The There Were Two

And then there were two…..

We have only two children left at home.  I knew we’d have to face this someday but over the weekend it became more real than ever for Mike and me.  We moved our daughter Zoe into her first “real” apartment….you know, with a one year lease, an unknown neighborhood and me, a freaked out mom.  She left home for college last July but she lived in student housing with three other girls, high security and lots of rules.  I loved it, she hated it. She missed two things the most, her cat and candles.  (Student housing has a strict policy against both.)  Now she lives with her kitty Mr. Mistoffelees and vanilla scented soy candles.  She is in heaven and I am left to worry about almost everything.  Are her neighbors nice or creepy?  Will she remember to lock her doors?  How will she do laundry, grocery shop and find the bus stop?   What if she FORGETS to blow out the candles?????  Seriously, how many things can I think of that might go wrong? 

            I remember my first experience at independent living.  My “apartment” was my parents camper set up at the Grand Marais campground the summer after my graduation in 1982.  It was awesome!  I didn’t have a car so I would walk or bike downtown to work and buy groceries.  I had campfires and made “beverages” every night after working long shifts at the Blue Water Café. (My friend worked at Dairy Queen so she would bring the strawberries and we’d blend them up with ice and whatever moonshine we could get our hands on that day.)  Life was good.  I also wanted the company of a pet so I brought my parakeet from home.  Sometimes I would set his cage outside and the native birds would sit nearby and whistle back and forth.  I felt so grown up and ready to take on the world.  It was that surety of myself that kept the fear at bay.  At 18 you don’t know what you don’t know.  I never thought for one minute that my mom might be concerned or losing sleep over my campground shenanigans.

            Author Barbara Coloroso says “Parenting is one of those jobs that once you get really good at it you’re out of a job.” If this is true I still have two “jobs” with Jack and Ben so it will be a few years before I am done…but then I wonder, will I ever be done?  Even though my daughter has moved out she still lingers in my every waking thoughts and sometimes in my dreams.  They don’t tell you when you start having babies that a part of you is with your children all the time. Now it is my choice to make….will I spend every day in worry only bringing on the grey hairs even faster or will I accept the fact that I am no longer in control.  I have sent my daughter into the world armed with her cat and her candles, may she be safe and happy.  Now there are two….. Peace, Sandy

“Just because I laugh a lot, doesn’t mean my life is easy.  Just because I have a smile on my face every day, doesn’t mean that something is not bothering me.  It’s just that I choose to move on from the negative in my life and keep my head up instead of dwelling on the past.”  ~ Wise Author Unknown

2 INGREDIANT SPICE CAKE

1 (18.25 ounce) package spice cake mix

1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.

In a large bowl, mix together the spice cake mix and canned pumpkin until well blended. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool and serve, or store in the refrigerator. This tastes even better the next day.

2 INGREDIANT NUTELLA CAKE

4 eggs
8 1/2 ounces Nutella (weigh this out on a scale)

Grease a 6 or 7 inch round spring form pan. Line with parchment paper on sides and on bottom.  By spraying the pan with oil first, the parchment paper stick on better. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat eggs on high speed in mixer until more than double the volume, about 5 minutes.

Measure out Nutella into a glass bowl. Microwave Nutella for about 20 seconds to make it softer. Add in 1/3 of the egg mixture. Fold with a spatula in a clockwise direction until all of the egg is mixed in. Then add another 1/3 of egg mixture and fold again until no egg streaks remain. Pour in remaining third and repeat.

Pour batter into spring form pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes until knife inserted comes out clean. Let cake cool before cutting and serving.

2 INGREDIANT 100 CALORIE CUPCAKES

1 can Diet 7 Up

1 Box Strawberry cake mix

Mix pop and cake mix together well.  Do not add any other ingredients.  Pour batter into cupcake pan and bake according to package directions.  100 calories each.  Great topped with fat free cool whip.

A Friend is a Mirror

A Friend's Eye Is a Good Mirror.

