Merry Christmas!

Only a few days until Christmas and I just have the wrapping left. I love watching some favorite movies, like It's a Wonderful Life or The Bishop's Wife and when the lights are dim and the tree is on and I just wrap presents. I am watching Miracle on 34th street now. I have to admit, the black and white films are my favorite. I wrapped a few the other night but still have a way to go. I got some Christmas cards out, Christmas packages to family and my family calendar made. It came out pretty nice. I also blew up some pics and had them developed for family members.

Kate and I made some Christmas chex mix with white chocolate. We are still going to make some peppermint bark. That will be fun.

Most of my shopping was online and it is weird the strangest way that you can meet nice people. I ordered some things from ebay for Kate and one of the items was chewed (obviously by their dog) Well when I commented on it, I got 2 other figures mailed to me free of charge. What a nice woman.

I also ordered myself a beautiful mug on etsy. The girl who made it was so friendly in her email, that I want to buy more pieces from her. 

Such a wonderful way to share the Christmas spirit. The spirit of giving, love, compassion, patience. 

Happy Birthday Baby Jesus.

Cooking with Kate: Part ?? I lost count

Kate and I got a free Food Network Magazine. There is a special section for fun afterschool snacks. Pretzels dipped in peanut butter then dipped in granola, pitted olive with string cheese through the hole and various recipes for hummus. Another one was crescent rolls with cream cheese and jam. Kate and I made some with PBJ, cream cheese and jam and PB and Nutella. Then we sprinkled them with sugar or cinnamon.

They came out fairly decent. Most of all, we had fun on a Monday night.

PBJ

 

 

 

 

Cream Cheese and Jam

Stars, Rolled, and Crescent shapes

Sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar

Kate also helped me make dinner. A few years ago they dubbed this the Cartoon Dinner: 

Brown meat, Mashed potatoes with gravy, green veggie

Too funny. Gotta love it.

Not exactly a Food Network Meal but it works! 

Enjoy your week before Thanksgiving.

Sunny with a chance for Cooking!

Me and my friends at the Sunny Anderson benefit at Hidden Valley

I have not blogged in a while. Much has been going on at work and home....too much to get into. We did have a good weekend though. Yesterday we shopped and made 3 shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child. We went to a friend's house and wrapped them. They don't give gifts with the family at Christmas, they have a party and make Christmas boxes instead. It was really wonderful and though Jack was the oldest kid there, both kids had a good time and it was nice doing something for others. We have so much to be thankful for.

Today Kate and I went to Hidden Valley, the local ski resort, and saw Sunny Anderson. Her dad is a radiologist at the local hospital and she came to do a food demo for the Hospital's foundation. She told some different stories than NYC when we saw her, but was still just as entertaining. She remembered us from last month, ( I read and follow her blog and comment on it as well) She is so friendly, kind and funny! Her story is inspirational. She got all her cool jobs from hard work, not who she knows.

Ina was always my favorite but Sunny has taken over as #1 for me. Here are some pictures from out afternoon.

Sunny with her Parents

Amazing Weekend

The kids and I had the best time with my family this weekend. I don't know where to start....the beginning is always best:

Jack, Matt and Chris set off for Comic Con at 8:30am, so as not to miss a minute of this convention. They saw Stan Lee, John Franco and got some really cool comics, toys and coupons for free stuff. They also got to see some really weird people. Adults dressed as Pokemon characters, super heros and people wearing lycra that shouldn't be. The smile on Jack's face says it all. Amazing, fun day for him.


Kate and I set out on the subway about an hour later, sharing coffee and a snack at Starbucks with Jill. We walked around the area of Chelsea where most of the activities were. We were due to see Sunny Anderson at 1:30, so we found that building, then got some free stuff at the Welcome Center and walked along the river, then down some cobblestone streets in the West Village and then back to Chelsea. We made a you tube video for Iron Chef and got a free t-shirt, got our picture taken and got some free soda, stood on a short line for free ice cream and met http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Anne_Wong  Lee Anne Wong. She had been a contestant on Top Chef and comments on the Cooking Channel show Unique Eats http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/unique-eats/index.html

she was super friendly and Kate and I were on such a high, I bought some look alike Prada sunglasses and Kate got some earrings. Then we went to wait on line to see Sunny Anderson.

