Antonia's Kitchen

Homeschool Evolution

2011-11-29T05:30:00.000-08:00

A poem in remembrance of simpler times....my rhythm and pentameter functions are a bit off this morning, so please forgive me...I am lacking sleep.

BLUE

Ohhh I remember the days of finding all the colors and spelling their names-
Of finding the blue in our world!

And by blue I mean not the sadness and strife,

But of all the things hued azure in our life.

There were papers and toys,

before her little eyes

and many a stuffed animal as well.

The couch was that color

And our glasses were too

why, so much in our home then was blue!

My darling little girl

her head was a whirl

she loved to see color and form.

So much so in fact,

that without any tact,

she decided to bind all she knew.

Miss O found my yarn,

'Twas a bright shade of blue

It called to her, and then she knew.

O went straight to work

Why, was only a moment, or so it seemed

that I left the room when nature's call deemed.

Upon my return, I got a surprise

O had done much with her new found supplies.

We found things tied to things

Paper bits to teething rings,

A dinosaur hung in a noose.

My new turquoise nightie

no longer folded and tidy

was tethered to many blue blocks.

The dog, so it seemed, was bewildered and peeved

from her collar dangled a small toy.

Our living room had become a small web.

My cute little spider

her grin had never been wider

and I had to smile in return.

So much blue to find, so much to unwind

To be honest, I didn't really mind.

She looked so proud of her work

I couldn't be a jerk

And yell at my little artful girl.

We hugged, laughed and cleaned up

And freed all our stuff up.

And then had a talk about not tying stuff to the dog.

The early days of homeschooling make me laugh with joy. It seems that I was much more relaxed back then.

Nowadays I am overly concerned with transcripts, requirements, and quotas. High school is tough business! But this morning I was remembering how much fun we had that day when Olivia decided to show me how much blue she could find, and secure to one room. This happened when she was about three years old. Literally, I took a tiny bathroom break, (you know the kind when you pee quickly with the door open and listen so you can react to any crashing/skidding/climbing over baby gates/crying that may occur when you are relieving yourself. Because it invariably happens then) and upon my return found the entire living room woven together with blue yarn. I call it the Things Tied to Things episode, and when I describe it to new parents, they usually give me the deer in the headlights look. But of course every one else's darling children would never do stuff like that.

We had so much fun that afternoon. Oh, I laughed my head off! Olivia has always had a great sense of color and humor.

This High School thing has the potential to get so serious if I will let it-and I don't want to forget to have fun during this time.

I want Olivia to have the best education possible. I also want to help her to find the joy in everyday life. I fear that her creativity has the potential to suffer if we remove elements of our school that relax and recharge us. Choosing what is essential and what is elective is difficult. I like to encourage Olivia to take charge of her education, but I also like to guide her down paths that will assist her in her adult life-like learning basic accounting skills and such. More than that, I do not want to lose the spirit of our earliest homeschooling days-we consider Olivia schooled at home 'since birth' and we've had some really great, fun, goofy, creative times.

With all this in mind, I've made some additions to my official 'Educational Goals For This Month' list:

-to be silly while the silly gettin's good

-stock up on blue yarn

Have fun, eat well, and love lots!

Antonia

Basic Classes

2011-11-18T11:03:00.000-08:00

This has nothing to do with food!

Well, I've thought about it for a long time. I'm taking the plunge and offering a series of basic sewing classes at the Hobby Lobby store located in Westmont! Fridays from 9:30am - 11:30 am, I will teach basic hand sewing. This includes emergency repairs and basic seams, and each class students will make a small hand-sewn project to take home. I think it's gonna be fun! The staff was very receptive to my idea, and the classroom looks clean and well lit. Wish me luck!
Eat well, have fun and love lots!
Antonia

Im A Food Renegade

2011-08-04T20:51:00.000-07:00

Im A Food Renegade

Oh Yeah, you know it's true!

Happy happy joy joy!

Eat well, have fun and love lots!
Antonia

Food Renegade | Challenging Politically Correct Nutrition

2011-08-04T08:45:00.000-07:00

I would like to introduce you to a wonderful website that is chock-full of rebellion, real food, and recipes!

Food Renegade | Challenging Politically Correct Nutrition

As the link suggests, this is a site for those of us who really want to search out the truth about the food we put into our bodies. They also host a fun 'blog carnival', as they call it every Friday, called 'Fight back Fridays'. The goal is to share tips, recipes, real food facts, and basically anything else that relates to REAL food!

Get a taste of what's cooking at http://www.foodrenegade.com/

Until then,
Eat well, have fun, and love lots!
Antonia

Requests!

2011-08-03T18:55:00.001-07:00

So I'm thinking of putting some videos up here, simple how-to's and demonstrations in the kitchen.

This is me thinking in the kitchen...

With that in mind, does anyone have any requests? Ever wonder how to properly roast and carve a bird? Or do you want the art of bread making de-mystified? Perhaps you have an heirloom recipe for something, but never thought you could handle it without a little guidance? I'd love to step you through those kinds of things.

I'm always looking to broaden my culinary repertoire, so challenges are certainly welcome.

Eat well, have fun, and love lots!
Antonia

Beeeee-u-ti-ful

2011-08-02T18:26:00.000-07:00

Okay, this is important. Please check out the link below. I'm so stoked! And mad!

http://www.americathebeautifuldoc.com/

It has come to be commonplace to hear young ladies of all shapes and sizes declare such tired phrases like "I have fat thighs!" or "I'm too chubby!" even though they are still in the midst of adolescence and assaulted by growth spurts regularly. I look at these young gals and think, 'Wow, if they consider their skinny selves to be too plump, what must they think of a healthy sized mama like me?'

But then I wake up and remember I'm astonishingly beautiful no matter what I look like. I wish those young ladies would realize how truly beautiful and special they are, and stop picking themselves to pieces.

When did things like substance and curves become unattractive? And why the propensity to desire to be like a Barbie doll-excessively thin, impossibly large bust, plastic skin and all? I betcha didn't know that Barbie was modeled after a comic strip in German publication Bild Zeitung that was about a fictional prostitute, did ya? Do a basic Google search on Bild Lilli and find out more!

Sorry. Rabbit hole.

And just look at all the stuff we have to 'improve' ourselves. Take a walk around your local drug store and let the selection sink in...it's amazing! The quantity, the prices, the serums, lotions, powders, masks, foundations, lipstains, creams, hair colors, it's simply mind boggling how we ever got along without it all.

I'm reminded of the old lament--if only people would spend as much time on improving their insides as they do their outsides, maybe the world would be a better place.

Of course, that's not to say that improving your looks is a bad thing. I'm all for good grooming, staying clean, well-trimmed, and fresh. But how far is the leap from enhancing one's looks to all-out reconstruction of the body? It's when we get to extremes like plastic surgery for teens who don't like the way their nose looks, or bleaching a toddler's teeth so she can be better prepared to compete for a pageant that I begin to inwardly curdle.

Anyways, it's been the fashion to despise one's outer self for as long as, well...forever, I guess. As long as beauty products have existed, there has been a drive to perfect the outer image.

