Mangia Mamma's Five Favorites

Welcome to another edition of Five Favorites. This also happens to be [insert drum roll, please]... my 100th post. Of course, I still am pretty much unknown in the blogging world, but I am okay with that (usually). I have resigned myself that I probably won't ever be a famous blogger, but since I'm pretty busy being wife, mom, homemaker, fencing instructor and baker, I am learning to be content with that.

Anyway, here's this week's Five Favorites which, if you are reading this, is probably what you are waiting for:

                                                              1. AirBnB

 I discovered this great travel site a little over a year ago while looking for somewhere to stay on a fencing tournament weekend with Mary. We ended up spending a loss less money than a hotel and staying at a terrific little house in Washington. Since then, we've used AirBnB in San Francisco plus Josh and Cari used it when she visited him in Rome. Josh used it also for a Spring Break trip to Quebec with some of his TMC classmates. The latest booking is at a great place that Mary and I get to stay at when we take David to Christendom then explore Washington, D.C. and northern Virginia next month. We have only had great experiences, and I urge everyone to check it out!

2. Grilling Skills

Oh yeah, she's got skills (and pretty henna from the WorldBeat Festival)

As I wrote in my previous post, Mary and Brian have started helping with dinner. Last week, after we all worked a long day at the WorldBeat Festival, she made some amazing hot dogs along with grilled vegetables. She's started becoming quite good grilling stuff, and this Saturday's dinner of grilled pizza should be fun! So don't just let that old BBQ grill sit on your patio collecting rust, break out the propane or charcoal and get some grilling skills of your own!

3. Hammocks

                                 

                                                                       Joshua just swingin' and readin'

A couple of years ago, we bought a hammock for Brian. It was probably a Father's Day/Birthday gift as one comes on the heels of one another. Even though he doesn't use very often, it's gotten lots of wear from the kids, especially with the warm weather we've been having in the Willamette valley this summer. I've only used it once this summer, and I thoroughly enjoyed my restful time reading while gently rocking and looking up at our oaks. Everyone should have a hammock or something "swingy" in their yard!

4. AAA

We've had AAA membership for a very long time, probably since we've been married. It's been helpful when I've run out of gas (a couple of times) as well as when I've locked my keys in the car (too many times to count- not to mention the time I locked them in with the kids when they were all little, in our garage, no less). With the advent of the Internet, I generally don't remember to go to their office in town before taking a trip. Since Mary and I have our big adventure coming up, we decided to go to their office in town to see what they have. Not only were they friendly, they had a map plus tour-books filled with info on our destination-all for FREE since we're members. The best part was the walking tours of Washington D.C. that was included in the tour-book. It was really helpful, and we're planning on using it while we are there.

5. Creative Kids

                            

                                                                         Knotted Rosary made by Joshua 

I love having creative kids. Cari and Mary enjoy quilting, cooking and sewing while David's handy at putting things together-anything from Legos to automotive stuff while Josh uses his creative gifts to do woodworking and writing. It was no surprise yesterday when Josh asked if we could run by the craft store for him to pick up some supplies to make a knotted Rosary. While we were at said craft store, Mary decided to get some supplies to re-bind a book for Josh along with some supplies for more projects. When we got home, they both got to work on their projects. As you can see, Joshua finished his fairly quickly. I think he wanted to make it for his upcoming trip to England, so he did a really nice job on it. My advice for parents or anyone who works with kids of any age-- let them develop their creativity when they are young, and they will foster the joy of making things even when they are adults!

Be sure to check out Hallie at Moxie Wife for hers along with links to a bunch of other terrific bloggers' Five Favorites!

Bringing Home the Bacon...

So many times I am still amazed at the way God answers prayer. This shouldn't necessarily be the case, but in all honesty, it is. Take the past few weeks for example. Brian and I'd been talking for a while about the cash flow in our family (or how it seems to just flow away), so I'd been considering a second job. Now Craigslist is fine, and there are a lot of jobs on it, but I was more concerned about a couple of things. 1) my résumé. I have been teaching and coaching fencing for eight years now, but that's pretty specialized as was my previous job as booking agent/ administrative assistant for Master's Image Production. Of course, I also have the wife/mom/home educator thing under my belt, but it doesn't sound very impressive to the business world. 2) scheduling. Would I be able to get a job that would allow me to keep teaching and coaching, take care of family stuff, and not have to work on Sundays? This was all taken care of a few weeks back when my dear friend, Annette (she of Fordyce Farms fame), texted me asking if I'd be interested in working part time in the F. Farms kitchen helping her husband, Ray, with the marvelous baking he does. After polling the kids and talking with Brian, I texted back saying yes to the job. With the new job comes new busyness. Between the two jobs, I have been working full time (plus still doing the homemaker stuff), which is a really new thing for me. I finally realized after doing it all for a bit more than a week, I needed to ask for help in domestic-land. Whoever coined the whole bring home the bacon, fry it up in a pan, etc. etc. etc. thing was either a man or someone who could afford to have live-in help (I don't mean children, either)! Anyway, I decided to put my homemaking pride on the line and ask husband and youngest daughter for help in the kitchen. I then pretty much stepped back and let them plan the menu for July. So far, so good. I've only had to help a few times plus I've only had to cook a full meal twice- Sunday brunches with the kids help. The food has been tasty, and no one is starving. Of course, there have been some glitches like forgetting to put pasta on the grocery list and things like that. Thankfully, Mary is a whiz in the kitchen, so she's helping her dad quite a bit. I am still trying to use my one full day off to bake bread and make other necessities like mayonnaise and salad dressing, but it is really nice to have dinner ready when I come home after one of my really long days. Would I have done this earlier when the kids were younger- no way. Am I glad to be able to get to do it now as they are all transitioning to full grown up land- absolutely! The other fun thing is still getting to try new recipes, like the Mexican Tater Waffles I made a few weeks ago. It's a great recipe and so easy, not to mention it tastes excellent! Who would have thought you could use your waffle iron for something so creative? Try it, you'll like it!

