Tasty Bakes #2: First Attempt-Homemade Pasta

For starters I followed this recipe at All Recipes some what... but I am not good at following directions.

To begin I mixed the dough in a bowl with my hands until it was mostly formed at which point I dumped it onto my counter and began folding it, preparing it for rolling.

This is where I ran into my first problem: No rolling pin. Being a recent college graduate I used my resourceful broke ass thought process to use a beer glass in place of a rolling pin. This made things difficult because I could not get the pasta thin enough. Which in return made it take longer to cook. As well as the fact I cut the slices too wide as well.

Pasta Rolled and Cut

My pile of fresh uncooked pasta!

Next I boiled some water and added some olive oil and salt to keep the pasta from sticking together.

My pot waiting for the Yummy Pasta :)

Lastly I put in the fresh pasta and cooked it al dente as you would with box pasta. Like I said I hadn't rolled out the pasta thick enough so this took a bit longer than I had hoped it would but a lesson learned for next time.

Almost there!

All in all it came out pretty good and I didnt have to go out in the crappy 100 degree weather we are having. I may consider not purchasing pasta at the store anymore and instead make it at home. It defiently tastes better than store bought. I think the next attempt at pasta will be homemade ravioli!

Personal Growth

My path is like nobody. There are some similarities in life but I write my own past, present and future. I think its a biological need that makes us want to relate to others, to group together. Whether it be with friends, family or a boyfriend we are always looking for that "you are just like me/I'm just like you" factor when determining how close you want to be with someone and if they are "worthy". Due to this fact we tend to forget that we are the only one who makes us what we are.

Just because a friend or a sister or coworker had a bad experience or good experience, we pre -judge that activity or risk because "they are just like me so if they couldn't make it work than neither can I". Once in a while its good to take a step back and understand we are each individuals. Although we may share traits or experiences with one another it does not mean we succeed or fail based on someone else's trial and tribulations.

Our success and failure does not come from anywhere but in our minds and our determination to make something work. You have to have the fight deep down to be willing to make it happen, whatever it may be, regardless of the obstacles in the way.

A simple example of this I recently realized is with running. I have always been that girl that's not a runner. Ever since I was little, I would run around doing activities such as sports or playing tag but convinced myself I wasn't a runner and that I didn't need to run even if I wanted to. Buttt I was convinced to do a 3.5mile race with my company and came to realize that it was all in my head. All I had to do was tell myself that I could do it and I could. This compounded with recent stresses that helped me truly value the stress relief that running provides.

Learning to enjoy running isn't the point of it all. But merely a reaction to a realization. There are many risks in life and chances to take, each decision can have similar outcomes to others but only your own perseverance can make it what it should be. If you don't succeed at something it is not because "so and so" told you it wouldn't, just like them, it is because you didn't work hard enough and believe in yourself to succeed. My path is my own and I will get to make it what I want.

Creative Crafty #5: Today's Day is Mine

Today is my birthday and I am 23....well really it was yesterday but I was too lazy to finish this post. It's a confusing age, half way between being able to drink legally and being able to rent a car. A year older and I find myself pondering life. It's funny how time has changed over the last 2 decades. When my mother was my age she was a newlywed ( their 24th wedding anniversary was just over a week ago), then a year later she had me.... This is insane! I can't even imagine being married or having a kid right now. Did I mention my parents dated for 5 years before they got married as well. Based on their plans I am wayyyy behind the eight ball.

As another year rolls by and I realize my time of screwing around is dwindling I have started to think about what i want in life and things I want to do. People keep asking my what I want to do and what my 5 year plan looks like. My response: I have no idea. Part of my brain keeps saying you are still young and then the other half says you are too old to NOT have a plan.

It is hard to have a plan when I don't even know what I want to do work-wise. The things I do know are I graduated with a Mechanical Engineering degree which I am proud of, I have a job in energy efficiency because the company is nice, I always loved snowmobiles and the fine arts. I have decided that I am going to make a return to my art skills and start painting and drawing again. For example:

My Newest Painting

To avoid getting stuck in a life rut every month I want to try or do something new! How fun would that be! Also I love learning new things and challenging myself all the time. Forcing yourself outside of your comfort zone is what makes you grow as a person.  I think its boring living inside the box 24/7/365 (disregard leap year: the squares get at least one day a year. Ha!).


So to start, I ate Portuguese today! A coworker took me out for my birthday and I decided branching out of my normal meat and potatoes would be a good idea.  Although it wasn't my usual it was tasty!

I also ran my first 5K ( which was really 3.5 miles) last week as well. It was the JP Morgan Chase Corporate Challenge in Rochester NY and the weather was perfect! I am NOT a runner! In fact I have always said I hated running and well I ate my words last Thursday. After quitting rugby 2 months ago  my only exercise being lifting the fork to my mouth and yet I ran the full 3.5 miles at a 9:40 pace finishing in 33:51. It was good to prove to myself if I put my mind to something I could do it. I also ended up loving the feeling afterwards. I was so proud myself and I now have signed up for another 5K. This time around its the Warrior Dash and I'm excited because its a little less running and a little more activity driven.

Before the summer is out I have 2 more goals I would like to achieve. Goal one is to get a tattoo on my side for a very special person who meant a lot to my mom and me. Goal two is to get my motorcycle license via a three day training course. These are both easily attainable goals but I have to pull up my big girl panties and just do it instead of talking about it!