I remember when I was little, my mom used to frequent thrift and antique stores...the motive was to entertain her passion for acquiring anything eclectic, beautiful and useful. We had inherited a little wall-hanging chest of drawers that her grandma had purchased at a bargain because it was missing a drawer. Just the thing to keep buttons, spices, and other important doo-dads in, it had a nice flat surface that was of course covered in tiny, eclectic, beautiful and not so useful knick-knacks. One of those was a silver tube that caught her eye at a thrift store. When she brought it home, I popped open the cap, and was surprised to find lip balm. From the 1890's. Still in there. Yum. My sister asked about the flavor of the balm, suggesting that the primitive beauty product manufacturers of the time probably made it in beef stew flavor. Gross! Mom ended up placing it atop the little chest of drawers along with an ancient compact and a fabric flower. We never did find out what flavor it was. Probably a good thing!

Another good thing to look at and absorb is the fact that the average sized woman of today "is 5′4″, has a waist size of 34-35 inches and weighs between 140-150 lbs, with a dress size of 12-14" according to an article written by Pamela Peeke, MD, MPH, FACP on her WebMd expert blog, part of the WebMD site.If that is true, then why do the fashion editors constantly choose only one body type to represent what clothes look like on women? I'm all for diversity on this issue-why can't the fashion people choose a wide variety of body types to model for them? Pretty comes in all shapes and sizes, and I for one, would love to see what the new clothing lines would look like on a body that's closer in shape and size to mine instead of a tiny pre-teen!

Sorry to rant. Or, no, I'm not sorry. I'm happy to have my little piece of cyberspace in which to position my soapbox, yell a while and shake my fist into the air, then return to my daily routine.

Now for a recipe of dynamic, voluptuous proportions. I did some research online, read a few cheese making books, and blended a few techniques and through trial and error came up with a way that worked for me. It's the basic science of separating the cream and the water that gets you to the point of cream cheese, and I'm not sure who has copyright on that process...anyways, here is the way we make:

HOMEMADE CREAM CHEESE

It's a lot simpler than it seems. Trust me!

First, get yourself a carton of sour cream, I prefer the full-fat variety. You will also need a wire strainer (One of those little ones, I have one about four inches across, and it hooks across a coffee mug perfectly.) or some cheesecloth.

In a small bowl, pour out all the sour cream that will fit in your strainer, and add a little salt or other flavoring. You could use anything savory or sweet, I guess. Just don't use too much of anything-a little goes a long way here.
Some fun flavor ideas might be:
cinnamon and sugar
sea salt
chili or cayenne pepper or paprika

chives and garlic powder
parsley or thyme
or use a dried soup mix like Lipton instant tomato, or garden veggie, etc.
(What the heck, make one of each and use them on plain bagels!)

Stir a bit, making sure your salt or spice gets distributed evenly. Transfer the seasoned sour cream into your little basket strainer or a few layers of cheesecloth. Place the basket strainer atop the rim of a large mug or a suitable bowl to catch the drips of water that will naturally occur. Or if you are using cheesecloth, I suppose you could tape the ends to the side of the drip-catching container. The idea is to suspend the sour cream over something that will collect the water that drips out of the cream.

Place this little set up somewhere in your fridge so it won't be disturbed for a while. Just tell the kids it's mommy's little science experiment, and it is going to be velvety and delicious once it's done.

Then let gravity do it's work. Check the consistency in a few days. You will be surprised how thick it gets! Depending on the temp you keep your fridge at, you could have cream cheese in as little as a week. Yay!

Once it is of a suitable thickness and consistency, it's ready for spreading! Discard the dripped out liquid, and break out the bagels!

Eat well, have fun, and love lots!
Antonia

Reviews and a Recipe

2011-04-01T09:01:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading one of the best food-related books I have ever read.
I still hold The New York Times Cookbook high up on a pedestal, but it may come crashing down from it's gilded perch after I try some of the recipes and ideas from The Flavor Thesaurus, by brilliant author Niki Segnit. Niki presents food and it's flavors as an artist would her paints, color-wheel style. The individual colors are replaced by flavors-and it's a fascinating fresh perspective. She breaks down every imaginable flavor of food-using terms like woody, citrussy, earthy, and briny, among others, to describe how everything tastes. Then she goes ten steps further and suggests what seems like thousands of possible flavor combinations within her 'flavor wheel'. Nothing is exempt or forgotten-she devotes an entire section, for instance, to Anise, and how it pairs with all kinds of foods, many of which I would never have thought of or considered.

Segnit also offers some unusual stories and anecdotes on meals and preparation.The recipes, if you can call them that, are actually little gem-like stories of how she found or experienced food combinations, and tales of discoveries of impeccable joining of flavors. This woman knows hot to eat, and she's not afraid to say it.

The author presents a whole new way of looking at sustenance altogether-possibilities abound whether you are a meat-lover, vegan, vegetarian, have gluten concerns, are frugal or lavish, or just want to satisfy your appetite with something other than your regular rotation of meals. Well worth the read. I liked reading chapters before going grocery shopping. It got my mind whirling.

I have also fallen in love...with ceramic knives. I first spied them on the Simply Ming cooking show-he was slicing ahi tuna into paper thin slices or something-and I vowed some day I would try them. Ceramic made all kinds of prep tasks look effortless. My husband Bill recently found a small selection at, of all places, Harbor Freight, (known for it's selection of contractor-type tools) so he surprised me with a treat. They were ridiculously inexpensive, and very nice. I think the mid-sized one cost him about ten bucks.

My new ceramic lovelies!

Slicing through a raw potato was like cutting room-temperature butter. They are incredibly sharp! Cutting veggies the other night, I had one of those 'oh that was close' moments. I somehow managed to just ever-so-lightly nick my open palm, quite by accident. Sometimes I get in my own way, it seems! At first I thought, I'm fine, just got the surface. Not! Further inspection proved a tiny, precision cut that indeed did qualify for a band-aid. These beauties can be very unforgiving with careless use, so I found.

Nontheless, I anticipate many years of faithful service from these svelte little knives.

Today's food idea, then. Oddly enough, it does not require ultra-sharp knives, but it is fun to make on a cold day anyways. Since it's kinda gloomy out today, an homage to my Grandpa, Giacomo, who lived in the reigon of Italy called Tornimparte, L'Aquila. I believe the province or county, as we'd call it, was Abruzzo. Here is a reigonal dish that will warm your tummy.

Scripelle M'Busse

Whisk the following together:

4 large eggs, room temperature

½ cup milk

½ cup flour (wheat flour yelds interesting results)

handful of fresh herbs, chopped (parsley, thyme or basil)

salt & pepper to taste

Fry 2 tbsp. batter at a time, forming small crepes. Fry until lightly browned on both sides and egg is set. Remove crepe from the skillet and fill with grated pecorino cheese, roll tightly, and place in a greased baking dish. Pour some dribbles chicken broth over, just enough to dampen, but certainly not flood your pan or dish. Bake at 350° for 10-15 minutes. Sprinkle more cheese on top and serve. Makes enough to fill a 9 X 9 baking pan. These are delightful with Italian sausage on the side.

