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Scratch Tomato Soup, English Muffin Bread, and Updates!

Posted on January 7, 2014 by emilylouisemargolin

It has been so long since I have written that I am anxious to even post! I have changed day-jobs (hooray!), opened the New Year with some new accounts for my husband and my small business (click!) and been on way more voice over auditions then I care to admit. I suppose I didn’t leave myself enough time to blog!

I have written about eating on a budget before (click!), and this post is no exception. Because I am no longer a waiter (hooray!) and am now a newbie Real Estate Salesperson (click!), I am far from a steady paycheck at the moment. The pennies really matter lately, and that has prompted me to get creative in the kitchen! A penny saved is a penny earned, right? This recipe combo costs us roughly $10, and will probably give us 4 meals!

Emily’s Scratch Tomato Soup

You will need:

An immersion hand blender (If you don’t have one, get one! You can still make this soup without, but it will be chunky. But, I mean, chunky is great!)

4 cups of chicken stock. **I make my own! I roast a chicken every week, and then make stock. That will stretch your $7.00 bird into 3 or 4 meals!**

2 cans of stewed tomatoes. ** you can also use fresh tomatoes. I would dice and put in 3 or 4 large ones.

1 can of tomato sauce. (The canned, unsweetened kind.)

1 red onion

2. tbs. sugar

3 cloves of garlic

basil **I don’t usually have this on hand, so go without it. But it sure makes for a great tomato soup!

Salt and Pepper to taste

and 1/2 c. heavy cream if you’re feeling naughty.

Bring stock to a boil on high heat. Dice onions and garlic and add to stock. (Add heavy cream now if naughty!) Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

Add stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce and sugar. Simmer for 20 more minutes. Use a hand immersion blender and blend together.

Add salt and pepper to taste! *** if you used canned chicken stock, it is most likely already salted. be sure to taste first! Nobody likes salty tomato soup.

It will taste twice as good the next day after refrigeration! Yum!

Helpful tips:

Chicken stock can be made out of bones and water alone, and tastes the best if you add onion, celery and carrots to the pot! You can make great stock by simmering for 2 hours.

If you don’t have enough stock, don’t be afraid to use water!! Did you ever read Stone Soup as a kid? Water is a great base. If you have 2 cans of stock, add 2 cans of water!

Also, if you are interested in some more veggies, bring it on! This soup is great with carrots and celery. Just chop and add when you add the onions!

English Muffin Bread

(Recipe adapted from All Recipes)

You will need:

6 c. flour

2 c. milk

1/2 c. water

2 packages of yeast

1 tbsp. sugar

1/4 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. canola oil

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Heat milk and water on low until hot but not boiling! Hand mix 3 cups of flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and yeast in a big bowl. Mix well! Then add the remaining 3 cups of flour. Let sit in a warm area for 45 minutes. (I like to keep mine right by the stove! A little trick, preheat your oven to its lowest tempurature and turn it off… then put your entire bowl in the oven! Your dough will double in size!) But the counter-top is great too!

Put in greased bundt pan, and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown!

YUM!!

Helpful tips:

Be sure to mix the first step well… the warm water has to wake up the yeast!

This will be super flour-ey… and that’s ok! Don’t worry if it doesnt mix well.

Don’t use a mixer!

On the Road to Find Out

Posted on August 12, 2013 by emilylouisemargolin

I have always looked young, felt young, sounded young. I have always been mistaken on the phone for a child, been taken less seriously in work settings, been carded and looked at with squinty eyes at bars. I have a happy and youthful air. It happened before I was aware of it… I was dubbed ‘perky Perkins’ in middle school, ‘squeaky E’ ever after… I often prompt the word ‘aww’ and get that face, that ‘she’s so cute!’ face. I have loved it, I have been frustrated by it..

I hit the ground running pretty hard when I moved to the city. I knew I had a little voice, and quickly got going with a voiceover demo and auditions and work… I found my avenue pretty early on, and have channeled my inner 12-19 year old to the point where I convince myself onstage that that is who I am. I forget I am anything else. I become that vulnerable… and I like it very much. It releases something inside of me that I tend to suppress in my everyday. It lets me go to that place where fairies could very well be walking on my pillow.

