sit for about 10 minutes before you dig in.



 

 



 (Ta Da!  Here's the finished product.  Enjoy.)

 

 

This recipe will yield 2 large pies with enough sauce left over for spaghetti the next night.  I also had some filling left over.  My niece and I are going to experiment with putting it on the roasted garlic flavored Triskets.  I'll let you know how that turns out.

 

Before I go, I want to talk a little bit about garlic, since there's so much in this recipe.  Until I was about 35 years old, I had no clue how to peal garlic.  I tried to peal it like an onion and got sticky and stinky.  I finally learned the proper way to peal garlic from a show on the cooking channel.  Life savor!  Now I want to pass that knowledge on to the next generation.  If you already know how to peel garlic, just ignore this tutorial.

 

 

You'll need a cutting board and a broad knife.

Place the clove on the cutting board, round side down.



Place flat of knife on the clove and apply pressure.  Don't press too hard or you'll pulverise the clove.

Now you can just peal the hard skin off of the garlic.

 

 

(I want to thank my lovely niece, Alica, for being such a wonderful hand model for my garlic tutorial.)

 

 

Well, my loves, that's this week's post.  I know it's not about crafting, but as I said in my opening post, I'm gonna write about any damn thing I want to here.  I hope you enjoy the recipe, and feel free to tweak it as much as you want.  After all, a recipe should be more of a jumping off point for great flavor, rather than the end all and be all of a dish.

 

 

With love,

 

The Crocheting Cat Lady