Eat well, have fun, and love lots!
~Antonia

Ohhhh Fuuuuuudge!

2011-03-19T19:04:00.000-07:00

Remember in that movie, A Christmas Story, when Ralphie (as played by Peter Billingsley), was helping his Old Man change the tire on the family car? And he accidentally ended up throwing the lug nuts out into the snowy street?

Well, it hasn't been that kinda day for me. Actually, I was pretty productive. Chauffeur kids to outing, go home, clean house, put big pot of corned beef on to boil for tomorrows sammiches, scrub kitchen some more, make bread, do a thousand dishes, order a pizza for dinner, (hey, even I like to indulge at times and allow someone else to cook!), and set about making fudge.

During Christmas, I asked my dear brother-in-law, Jim, to pick up some powdered sugar on the way over to our house for the big celebration. I had made some dessert or other, and had completely run out of the lovely stuff. It usually works that way with me--it either rains or pours. At one point I went through a spate of pie making, so I kept on buying cinnamon...I ended up with about 5 jars of the stuff. But, I digress...

So, I asked Uncle Jim, as he's fondly referred to, to bring some over. He's a really nice man, and he works at a well-known-food-megastore-warehouse-open-to-the-public-wow-I-never-have-seen-such-a-huge-jar-of-pickles-kinda place.

Long story short, I now am the proud owner of a five-pound bag of powdered sugar which now lives in my freezer. I have yet to name it, but I am taking suggestions.

What to do with that much powdered sugar, one may ask...I say, make fudge!

Three Kinds of Fudge
Adapted from a recipe given to me by Sharon H., a loooong time ago. Seriously-the piece of paper it's printed on is hideous looking. But those are the best kinds-used, re-used, folded over and over, jammed into cook-books time and again, coffee rings adorning it. I think my thumbprint in chocolate sauce is on it. You get the picture.

In a saucepan, pour 3/4 cup of milk. Add one and a half sticks of butter, (not margarine, under any circumstances!), and three packages of chocolate pudding mix. While stirring ALL THE TIME, bring to a boil, and boil one minute. Turn off the heat, and add a tablespoon of vanilla, and enough powdered sugar until the mixture starts to become stiff and lift away from the pan. Add nuts if you must, but I prefer not to. This is some good basic fudge right there, but now let's play.

Variation #1 stir in vigorously (it gets kinda thick) one cup of natural peanut butter (unsweetened-no added goop-the kind you have to refrigerate and stir before using because it will separate) just after removing from the stove and just before adding the powdered sugar.

Variation #2 stir in completely one cup of cream cheese just after removing from the stove and just before adding the powdered sugar.

Again, you will know you have arm muscles after making any of these recipes.

Pour into a wax-paper lined 9"x9"-ish pan and set in the fridge. Once it's set firm, cut into squares, and enjoy! I think it's best to keep this in the fridge, just to keep it nice and firm.

Go ahead, you can make it, it's easy! I triple-dog-dare-ya!
Eat well, have fun, and love lots,
Antonia

Penne with Carbonara

2011-03-17T21:20:00.000-07:00

Woo hoo! Thanks to Food Renegade for putting this link out there...check out the food-blog carnival-fun at http://www.foodrenegade.com/fight-back-friday-august-5th/

In honor of what would have been Grandma Nancy's umpteenth birthday, I made some lovely pasta tonight. When she was five years old, Nancy (the Americanized version of her real name, Annunziata) traveled across the Atlantic in the early 1900's with her mama, Anna Theresa, from Sulmona, near Rocca, In Italy. La Rocca, as it is called, is a beautiful town built atop a plateau that has a huge ravine on each side. (The ravines are dried up remains of rivers called the Lavino and Lanello.) It's simply enormous, and amazing that they all survive atop the oddly flat perch in the sky, looking at the Majella mountains. There the people used to keep sheep, and make lovely cheese and other delicacies. It is mostly empty now, as most of the former inhabitants have emigrated to other parts. It is said, however, that occasionally you can find pecorino cheese to purchase there, which is made from the local sheep and goats which graze nearby. Pecorino is a wonderful ingredient in the following dish:

Penne with Carbonara

In a skillet, fry four strips of bacon until crisp and brown, but not burned. Turn your flame off. Put the bacon aside and let it rest on paper towels so the grease absorbs out. Drain the grease from your pan, and make sure you do not drip any to the underside of your pan. Don't want a grease-fire! I found this out the hard way. Relight the fire to a low flame, and add the following to saute-three tablespoons of butter, three cloves chopped garlic, a quarter of finely chopped onion, and stir until butter is melted. Then add three slices of mozzarella, and half a cup of cream or whole milk. stir until the cheese melts. Then add several good shakes of grated parmesan or pecorino, and stir until all the cheese is absorbed. Coarsely chop the bacon, and put it back in the pan. Add a can of crushed tomatoes, about a half cup at a time. Stir, stir, stir. Add, finally, a few good grinds of black pepper, and a smattering of marjoram and basil. Serve over penne pasta cooked al dente, and enjoy. Of course this is altered Carbonara, because of the addition of tomatoes. I put it in there because I love them so!Perhaps I feel they redeem all that lovely fat from the bacon, the butter and the cream. Oh, and the cheese, too....

Oh well.

Yeah, who am I kidding, it's comfort food.

Eat well, have fun, and love lots!
~Antonia

Chucks Challenge

2011-03-15T18:01:00.000-07:00

I went to the library with a group of friends recently. We had lots of fun just hanging out, and then took a nice walk. When me and a young friend realized we had almost identical shoes on, we both thought it would be fun to see how many of you can identify the real All Stars, and the knock-offs.

Now for something completely different...

A few friends have requested my recipe for that most wonderful of comfort foods that hails from many villages in Africa. It is basically rice cooked with veggies and whatever kind of meat you may have. One of my favorite authors, Neil Peart, fondly dubbed the dish, "Rice With Junk on it." Mr. Peart is not only a fine writer, but also the fantastic drummer from the Canadian band known as Rush. What these three guys have accomplished in music is amazing, and Neil's books are as great as his insightful lyric writing and percussion skills. His website is pretty cool too--check out the "Bubba's Bar and Grill" section of his website, he's quite the foodie!

The dish in question is merely an adaptation of a meal frequently described in Peart's book, The Masked Rider: Cycling in West Africa. In the book, Peart tells many a tale of his travel group, and some of the parts I liked best were the passages he wrote about the food he ate while on his journey. Rice with junk on it was the name given to a common dish he was served after exhausting days on the bike trail. As far as I know, no 'official' recipe exists for it, which makes it all the more appealing. Kinda goes with the spirit of cooking I love to embrace. Take what you have, and make it mouthwatering.

So, for Mr. Peart, here is my version of Rice with junk on it. Thank you sir, for writing about this fun dish.

