The Squirrel in New York

Its been a while but heres a Thanksgiving for the broke post for ya

2012-10-28T22:45:00.002-07:00

Its been over 6 months since I have been able to post anything, but that is sort of what happens when you work long hours for acorns (which by the way, are less than peanuts).

Thanksgiving is a few days away and if you are like me, thats means that you are broke and have siblings who will be coming over for a meal and might or might not bring a dish or at least a bottle of wine.

If you have the money to spent everything from table cloths, napkins, napkin rings and new china then by all means, but if you are like me and cant spear much here are a list of fast last minute ideas for your Thanksgiving dinner.

I find that if you are looking for a classic and cozy center piece like candlesticks, it will cost you twice as much as it use to (silver, pewter, brass, wood or crystal candlesticks now a days will cost you an arm and a leg, which I need both of) Thank the stars for Ebay though!

I was able to find 12 brass candlesticks for a whopping.....drum roll please.......$21.00 (with shipping). Now if you cant spare even that, you can always go to a Michaels and pick up a few unfinished wood candlesticks for $1.99 to $4 a candlestick or look online for unfinished wood candlesticks (with inserts) and buy a small can of wood finish (or leave it unfinished). The end result can be quite nice

If you are looking for a more modern approach and happen to have a few empty wine bottles in your recycling bin you can always soak off the labels and use them as candlesticks like i did last Thanksgiving.

Or if you have a glass cutter lying around your house somewhere (or if you can spare a few bucks you can pick one up at Michaels as well) you can also go for a different approach

If this is not your cup of tea, and you happen to be living near a wooded area and would like a more organic feel to your table you can always go to your back yard and cut a large THICK branch of oak or or a tree with a nice bark and cut it in to segments. It will make for a lovely center piece

You can also collect fresh Pine branches and add that to your table and take a piece of the stump and glue a plate on the top to make a lovely cake plate for a few bucks

or if you are from NYC but cant make the trip upstate and don't have a saw handy, you can always visit the flower district or 14th street Union Square outdoor market. They sell tree stumps, plants, flowers, gooseberry branches that can be sprayed to last till Thanksgiving.

As for the rest of what go's on the table, here are a few places that wont squeeze your wallet till it cries.

I found that while Pier One Imports, Create and Barrel, Bed Bath and Beyond and Macy's all say they they have holiday specials, they fall short of being affordable if your weekly paycheck is sadder than your bank account then try.

First up is Marshals

I found a lovely cake stand (it looks similar to this one) for $10

cake slicer (a lot nicer than the one in the pic) for $8

and soup bowls for a few bucks a piece.

Next up is

TJ Maxx

They have a lot of the same things that Marshals have but if you don't find it at Marshals you might just find it at TJ Maxx for the same price or cheaper. That and they have lay away (this being my first time trying it I have to say, why haven't I tried it before! its a great way to shop for what you need ahead of time and pay it off slowly which is so much better than saving up and coming back to find what you wanted already gone).

I found lovely Ralph lauren table cloths from $15 to $35 dollars (I went with this lovely olive colored one but there were so many to choose from)

I also found beautiful candles for my candlesticks that were about $8 for a box of 6.

Next up is only an option because of the vintage sales section (and if you are not from NYC sorry, they only have locations in NY)

You can find mix and match plate sets in their sales section for anywhere from $1 to about $6 a plate/bowl (there are lovely choices in the dollar range)

And then there are the dollar stores. Every once in a while you can find useful things in your local 99c store if you look hard and in a few of them (not just one) If you live in NY they are EVERYWHERE!! so take your time and you might be able to find dishware and flatware and dare I say wine glasses that might just do the trick as well.

