finding santa's stash

my best friend growing up was nicole garratiano.

we did just about everything together.

played with our cabbage patch kids.

played with barbies while watching the golden girls on tv.

and we got matching bathing suits (by accident) one year.

in 1981, all the rage was olivia newton-johns 'let's get physical' album. (on a side note, utah banned the song.) now, although i love olivia, that song just hasn't held up as well as some others. i mean, have you listened to it lately? it is really bad.

ANYWAYS...

that was the year i found where my mom hid christmas stuff and i found the huge vinyal record in a black plastic bag.

i was so excited-i had to show nicole because this was at the TOP of my christmas list!

she actually told her mom and her mom told my mom and i got in a little trouble.

every year after that i would go down and look and see what i was getting but on christmas morning, it wasn't exciting because i knew.

now, even though it KILLS me, i don't peak.

do you?

i take after nana!

so my nana (below, on the boardwalk in atlantic city) took up painting in her late 50s. no real reason, she just thought it would be fun.

of course, i thought she was the most wonderful artist in the world.

for my high school graduation gift, i received this amazing painting.

on the right hand side, in about the middle of the painting you can see me (in blue) and my cousin cheryl (red) picking up seashells. this was suppose to be of our beach in brigantine.

i always put this painting up in the summer.

this painting nana made my brother patrick for his graduation.

see-she was an awesome artist!

(and an even better person.)

this weekend i was doing my fall/halloween decorating (it was interrupted for a few weeks due to strep) and while sorting thru all the boxes i wanted something new for the bathroom.

and i decided i wanted to paint it.

nana used to oil paint, but since i didn't have any i just used some acrylic paints. some of them were goopy so in some places it has that heavy, oil paint look.

i got these two little canvases from di (originally from target) for 50 cents each.

i primed them with a spray primer then sprayed them with krylon saddle tan.

i didn't really know HOW to paint pumpkins.

my only real experience painting was parkers wall.

so here is my end result! im pretty geeked about it!

on my bathroom wall!

and up close!

im pretty proud of my paint job! i might just have to take a class in oil painting!

nana would be so proud!

 

i love tomatoes

when i was growing up, we had a small beach house on the jersey shore. it was on brigantine island, which really was more of a sand bar than an island. there wasn't yards with beautiful green grass, only sand with crabgrass. greenhead mosquitoes was the island's official animal.

but i loved being there. (this photo is of me trying to play in the sand/yard.)

and so did my great grand parents. my great grandfather antonio grew the garden of his dream in the back yard, and i feel bad for anyone who got close! he felt that was sacred ground, and he was the only one allowed to touch the dirt that was trucked in from who knows where. (you knew he was angry when he yelled in italian!) he grew eggplants, peppers, onions and tomatoes. we would have to ask him to use some of the food, but he would always agree.

here is a photo of my great grandfather in 1977. i love seeing all the family in the background! (chris likes me to name the people because he likes to make fun of our last names!) i thought i had a photo of him in his garden in brigantine, but i don't.

all this to introduce a tomato dish that i love! and since tomatoes are going crazy right now, i had to share!

1 1/2 lbs chopped tomatoes

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped

3 T olive oil

1/2 t lemon peel

1 18oz bag cheese ravioli

1/4 c grated parm cheese-the real stuff!

in large bowl combine tomatoes, basil, oil, lemon peel, dash of salt and pepper. let stand about 15.

make your raviolis as instructed on the package.

add hot pasta to tomato mixture and toss. sprinkle with cheese.

easy peasey summer dish!

we had a beachouse on 40th south st on brigantine island growing up. well, not 'we' as in my family. 'we' as in my grandparents. it was built in 1958, small, had no ac or washing machine. but it is where we spent the summer every year.

a few years back i found this old postcard from 'the sandpiper motel' on ebay and snagged it up (it was right down on 51st). i love the the lady in the blue bikini on the left hand photo has a scarf or plastic hat tied around her head!

our food at the beachouse was  always simple, but delicious! and if possible, made earlier in the day before the heat creeped up. here is a receipe that i love to make in the morning, let cool and eat cold for dinner.

ricotta pie

(aka torta rustica)

pie crust (you can make your own, but getting one from smiths in the cold section will work. trust me) top and bottom layers.