I wasn't sure if we got there early, if we would get a front row seat but WE DID. And it was absolutely incredible!! She is so wonderful. She was funny, genuine and REAL. I guess that is why her show is called "Cooking for Real" because she is. The most awesome part of the day....When I was nodding my head to "yes, I love mashed potatoes and turnips" well, see for yourself....(never mind-video won't upload)

So cool! She came over to hug us! and then talked about her Daddy and Mom. So cool. So real. Kate and I had this after-glow high after seeing her. Kate got her autograph and a picture with her. Thanks so much Sunny. WE LOVE YOU. Kate loved how she signs her name with a smiling sun next to it.

When we got outside, the lines for the fun, free stuff were soooo long. We were happy we went to them earlier. Krissy had called us and we met up with her and filled her in on our exciting adventures and found a busy, but quiet spot to eat a lovely lunch outside. MMMMMMMmmmmmm.

Tomato and fresh Mozzerella, Frisee Salad and Gnocci. with a basket of pastries. Delicious!

Then we met up with Annie and James and strolled over to Chelsea Market, I didn't even realize it was near where we had started out our day

The shops inside were very cool but we didn't eat much, since we had just had that big lunch. But there were many cool things to see. They sell NoFo Chips at Chelsea Market. Too funny.

Then we hung out in the Park and visited and shared our stories of the day. It was fun. 

The day for us ended with seeing Paulo Costanzo who plays Evan R. Lawson on Royal Pains. We were star struck and got our picture taken with him too!

http://www.tv.com/paulo-costanzo/person/67674/summary.html


We met up with the boys at the Javits Center and saw some weird characters. What an incredible day for everyone!!

Some good movies, books and other shocking things

We saw the Owls of Ga'Hoole movie today. Here are two different links for reviews http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1219342/ http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/movies/2010/09/24/2010-09-24_legend_of_the_guardians_the_owls_of_gahoole_review_soaring_3d_animation_eclipses.htmlJack read the whole series in grades 4 and 5 and Kate read the first of the series. It was in 3-D and pretty decent. I was surprised at all the little kids there as it was rated PG and they were too young to have read the books. It was violent but full of action and it was nice being able to share the afternoon with the kids and their friend.

We also went to see The Social Network this past weekend. I felt for Mr. Zuckerburg and his need to fit in. He was so smart, it was hard for him to relate to girls and other peers. Knowing that he is the youngest billionaire makes me happy for him! The constant partying of the non-computer programmers was disturbing but it was a well told story. I have not read the book, but I did read an extensive article that was in Rolling Stone two years ago The Battle For Facebook | Rolling Stone Culture  and it followed the article quite closely. My favorite part was when he told off the lawyers and put down the snobby rowing twins!

I have also been trying to read The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo. http://www.amazon.com/Girl-Dragon-Tattoo-Stieg-Larsson/dp/0307269752 and for some reason, I am so exhausted when I sit down, I start falling asleep or the dryer bings and it is time to empty it, or on the way to the dryer.. I see the sink full of dishes and have to wash them, or the phone rings and it is time to get a child somewhere. Usually after the dryer is empty there is a load in the washer to go in the dryer and some clothes on the floor to go into the washer...the never ending vicious cycle.

Autumn is not so bad but now you see why I miss summer....

Other shocking things, the TV is off, Kate is reading her novel for school and Jack is working on that horrible program known as cognitive tutor. It is a torture device for students and could put math teachers out of work. Well, it could put them out of work if the program actually taught them any thing.

