Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Whether it is soccer, t-ball or football every Mom goes through an evolution as they watch their child participate in team sports.
I’m a soccer Mom. There, I said it. I am the same soccer Mom I used to talk about when I was twentysomething and swore I’d never become. Well, I didn’t really. I am a cool soccer Mom as are many of us out there and I am sure we could teach those twentysomethings a thing or two about moving on with your life and still having a life. So now that I am the Mom taxi taking my kids to all of their various extracurricular activities I thought I would at least do it with style. But what kind of style would that be? My evolution started gradually with my daughter playing soccer as a four year old in a very kid friendly no game, all activities sort of way. I have to say I almost felt cheated. Where we the folding chairs, hot coffee, uniforms and …
Sunday, May 13, 2012
This lovely chicken salad makes a great topping for crackers or in a sandwich. It fits in perfectly with a Mother's Day brunch.
"Love, like a chicken salad a restaurant has, must be taken with blind faith or it loses its flavor." ~Helen Rowland It's Mother's Day and like most of us I'm sure your plans revolve around visiting with the women in your life. And eating. Don't most of our plans revolve around food? I am having my family over tomorrow for an afternoon of laughs, food and celebrating the moms in the family (we have big family so there are quite a few). Since the weather is going to be so beautiful we'll be outdoors, grilling. The usual suspects will be in attendance; hot dogs, hamburgers, various salads, chips and dips. I am also making a great curried chicken salad to serve with crackers. This chicken salad is light and tasty, with just a bit of punch …
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
There are all kinds of Moms in the world but figuring out the kind of Mom you want to be can take you on fun ride.
The first few years I celebrated Mother’s Day it was all about the TLC. In other words it was all about me. I looked forward to it with such anticipation you’d think nobody ever did anything nice for me. I couldn’t wait to see what my husband would cook up when the kids were tiny. Cute cards, a special breakfast and a day off from everything a Mother does in a day. As the kids got older we took the day a bit further and went out to brunch where the kids would show off their best manners and Mommy would sip champagne and look at their beautiful handmade gifts. Now as I sit here wondering what tricks the kids and their Dad have up their sleeve for this Mother’s Day, I start to think about what they are celebrating. What kind of Mom do they…
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Chicken Marsala is a delicious, easy to make at home dish. A little chicken, a few mushrooms, some wine...piece of cake.
"One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating." ~Luciano Pavarotti One of my favorite Italian dishes is Chicken Marsala. For some reason though, nine out of ten times I end up ordering something else when I go out. The same scene plays out every time; I whittle my choices down to the Marsala and one other dish and that other dish always wins out. Because of this, I tend to make Chicken Marsala quite a bit at home. Don't let the fancy pants name deter you from trying your hand at it...the dish is quick enough to whip up on a weeknight, yet elegant enough to serve at a dinner party. It is also easy to change up. Add some cream to the sauce or throw …
Friday, May 4, 2012
A look at where people settle in for the annual Town Meeting.
Town Meeting has ended and I hope you were there. The League of Women Voters has a slogan I find useful: People who don’t vote shouldn’t talk at cocktail parties. That was in the 70s when people had cocktail parties, but I find the thought all-purpose. Please don’t complain about the town if you don’t take part in the deliberations. Issues under consideration may not affect you this year, but eventually they will. For those few of you who have not been to Town Meeting I would like to offer some observations. Usually there are two places to settle in for Town Meeting: the high school auditorium or the cafeteria. The difference is worth noting. My preference is the cafeteria, but has on occasion sat in the auditorium. In both places the …
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
In this day of texts and emails having time carved out to talk as a family is increasingly important.
We held our first family meeting recently and my kids groaned at the mere mention of it. I was taken aback by their lack of enthusiasm because I didn’t think they knew it to be anything more than a gathering of family members. For all they knew we could be meeting around the outdoor fireplace making s ‘mores. Then I realized the context in which I declared it and thus realized family meeting mistake number one, don’t demand one while sending a kid to time out. Next time I will make it when everyone is calm and happy and hope for a better response. Until then, I was stuck with sour puss faced kids and a husband that was just going with the flow. “What are we talking about, Mom?” declared my daughter. A laundry list of things came to mind…
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Give this creamy tomato sauce a whirl on your next pasta night.
"Everything you see I owe to spaghetti." ~Sophia Loren I was tired of the same spaghetti and meatballs dinner last week so I searched around for a new pasta recipe to try. I wanted it to be pretty basic and easy to make and still be based around tomatoes. After weeding through dozens of pasta salad recipes and about a million spaghetti and meatballs recipes, I came across one that sounded pretty darn interesting. It called for a bit of spice, a bit of sweetness and a bunch of cream. I was sold. I've never met a cream sauce I didn't like. We were pretty happy with the outcome and it'll now get thrown into the dinner rotation. If you prefer a spicier sauce use hot sausages and more red pepper flakes. Or you can leave the hot flakes out …
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Looking for an interesting appetizer to bring to a party? Look no further! Try making these easy delicious egg rolls.
“It may be the way the cookie crumbles on Madison Avenue, but in Hong Kong it's the way the egg rolls.” ~Robert Orben Every couple of months a group of girls known as "The BBs" get together to eat, laugh and catch up. I am lucky enough to be a part of this little crew and though I love to get together I always find myself a bit stressed as to what to bring. I consider myself to be a decent cook but for some reason I always bring food to the BB conventions that is pretty lame. To the first gathering I brought a brie-phyllo dough debacle. It turned out sort of Hot Pocket-esque (meaning it was hot on the outside and freezing in the middle). Ugh. To the second gathering I brought a dip that was just plain boring. For the rest of our get …
Friday, April 20, 2012
Reader is concerned, committed to speaking for "those who have no voice."
These articles have been designed for the public good. My attempts at personally resolving issues with the neighbors' cats took place for months before I took this to the next level. Initially, it was the bylaw pertaining to cats that I was most interested in…but upon further research I found antiquated language and outdated procedures, spurring me on to Animal Control and Responsible Pet Ownership. My concern and commitment to "those who have no voice" is genuine, be it an abused or ill human being, pet, domesticated or wild animal. And while I research extensively and question the diversity of opinions, I believe that only through open dialogue, sincere interest and genuine curiosity does there exist any possibility of understanding …
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Earth Day is an excellent opportunity for our schools to teach kids about our precious Earth and all we can do to help her stay healthy.
I love Earth Day. Maybe it is because I love a good cause or maybe because I love an easy opportunity to teach my kids something valuable. Easy because Earth Day is such an obvious way to teach kids of all ages about our great planet. It doesn’t matter how much or little you know about all the ways we can help Mother Earth (that’s what the internet is for) because even the smallest things can help. And kids don’t really care as long as they feel they are helping they will enjoy this chance to spend time learning, doing and making a difference. The opportunity to teach kids about helping our Earth extends to the classroom and I was happy to learn about all the ways our schools are teaching kids about our great planet. I think many of us …
craig first
1:44 pm on Friday, April 27, 2012
People may be interested to know that there is a local Montessori school, just over the line in Sudbury (near Verrill farm) that has an amazingly strong outdoor/nature education program that runs the entire school year. It is integral to the curriculum. The children not only learn about nature in the classroom from the on staff naturalist, but excursions into the great outdoors to get "hands on" … more ›