5 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup grated pecorino

1 lb ricotta, drained (never get anything but full fat. the skim isnt ever as good!)

1 cup salami (or ham if your kids complain that it is too spicey. im raising wussies), cut into 1/2" cubes

1 cup shredded mozzarella

1/2 t ground pepper

2 T chopped parsley

preheat your oven to 400.

in large bowl, mix all the filling ingredients EXCEPT 1T of the egg and 1T of the pecorino cheese.  line a large pie plate with the crust, allowing for a 1" overhang. put filling in and put the 'lid' on the pie. seal top and bottom layers and cut slits for venting. brush the egg on the top and sprinkle the cheese evenly.

bake for 10 minutes, then REDUCE THE HEAT TO 350 (leave the pie in) and bake for another hour.

serve hot or cold (i perfer cold inthe summer) with some gravy on the side.

oh-a little ps for all of you! bradley cooper's grandparents lived on the island! sad-i cant say that i knew him way back then.

lookie what i made!

back story....

you see, back when i was on effexor (we called it e-FIX-her because it is a fantastic drug) for anexiety/depression, i got myself the cutest tunic. i love it so much and i looked really good in it because of effexor. (effexor has a nice little side effect that will cure anyones depression...you drop weight! fast and alot of it!)

im in no way fat now, but lets just say i doubt i will be back down to 122 lbs anytime soon. so sad. i really want to wear it. so it sits in a bucket full of way way too small clothes.

********

last weekend i found simplicity 2696 online (sooo much easier than looking thru those HUGE books at the fabric store with kids asking if they can leave now!).it was on sale for $1.99 at joannes and then i found this great blue fabric ($5.99+60% off!).

it claims to be an 'easy' pattern, and i bet it is if you dont have kids who need you for everything love you to peices. but it only took 1 morning to make, so i guess that isnt too bad.

here is me wearing it as a cover up for the pool. id say for the shore, but we are in utah and there isnt one.

(btw-i love my new swimsuit! but you wont see a photo of me in that here!)

modeling it as if im taking an evening walk around the neighborhood with the hubby and kids. these are my new capris i scored at kohls. if you dont have a kohls nearby, i feel sorry for you.

you cant see these in the photo, but i have these colorful bracelets on. i love wearing them in the summer! (also for kohls. i should get paid for this endorsement!)

final photo, me and shopping/hanging mode.

i just got those bright yellow ball-y bracelets at jc pennys and i adore them!

so there you go!  my very first shirt! mrs lane would be so freaking proud!

and remember that fabric-you will see it again soon! (like tomorrow-another project!)

oh, and i really like my legs right now! they are looking wonderful! i have to blame going to jazzercise 5 times a week for those!

 

remember on memorial day

i just wanted to share some memories of some of the soldiers from my childhood. first is my pop pop. (my moms dad) i could go on for 47 posts about how much i love and miss him. everyone knew 'pat' (his real names was pasquale) and if he didnt know you, he would become your friend just by being in line at the acme to buy milk. this photo, which im sure i have posted so many times before on differnt posts on my family blog, is from ww2. on the back he wrote, 'johnny, pat and ted with a jap gun'. i can see how 20 year old boys would find this to be the best thing ever! my pop never talked about the war, at least not to me, but i do know he was in the army. he had a scar that went across his one shoulder, and i always heard the story to be that in the war he had gotten hurt and since he was the medic, he had sew himself back up. what a brave man! i have no idea where that story came from because the REAL story was that he injured himself playing football as a teenager and the scar was from when the doctors took care of it.

i like the war story better.