As for napkins and place settings, I'm skipping the place settings this year and I decided to make my own napkins (I cant afford a NICE set of 12 napkins for the price they were offering. I mean come on...a set of 4 Ralph lauren napkins were $10 and i didn't everything on my table to match that much) so I was off to the garment district here in NYC to pick up 2 yards of fabric (which ran me $10 and i had enough to make a lovely table runner)

As for napkin holders, there are blogs with DIY's up the wazoo that can help you make your own napkin holders. I however, chose to use simple thread as my napkin holder. I walked over to my local 99c store and purchased some eggplant purple thread (I think they meant to make it brown but it came out a deep purple brown). I pulled about 4 yards of it out and joined the tips together 4 times until it was a until it was a fairly thick strand. Then I tied knots at the ends and cut the remaining thread to make them even ( I would suggest making it about 12 to 13 inches long when all is said and done). I'll tie it in a bow and maybe add an acorn (that I was able to pick from my front yard and or patch of grass if you may because who really has a proper front yard in Brooklyn NY) and vuala! my search is done.

If however you do want napkin holders you can always try Ebay. :)

And lastly, Ikea

Why? because they carry a wide range of cookware and have a sales section that might be a life saver

That and their prices are great for wine glasses (6 for $6 i think it was) and cheap tableware

Hope this makes things easier for you this Thanksgiving :)

2012-03-21T12:41:00.000-07:00

AMAZING vegan Pear Plum (mini)Pie (filling)

I hadn't intended the pie filling to turn out vegan but because i am trying to eat healthier, i left out the butter because i forgot and it turns out..its super tasty without it :p. I searched for a good, home made pie crust recipe. You can always go with frozen pie crust (there are vegan options) but really..its soo cheap and easy to make it at home that really..its a no brainer :)

First the Pie filling recipe

I started off by cutting the fruit up and placing it in a large bowl, then I added the fresh lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and sugar to the bowl and mixed it all in.

I transferred it all into a pot and let it cook for 20min stirring it occasionally

at around 15min add the soy milk and flour (soy milk because there is lemon in the recipe and also i chose it because i cant eat dairy at all :(. The flour thickens it without being starchy so i prefer it). Stir it until its all well incorporated into the mix.

Meanwhile

(If i would have make the crust, btw I took the images from a website which reminds me..i need a good camera or a new phone lol)

I substituted real butter for Smart Balance, you can use any vegan butter really.

1. You start off by adding the flour, salt and sugar in to a food processor and pulsing then mixing it for a few seconds. Then add the Earth balance (if you want it vegan) and pulse it until the mixture is well mixed (the butter looks like little pea size pieces) and looks like coarse meal. Add the ice water, about 1 Tbsp at a time and pulse until mixture begins to clump together. If you pinch some of the crumbly dough and it holds together that means it ready to be rolled, if not then add a bit more water and pulse, testing along the way. Don't add too much water because it could make the dough tough or too soft.

Then you remove the dough from the machine and place it on a clean (if possible, cold) surface.

Gently work the dough into tow round balls (of equal size).

2. Flatten the balls into 2 round disks, Not too much because you don't want the butter getting all mushed and mixing in too well, the butter clumps are what will allow the crust to become flakey. Sprinkle a little flour on the disks, wrap in plastic wrap and place in your refrigerator. Refrigerate for about an hour or up to 2 days. I made mini pies so i formed about 5 balls the size of lemons, wrapped them and refrigerated for an hour.

3. After an hour or so take the discs out and let them set in room temperature for about 10 min

Sprinkle a bit of flour down on the surface you are using to roll the dough out and then using a rolling pin (If you don't have a rolling pin you can use a large glass jar that has no ridges or anything that might leave a pattern unless that's what you want) to flatten the discs to a 12 inch circle; about 1/8 of an inch thick.

Then Place the rolled out dough into your pie plate, gently pressing in down so that it lines the bottom and sides of the plate. Using kitchen scissors, trip the dough to fit your pie plate with bit too much overhang. Because I made mini pies i used a large cupcake pan, rolled out the balls to fit the cupcake pans and cut the dough to the very edge of each cupcake hole.

then fill the pie (or cupcake) pan(s).

