My long time friend Carolyn’s father passed away a few weeks ago and while I was telling him my final, tearful goodbye, I couldn’t help but notice what a nice casket he was in.…
Italian women bound into a flurry of baking activity before big holidays like Easter and Christmas. Then they rush their baked goods to friends and family, as though the holiday will not happen unless every last baked good is delivered.…
Mrs. Spratt's Seven Layer cookies have been a favorite for more than 40 years! And they're so easy!…
Today is the 23rd anniversary of my mom’s passing. She was a force of nature; making you crazy one minute, making you laugh the next. This story is proof.…
I don’t know what comes over me. I had a million things to do today, half of which I got done, but something told me that since I’d fixed Jesus, it was now time to deal with St. Joseph. I don’t even go to church, why do I feel compelled to do these things?…
Easy Delicious Dinner Ideas• Great Memories• Uncategorized
New Year Slow-Cooked Pork and Sauerkraut
January 3, 2015
In Western Pennsylvania, there are traditions you just have to keep. One is pork and sauerkraut on New Year’s Day. I may not live there currently, but I’ll be damned if I’m giving up this tradition, it’s too good. It’s said to be good luck to eat pork on New Year’s Day because pigs root forward, so, your year will start in a positive direction, unless you’re a…
1. If we were a family of drinkers, I could understand this tree. Clearly, the kids decorated it. I love the classy bucket underneath. 2. I remember this as my best childhood Christmas. My sister and I got large walking dolls. My brothers got a basketball hoop. Didn’t remember the tree until this photo. Slightly better than the year before, but the garland draper still had much to…
I just read an article in the LA Times about an Austrian chef who re-creates Christmas dinners like those in his homeland because he has such great memories. I loved that, instead of sinking into a depression over what he’s missing, he’s re-creating it with braised duck and roasted chestnuts. I remember forcing myself to do that the first year I spent Christmas Eve away from my large,…
Family Traditions• Great Memories• Holidays• Random Thoughts
November? What the hell?
November 7, 2014
I can’t believe it’s already November. To make it worse, everywhere I look poor Thanksgiving is being squeezed out by all the holiday stuff. What the hell? It’s too bad because a day devoted to being thankful that includes food overload is my kind of holiday. I’ve always loved it — so much, that in college, we made Thanksgiving dinner and ate on two mattresses on the floor…
How sad that today’s kids will never know the thrill of waiting until the sixth time their mother screams their name to actually get moving, then blame it on not being able to hear her. Cell phones have taken the excitement away. Thank God batteries still die, so there’s hope for today’s youth. But nothing can replace the way parents used to have to muscle their kids…