In a big skillet or pot, pour a few tablespoons of olive oil. Add one pound of meat, your choice. Grass-fed beef is nice, either ground, chunks, or strips. Chicken works well too. I suppose you could use a pile of bacon or proscuitto if you are feeling fancy and your cholesterol count allows. Throw in some chopped onion or garlic if you like. Add some savory spices, like cracked pepper, or perhaps some oregano or marjoram. Cook the meat until it is browned. Strain off the fat if you wish, and add one cup of rice, and two cups of water or broth. At this point you can add veggies, but if you do, make sure you keep an eye on it so that you can add more liquid if it looks like it's getting too dry. Let the water come to a boil, cover the pot with a lid, and lower the heat until the flame is very low. Let it sit that way for about thirty minutes, and then turn off the heat. Let it rest five minutes, and voila! Rice with junk on it. Elegant, simple and most importantly, yummy.

This pairs great with a fresh green salad and a good helping of Rush music. You can also make it in the crock pot if you wish. Just throw all the ingredients into the crock and let it simmer on low for a good long while. We have this at least once a month.

To close, here is my little ditty called "Crock-pot prayer", from way back when I first became a mama, first published in that little zine that smacks of literary brilliance, Hip MaMa. Read this one to the cadence of the "this is my rifle' prayer as spoken en masse in the movie "Full Metal Jacket" when the soldiers are going to bed.

Crock-Pot Prayer

This is my crock-pot.

There are many like it, but this one is mine. My crock-pot is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I must master my life. Without me, my crock-pot is useless. Without my crock-pot, I am useless. I must cut my vegetables true, I must use the temperature gague correctly, or eat fast food, which is trying to kill my family. If we are to eat dinner at all in this house, I must cook crock-pot meals-I will!

Before God, I swear this creed-my crock pot and myself are defenders of good nutrition, we are masters of our enemy-junk food. We are the saviours of my life. So be it, until there is no enemy, but peace and quiet and time enough to do everything that I must do in 24 hours a day and still get dinner on the table before 10 o'clock at night. AMEN!

Eat well, have fun, love lots!

Antonia

phun with phood phrases

2011-01-27T20:16:00.000-08:00

Or, fun with food frases. I thought it might be fun to see how many commonly used 'food phrases' I could come up with.
Anyways...here are a few of my favorites:
walking on eggshells
don't open up that can of worms
no use crying over spilled (or spilt, depending upon where you grew up, I suppose) milk
I have egg on my face
after the fight, his face looked like hamburger
what a sour grapes attitude!
this won't amount to a hill of beans
when life gives you lemons, make lemonade
little girls are made with sugar, spice and everything nice (kinda like a good merlot?)
can't make an omelette without breaking a few eggs (said during the middle of a crisis)
hey, sugar!
she's such a cheesehead
let them eat cake!
life is like a bowl of cherries
you are a peach!
I am going bananas
it's like pea soup out there

Can you think of any others?? I'd love to hear 'em.

And in honor of that last phrase, here is my recipe for Split Pea Soop.
My Nana Eleanor, the former Soup Queen of DuPage County, really likes this one.

Cover a hambone in water and add a bay leaf in a big stockpot. Boil until the water starts to evaporate and you are left with about half your original amount.
Strain your liquid, reserving it. Trim meat as desired from the hambone, (discard it after you are through trimming the meat off), and add to the liquid. Place the liquid and meat scraps back in the stock pot and add the following:

4 or 5 cans chicken broth (kinda gauge this from your meat stock you just made.)

about 1 cup dried split green peas that have been picked over and washed (sometimes little stones get in there!)

Let that come up to a boil and let it continue for at least 15 minutes. After that, bring the heat down so the soup is simmering. Watch that the foam from the fat of the ham doesn't cause a spill or a boil over-I usually cover it at this point, and keep a watchful eye over it.

While this is continuing to simmer, start chopping some veggies. Add them as you go.

1 chopped onion

2 potatoes, peeled and diced

2 carrots, chopped

at least 3 cloves garlic, chopped

Simmer until your peas are starting to impart a lovely green color to the broth. At that point they should be breaking down and disintegrating. If it is not enough, add more chicken broth. This will not detract from the richness at all.

This rocks with a loaf of garlic bread and a fresh green salad on the side.

Have fun, eat well, love lots,
~Antonia

My baby's a blogger.

2011-01-27T11:21:00.000-08:00

Well, it's official! Olivia is now blogging. Come check out her interpretations of life as a homeschooled teenager at:
scramblede.blogspot.com

I was wondering when she'd catch the writing bug...part of the beauty of learning at home is that she can learn things at her own pace. Personally, I'd much rather she learn things like journalism, creative writing, composition and grammar through real-life experiences than by filling out endless facts on worksheet pages that will only be remembered for a test and then possibly forgotten. (I know, I'm cynical- of course that NEVER happens!)

Ok, off the soapbox now.

In other news, here is a fabulous picture that I took at our recent homeschool trip to the Aurora Fire House Museum.

For those of you without x-ray vision, it reads: "I AM OLD...please do not climb on me."
I found it on an antique fire truck, but I think it would look great on a tee-shirt. Just sayin'.

Ah yes, food....I have been neglecting my duties here. So right now I am looking for great gluten-free recipes to share with my good friend who just found out her little girl has that Celiac thingie...not fun! I found a good one that I will make this weekend for retreat with my ladies.

Sausage Rosotto

In a large stockpot, place a half a package of Arborio fino rice and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Gently stir over medium heat for about a minute. Then add 6 cups of chicken broth, one cup at a time. When the broth has been absorbed and your pan is getting dry again, add another cup and stir it in. This is a very needy dish to make, as it requires a lot of attention. While you are waiting in between doses of broth, in a separate pan saute some Italian sausage over medium heat. Cook this until it is all done and the sausage is no longer pink inside.

Then add some chopped onion, garlic and green pepper if you wish, cooking until the veggies are a bit limp, but not completely soggy. Cooked crisp, I guess.

When all 6 cups of broth have been added and absorbed, then cut up the sausage and add it and the sauteed veggies into the rice pot. Add about a cup of parmesan cheese and a bit more broth, maybe some parsley or basil, black pepper to taste, and VOILA! Risotto. Also good with cooked cubed chicken.

In the meantime, eat well, have fun and love lots!

Antonia

Feeding Friends

2010-03-10T08:29:00.000-08:00

Lately I've had reason to bring some meals to friends of mine who have become house-bound by health issues. Cooking and delivering food is one of my favorite ways to show love to a person. I thought it would be nice to share some easy and yummy recipes that I've whipped up these past months.

Southwestern Chicken and Rice
serves 4
Just make a cup of brown rice according to package directions and set aside. (When it's done cooking, you should have three cups of cooked rice.) Then brown three or four chicken breasts in olive oil in a big skillet or fry pan, add 1/2 cup chopped onion and 1 can chopped/diced tomatoes, and simmer until chicken is cooked through. When the chicken is cooked through, cut them into fourths, plop em back into the pan and stir in your rice from earlier. Mix in about 1 cup of shredded taco cheese and season to taste with pepper or hot sauce, and you're good to go! Takes about 45 minutes, all told.