Take the second flattened disc (or discs) and lets your mind go crazy..either place it on top and make a few holes to let the filling cook and not rip through the dough as it cooks

or cut the dough using a cookie cutter of any shape (i have seen heart shape cut outs and circle shapes..you name it) and place them overlapping each other until the top is covered with few gaps (its good to leave some gaps though).

here are some ideas for crust decorating :)

If you want a sweet crust, when the pie is ABOUT HALF WAY DONE and is turning gold on top,

you can melt 1/4 of butter/Smart Balance, let it sit for a minute until it cools off and then add raw sugar. Mix it well and using a basting brush, brush the butter sugar mix on top of the pie. Make sure the pie is starting to golden when you do this so it doesn't stay cooking for much longer (the sugar can BURN if you do it towards the beginning of the cooking process so you don't want to do that)

2012-03-13T23:13:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share a story with you all and a way to save money on the things you need for everyday life.

I live in one of the most lively cities in the world and its also one of the most expensive in the Nation (Manhattan takes the top spot Brooklyn is #2 and Queens is #5 in the list of Top Ten Most Expensive Cities in the US) so here, every penny counts. If you are like me and need a toaster oven or need to add a few pieces to your wordrobe but cant afford to pay much or up the wazoo here are a few ideas.

I came across a site in 2009 called Swaptree.com (Now called Swap.com) that allows you to swap movies, books, music and games for..well..other books, movies, music and games. Now they have expanded to include everything but swapping organs. Its a great sight and they have the old Swap.com/media if all you want are a few new dvds :)

www.swap.com

www.swap.com/media

I also like to go to my local Salvation Army Thrift Store for furniture (or the largest I can get to) because if the sticker says its past 3 months of when it was labeled, the price go's down (though most people don't know that). You can find useful everyday things there too.

Salvation Army Thrift Store locations in NY

1. 208 8th Avenue, New York, NY (212) 929-5214

2. 268 West 96th Street, New York, NY (212) 663-2258

3. 436 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn, NY (718) 834-1562

4. 112 4th Ave # 1, New York, NY (212) 673-2741

5. 208 East 23rd Street, New York, NY (212) 532-8115

There is also the tried and true sites like Ebay that are still great for things you want that you might not be able to find in Swap.com but you'll have to pay for those..and the shipping

www.ebay.com

I also like go to outdoor flea Markets when the weather is really nice..there are quite a few and if you know how to shop, you can find some great deals

1. Hell's Kitchen Flea Market

426 W 39th St New York (212)243-5343

Saturday & Sunday, 9AM to 5PM

2. West 25th Outdoor Flea Market

29 West 25th Street New York (212) 243-5343

Saturday & Sunday, 9AM to 6PM

3. Brooklyn Flea

A) SKYLIGHT LOCATION

1 Hanson Place (at Ashland Pl.), Fort Greene

Saturday + Sunday 10am-5pm

B) FORT GREENE LOCATION

176 Lafayette Ave. (btw. Clermont + Vanderbilt Ave.)

Saturday, 10am-5pm, Reopens April 7, 2012

C) WILLIAMSBURG LOCATION

East River Waterfront (btw. North 6 + 7 St.)

Sunday, 10am-5pm, Reopens April 8, 2012

4. Smorgasburg (food Flea Market)

East River Waterfront (btw. North 6 + 7 St.)

Saturday, 10am-5pm, Reopens April 7, 2012

5. Antiques Garage

112 West 25th Street New York

(212) 243-5343

Saturday & Sunday, 9AM to 5PM

6. GreenFlea

100 West 77th Street New York

(212) 239-3025

10 AM to 5:30 PM (Nov.-Mar.)

10 AM to 6:00 PM (Apr.-Oct.)

I also like to go to Farmers Markets to find deals on Organic Veggies and Fruit

GrowNYC has about 63 Locations where (depending on the season) you can find fresh, NY grown produce reasonably price

http://www.grownyc.org/ourmarkets

I will have other Home and Garden projects posted soon so look for them :)

2012-03-13T19:11:00.002-07:00

Like I promised, I made jam today and here is the fast easy and SUPER TASTY way of making it, 1. because it tastes a hell of allot better than the store bought stuff, 2. because its healthier and 3. because its cheaper and awesome :) oh and this is a small batch recipe so it should work if you only want about 16 oz of each flavor.