A friend’s eye is a good mirror.  This is an Irish quote I really like.  I had a few friends over last Friday night.  One was a new friend as she bought my alpacas recently; one I worked with and she helped me edit my book, one was my sweetest neighbor, three I have breakfast with at least once a week and three were friends from grade school and high school who surprised me by making the trek to my house finally after ten years!  At one point during the evening it was suggested that one say what they admired about me.  I know totally cool right?  Even so my stomached tightened just a bit.  Knowing some of these ladies as long as I have, they could say almost anything!  As we all know an “old friend” can have a lot of dirt on you when she’s known you since kindergarten.  She likes to tell people I pulled her hair the first day we met but that’s not true.  The teacher pulled her ponytail because she had stuck her tongue out at me and I only laughed!  (I am sure you would have laughed too!)  We later became friends and agreed our kindergarten teacher wasn’t very nice. 

At Birch Grove Elementary, my grade school, we would celebrate St. Patrick’s Day by making shamrocks from three green hearts cut from construction paper.  At some point we were told about leprechauns leaving a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.  I spent many hours after a rain looking for this pot.  I did find some interesting glass bottles and jars in the woods but none held anything more than a little dust and rain water.  It didn’t stop be from liking St. Patrick’s Day though, as green was my very favorite color! 

Mike and I were married a week after St. Patrick’s Day in 1998.  We asked our guests to write us notes with words of encouragement or marital advice.  We gathered them all up and read them on the way to San Francisco for our honeymoon.  I had two favorites:  Mike’s aunt wrote “I vowed that I would never get divorced but I never said I wouldn’t kill him.”  (As my mom would say, you better sleep with one eye open pal.)  Other had a more Irish flair:  “May the road rise up to meet you.  May the wind be always at your back.  May the sun shine warm upon your face; and may the skin of your ass never cover a banjo.”  (It was years before I realized the skin he was referring to was not actually mine, but the skin of a donkey.)  Throughout the reception there were heartfelt toasts, supportive conversations and in the end we were able to see ourselves as a couple through our friend’s eyes.  It’s a good mirror.  Peace to you.  Sandy

May you always walk in sunshine.
May you never want for more.
May Irish angels rest their wings right beside your door.

Easy Irish Soda Bread

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 Tablespoons white sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup margarine, softened
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1/4 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Lightly grease a large baking sheet.

In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and margarine. Stir in 1 cup of buttermilk and egg. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead slightly. Form dough into a round and place on prepared baking sheet. In a small bowl, combine melted butter with 1/4 cup buttermilk; brush loaf with this mixture. Use a sharp knife to cut an 'X' into the top of the loaf.

Bake in preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, about 30 to 50 minutes. You may continue to brush the loaf with the butter mixture while it bakes.

Irish Beef Stew made with Guinness Stout

2 Tablespoons olive oil

3 bay leaves

2 pounds beef stew meat with some fat, cut in 2 inch cubes

1 large yellow onion, peeled and sliced

2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

1 teaspoon dried thyme, whole

1 teaspoon dried rosemary

2-3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

3/4 cup beef stock

1/2 cup Guinness stout

1 Tablespoon chopped parsley

1/2 pound carrots, sliced

Salt and pepper to taste

Heat a 6-quart stove-top casserole. Then add the oil and the bay leaves. Cook the bay leaves for a moment and then add the meat.  Brown the meat on both sides on high heat. Add the sliced onion and cook for a few minutes until it is clear.  Reduce the heat to low and add the garlic, thyme, rosemary and flour, and stir well until smooth.  Add the beef stock and stout; simmer, stirring, until the stew thickens a bit.  Add the remaining ingredients and cover.  Place the pot in a 275 degrees oven for about 2 hours, stirring a couple of times.  Season with salt and pepper to taste before serving.

Apple Pie "Dublin Style"

1 9-inch pie shell

1/2 cup honey

1 teaspoon grated lemon rind

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups sliced apples (1 pound 4 oz. each)

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup cornstarch

2 Tablespoons butter

Preheat oven 425 degrees.  Combine undrained apples and all other ingredients except butter. Mix lightly.  Spoon ingredients into pastry shell. Dot with butter.  Bake for 40-50 minutes until crust is golden brown.  This Irish dessert recipe is delicious served cold, but even better warm, with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Taking The Plunge

Taking the Plunge!