Mexican Tater Waffles

1- 1 lb. bag frozen tater tots, thawed

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1-4 oz. can chopped green chiles

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup chopped green onions

1 tsp. taco seasoning

Cilantro, sour cream, salsa and extra cheese, for serving, if desired

Preheat waffle iron. Mix all Ingredients in large bowl, being sure to break up tots. When waffle iron is hot, spray with non-stick cooking spray. Spoon about 1/2 cup of potato mixture into waffle iron. Cook for 4-6 minutes, or until golden brown. Top with cilantro, sour cream, salsa and extra cheese, if desired.

Strawberry Bread

 Mangia Mamma’s Strawberry Bread 
with Strawberry Icing

Bread:  
2 cups sliced fresh or frozen Strawberries- if frozen, let thaw for 10 minutes to soften 
2 cups unbleached flour  
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour  
2 cups sugar  
1/2 tsp. nutmeg  
1/2 tsp. ginger  
1 tsp. baking soda  
1 1/4 cups butter, softened  
4 eggs, slightly beaten

Icing:  
1 cup confectioners sugar  
2 tbsp. strawberry syrup (I make my own, but you can use any strawberry syrup)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray two 9 x 5 inch loaf pans with non-stick cooking spray. 

Combine dry ingredients in large bowl; mix well. Add butter and mix until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, being sure to blend before adding next one. Once batter is mixed, fold in strawberries, mixing just until combined. Divide batter into pans.

Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until tester comes out clean. Let cool in pans for 15 minutes; turn out onto rack.

While bread is baking, make icing. In small bowl, mix together confectioners sugar and strawberry syrup. If icing is too thin, add a bit more syrup. Once desired consistency is reached, drizzle over warm bread.

Cool iced bread completely before cutting. 

This is very good for anytime of the day, and it’s delicious served with cream cheese and strawberry jam. It would also make a great base for bread pudding.

Some Pomp and Circumstance...for the Class of 2013

I never got to make a speech at either my high school or community college graduation. If I had, I think it might have sounded a little like this:

Professors, Guests and Fellow Graduates,
After doing a little research on the song we refer to in the U.S. as Pomp and Circumstance, I found out it's actually called Land of Hope and Glory. The music was written by Sir Edward Elger and lyrics~ yes there are words to the song~ by A.C. Benson for King Edward VII's coronation in 1902. Here are the lyrics:

Land of Hope and Glory, Mother of the Free,
How shall we extol thee, who are born of thee ?
Wider still and wider shall thy bounds be set ;
God, who made thee mighty, make thee mightier yet,God, who made thee mighty, make thee mightier yet.

 Even though this was written over a century ago, in Great Britain, I believe we can pull out some ideas for today. Here are a few I came up with.

1) Graduates in the United States do live in a land of hope and glory. My great grandparents came to this country in the hope of a better life than the one they left in the old country. As we have been celebrating graduations with my family over this last month, I know our young people still have a hope and are free to explore what our country has to offer.

2) With so many people being negative about these times we are living in, our graduates have the opportunity to make a difference. It's time for young people to be willing to have a strong work ethic, to study things that will benefit them not just monetarily, but in all aspects of life, and to stand up for what is right.

3) The opportunities for impacting the world has never been bigger. There are people all over the world who need help- from storm victims in Iowa and New Jersey to the poor in Africa and Asia. Our graduates can get involved at a local food bank or become part of Americorps or even go overseas as part of a team building houses or running a medical clinic.

4) Even though the last two lines of this song actually have to do with England when it was written, our graduates must realize the only way for them to become the people they are intended to be is by asking the Lord to guide and direct them. This will help them to become the men and women they were meant to be.

Thank you and may God bless you all.

I dedicate this to my son David, who will be graduating tonight with his Associate of Arts Transfer Degree from Chemeketa Community College. I am very proud of you, son, and I am looking forward to seeing what God has planned for you as you transfer to Christendom this fall.