I read a fictional something somewhere where they wrote about age in heaven. It was about how people in the afterlife aren’t specific ages, but instead are their whole lifes self. They are simultaneously 2 and 62. It talked about what a parent goes through with their child…How a parent, in this life, mourns their infant once they grow. They mourn their little one’s 5 year old self when they turn 10. It happens in friendships and relationships, too. Time gone by. But this story gave hope. It said that in heaven, when you re-meet your long lost friend, you will meet all of the parts of them that you loved so much here on earth! All ages! All essences!

I am going through a huge life change right now. I got the acting job I have been working towards my entire adult life, (I got to spend a week working on an incredible play by Bekah Brunstetter at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center. What else could I want? What else could I need? To work like that all of the time, of course! But still…) Things are actually coming to fruition in my career, slowly. I am getting in shows and recording voiceover work, I booked my first commercial. I am coming to understand that dreams come true, and what an amazing idea that is.

a particularly beautiful and reflective moment at the O’Neill.

And I am leaving the restaurant industry! After about a 7 year stint. 7 years! I was a child when I started! I am a woman now! I feel deeply sad to leave my friends there… working day in and day out with artists and thinkers and true friends. it is a difficult thing to give up. I am leaving the most beautiful people… tears in my eyes.

I am going to move home to Virginia for one month to take care of my grandmother. She is 93 (Born in 1920! Can you believe!?). It is a big thing for me. To take that career risk… (leaving the city for a month… you lose so many jobs, and you worry and worry that those opportunities will never come again! What if I miss IT!?). She fell and broke her pelvis and needs in home care. I am going to spend some time with her, get to know her, learn from her, serve her, and save up some money and move onward and upward, out of the service industry and into something else to pay the rent, something unknown! I will hopefully be helping her as well… help her and my mother figure out their next step. Three generations of women, all together! I think it will be quiet, hard, wonderful and epic.

My grandmother and me at my brothers wedding.

My mom told me once that she didn’t feel that she had aged inside. She said she felt the same way she did when she was 16… of course she gained wisdom and confidence, but that she still felt young. Nanny says she still feels young. She looks in the mirror and doesn’t recognize herself. She is going through a big life change, too. And it is as life-altering at 93 as it is at 22!

So I guess I match. I feel young. I feel afraid! I feel vulnerable! Change! Decisions! Adulthood! Choices! Pain! Joy! I am inspired, excited, moved and motivated. I feel that the world is in front of me. That there is so much left to uncover. A whole life to live.

“Can the child within my heart rise above?”

Homemade Crushed Mint Lemonade

Posted on July 1, 2013 by emilylouisemargolin

You will need:

1 c. fresh lemon juice
1 c. water
1 c. sugar
fresh mint leaves

In a large pitcher, muddle mint leaves and 1 tbs. sugar. On the stove top, heat 1 c. water and 1 c. sugar, until sugar dissolves. Add water mixture (simple syrup) to pitcher and add lemon juice and crushed ice. Add 3-4 c. cold water to taste!

If you don’t have crushed ice and want a slushie, crush ice and mint in a blender or food processor and add to the pitcher that way!

Also, this is so wonderful as a cocktail if you want to add gin!

Happy sipping!

“Hallowed Be Thy Name”

Posted on July 1, 2013 by emilylouisemargolin

It’s ten PM and I am wishing I could go back and start today again. Lazy Sundays are hands down my favorite day of the week, and I fight very hard to maintain them. I only wish I could get my husband to do the same! Of course, it is easier said then done. Saying no to Sunday brunch is always a tough one, and doing what is in my power to not rehearse for a play or wait tables is another. My friends and colleagues have grown to respect my Sabbath-keeping, and I have ended many a hard week with a stolen-away day to worship and reflect and for that I am incredibly grateful. I believe deeply that we were created to have one day of rest per week, as we were meant to breathe in and out or to sleep and wake!

