Cozyland

Grab a Blanket is hosted and produced by Melissa Oliveri - http://www.melissaoliveri.com

Support Melissa on Patreon - http://www.patreon.com/melissaoliveri

Melissa on Instagram: @the.mop.pod

Melissa on Twitter: @melissaoliveri

All music by Cannelle - http://www.cannellemusic.com

We've all lived through some trying times in the past couple of years. We’ve had to find new ways of doing things, creative solutions to problems we’d never dreamed of. We’ve had to revisit our relationships with work, family, friends, and even ourselves – and when things became overwhelming, we had to dig deep to find ways to bring a feeling of comfort, joy, and safety into our lives.

In this podcast, we’ll explore the different ways we find solace and peace of mind. This is your moment to settle in, get cozy, relax, light a candle, grab a blanket... and spend a little time with us as we explore the various paths that people take to add comfort to their lives.

My guest today is Erin Lunde. Erin and I first met when she and her family moved into my neighbourhood. We eventually realized we both share a passion for creativity, writing, and music. Erin invited me to her creative accountability group on social media, and it has been a great way to not only help me stay on track, but also connect with other creative people. Erin is a reader and a writer, as well as a mom and music therapist who runs a private practice. I featured one of her spooky short stories (another passion we share) on my other podcast, The Skylark Bell. It is called My Mother’s Ring, and I highly recommend you give it a listen! In today’s episode we touch on how to carve out time for yourself within the confines of a busy schedule, and touch on growing up in a rural area vs living in the city today.

As promised, each episode will feature a recipe provided by our guest, so be sure to look below for Erin’s chocolate chip cookie recipe!

You can find Erin's stories and podcast on her website here: http://www.erinlunde.com

You can support Erin's work on Patreon here: http://patreon.com/erinlunde

You can listen to Erin's story My Mother's Ring (read by me) on The Skylark Bell podcast here: https://stream.redcircle.com/episodes/978676f1-ed5d-404b-b6e1-fb6f25b8d121/stream.mp3

Erin's Chocolate Chip Cookies

Two sticks (1 cup) of butter, softened

1 cup of brown sugar

1/2 cup of white sugar

2 teaspoons of vanilla

Mix until creamy. Add 2 eggs and mix further.

If the butter in the creamy mix has little pockets or bits of solid butter, the butter was probably the wrong temp.

In a different bowl, start with:

2 1/2 cups of flour. Do not do it the correct way. Rather, shake it down — almost like you’re packing by gravity, not light and sifted at all. (But definitely not packed as much as the brown sugar)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

Then sprinkle one light layer of nutmeg, and three light layers of cinnamon.

Mix dry ingredients. Then add to wet and mix.

Add chips, mix briefly, set dough to chill

After solid chill, put on 1/3 cup scoops and bake at 375F for 12-15 min. It could be more, depending on how cold the dough was. Sometimes, I stick the cookie sheets out in the winter cold. The idea is to keep the cookies from spreading too much (while the butter melts) as they rise.

Pull out before totally done if you want more cake- like. They will cook a bit while cooling. Overdone, they will be thinner and more crispy.

Grab a Blanket is hosted and produced by Melissa Oliveri - http://www.melissaoliveri.com

Support Melissa on Patreon - http://www.patreon.com/melissaoliveri

Melissa on Instagram: @the.mop.pod

Melissa on Twitter: @melissaoliveri

All music by Cannelle - http://www.cannellemusic.com

We've all lived through some trying times in the past couple of years. We’ve had to find new ways of doing things, creative solutions to problems we’d never dreamed of. We’ve had to revisit our relationships with work, family, friends, and even ourselves – and when things became overwhelming, we had to dig deep to find ways to bring a feeling of comfort, joy, and safety into our lives.

In this podcast, we’ll explore the different ways we find solace and peace of mind. This is your moment to settle in, get cozy, relax, light a candle, grab a blanket... and spend a little time with us as we explore the various paths that people take to add comfort to their lives.

My guest today is Tony Oliveri. Tony is a drummer who has toured extensively with various bands, he is also a Realtor here in the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis, and he also happens to be my husband! In this episode we chat about golf, meditation, Italian food, being by the ocean, and much more. Don’t miss this entertaining conversation, and be sure to try out Tony’s amazing Garlic Broccoli Pasta recipe listed below!

Tony Oliveri official website: http://www.tonyoliveri.com

Tony Oliveri Discography: https://tonyoliveri.com/discography/

Tony Oliveri on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tonyoliverirealestate

Tony Oliveri on Instagram: @tonyoliveri_realtor

Tony's Garlic Broccoli Pasta

Ingredients:

Angel Hair Pasta

Broccoli, chopped into bite-sized florets

Fresh Garlic*, chopped

Olive oil

Fleur de Sel - Salt

Cracked Pepper

Butter

Instructions:

1. Cook angel hair until a la dente

2. Sauté Garlic in light Olive Oil on med low heat for 1-2 minutes. Add Broccoli crowns and cook for 5-10 minutes - not too mushy.

3. Add cooked pasta to Garlic Broccoli mix and toss.

4. Finish by adding Butter salt and pepper.

*LOTS!

Grab a Blanket is hosted and produced by Melissa Oliveri - http://www.melissaoliveri.com

Support Melissa on Patreon - http://www.patreon.com/melissaoliveri

Melissa on Instagram: @theskylarkbell

Melissa on Twitter: @melissaoliveri

All music by Cannelle - http://www.cannellemusic.com

We've all lived through some trying times in the past couple of years. We’ve had to find new ways of doing things, creative solutions to problems we’d never dreamed of. We’ve had to revisit our relationships with work, family, friends, and even ourselves – and when things became overwhelming, we had to dig deep to find ways to bring a feeling of comfort, joy, and safety into our lives.

