{meg's musings}: Good 'Ol Marv

So I spoke with my 'ol buddy MARVIN earlier this evening. It had been a few months. He hasn't changed much.. same 'ol questions, same robotic voice, and, apparently, absence hasn't made his heart grow fonder because he's doling out the same measly unemployment check. Which means I need a job REALLY soon or we will become homeless. And I am not exaggerating. (Well actually I am because we'll be in the comfort of my parent's basement). The problem is, as most of you already know, THERE ARE NO JOBS! Well there is that one job that I had a second interview for last week that I want really, REALLY badly, but I definitely can't depend on it, as there are several other people being interviewed and there's a chance I won't get a call back from them (if I do, period) until May. Yuck. I haven't even been able to find a babysitting job!!! If you are a pray-er, please pray for us.

On a more positive note, I have been keeping busy with my Etsy shop since my job went bye-bye because I've had a steady stream of sales and custom orders :) Thanks partly to the fact that a pair of my earrings made it to the front page of Etsy!!! I have often daydreamed about this happening, but did not foresee it happening anytime soon, if at all. So that was very encouraging, not to mention it brought some 300 visitors to my shop in the matter of a few minutes. These are the ones that were featured. They are actually my favorite :)

Well, I'm sure there's plenty more I could talk about, but I don't feel much like it at the moment. But before I go, I'm going to leave you with another recipe: Mediterranean Pasta. It is one of my favorites. Won't be having it anytime soon though. Right now, I'm going back to the basics. Thank you mom-in-law for all of the meat in our freezer!!!

Ingredients

* 3 tablespoons olive oil
* 1 pound skinless boneless chicken breasts, sliced diagonally
* 1 (8 1/2-ounc) jar sun-dried tomatoes, julienned (1 cup)
* 2 tablespoons garlic, minced
* 1 pound fresh angel hair pasta
* 1/4 cup fresh basil
* 1 (8 1/2-ounce) can artichoke hearts in water, quartered and drained (1 cup)
* 1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted (1/4 pound)
* 6 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
* 1/4 cup heavy cream
* 2 teaspoons dried oregano
* Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

Boil water for pasta in a pasta pot, fitted with a strainer. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Brown chicken strips until no longer pink -- about 3 minutes each side. Add sun-dried tomatoes and garlic to skillet. Saute for 2 minutes. In the meantime, add the fresh pasta to boiling water, cook until al dente, about 5 minutes.

Now add the basil, artichoke hearts, olives and feta cheese to the skillet. Saute 1 minute then stir in the cream. Strain the pasta and transfer to a large pasta bowl. Add the chicken saute to the pasta and toss. Season with oregano, salt and pepper before serving.