So here go's

For starters dice the mango and place it into a big bowl. Mix the sugar and the pectin in a small bowl and set it aside.

Take one of the pots, add water and put to boil (make sure there is enough water that it covers 1/4 below the brim). When the water starts to boil, place the bottles and the covers in the water, leave it to boil.

Add the chopped mango into a clean pot and 1/4 cup of water and begin to mash

I add a few large pieces of the peel to give it more flavor and later remove it. Once the mango has been cooking on med heat for 15 min, I add the sugar pectin mix and then mash/mix it some more. I leave it to cook for 10 more min. In the mean time, I take a plate and line it with a paper towel and remove the bottles from the boiling water. I strain it for a few seconds and then i pour the jam into the jars, close them and stick them in my fridge for 3 hours until they have jelled and thats it. Now I mail a few jars to my Grandma and share the rest with my Boyfriend :).

Normally they say to strain the mango to get rid of the mango hairs but i want it to taste fresh and potent so I leave it all :).

Enjoy :)

2012-03-13T14:10:00.000-07:00

I'm going to start this post off with something that I am very passionate about: HEALTH..the health of our loved ones, children (though I dont have any yet but I do have young siblings) and our own health. I have been reading a lot about this "Pink Slime" debate going on in the public school systems (for those of you who haven't heard about it, should google it).

The gist of it is that LFTB [lean finely textured beef, otherwise known as 'pink slime'] which in essence is "pink slime" which is "a ground mixture of bovine waste trimmings that are disinfected with ammonium hydroxide to kill pathogens such as salmonella and E. coli."......what...what?....WWWHHHHAAAATTTT???? If your reaction is what as well then yeah...its sickening. Now to make matters worse McDonald's, Burger King, and Taco Bell have all stopped using it due to public outcry (and we are talking about 3 of the worse, most unhealthy fast food chains and not even they will serve this shit) but "Pink Slime" is now being bought (7 Million pounds of ground meat containing The slime) and served to YOUR CHILDREN AT SCHOOL!! and guess what...at home as well and the USDA doesnt even tell you! It is estimated that about "70% of all ground beef in the U.S. contains LFTB. At present"......WWWHHHAAATTT?!?! I HAVE BEEN EATING THIS SHIT EVEN THOUGH I HAVE BEEN AVOIDED FAST FOOD SINCE I WAS 10?!?! AND NO ONE HAD THE BALLS TO SAY IT EARLIER???..OHHhh..I think I'm going to throw up...bbbbrrrrhhh....bbbrrrhhhhaaaaa.

A woman by the name of Joanne Smith, who was the former undersecretary of agriculture and also served as president of both the National Cattlemen's Beef Association and the Florida Cattlemen's Association gave the okay because she said "It's pink, therefore it's meat."....WHAT?!?!?!...yes..she was quoted saying something so fucking stupid...that might just beat out Marie Antoinette's dumb blond moment when she said (out loud might I add) "Qu'ils mangent de la brioche" (let them eat cake). Pink slime...really? that...is meat? After she left the administration in 1993, some idiot appointed her to the BPI (Beef Products Incorporated) board of directors.

