March 31, 2010

The 1/4 cup Artichoke Dip

Cooking up some pasta this evening, with pesto from our pizzas at the Open House. I thought artichokes would be a nice green to add to the meal. This meant coming up with an artichoke sauce. Here's what we came up with:
you will need
From Upcountry Recipes
1 T butter
1 clove garlic
1/2 c mayo
4oz. goat cheese
1/4 c parm
1/4 c mozzarella
1/4 c sundried tomatoes chopped
salt & pepper to taste
1/4 c white wine
*optional juice from 2 lilikoi's

Turn on your stove top to medium heat. Put in the butter until it is melted. Add chopped garlic, and chopped bell pepper. We happened to have a green bell this time around. 5-10 minutes later add the wine. This will reduce, and add sugars to the increasingly rich sauce.
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Now add the cheeses and mayo. Mix with a spoon and let sit while you chop up those sun dried tomatoes.
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Then add the sun-dried tomatoes, and blend with a mixer.
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Dip that artichoke in, and you're set! This sauce is flavorful, soft, and cheesy goodness. Enjoy.
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March 29, 2010

Hoop House Part Two

The Hoop House is nearly done. A week ago we did these finishing touches:










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After re-enforcing the joints with duct tape, Matt framed the casa with nylon string.
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We then taped the two plastic sheets we purchased (on sale! $19 each) together, and guided it over the frame. Then we shoveled dirt onto the planned 1/2" excess on each side of the house, to secure the plastic cover.
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Here is the awesome result!
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Just a few days later Matt picked up 6 two by fours, and constructed the doorway. He then used this door he  acquired from our friend Danielle to complete the doorway. Right now we have a simple latch, and it open out. Matt also installed some carpet, and we added a small table and chair into the back of the house. The house is facing east to west to accommodate the wind, and small horizontal vents are present in the back of the house as well. To complete the house we will be picking up some screen, and more plastic to cover the front of the house. So far we spent $100 total on this mostly found house. It is a piece of found art, expanding the repertoire of Artist Matt Holton, and adding a neat project to my accomplishments as well. If we can do it you can make one of these (on any scale) too!