Cooking with Kate

So it's fall and time for some new recipes. Last year I tried a different soup every Sunday afternoon. Today Kate wanted to make Meatloaf after she saw Ina make it. The recipe is in the link above.

I didn't have parchment paper, so it looks really greasy, not like Ina's. I took a picture but I can't post it because it looks gross. It does smell quite good though, so hopefully it will also taste OK. (update: all the meatloaf is gone, finally I can make an American staple)

Kate had a volleyball tournament yesterday and it is fun to see her play. Erase that, it is nerve racking watching her play ( I can't ask for anything for over a month because I find myself sick to my stomach, praying every time she gets on the court) but I love seeing her face when she gets a good hit and how happy she is with her teammates.

Jack is helping her now with her Algebra. It is good for his confidence and he is patient. She is a tough pupil. Erase that, "stop that" "what" "she is making noises" "No I'm not" But it's all good. I think the Gontis' are stealing him from me. He spent most of his waking hours with them yesterday and went over for another 3 today. :)

Here is a picture of them from the first day of school.

Noodle Making

Noodle Makers!

I love our little country church in Berlin. It is a supportive community and friendly. A recent death in the family and the support of people there makes me realize how lucky we are.

Today was noodle making day. In two weeks we will have our church picnic. There is ham, turkey, mashed potatoes, corn, beans, and homemade noodles. So after mass today we made noodles for the dinner. It is so much fun and exemplifies, many hands make little work. Did Ben Franklin say that?

(I googled it and it was John Heywood, an English writer known for his plays, poems and proverbs 1497-1580)

One groups mixes the dough, another kneads it, then it gets dried and then rolled out several times with the pasta machine before the noodles are made with the machine. Here are some pictures from the happy working group. It was nice to have a mix of people, young kids, grandparents, parents. Just wonderful.

Come to our Picnic on Sunday September 5 in the afternoon for some really good home cooked food. One of these great kids may be waiting on you!

             

Day at the Beach

I don't think there is anything more relaxing than a day at the beach. Warm sun, cooling breeze, the squack of seagulls, the laughter of children. It all adds up to a perfect day.

This beach is the Connecticut side of the Long Island Sound. We took a passenger only ferry over to this tiny island and enjoyed the sand and surf and grilled our lunch. 

Here are some pictures from the day.

Cake baking, Flowers and Graduation

The kids returned this weekend!! Wiser, stronger and prouder. in body, mind and spirit. Made closer bonds and friendships and saw through others' selfishness. Most of all, they believe they can accomplish anything. I think this comment sums it up, "Jack I am so proud of you." "Thanks mom, I am proud if myself." with an emphasis on the 'I'. 

I baked a cake for their return:

 (it is one of those cakes that is supposed to be shaped like a cupcake..I think I needed 2 different icings.)

My new brother-in-law brought me flowers. He is always telling me what a great mom I am!

Jack marching to get his diploma

Kate marching for her diploma

It was a very impressive ceremony. Berlin was very well represented.

Here is the whole class

Some close ups of my kids

and again

Me and the kids

12 hours

The kids graduate in 12 hours. I feel more excited than I do before Christmas vacation! It feels so surreal, this time that they have been gone. I kept myself busy: exercising, cleaning, going to work, visiting with friends, reading...but I can't WAIT to see them, hug them and have them here. I know I will cry when I see them.....

Today I kept myself busy with my venti black coffee with 2 shots of espresso mmmmmmm.

I have nor cooked all week. Do you know when you don't cook, your kitchen stays really clean? Interesting

Then I went food shopping and made their new favorite: Eggplant rolletini. It is really good. Here are some pictures:

The breading station

Frying: I guess you could bake it too, but what is the fun in that. Olive Oil is good for you anyway.

Then I put the cheese mixture in the middle and wrap the eggplant around it and put them in the pan, seam side down.

I made about a dozen of them, plus the smaller pieces I use for a eggplant lasagne. 

I had one of these myself while cooking. 

I can now go on the Food Network Show: The Best Thing I Ever Ate.