These are the idiots (spokesperson Rich Jochum..an idiot being paid to sound..well..like an idiot and make everyone else look like an idiot) that where also quoted in saying (please someone shove a shoe in these people's mouths before they say something stupid again) "Including LFTB [lean finely textured beef, otherwise known as 'pink slime'] in the National School Lunch Program's beef products accomplishes three important goals on behalf of 32 million kids. It 1) improves the nutritional profile, 2) increases the safety of the products and 3) meets the budget parameters that allow the school lunch program to feed kids nationwide every day."....was anybody listening...SOMEONE SHUT THESE DUMB MOTHER FUCKERS UP..LORD ALL MIGHTY ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?! THIS IS WHY CHILDREN INCLUDING MY OWN LITTLE SISTERS ARE GETTING FAT, HAVE CELLULITE AT AGE 10 AND ARE DEVELOPING HEALTH PROBLEMS WHERE THERE WERE NONE IN THE PAST!!.

Truth is, lord knows what we are really eating. It could be chicken but then again it could be cat...it could be beef or it could be scraps of the butcher floor...who the hell knows but ill tell you one thing, I will be buying ONLY ORGANIC GROUND BEEF from now on. Costco, Whole Foods, Krogers, Publix, and Tops Markets all say they don't sell it...but....you never know!!!!!

Pink Slime

2012-03-12T19:41:00.000-07:00

I took the time today to visit one of my favorite places in NYC. Union Square Greenmarket Farmers Market (which is open Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.) is where I love to go to when the weather is nice out and to shop for fresh, organic veggies and fruit. They also carry a number of other things like plants, freshly cut flowers, lavender, eggs, honey and much much more :). I can't stay away and I always find something tasty to cook up or can :)

Oh and I wanted to share my first time try at making Tuna Casserole and I have to say, it was super tasty :). I read about 8 different recipes online and found that they were a bit over the top without needing to be, so I made my own that was quick and easy :)

4 cups uncooked pasta
2 cans of tuna
3 Tbs mayonnaise
1 can of peas
3 cups of fresh mushrooms
1/2 an onion
1 can of Campbell's cream of mushroom soup
2 cups of freshly grated sharp Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup of bread crumbs (I use Progresso garlic & herb bread crumbs because it has a lovely though I might start to make my own soon)

I started with 4 cups of uncooked pasta (I chose veggie fusilli), put that in a pointing pot of hot water with salt and a Tbs of olive oil. When that was cooked I strained it and set it aside.

I started on the fresh mushrooms, I thickly slicing them and sauteed them in a nonstick pan for 10 min. I drained the liquid that formed in the pan and added 1/2 a tsp of olive oil. Once brown, i finely chopped the onion and added that to the pan till it started turning clear (not white which is a sign of still being raw).

When the mushrooms and onions were done, I added it to a large bowl where i mixed the tuna, cheese, peas, mayo, cream of mushroom soup, and now cooked pasta.

I took 2 small 2" deep pans and filled them with the mixture and as a finishing touch i added a bit more grated cheese on top and a sprinkled the bread crumbs on top and stuck it in the oven for 30 min on 375. It was so good, my boyfriend had to force himself not to have seconds :)

2012-03-12T13:34:00.003-07:00

The sun is finally out in New York and i couldn't be happier! The Weather calls for a high of 73F (23C), sunny sky's and a smile on my face that will be hard to get rid of.

I know that some may say that hate is a strong word but I have to say, I HATE COLD WEATHER!! I hate the feel of cold air chilling me to the bone, I hate the way I feel when its cold out and the way i fall into a progressive depression as the weather gets drearier and colder.

I have always been like a flower, drawn to the sun and its butterscotch rays of warmth. I spent most of my childhood in the hot temperature of the south and it has stayed with me since. My love for all things warm and blue has lead me to follow the summer around the globe like a obsessed stalker, though I have to save a year in advance in order to go on any trips and as of late, a lack of work and there for money, has had me grounded in New York.

Don't get me wrong, I love New York, I was born here and it has been my home base for many years but..and i do mean a BIG BUT, when it gets cold here...it ..gets...COLD!! And because of that I try every year to migrate to warmer climates like some crazy bird.

Because today has been such a lovely sunny day, I have decided to make Strawberry Jam Pancakes with homemade jam I made a few days ago (Next week I will be making more jam and will be posting step by step instructions for my Jams so look out for it!).

