Happy 14th Bday Alex!

Alex's 14th Bday was July 27th...

So we went to the RainForest Cafe with my inlaws, and THIS was his dessert...

As you can see... Johnny is VERY excited to have chocolate in front of him...

Yes, he ALWAYS wants to blow other peoples candles out... ALWAYS...

Such a killjoy!!! LOL

Then... on his actual Birth Day... we went to Outback SteakHouse...

We are DONE with eating out this year...

You know us... we just don't eat out... except for Birthdays...

I'd rather cook our meals...

I know... I'm crazy...

Happy 14th Alex!!!

I love you!

Food Pics

Warning... this post is NOT intended for the NON foodies...

The following pictures are NOT safe for untrained eyes...

LOL...

I bring you... Sandra'a Bread Fetish Post...

(Oh how I wish I still ate bread) (sometimes)

This loaf is an Oatmeal Bread loaf, that JOHNNY, my son, actually mixed and made...

I did the shaping, baking and slicing, but he measured and added the ingredients and stirred it all up.

I sliced this by hand today, and made a bunch of Nutella finger sandwiches for a friends toddlers coming by tonight, and some turkey/provolone sandwiches for my men for lunch...

This was made on Monday... I had NO food in the house except for a few cherry tomatoes from the garden and a small ball of fresh mozzarella cheese and some fresh basil...

So this is what my boys had for lunch before we went to the "$500 store" (Costco) to buy more food.

Then I found a 1/2 a bag of coleslaw mix, and whipped up a quick slaw for them to top on the sandwich...

I ALWAYS have dough ready to make pizza or bread with... so this is the beginning of a Margarita Pizza with homegrown tomatoes and basil...

And After it's all topped with cheese a ready to bake...

So then I made some Challah (pronounced Khallah) pretzels...

This was my lunch for a couple of days...

Hollowed out cukes, with a lovely Salmon Salad with fresh green onions, cranberries, celery, onion and sweet pickle relish...

YUM!!!

I didn't miss the bread at all!!!!

And yes... for those of you that live in my city... I can and will make you these things for lunch for dinner too... Just call me...

I deliver!!!

Writer's Workshop 7-14-10

It happened on Facebook…write about a funny or awkward conversation you saw unfold on Facebook...

That's the prompt I chose for this weeks WRITER'S WORKSHOP at MamaKat's...

I HAD to write on this one.. because it's just sooo absurd... and since my blog posts on Facebook too, I thought I'd rehash a bad memory about it.. LOL...

I love Facebook.

I love how it has gotten me in contact with so many people I knew in High School, and all my family that live in Canada, New York, Pennsylvania and Italy...

I love all the funny banter and witty comments.

I love that messages of love and concern can be sent for all the world to see...

It's fun.

I have to be careful not to spend too much time on it though, because it can be a bit addicting...

I literally set a timer, and only allow myself 10 minutes at a time... and I make a deal with myself that I

will do 10 minutes of laundry, scrubbing, writing or exercise to counteract the sedentary 10 minutes at my computer terminal or Ipod or cell phone...

All that is well and good...

THEN....

THEN!!!!!

I got BOMBARDED to the NTH DEGREE with Farmville, Petville, Ihearts, my donkey is missing, my Cafe needs spoons, my Mafia is this, my Score is that... CRUD!!!

HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS at a time!!!

It took me sooo long to see anything of substance anyone else was writing...

so I put a (what I thought was) a benign little blurb on my FB status about how I joined a group called...

"I don't care about your farm, fish, mafia, animals or anything else on FB"

HOLY COW...

You'd have thought I shot someone's Mama in cold blood.

The backlash...

The downright HATRED I recieved was HILARIOUS!!!

One person, whom I have NEVER had bad words with, whom I assumed was a friend, we'd spoken a little over the years, and she was a Host of mine when I did Pampered Chef, got SOOOOO bent out of shape about my joining that group on FB... that she posted a NASTY message on my wall

about what HYPOCRITE I was, and how I need to be more understanding about other

people's hobbies and how "you of all people should understand how much the games on FB are important to some people's lives, because you write a blog and it posts of FB, and we are forced to read it!" then she did the unthinkable!!!  SHE UNFRIENDED ME!!! LOL... which is the same as slapping someone in the face, I understand... so I really got it handed to me... huh?

LOL

For REAL... people... she truly WROTE THAT ON MY WALL!

Last time I checked... I wasn't forcefeeding ANYONE to read my blog... but... hmmm... it doesn't sound like a bad idea now... I'll have to revisit that and see how that all works... Mwaahahahha!

I got so much hate mail about how I should just "block" or "hide" the incoming game crud...

but really... I just joined a benign group that hated the incoming junk as much as I did...

I mean Holy Smokes...

Have you seen all the stuff that gets posted on FB?

People are actually praying for the Presidents DEATH, talking about how the Holocaust never happened... and my joining an Anti Gamer Group is the WORST thing that can happen????

Yikes...

It's completely absurd...

But... it doesn't stop me from clicking on my beloved FB tab... almost everyday... and posting stupid stuff about what I'm doing at that very second...

I love me some FB...

But.. alas... because of my lack of tastes for FB games... I got virtually slapped in the face...

Game on, chick that UNfriended me...

Game on...

LOL!!!!

I got the Job!!!

I really and truly thought I was going to be a stay at home Mama until Johnny was in college... It's always been the plan...

Then... William's course selection paperwork showed up in the mail, and I noticed "International Cuisine" as a new course being offered, and he signed up for the course...

He showed me the paper, and said... 'Hey Mom, look at this... they must have hired someone to teach this new elective."

I looked at it... said... "Huh... yeah... cool!  Cooking class is important in the teen years, especially so teens can learn how to feed themselves while in college... not to mention... it's fun too and they'll get to eat the results... and the tests..."