then there was my great uncle earl. he lived down the street from nana and pop pop with my great aunt mary (my nanas sister). these 4 did tons together-vacations, eating, parties, a beach house in jersey, eating...the important stuff! this photo is of him and my nana eating dinner at my great grandmas home. from the tablecloth and cards, i will assume christmas eve dinner. (that is a big food day for italians!) now uncle earl also went to war, but i have no idea which branch he served in, but he brought back a real scar...he had no bellybutton! yup-whatever happened to his stomach while away left him bellybutton-less! it was good times with the kids to see uncle earls belly! we were so easily amused!

there are just 2 of the many men in my family who served and procted our country! (im not counting my little brother aaron who is in the reserves while going to school. he doesnt have a uniform and has no idea how to even do a push up or shoot a gun. but he gets a pay check from uncle sam every 2 weeks! now you know why i dont count him!)

happy birthday!!!

oh no-not me!
that isnt for another 6 days!
it is my bff/sister nicole's birthday! you might remember her from here or here.
that is her 2nd from the left.
oh yea, that is me in the blue shirt next to her (that is a swatch shirt! so rad!), dayna in the drivers seat and kerry at the end.
we were soooo cool sitting on maggie's car (kerry's mom).
quick story-when we were growing up, we thought we were the pink ladies from 'grease'. we even met in a club house (aka nicole's gardening shed), had secret meetings and made a pink ladies potion. and of course we all had pink lady jackets. (dayna had pink underwear but that is a totally different post!)
by 1988, we had grown out of that but must have thought electric blue cars were 'totally awesome'.
the 1980s...what were we thinking?

so happy birthday nicole! i love you!

this one reciepe is for heather in silver springs.

growing up, my family always had desserts after sunday and holiday dinner.

i dare say we love them.

after dinner, the women would clean up and the men would go sit (lay) in the tv room and do whatever men do. (kids were told to 'go away'. outside or the basement. just away. and if not-you were put to work.)  while the men did their thing, the kids would do their thing. and the women did their thing.
then the desserts would come out!
there would always be pastries or fruit. or both.
and always coffee.
and loud laughter.
and family.
how i loved my family.
i wish i could say this reciepe is an old family favorite and i have some amazingly fantastic story to go with this.
i dont.
i totally stole it from giada.
but, i can say i have made this before. and there arent EVER leftovers. i mean, really, it is fried nuttella. if that isnt a little piece of heaven, i dont know what is.
this photo is from 1950. that is my great grandfather holding the wine-his own. next to him is my aunt tree (treasea), then aunt mary (her REAL name was maria. but the nuns in her school said that they would only call her mary, so she became mary), aunt mary's son james, my pop pop and uncle tony (my aunt lu's husband).

nutella ravioli

•16 wonton wrappers
•1 egg, beaten to blend
•1 cup nutella
•vegetable oil, for frying
•nonstick vegetable oil spray
•granulated sugar, for dredging
•powdered sugar, for dusting
directions

line a baking sheet with plastic wrap. place 1 wonton wrapper on the work surface. brush the edges of the wrapper lightly with egg. spoon 1 tablespoon of nutella into the center of the wrapper. fold the wrapper diagonally in half over the filling and press the edges of the wrapper to seal. place the ravioli on the prepared baking sheet. repeat with the remaining wonton wrappers, egg, and nutella.
preheat the oven to 200 degrees f. add enough oil to a heavy large frying pan to reach a depth of 2 inches. heat the oil over medium heat to 350 degrees f.
working in batches, carefully add the ravioli to the hot oil and cook until they are golden brown, about 45 seconds per side. using a slotted spoon, transfer the ravioli to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. then, transfer the cooked ravioli to another baking sheet and keep them warm in the oven while frying the remaining ravioli. (the fried ravioli can be prepared 1 day ahead. cool them completely, then cover and refrigerate. before serving, place them on a baking sheet and rewarm in a preheated 375 degrees f oven just until they are heated through, about 7 minutes.)
spray the top side of the mint leaves very lightly with nonstick spray. working with 1 leaf at a time, dredge the coated side of the leaves in sugar to coat lightly.
arrange 2 fried ravioli on each plate. dust the ravioli with powdered sugar. garnish with the sugared mint leaves and serve.
or do as i do-flip them out of the hot oil, dust with powdered sugar and serve.