Creative Collaboration: Snow 

New Year’s resolutions are great, especially when you make them with a group of creative and talented friends.

As the last minutes of 2015 disappeared we talked about our hopes for the coming year, including a hope for inspiration. The result:  Creative Collaboration.

Here’s how it works:  At the start of every month one of us sends out a piece of inspiration including, but not limited to, a story, a quote, or a photograph. What comes next (after the inspiration) is up to the collaborators.  Each of us brings to the table a variety of talents – from sketch comedy to music, dance to cooking and a vision for how we see the world around us.

For January we kicked things off with this photograph by Robert Cannon. A gorgeous vista of the National Mall on a snowy morning evokes all kinds of imagery. The result of the first collaboration had the added inspiration of an East Coast blizzard. The result are fun, soothing, witty, introspective, and comforting (and one makes you really, really hungry). So without further adieu here is the Creative Collaboration for January.

Snowbird

By John Lee

The Case of the Left Purse

By Sylvana Christopher

Here’s a little story
snow woman trudges
along only to discover she has a follower. Oh wait! Bench lady left her purse. Must go back and get it. Ah thanks!
Two women decide to go make snow angels

Creative Collaboration:
The Case of the Left Purse + Snowbird

By Robert Cannon

Make sure to keep watching after The Case of the Left Purse concludes for some extra fun in the snow.

Illusion

By Priya Chhaya

In some ways, on that snowy morning in January, the sky spoke of anticipation. 

Rest. It whispered. Breathe. It sighed. Watch. It beckoned. 

Not an easy request. Later, she wished for that solitary moment to tuck her phone away, and knew she should have perched on one of the empty snow covered benches. Perhaps she would have smiled at the couple walking by, speculated on the identities of the footprints in front of her, and admired the graceful bending limbs of the tree looming above. Maybe it would have changed things. 

Would have. Could have. Should have. It was a bit too late for looking backward. 

Instead the rose colored glasses of the early morning faded into a grey-blue.The magical showcase waving away the illusion of new beginnings. Inhaling the icy air, she felt a calming of her lungs and a cooling of her skin. She had made her choices. Change would come in time. 

But not today. 

Snowed-In
Roasted Red Pepper and Brie Pasta

By Jen H.

 
Level: Easy
Time: 25 min
Serving Size: 6-8

The blizzard of 2016 came and went. On Saturday, I realized I ate half the food I bought for the storm…I was running out of options. Which led me to my pantry to see what I could make because it looked like Narnia outside and there was no way I could go to the store.

In case you had a couple of questions about the ingredients:

• Why a 35 ounce jar? One word. Costco.
• Why triple cream brie? Leftover from a cheese plate.
• Why dried basil? While fresh would have been great, I worked with what I had on hand.

Pasta Ingredients:

• 16 ounce package of penne

Sauce Ingredients:

• ½ of a (35 ounce) jar of roasted red peppers with liquid, roughly chopped
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 6 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoon of olive oil
• ½ cup of veggie or chicken stock
• 4 ounces of triple cream brie, chopped
• 1 tablespoon of honey
• 3 teaspoons of dried basil
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• ½ teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes
• ½ teaspoon of pepper

Garnish Ingredients:

• Parmesan cheese
• Crushed red pepper

Bring salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente.
Add roasted red peppers (including liquid from jar), onion, and garlic in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth.

Add olive oil to a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and add the roasted red pepper mixture. Stir and simmer for about 5 min or until onion has cooked and the flavor has mellowed. Stir in broth, honey, basil, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Simmer until heated though. Reduce heat to medium low and add brie. Stir occasionally until the brie melts into the sauce. Simmer on low until the pasta is ready. Season to taste.

Drain pasta and add to sauté pan. Toss pasta until well coated.
Serve with parmesan cheese and crushed red pepper flakes.