I didn’t get to have many Sunday’s this past May and June. In fact, I believe I only had two! No wonder I felt lost! Today, as I look back over these busy busy past few months, I finally have the time to be thankful for them. I listened to a sermon (click here!) today about how Jesus taught us to pray, and he begins purposefully with “hallowed be thy name.” Apparently to hallow means to acknowledge or render. To praise. My pastor spoke about how we must begin there, and only after we have acknowledged God’s greatness can we ask for what we need or ask forgiveness for our mistakes. He said with acknowledgment comes peace and awe and strength, and that that carries over. It carries over into the next part, making it easier to ask for forgiveness or ask for our daily bread.

I found this message especially moving today, as I look backwards. I co-produced, co-created and acted in a play (click here!) this past week, and my family came to see. My friends from work came to see. I met some amazing new friends during the production. I went to Charleston to visit my best friends family. I obsessed about money. I did a couple of short plays in May and saw two friends get married. I waited on so so many tables. I served my husband and he served me. I tried to listen to him. I wrote my grandmother a letter but missed her family reunion. I worried and obsessed and belittled, I failed and cried. I laughed and smiled and teased and slept. I watered my orchids.

Im gonna try to begin my July by acknowledging. To begin each prayer that way. Each day. To begin each week with it. Or I will hallow. Or I will say hallowed be…. You know what I mean. 🙂

Load-in: That Poor Dream at the New Ohio’s Ice Factory Festival. Great Expectations, set on a Metro-North Train Car.

Moti and I at Fort Sumpter in Charleston!

Homemade crushed Mint Lemonade. Take fresh mint and muddle with 1 tablespoon sugar in the bottom of a pitcher. 1 part lemon juice. 1 part sugar. 1 part water (heat water on stove top, add sugar to make simple syrup. Let sugar dissolve.) Add lemon juice and simple syrup to pitcher with crushed ice and add cold water! (3-4 cups, or to taste!) Or you can blend and food process it all to make a slushie!

The Good Work

Posted on June 8, 2013 by emilylouisemargolin

Moti and I decided to try a new vegetable share this summer, and we came home from our first visit with a bundle of chamomile, among other things. I had no idea what to do with it.

I have lived in New York City for a while now, and have been pounding the pavement for years to make a career for myself in the theater. I think I can speak for most of the performing artists in the city when I say that we are satisfied with very little: enough money to eat and pay rent, a full calendar of projects (ideally one right after the other), and perhaps a relationship or five to keep us fueled in our limited in-between time. Looking back over the past three weeks on my calendar, I notice that my dreams are realized, that I am, or should be, truly satisfied (for now, of course!). I am a part of a community of artists that constantly challenge me; I am making plays with backbone and purpose; I am auditioning for this and that, here and there, and that gives me hope. My eyes are on the mountain. I have a companion-husband… an artist himself… and we have made a sweet home where we can lay our heads. (I just vacuumed.)

It is good to write it out, I think. What I want and what I have. To realize that I am here and well on my way to something, and that perhaps that something has already arrived. There are so many other things associated with being an artist: dissatisfaction, fear, budget, feelings of inadequacy… did I mention fear? How is my ego today? Huge? Tiny? Am I aware of myself?

I am beginning to understand that simple pleasures and kindnesses are the key, at least for me, to a peaceful life. A cup of tea. A thank you note from a friend. A tickle fight with my husband. Learning what to do with chamomile. A church visit. A little energy spent on helping someone else.

It turns out that chamomile means “Earth Apple” in Latin. It also has an endless list of uses; It mildly helps with menstruation, calms anxiety and eases stress, helps with digestion, improves the skin and lightens hair, reduces swelling and eases pain. And here I thought it was simply good for tea with honey and milk!

It took me quite some time to snip off the flowers at the top, and to lay them out on a trey. I am going to wait for 7-10 days and let them dry, then keep them in a mason jar. Apparently it will keep for up to a year! I bet a cup of this tea with help me when I am feeling anxious or overtired, or simply when I need to step back and understand how good I have it.