I am using Trader Joe's pancake mix but you can use any mix you like or make it from scratch with about 1 cup of flour, 3 tbs of baking powder, 1 egg and 1 cup of milk/water/soymilk. I don't like adding salt, sugar or butter to my mix but feel free to.

I then mix the dry ingredients together with the egg, water and 3 big Tbs of jam in a bowl.

After i mix it all (I like my batter a bit on the thick side but feel free to thin it out with water or milk) I use a nonstick pan, cook those suckers up and VOILA! tasty strawberry pancakes.

Bon appetit everyone

2012-03-11T20:59:00.000-07:00

I must admit, it was a lovely day today! it was brisk but sunny out, I traveled by bus to see a dear friend on her birthday. She has a quick witted Grandmother and an outspoken Mother that had me entertained thoroughly. I have always found that i get along better with people that are older than me (i never got along with people my age and when i was a teenager..well..I hated teenagers).

I spent most of the time at my friends Birthday get together being antisocial..or maybe i really have nothing in common with people my age (though I love my friends company dearly and she and I can talk for hours, I am not so good with others). I know I am this way because of the way I was brought up but it never dawned on me that because I felt older (for as long as I can remember) meant that I would have problems forming relationships or bonds with people my own age. Its not that I don't like people my own age, its that (though i try..really really hard) people my age are either 1. full of shit 2. unsure of everything so they put up a front of being all knowing (when really its all bullshit coming out of their mouths) or 3. they have nothing interesting to say..mostly because people my age haven't gone through much (let me preface this by saying most..not all people my age, just in case I get yelled at for this).

It was lovely all in all and my friend, lets call her Jem, (because she was spotted trying on a crazy blond with and when I pointed out that she looked more like Jem than Barbie she responded with "Oooh I love Jem!!) was a lovely host as always. She promised to teach me how to knit (she works for a knitting/yarn company) and I promised to teach her how to make fresh jam. We are calling it "the old lady's weekend" we might even have a few drinks at an inappropriate time of the day

Oh and by the way, I will be posting my recipes, techniques and instructions for every project I post up so keep a look out :).

2012-03-10T21:48:00.001-08:00

Its a strange thing for me to start a blog, let alone make my first post (i have twitter for the last year and have yet to make a single post, mostly because i feel twitter is our generations yenta center..i don't have time to sit around and talk to the walls so i don't bother with it).

I'm a privet person and I am NOT okay with this new media craze where people find the need to airing there dirty laundry for the sake of a paycheck and a few laughs..oh yes and the 15 minutes of fame.

With that said I am keeping my identity a secret. Not because I'm a nonconformist but because i feel i can speak more freely when I'm not worried that what i have to say might come off harsh and end up hurting someone (all names will be changed...of corse :p. Also because i am sick and tired of fake celebrities..so..lets keep this all between us :). Oh and THIS BLOG IS NOT INTENDED FOR CHILDREN OR ANYONE UNDER THE AGE OF 18...because like i said..i speak my mind..all of it :p

A little bit about me...I am a 27 y/o female..I will be going by the nickname THE SQUIRREL on this blog (i love squirrels) and I am part of the 99%. Not that this is what this blog is about but non the less it is true. I have started this blog though because of this fact (i wont go into the 99% for now).

Because I am employed 5 to 7 days out of the month (and i have sent out my resume like its free toilet paper which by the looks of it and lack of responses it is) I don't make enough to survive and so i have had to find ways to make it through until i can find work. Being jobless has made me depressed, my insomnia has kicked in full gear (I don't even want to talk about my libito because that is shot to shit)and i find myself slowly turning into an old woman (i have always felt older even at a very young age but this is fucking ridiculous).

Anyway, I am embracing my inner 80 y/o and sharing it with you..along with projects i do to make myself happy, stories about my life..Oh and ill also share tidbits on how to survive on close to $500 a month..crazy..yes..helpful? maybe..funny? always :). These are the crazy things that happen to a Squirrel living in New York :).