Stellette
serves however many you wish
This is so simple, it doesn't even deserve a recipe. Purchase stellette (star-shaped) or another tiny pasta. Simply boil the pasta until it's tender in chicken or beef broth instead of water. The pasta will plump up and have all that broth-y flavor instead of being so bland.

Broth
I borrowed this idea from Jaques Pepin because it is brilliant. Jaques tells us to keep a used, washed paper milk container in the freezer. Then deposit the following into it when it naturally occurs: vegetable ends, onion skins, chicken bones, veggie peelings, bean ends, that little tip on a head of garlic that looks goofy, etc. Add a little water after you put each item in, so the whole thing freezes into a block. When your container is full, (this takes about 2 weeks at our house), tear the box off the block, making sure no paper has stuck to the ice, and plop it into a big pot of water. Add a pinch of the following: salt, pepper, a savory herb like oregano. Add a bay leaf. Boil all this down until it reduces to about half the original amount of liquid. Then strain off the solids, reserving the liquid that's left behind. That is your broth, and it will be pungent, beautiful, and very rich. I have served this to my daughter when she's had a head cold, and it comforts and soothes her soul, as well as providing a very digestible source of nutrition. Good stuff!

Enjoy and may blessings of good health rain down upon you!
Antonia

Happy New Year!

2010-01-02T12:27:00.000-08:00

We rang in 2010 rather quietly, with a nice family movie night, roast pork a la mommy, (slow-roasted pork loin with Italian herbs), and lots of snuggles.

Here is a picture of Olivia in her most recent backyard-building project-an enourmous snow fort we built together during the last days of December. I love her crooked little smile!

We've been spending our days making the rounds at friends houses, eating lots of leftover ham, and basically just lazing around between bouts of laundry and dishes. And sledding! Oh my have we been sledding! We are trying to find the best hill out here, and so far it's a tie between Carol Stream and Lombard hills-one is very steep, the other is more popular and boasts a slippery uphill climb and a chain link fence to guard one against falling backwards into lots of saplings.

Of course, after a nice afternoon of sledding with her buddies, O likes to make hot chocolate and chill out. Here is her best recipe for a warm cup of hot cocoa.
OLIVIA'S HOT CHOCOLATE SUPREME
In a small sauce pan, simmer enough milk for two cups of hot chocolate. About three cups, to fill our big mugs! Add two squares of baking chocolate, broken up as best you can. Simmer this over a very low flame until the chocolate is melted and begins to combine with the milk. Then add sugar to taste, (Assuming you used unsweetened chocolate) and a few dashes of ground cinnamon. Turn off the stove at this point. Whisk gently until all ingredients are combined. Remove from stove top and carefully pour into big mugs, top with whipped cream.

Alternatively, I like to make homemade vanilla lattes. I made these for my ladies when we went on retreat, and they loved them. Simply fill a mug 3/4 full with your favorite regular coffee, then add 1 tsp. sugar, 1 tbsp. vanilla extract, stir, then top with milk.

Stay warm and enjoy the pretty winter scenery while it lasts!

A most overwhelming month

2009-12-17T20:21:00.000-08:00

Wow...it's been a very full winter for me so far. I've been working, juggling all the duties in mamadom, and trying to fit in fun, holiday themed activities to inspire and delight my family so I can finally make the cover of a magazine as mama of the year, whilst cooking nutritious, homemade meals from scratch, keeping my manicure unchipped and my floor spotless, and creating all of our Christmas presents from recycled materials.

Just kidd'n.

Actually between work, house stuff, and the approaching holiday, I have just been trying to keep it all together. Manicure. Ha! Life's been full, to say the least. We are celebrating the Advent season more consistently this year, as it's been very important to Olivia in the past. We found the Advent wreath, lit the appropriate candles in a timely manner, and have managed to make a manger scene entirely out of wood chips, seeds, sticks, dried leaves and a healthy coat of acrylic paint. It looks so cool, and we've been enjoying our favorite Christmas book along with it-The Frugal Gourmet Celebrates Christmas, by Jeff Smith. No kidding- this book really rocks for those who choose to dive in a bit deeper about the Christmas story. Each charachter from the manger scene is highlighted with a bit of backstory, and a recipe is offered for each. For instance, in the chapter about the mother Mary, Smith offers a recipe for a flower salad, which is so cool and just prettyful.

Now we have just finished reading about the cows, the tax collector, and the innkeeper, and all the recipes that are offered for them revolve around barley. So, tomorrow we will go out and I will purchase barley for the first time in fifteen years. I'll let you know the results and the ensuing recipes as we develop them.

Other than that, most of my present shopping is done, I'm still finishing some sewing for a present for someone who shall remain nameless. This year I chose to wrap all my gifts in packing paper that Bill got in some boxes of electronic equipment from a job he did in October. It's big and nicely wrinkled, and looks very nice with some scribbles done by yours truly. This year is a lean Christmas for gifting, but we are rich with love in our hearts, and hope for the future. I am blessed to have so many good friends and family members. Much love to all, and I'll post again soon about the barley and the completed sewing project.

More shameless self-promotion

2009-10-27T09:51:00.000-07:00

Hey all,
I know it's a bit early for Christmas articles, but that's part of the fun of the writing/publishing world! Please come and visit my recently published articles because they are new and a bit lonely!!!!! Just click on the pretty links below. Thanks for reading-Enjoy!
2d/Antonia

Have a Cheaper, Greener Christmas

Creative and Unusual Gift Wrapping

Christmas Gift Tags Made By You

Magnificent Mama Mondays

2009-10-26T09:58:00.000-07:00

Recently I had the opportunity to attend Gilgal Gospel Mission's (GGM) annual banquet held at Parkview Community Church in Glen Ellyn. My husband Bill has been the go-to guy for the set up of this yearly event for a few years now, and this year it was impressed upon us that our presence would be greatly appreciated.

It was a night of wonderful Indian food, great conversation, and a sincere message given by Christobel Russeliah, who founded Gilgal Gospel Mission, or GGM, with her late husband Rev. Dr. Chelliah Russeliah. After her husband passed on in May of this year after a long battle with illness, Christobel decided to continue the mission they set out on together 35 years ago-to reach the untouchables, or Dalits, of India, to teach them about Jesus and bring them hope.You can check out her website at the link below to learn more.

She is steadfast in her journey to reach and love the unloved ones of India-and unwavering in her faith. She is admirable no matter what your faith happens to be-simply because she is a kind, generous and loving person. In my opinion, Christobel is one of those truly honestly good people that you don't run into every day. She is a missionary, mama, and grandma also. Please allow me to introduce my sweet friend who lives her life to serve the young, despised, and poor of her homeland.

Christobel Russeliah www.gilgalgospel.org

How she got her start:

When Christobel was a small girl, she had an unusual upbringing. Born into a nice middle class family, she was given a good education and a loving home. Sounds pretty normal, but further details explain my observation. She was encouraged as a child to speak directly to her father, and to be outspoken and bold. In the Tamil state where she grew up, this was not common. There, the cultural norm for women was very rigid and defined-the roles females play seem limiting and hard to break free from to my American-girl mind. According to Christobel, globally, women coming up in leadership is not easy- but coming up in leadership at all as a woman in South Indian tradition is very hard.