I cut off the little buds from the chamomile. I am going to dry them out for about a week. The internet says I can dry the stems, too, for a milder tea!

Tech for my theater companies latest piece: “That Poor Dream;” a loose adaptation of Great Expectations. It explores income inequality in America and the cast’s own troubled relationship with class.

A particularly lovely moment for me this past week. People watching in midtown in between rehearsals.

Easy Orchid Care

Posted on May 25, 2013 by emilylouisemargolin

Can you see the orchid there behind us on our wedding day? They are so romantic!

Since I started dating my husband four years ago, his ideas about life and love have definitely rubbed off on me. he loves to recycle, repurpose, and reuse! For example, we don’t have paper napkins and rarely use paper towels… we use grocery bags as trash bags, and compost our fruits and vegetables. (There is a compost pick up every Sunday here on the UWS!) When we were planning our wedding, he really hated the idea of lots of cut flowers being thrown away at the end of the night. We decided to have potted orchids at each table, and to keep some, and give the rest away to family and friends! It worked out beautifully! Ever since I have been obsessed with my six potted orchids! I think I have watched every video available on youtube, spoken to every green-thumbed friend I have, and read every blog to find out how to keep these beautiful creatures alive! I found out a few truly useful tips, and would highly recommend that everyone get one of these beautiful blooms!

Make sure your orchid is potted in moss or bark, or some sort of pre-mixed orchid ‘soil.’ They are used to growing in trees, so their roots want to breathe! Also, get some fertilizer for them! 20-20-20!
The easiest way to kill an orchid is to over water her. Water once a week. The best way is to have your orchid in a pot with holes in the bottom, and to let the water run through. Don’t let water sit at the bottom!
They like indirect sunlight. They don’t want to be on a sunny sill, or in a room with no window! Luckily I have a sill that gets indirect sunlight… hopefully you do too!
If you are comfortable, they are too. Orchids don’t like to be too hot or cold! Usually room temperature is best. Try to keep away from heaters during the winter!
If you’re going to re-pot her, try to only do so after she has flowered! Also, never re-use old moss. You also don’t need to ‘pot up.’ You should find a pot that is just big enough for your roots to fit in! They also love to stick out and soak up the moisture in the air.
If your orchid has flowered and no longer has any blooms, look on its stem. Are there any parts that stick out? If so, you can cut just one inch above the sprout. That way the orchid will focus on growing and flowering again! If you don’t have any sprouts, you can cut all the way at the bottom of your stem, and wait until she grows back. Don’t throw away your orchid just because she has stopped blooming! Her leaves are pretty, too!
ENJOY! I truly have!

the same orchid today!

Nanny Biscuits

Posted on May 25, 2013 by emilylouisemargolin

Nanny Biscuit recipe

You will need:

2 c. buttermilk

(OR 2 tsp. vinegar and 2 c. milk)

5 c. four

1 ½ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. baking soda

¼ c. sugar

4 teaspoon baking powder

1 pkge yeast

¼ c. warm water

¾ c. canola or olive oil

Put your package of yeast into 1/4 c. warm water and set aside. Combine dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and sugar) in a large bowl. Mix with a wooden spoon. Make a hole in the center of the mound (a ‘volcano’) and add oil, buttermilk, and your yeast/water mixture. Mix and kneed until you have a ball of dough. Cover and let rise for 15-20 minutes. (Or don’t! Ha!) Using a lot of flour, roll out the dough and cut out biscuit circles. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden brown. You can refrigerate the dough and make biscuits to order, or toast the dough in your toaster oven! You can also freeze the dough and use on special occasions.

For cinnamon rolls, roll out the dough into an oblong piece. put butter, sugar and cinnamon in center and fold and pinch closed. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Cut off a piece and enjoy!

Lean Green Bean Casserole

Posted on May 25, 2013 by emilylouisemargolin

I grew up in the South, and Green Bean Casserole has always been a staple for us! It usually has cream of mushroom soup, canned green beans and crispy onions on top! I went on a search for a leaner version, and it was delicious!