                Taking the plunge can refer to a marital commitment which in some cases might send a person running for the hills, in my case, taking a Polar Plunge had the same effect!  In case you have no idea what a polar plunge might be here’s the gist….they cut a huge hole in the ice in the middle of winter and people raise money for the “opportunity” to dress up in costumes and jump in the freezing cold water. It’s really fun if you’re the one on the sidelines with the camera! The last polar plunge I took was accidentally falling into Lake Superior when I was 13 and a warm summer day. I was reaching for a pretty piece of driftwood floating by when the next thing I knew I was flipped over into the lake.  It was soo cold I think I was out of the water when I was barely wet!  The closest I’ve come since that day is turning the cold water on in my shower! I would never purposely jump into a frozen lake in February no matter how warm the hot tub was when I got out.

            My son Ben has a different view.  He couldn’t wait to jump in with his friend Paulie and Paul’s dad Wayne.  They dressed like “beautiful brides” (and I use the term beautiful loosely…) with high heels, bouquets and garters!  They even had a flower “boy” but he wised up to the cold and ran for the car.  This wasn’t just a weekend with nothing better to do; the plunge was for a good cause.  The brides raised over $350.00 for the Annandale All Night grad party.  (This is a really great party to keep kids locked in graduation night and avoid any tragic accidents.)  The plunge took place in Maple Lake and it was a balmy 36 degrees!  The hole they cut in the ice is huge so you have to paddle across.  It’s not just a quick in and out like my Lake Superior plunge.  I have it all on video!  I said the brides stayed in the plunge longer than a Kardashian wedding!  Once out there is a hot tub waiting to warm you up.  The boys said it felt like needles after being in the lake.  It’s a proud mama moment to see your son in a wedding dress and heels for a good cause! 

            When visiting the North Shore the kids like to bring their friends from Annandale.  One April we told our guest that it was a custom to go down to the beach at Father Baragas cross and jump in Lake Superior in your underwear.  He called our bluff.  So we packed the van with beach towels and headed out.  All four kids stripped down and ran for the water but as soon as they stepped bare footed on the beach rocks you would see the icy cold shoot up their legs! Grandma LaVonne wouldn’t give you a warm towel unless you jumped in the water though! Hard nut!  (She was in a snowmobile jacket with mittens.)  Grandpa Art and I got a great laugh!  It was a memory I am sure they won’t soon forget.  The next time you’re at the lake you might want to strip down and take the plunge, as for me, I’ll be in the hot tub! Peace, Sandy

“Plunge boldly into the thick of life!” ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Here are some great “sea food” recipes just in time for Lent

Crock Pot Clam Chowder

Ingredients:

4 (6 1/2 oz.) cans minced clams with juice

1/2 pound salt pork or bacon, diced

1 cup chopped onion

6 to 8 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed

3 cups water

3 1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

4 cups half and half cream or milk

3 to 4 Tablespoons cornstarch

Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Cut clams into bite-sized pieces if necessary. In skillet, saute salt pork or bacon and onion until golden brown; drain. Put into slow cooker with clams. Add all remaining ingredients, except milk, cornstarch, and parsley. Cover and cook on high 3 to 4 hours or until vegetables are tender. During the last hour of cooking, combine 1 cup of milk with the cornstarch. Add cornstarch mixture and the remaining milk and stir well; heat through. Top each serving with a little chopped parsley and serve with oyster crackers.

Crock Pot Shrimp Creole

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups diced celery

1 1/4 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped bell pepper

1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce

1 (28 oz.) can whole tomatoes, broken up

1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspooon pepper

6 drops Tabasco, or to taste

1 pound shrimp, deveined & shelled

Combine all ingredients except shrimp. Cook 3 to 4 hours on high or 6 to 8 hours on low. Add shrimp last hour of cooking. Serve over hot rice. Chicken, rabbit or crawfish may be substituted for shrimp. Stove top version, if you don't have a Crock Pot. Saute celery, onion and bell peppers in oil or butter until tender. (Better if left a bit crunchy.) Add remaining ingredients except meat being used. Simmer at least 30 minutes to an hour. Add shrimp or whatever meat you wish and simmer 30 minutes more.
This is even better reheated the next day.

 Crock Pot Citrus Fish

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds fish fillets

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup chopped onion

5 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil

2 teaspoons grated lemon rind

2 teaspoons grated orange rind

Orange and lemon slices, for garnish

parsley sprigs, for garnish

Butter slow cooker; sprinkle fish fillets with salt and pepper. Place fish in crock pot. Put onion, parsley, grated orange and lemon rind, and oil over fish. Cover and cook on LOW for 1 1/2 hours. Serve garnished with orange and lemon slices and sprigs of fresh parsley.