I thought nothing more about it... until I went to a Football Meeting, where a good friend of mine at the school took me aside and said... "Hey... just so you know... a few of us put your name in to teach that cooking class here."

I said... "WHAT?????"  What cooking class!!!  Me? For real?"  I was sooooo elated inside... mentally making my syllabus in my head... already making menus, and designing aprons for each student...

She said... "Yep... you are perfect for the job, you HAVE to apply!"

So I did. Way back in May.  After I put my app in, I kinda just forgot about it.  I felt completely at peace about it... if they wanted me, they'd give me an interview and offer me the job... if they didn't... they wouldn't.  It was as simple as that.  Going back to work was about 8 years away...

Yesterday was my interview.  It was great.  My first interview in 22 years, for my first job in 16 years, for someone else besides myself as the boss of my own company.  I was nervous, but not so much as to let it show... and I didn't interrupt or speak to quickly or ramble on...

I GOT THE JOB!  I am now the proud teacher of one class of "International Cuisine" one hour each morning from 8-9 a.m.  Great hours HUH???

I will teach two semesters, to 20 students, and I am SOOOOO EXCITED!  The Superintendent of our school gave me a tour of my HUMONGOUS classroom, complete with every amenity available... it even has red and white checkerboard curtains like a restaurant...

He gave me CARTE BLANCHE to paint, purge, decorate, move furniture etc... sooooo exciting!!! I HAVE A CLASSROOM... and it's AWESOME!!!

I'm going in on Monday, when I drop William off at Football, to begin the organization.

I am sooo thankful that I'll be able to come home and continue to run my other businesses and be able to cook for busy families and organizations...

I just hope the kids like the class, and really learn from it, and want be there.  I want it to be a very successful class, where maybe some students will find a hidden passion for cooking and want to pursue it in more depth.  I hope to inspire the students to live graciously, and to view hospitality as an asset and something to be proud of.

Soooo... I am now a Culinary Arts Teacher... and I am soooo PROUD!!!

4th of July Food Fest!

So I spent the weekend cooking, like I normally do... and loved every minute of it.

Above, is homemade Challah bread, made into cinnamon rolls ready for the oven...

This is right out of the oven...

And frosted...

I... don't eat these kinds of food anymore...

But once in a while, I make them for my hubby and kids to devour... and devour they did...

 

To go along with our steaks... I oven fried some potatoes, with olive oil, salt, pepper and fresh rosemary...

Low fat, and high flavor...

I don't eat them anymore either... but my family sure does!!!

Another item I don't eat... LOL...

But I did take a tiny nibble of one of these to taste... and they were good...

Mini lemon teacakes...

with fresh lemon and powdered sugar frosting...

Yeah!!! Something I did eat... portobello mushrooms, onions and fresh pea stirfry with some curry and sage...

Over a nice steak was wonderful!!!

What did you eat?

Writer's Workshop July 1, 2010

Whew... I haven't done a Writer's Workshop from MamaKat's in forever!!! Time to get back to it! 

So this time, I am to list 10 things that would surely put a smile on my face, when I'm not happy...

Truth be told... even though I'm cynical as all get out... I'm actually a pretty happy person most of the time... but lately... I've been thinking of wearing only black and white vertical stripes and carrying around a whistle... Why?
Because I have two teenagers, and one pre pubescent raging hormone 11 year old, and these days, I feel more like a REFEREE than I do a Mama!  All the testosterone in this house is gonna put a mustache on my face and hair on MY chest if I don't do something to get out once in a while... quick... (Being an Italian woman, that concept is NOT funny!!!)

So... here are my 10 things that would make me happy, even when I'm not...

1.  Never having to repeat myself again... {{when I get to heaven... and if God ever asks me what my hearts desire is... I KNOW I will say... "God... love of my life... thank you for saving me... and allowing me into your presence... my hearts desire would be to live in a REPEAT FREE ZONE...thank you, and did I mention that I love and adore you?  Oh... and those three lovely boys outside my door?... THEY are the ones that will HEAR me and UNDERSTAND WHAT I AM SAYING... most of all, here in heaven... Okay?}}

2.  Having a nice, big, clean, private, gorgeous bathroom to go to and be able to have a lovely soaking tub and a HUGE lock on the door, complete with loud music and sound proof walls...

3.  An outdoor wood burning oven to make all my breads and pizza's in...(the foundation is laid... but the structure is yet to be built... {{I know... I know... all in good time}}

4.  Someone ELSE washing, folding and putting away the clothes... (truth be told, I only wash and fold, the boys put away... but still)

5.  For a crotchity old man who has nothing better to do than try to make someone else's life as miserable as his, to get his just desserts...

6.  A new wardrobe that fit, since I've lost 80 lbs, I swim in my clothes... :)

7.  Losing 80 more lbs...

8.  Having more people order dinners from me, so they can eat a good healthy, hearty meal without having to cook for themselves one or two nights a week...

9.  All the books I want to read this summer to magically appear on my door step...

10.  Did I mention not having to repeat myself?  Oh... I just did, huh... figures...

What a boatload of sandwiches looks like...

Made a TON of sandwiches for our ACA footballers... this is only half...

Homemade olive oil foccacia, Bella Sera Balsamic Bliss dressing, mustard, tomato and lettuce.

One coach asked where I bought the bread, he loved it... and he didn't believe me at first that I never buy ANY type of bread anymore... ever... and made all the bread myself...

I get such a rush cooking for people who are foodies... and to be honest... even for non foodies...

Each of these got individually wrapped, and my Mama made her famous cookies, and they each got a cookie too...

I can't wait to cook for the entire team!