You will need:

raw Green Beans
2 1/2 cup skim milk
1 large onion
3 tbsp. flour
salt and pepper
3 tbsp. olive oil
cheese or bread crumbs!

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Snap green beans and coat with 1 tbsp. olive oil and toss with salt and pepper. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Put a sauce pan on the stove top and heat to medium. Add 2 tbsp. olive oil and diced whole onion. Stir occasionally, and let onions sweat until translucent. (They can even brown a little!) Add flour, salt and pepper. Mix the flour in and cook for about a minute or so. Add milk. Bring the heat to high until the milk boils, then reduce to low to simmer. Wait until the milk becomes creamy! Place green beans and milk/onion mixture into a casserole dish, and top with cheese or bread crumbs. (Make sure to add a little bit of butter or olive oil to the bread crumbs, if you are choosing to use them! This will keep them moist!) Broil in your oven for about 5-10 minutes or until the cheese melts or bread crumbs turn golden brown. Viola!!

A little secret… its really really good the next day, reheated!

Surprise Day Off (and) Playing House on a Budget

Posted on May 25, 2013 by emilylouisemargolin

Due to a cancellation I found myself with a day off today… perhaps the first full day off for me in a month or so! It definitely will hit me hard with rent around the corner to lose a day of work, but what I lost in income I gained in inner peace!

I stole my husband away from his computer work and we went around the corner to pick out a birthday present for my best friend at a store called Global Table. Click on the name to go to their website… it is truly worth the look! Tiny glass bowls and platters with whales and large whicker baskets… needless to say I was in heaven! It was so fun to shop slowly on this rainy afternoon.

I got to spend rest of the day watching Ellen, listening to Elton John Pandora and snapping green beans. I discovered a couple of recipe’s I would love to share with you! You can find them in my recipe section. I made a Lean Green Bean Casserole and from scratch nachos for dinner, with some house made iced tea. Moti and I have been on a budget lately… (perhaps we always are?) and have had to improvise with food. We try to eat at home as much as we can, and on $100/week for the two of us, I can truly say we eat like kings! I have been discovering that making food from scratch is both delicious and rewarding. We make homemade chicken stock weekly, Moti makes cheese from milk, and we buy lots and lots of veggies. We have also been in rehearsals for my theater company’s (The Assembly) newest play, (click!) That Poor Dream. It is an adaptation of Dickens’ Great Expectations, and will premiere at the New Ohio this June! We have had a lot of days where we go straight from work to rehearsal, so packing lunch has been crucial to keeping within our budget as well!

OH! And I found a money tree in my apartment’s recycling bin. Apparently it is good luck. I bet it’s even better luck because I found it!

Our new money tree! We have dubbed him “Young Pip.”

The beginning of a beautiful day off.. some black tea and the NYTimes!

: Tip of the day: Buy an Orchid! I have just adored mine.. and with a little research they are so easy to keep up! 1. Keep in off-light, 2. Water sparingly once a week! See the recipe section (or just click on this photo!) for more Orchid tips!

May Day

Posted on May 18, 2013 by emilylouisemargolin

Change is in the air!

This past weekend my mother and I left our sweet husbands on Mother’s Day for a night out on the town! She lives in Virginia and I am in NYC, so we each took the train to DC and had the most wonderful time!! I was so thankful to get to spend a little bit of stolen time with her. It’s hard to be best friends when we live so far away from each other. It was a magical night. We checked into our hotel, had a candle-lit dinner, and tucked in right next to each other in a King-sized bed. The next day we discovered that there are free Botanical Gardens, right there on Capitol Hill! It was wonderful! Parting was sweet sorrow.

(Also, kindly stay tuned for episode one of At Home With Emmy Lou! We recently filmed episode two, Nanny’s Crab Cakes! Meanwhile, you can watch my very first national commercial! It was for Mother’s Day! Ha! My real mother is much prettier. Click Here! )

I am standing in front of an ‘herb wall.’ It had them all!! I want to have one!

Mother-daughter champagne. Le-sigh.

Too pretty for words. The capitol is also pretty.