Somehow, she did it. If you ask her how she grew to become an influential leader in the mission field, she'll simply say it was God's will.

As a new bride at the age of 21, she joined her husband in his daily duties as an Anglican pastor in a large church. Rev. Dr. Chelliah was just 25 at the time of their marriage, but already he had planted a handful of churches starting at the tender age of 16. Daily compulsory house calls were expected of the young pastor, and by 6:30 they would go out to visit the flock. Their Anglican church was large, and every person who attended was of upper-caste, well educated, and spoke English.

Chelliah and Christobel had a bigger goal they were working towards, though-reaching the unreached ones. And by unreached, I mean untouched-literally. The untouchables, or Dalits, were largely ignored-the young couple knew this, and saw a clear vision of the work before them. They knew in their hearts that God was leading them to preach the gospel to the Dalits, and many others residing in remote villages of the southern states of India.

Christobel may have started as a young housewife, but with the encouragement of her husband, she soon ventured out to far flung villages to tell them about God. During our visit, she recalled the many times she'd have to calmly walk past military bases in order to find the remote Hindu villages, often visiting and talking with many folks who lived in one room huts that had stood since the land was colonized by the British. She told me that yes, she was a bit nervous walking past the military men, but she stood firm in her mission to show compassion to the unloved ones of her land.

Why she does what she does:

Christobel has an unshakable faith in God. She truly thrives in her work. She believes it is the goal and purpose in her life-that's why she was created. Whether she is praying with a person who has not been acknowledged by another in years, helping a child in the orphanage she runs, or spreading words of hope, she is in her element. She is her work, and the work is her.

I asked her if her gender plays a role in the difficulty of her profession and interest. To this she looked at me with her strong, yet warm brown eyes, and told me something I'll not soon forget. She said:

"Women can do anything if their desire is right."

For a lady who was brought up in a very traditional community, that kind of thinking is very forward.

Of course that led to my next question, what she hopes to contribute to the next generation of women?

Her answers were simple, direct, and powerful.

Be courageous.

Keep God in the center of your life.

In every single direction, fulfill God's calling in your life.

Be sincere, honest, genuine, and pure of heart before the sight of God.

Go with what you have, like Gideon.

Who? I thought to myself. As a Sunday school teacher, I'm ashamed to admit it, but I'd only learnt about Gideon by a Veggie Tales movie. (GAH! That hurt to write.But, I have to be honest.)

That and, aren’t Gideons a bunch of old guys who distribute those little vinyl-covered Bibles in hotel rooms? Wanting to honor my friend, I sat down, did some reading and research, and found out about him. Turns out, Gideon sort of reminds me of me.

Gideon was a man who initially lacked self-confidence, but was taught by God to believe in himself and to do God's will. His full story can be found in the Book of Judges in the old testament of the Bible. Gideon is given the seemingly impossible task to conquer a large army who had crossed the Jordan river to battle him and his people. (This is after he had crushed the false idols that the people worshiped.) Gideon was told to win the battle, and free the Israelites. Gideon had a large body of warriors to help him out, but God told him he had too many men backing him up, and instructed Gideon to dismiss the men who were afraid. In verse 3, chapter 7 Judges, I read "And there returned of the people 22,000, and there remained 10,000."

Okay, so Gideon's forces were cut in half. Victory could still be his. If God told me to have a battle royale, I'd be okay with 10,000 people backing me up.

Then, God told him to bring all the men to the water, and perform a little test. Gideon was to bring the men to the water for a little drink, and those who lapped up the water like dogs, face first into the water, were to be sent home. Only three hundred guys brought the water to their mouths with their hands. I can imagine Gideon's mental response to the other 9700 dudes who lapped it up like thirsty dogs. "Jerks! Use your hands!"

Kinda makes me think of guys drinking milk straight from the carton, but I digress.

Anyways, with his now limited resources, Gideon was able to free the Israelites with only three hundred men.

My point in bringing up this story is not to proselytize; I think you all know me better than that. My point is, in her own way, Christobel is trying to say, don't give up, even when the odds seem stacked against you, even when you feel ill-equipped to do your task at hand.

Whether your task is changing one more diaper, untangling one more wet knotty shoelace, or searching for one more way to help your child learn to spell.

Persevere when you need to complete your "impossible" tasks-like washing those five loads of laundry before company comes over, budgeting so you can make the enormous bill that's due by Friday, or sorting out your feelings regarding a sticky family situation that's ultimately going to hurt somehow.

Stand firm in your spot, should you need to decide how much to keep back, which parts to share, what amount to give in abundance, how many to store for that rainy day.

Set your sights solid on how to defend, when to intervene, or how to help the ones you love reach that elusive compromise.

Be encouraged to do what your heart knows is right, resist waffling to conform to popular opinion, and remember that bit about reaping what you are sowing.

Don't waver in your belief in your gifts, your abilities, or your endurance. You can do it, keep on truckin', don't give up, never say quit.

Continue your good fight, remember your purpose, become the path.

Because when our desires are right, we as women can, and have, done just about anything. We've been at it for centuries, and we shouldn't stop now. We can't!

I have been honored to speak with Christobel, a woman who has lived those words I just typed up there. She has unapologetically stood for what she believes in, and offered hope and comfort to a people who might not have been reached if not for her compassionate spirit. No matter what your spiritual beliefs are, I hope you have enjoyed reading about this special, strong lady. I hope she inspires you to do your best, and to stay strong in your own daily battles. I sure enjoyed writing about her. She is an example of love and kindness to me, and I'm glad to know her.

Of course, we have one last question-What is your favorite food?

Christobel related to me that when she was younger, she had a very healthy appetite. Now, not so much. In fact, since I first met her two years or so ago, during the occasional times we've seen each other, I have never seen her eat!

She is content to eat just a little, since she feels so fulfilled by her work. But, she does enjoy a dish of India called Biryani, which is rice cooked with veggies, and chicken or lamb, with spices like cinnamon, cardamom, cumin, cloves, and many other varieties, depending on the recipe's region of origin.

Of course, you may enjoy Christobel's favorite American dish, too-veggie pizza.

Veggie Pizza ala Me!

Sometimes we make varying types of this meal at my house when we are busy but still want home-cooked food.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut a large French bread loaf in half, as if making a sub sandwich. Lay the long halves side by side on a baking or cookie pan, and trim if needed to fit in your oven.

On the loaf halves, spoon pureed or crushed tomatoes on for sauce, straight from the can. Add some spices like basil, oregano, and marjoram. Do sprinkle on some sea salt, if you wish. Try some hot peppers if you are feeling adventurous. Next layer on some sliced or diced veggies-you may want to try green pepper, onion, garlic, mushrooms, broccoli and black olives. You can even buy most of these veggies pre-chopped in the frozen aisle-just remember to thaw them first if you go this route, to ensure proper baking times.