In this podcast, we’ll explore the different ways we find solace and peace of mind. This is your moment to settle in, get cozy, relax, light a candle, grab a blanket... and spend a little time with us as we explore the various paths that people take to add comfort to their lives.

My guest today is Katy Tessman. With a voice full of the wisdom she’s gained through breast cancer survival, heartbreak, and motherhood, Katy Tessman’s straight-from-the-heart songwriting style moves passionately over a diverse emotional and musical terrain. Katy is also an award-winning children’s book author and named Changemaker by Minnesota Women’s Press.

Before becoming a mom, Katy performed her original contemporary folk music for nearly a decade both in the Twin Cities area and on national tours that allowed her to grace stages from Seattle to Sioux Saint Marie.

Katy has fought the battle of her life -- finishing the fight with children who stayed optimistic gave her the courage and confidence to self-publish her book “Our Mama is a Beautiful Garden”, a breast cancer book for children. For this, Katy received the Mom’s Choice Awards Gold Medal and Moonbeam Children's Book Awards Silver Medal.

Katy is passionate about helping schools transform their libraries to be future-ready media centers. She builds relevant and diverse book collections for new schools across the country and believes every school library should host a MakerSpace - an outlet for students, fueling engagement, creativity, and curiosity at the same time.

As promised, each episode of Grab a Blanket features a recipe provided by our guest. Katy has chosen to share her recipe for Corn Soufflé

Katy's Easy Corn Soufflé

Ingredients

8 ounces Jiffy Corn Muffin mix

15 ounces whole kernel corn (drained)

15 ounces creamed corn (not drained)

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup melted butter

1 egg

1 tsp of sugar (optional)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a bowl, mix all of the ingredients together and pour into a greased 8"x8" baking pan.

Cook uncovered for 45-50 minutes or until lightly browned.

Find Katy's Music, Writing, and more here:

Website: www.katytessman.com

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ2DSon508YhuZhVLR-TPfw

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/katy-tessman

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OurMamaIsABeautifulGarden

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katytessmanmusic/

Literacy & MakerEd Blog: https://katytessman.home.blog/

My book trailer: https://youtu.be/cdBRhTk7i8E

This is episode 3: Going Full Italian

Escape to Cozyland! Your hosts Amy and Melissa have a lot in common, music, podcasting, a love of mysteries... and the not-so-guilty pleasure of cozy films and tv shows - you know the ones, with the predictable plots and familiar character traits. Each week we'll chat about new and upcoming tv shows and movies coming to what we like to call Cozyland!

Low-steaks stress free movies and shows and the need for them. The days of actually going to a video store and selecting what you’ll watch, compared to today’s methods. Don’t forget to scroll down for this week’s recipe!

TV shows and movies we talked about:

Emily in Paris - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lptctjAT-Mk

Mrs. Winterborne - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukQ9SfY2gJo

The Holiday – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDi5zH18vxU

Last Holiday - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JO0NSRPcPFs

Under the Tuscan Sun – https://youtu.be/vdJGMZDY0-8

A Little Romance - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPI1IRjonRE

Pane e tulipani – Bread and Tulips - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_92dH8KhSc

Love in the Villa - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kRab62q54M

From Scratch (warning: it’s not all happy)- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBHKSQ4MrJE

The Wedding Veil Unveiled - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DT9Sr3tIYNA

A Castle for Christmas - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_JbFba2i6s

Unthinkably Good Things - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plecGJ69zUA

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZwXZte_ctk

NOT COZY

The Menu – we both had a bit of anxiety watching this one.

Ambient TV

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/emily-in-paris-and-the-rise-of-ambient-tv

So, put on those fuzzy socks, grab some snacks, and the tv remote, and join us in escaping the real world for a spell.

This weeks’ recipe is from Amy.

Penne Pesto Scramble

6 ounces uncooked penne pasta

4 eggs

splash of water for eggs

1/4 cup pre-made pesto (have more on hand in case you need to add more)

2 Tablespoons cream cheese

Reserved pasta water

salt and pepper to taste

2 Servings

In a large pot, boil water, add salt. When it’s boiling add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain, but reserve the pasta water.

Meanwhile, as the pasta cooks, heat up a large skillet to about medium high and crack the eggs into a bowl and whisk, adding a little water. Add a small teaspoon full of pesto. Add a tiny bit of salt and some pepper to the eggs. Give it a final stir/whisk to combine.

When the pasta is done and draining, and the skillet is hot, spray it with cooking spray and pour the eggs into it. Be sure not to let the eggs brown, moving them around quickly. They’ll cook fast, as soon as they’re almost set, throw in the pasta and the rest of the pesto. I didn’t measure the pesto so I’m guessing it was about 1⁄4 cup but honestly could have been more. Measure with your heart.

Make a little well in the center of the pan and toss in the cream cheese and a little pasta water (like 1⁄4 cup). Stir to melt the cream cheese but make sure you’re moving the eggs too so they don’t brown. Alternatively, you could mix the cream cheese and pesto together before putting it in the pan.

Taste and season with salt and pepper adding more pesto, or pasta water if needed.

This episode was recorded on January 18, 2023 and released on January 22, 2023.

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