Then add some shredded mozzarella or sliced provolone, and pop in the oven for about 10 minutes, then check the cheese-if it's melted and golden at the edges, you're all done. Or, if you like your veggies cooked a bit longer, try leaving the cheese off while baking the pizza for the first 10 minutes-then take the pizza out of the oven, add some cheese to the loaves, and place them back in for about five more minutes. Voila! Veggie pizza with a minimum of fuss.

Enjoy, have fun, and stay strong!

Nacho Libra

2009-10-22T17:16:00.000-07:00

This is MY nacho!

Sorry about the movie reference-since I'm a Libra, and this is a picture of a nacho that I made, I thought...oh never mind.

Ahem.

Anyhow, here's how to make a delicious plate of nachos from the ground up.

refried beans-2 cans of kidney beans, good dash of paprika and cumin powder-if you wanna be a purist here, I suppose you could soak your beans of choice overnite and smoosh them the next day, but I use the canned ones. Just plop them, drained, into a food processor and make a bean smoothie...then pour into a pan that will hold them, add the spices, and simmer on a very low flame until warmed through.

meat-if you don't like meat, please skip this part. Otherwise, brown 1 pound ground meat of your choice, (I used lamb here) and spread it out on your skillet, to evenly brown the meat until no pink remains. Then add as much cumin as you like, (I put about 2 tablespoons in there) and paprika to taste, a dash of sea salt, a few sliced cloves of garlic, and when the meat is no longer pink inside, you're good to go.

guacamole-3 ripe avocados, good sized bunch of cilantro, juice of 2 limes, good pinch of sea salt, 4 peeled garlic cloves. Slice avocado in half, discard seed (unless your kid has a need for a show and tell item-see the bottom of this recipe) scoop out the flesh, and puree one at a time in the food processor. Then while it's running and you have the cover still secured in place, add the juice of two limes, then one after the other, the remaining avocado flesh. Then, while still running, add the cilantro leaves, the pinch of sea salt, and the garlic cloves. There! Flavorful without being overpowering. Spice it up with a bit of Jalepeno if you must.

salsa- combine in a bowl the following ingredients: 5 chopped roma tomatoes, finely chopped onion to tase, good bunch of cilantro leaves, a dash of olive oil, sea salt, chopped jalepeno (if you want it spicy, leave the seeds/core in, if not, remove them first. And wash your hands right after you are done handling the Jalepeno because you run the risk of rubbing your eye or nose and that stings. Ask me how I know.) Stir it up and put a cover on the bowl, let it sit in the fridge a while. It will get a bit loose and watery, but that's okay-that is the consistency you want-just stir it again before serving.

You may also want to include shredded cheese and sour cream. I'm still working on a recipe for sour cream, and I haven't figured out how to make anythign but cream cheese, so when I figure out how to make hard cheese that's shreddable, I'll certainly post about it.

Then assemble your lovely ingredients, pile the toppings over your favorite brand of tortilla chip, and enjoy!

And now, for the avocado incident...

Actually it was an avocado seed incident. When I was in second grade, our wonderful teacher, Mrs. Rowe, decided we should have show-n-tell each week. I decided to bring an avocado seed for some reason. Probably because my mom was on an avocado kick, and as soon as I spotted that thing, I thought, "Wow! That's the biggest seed in the universe! I gotta bring it to class!" or something.

So, the big day arrives, all is well, I show the seed, get the appropriate number of oohs and aahhs and that is that.

Back to the daily grind.

Back to math, cursive writing workbooks, learning about Thanksgiving. Yum! cornbread. (already a little foodie.)

Caught the flu, one week out.

Back in school, Christmas pageant, paper chains, construction paper stocking, what are you getting for Christmas? Yay! Chistmas break! Thank you Jesus for being born during the month of December! Counting down the days, hot chocolate, getting frostbite while ice skating, I hope Auntie Mae doesn't serve that awful pudding that's not really a pudding at dinner this year then all of a sudden it's January 1979 and we have to go back to school.

And clean out our desks.

And there it is, waaaaaay in the back of my desk, behind the papers, the forgotten crayons, and the little pencil box.

The avocado pit. Of despair.

I must say, I got better reviews the second time when I unearthed the decrepit thing once the garbage can made it's way past my desk. Got way more oooohs and aaaahs that time. It still stank, though.

So, I learned my lesson, and throw them away RIGHT AWAY now that I'm all grown up.

No more petri dishes in my desk drawers, nu-uh.

Gotta love the experiences of childhood. They teach us so much.

I love the smell of avocado in January, it smells like.......history.

Backyard Building

2009-10-16T00:23:00.000-07:00

We had a stay-in-your-jammies kinda day yesterday. It just seemed right. After helping Olivia edit her science experiment report, I made us a snack, and O got dressed to go outside and explore. About fifteen minutes later, I was invited to come out and 'help'.

I'm glad I did! O had decided to build a little lean-to, using fallen branches and leaves from our now overgrown backyard. Toward the end of summer, it gets really hairy back there, with vines on the fence, the veggie garden all pooped out, and my champion Yucca plant just ready to shed more fibers and 'hairs' than the cat. (More on that later.)

So, we dug three little postholes for the main branches, secured them in the ground, and began to weave. The result was the picture above-just enough room for one girl to escape the first raindrops of the afternoon that began to fall as we finished our project. I like the fact that the happy little tire swing is within easy reach. Makes it seem more homey, somehow. Below is a picture of the backside.

I remember building little things like this when I was a kid, and I'm so glad O enjoys that kind of activity too. For more ideas, I think we may have to re-read one of my favorite books of all-time, Shelters, Shacks, and Shanties, The classic guide to building wilderness shelters, by D. C. Beard. I discovered this little book years ago before I became a mama. It is chock-full of descriptions, illustrations, and stories about outdoor architecture. A very good read, and quite useful as a primer for your budding outdoor architect.

Just For Fun

2009-10-13T18:34:00.000-07:00

Two new features for your reading pleasure...first, check out the poll on the right. Since I love talking about, writing about, and eating food, I thought it would be cool to see what kinds of food you like. This time you'd be voting on desserts. The dessert with the most votes will be featured in a new recipe on my blog.

Also, I've just started to build a pantry in here-it's a little cupboard filled with goodies for you to explore-check it out, and let me know if you reccomend any useful sites. If I like 'em, I'll put them in the pantry.

Thanks again for reading and have fun!
Antonia

Magnificent Mama Mondays

2009-10-11T20:14:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my new weekly feature-Magnificent Mama Mondays, where each week you will get to read about a different woman who has impacted her family, community and world.

In this day and age of mixed messages targeted at girls, I thought it would be cool to do a regular feature on my blog-a series of interviews of some strong, successful women I know. I greatly admire those with the entrepreneurial spirit, and will be highlighting ladies who not only have a strong sense of self esteem, but a great work ethic and abundance of creativity.

So, without further ado, I'd like to introduce Dawn Wilczek, a website designer. I have known Dawn for several years-in fact, we went to grammar school together. She is a sweet lady who has a big heart, a level of understanding of computers that amazes me, and she's also a wife and mama.

Introducing…

Dawn Wilczek

Antonia: How did you get your start?

Dawn: I started in a position at a company as a Sr. Internet Assistant and had no idea what I was doing. My boss, Pam Richmond, taught me everything. She was super patient and understanding. I have always been a natural with computers and understanding how they and software work so teaching me wasn't too difficult - or so I assume. Once I got the basics down I decided to start making money outside of work doing what I was learning at work.

My first site was very simple and elementary but it was the gateway to more business. I had to do a few of the first ones for free just to get started and to add clients to my list. Once that happened it was mostly friends of friends and word of mouth that helped me get more clients. If it wasn't for Pam I wouldn't be where I am today.

A: Why do you do what you do?

D: I absolutely love being creative with my natural computer talent and even more so, I love the tedious work of typing in html code and implementing my design into that code. My mother told me, "Always do the work that nobody else wants to do and you'll always have a job." Which would be the tedious work that I've grown to enjoy immensely. Typing in the code and getting the site design to work with the code takes a lot of concentration and I view it as a meditative-like feeling - it calms me and makes me concentrate.

I also like to be able to help out small businesses who really don't have a large budget for a website. I charge considerably less than most other web designers. I always try to go above and beyond the expectations of my clients because I enjoy their appreciation. Most all of my clients have become very good friends of mine and I will do anything for a friend.

A: Does your gender play a role in the difficulty of your profession/interest?

D: I don't think my gender does anything for me except for giving me the compassion and care that women naturally give to their friends and people in general. We're a very caring gender and by being like that it helps my clients feel comfortable with me and know I'll do my best to make them happy.
This just isn't a job, its a hobby and a way to give to others who need the help. I have used the payments from my clients to send in charity donations to St. Jude and the Humane Society. Very important to give back.

A: What do you hope to contribute to the next generation of women?

D: I'm not sure what the next generation would benefit from me, but I would like my daughter to learn how to be a giving, imaginative and friendly person from me and what I do. I would like her to take any of her natural talents and use them to create a warm happiness inside her.

Everyone has a natural talent, its just that some don't know what it is. I didn't know that I would enjoy what I do before I started learning it. So I think its important for anyone who is struggling to find their happiness in what they do then try everything - you'll find something that makes you feel happy, accomplished and whole.

A: What is your favorite food?

D: My favorite food? Pastries. Any kind of pastries - baklava, chocolate cake, eclairs, etc. Hey, wait, those always makes me feel happy and warm inside too. Better to design websites than eating pastries all day I guess.

Hmmm....a girl after my own heart-I like pastries and using my natural talents too! Speaking of which, here's a little recipe that I got from my Nana Eleanor (she just turned 89 in September!!!) that might fit the bill for a pastry craving...

Kolacky Cookies for my friend Dawn

1 large package cream cheese

1/2 lb. butter

1 1/2 cups flour

mix all ingredients thoroughly, and let stand in refrigerator overnight. Roll dough to about 1/2 inch thickness, use a small glass to cut out circular cookies, press your thumb in the center of each to make a little well, and fill with fruit preserves. Bake in a 350 degree farenheit oven for about 12 minutes or until lightly browned on the edges.

Thanks Dawn, for taking time out of your busy schedule so we can get to know you. It's always been a little secret dream of mine to highlight local people in this way-so many celebrities get all the fanfare for their goofy and often embarrassing escapades-in my opinion, it's time we took the focus off them and instead set the spotlight on real-life heroines. I'd rather read about people who define success by their own terms, instead of those that rely on becoming famous because of manufactured insta-success. The real, honest stars of everyday life, the ones who shine in their efforts, attitudes, causes and work. Dawn is one of them.

What 37 looks like

2009-10-10T11:41:00.000-07:00

It never ceases to amaze me how true the statement of "Plus ca change, plus cest la meme chose" rings true. (For all you non-Frenchies, that's loosely translated in English to "The more things change, the more they stay the same") I'm sure my darling sister the French major will correct my spelling and horrific grammar on that one.

Today is my 37th birthday. And while a lot of things have changed, some concrete things have stayed the same. My body is more relaxed, my back aches more, and I have a fine crop of grays showing near my scalp since I decided not to color about six months back. I'm cultivating them like wheat.

But, while my outsides have changed dramatically from, say, twenty years ago, some things have not changed at all. Like the need to wear glasses, my hairy toes, (sorry! Hobbit foot alert!) and my inability to grow a fine set of fingernails.

Similarly, my mind has changed, and not changed as well. Twenty years ago I did not have the same set of beliefs I do now, but I still rallied passionately for what I believed in at the time. The focus has not changed, but what I have my focus set on has. I'm still sharply set on going toward what I think is right, but my definition of 'right' has changed.

One thing that has been constant through all my life, and that's my family. They are and always will be funny, strong, intelligent, at times extremely goofy, some of them have died, some have just come into the world, and I love them all. Times may have changed, but they are always there.

My lovely sister called me today to sing "Happy Birthday" to me over the phone, just as she always has done ever since she moved out of the house when she was twenty. She's 45 now, and still singing. If I ever have to endure a birthday without that sweet ritual, it will certainly undo me. I look forward to it every year! It's not that she's the best singer that early in the morning, either. (Sorry Ria!) It's the fact that she cares enough to do it, year after year, helping me start my special day with a tone of love and acceptance. I hope that part of my life never changes.

So, this is what 37 looks like...somewhat stretched out, grayed, a bit beat up around the edges, rough-hewn yet becoming smoother everyday by the force of life's unrelenting insistence to sand me down through experience and interaction.

I love it.

P.S. Happy Birthday to David Lee Roth, also a 10/10 birthday kid. Betcha didn't know that little factoid, huh? What famous person shares your birthday?? Leave a comment and let's see who we come up with.

Sock It To Me!

2009-10-06T13:28:00.000-07:00

My first sock!!!!!

I have finally finished my first ever hand-knitted sock!! Olivia was so happy to have it sized to her foot. Turning the heel was not as difficult as I thought it would be, and the whole process went rather quickly once I got a rythym going. This project heralded two firsts for me-this was the first time I used five needles, and they were made of bamboo, to boot.

A very cool, portable new hobby that will see me through the winter, I'm sure. The whole thing took me about two weeks from start to finish, and I'm sure my time will decrease since this first one was a learning process.

Now I just have to get the second one done, and she'll have a complete set.

In stitches,

Antonia

Look where I am!

2009-09-28T09:04:00.000-07:00

image used with permission from Hip Mama

I just wanted to share some rather exciting news with you all. My article, The Creative House, is going to be in the latest issue of Hip Mama, a very cool mama 'zine. Check out their website at
http://www.hipmamazine.com/Home.html and discover this wonderful publication. Also, please note, that Olivia's brilliant quote is featured on the cover. I'm so excited and happy! Please rush to your nearest periodical seller and request a copy today or consider subscribing to this faaaaaabulous 'zine!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Antonia

Mad Max Comes to Suburbia

2009-09-19T13:34:00.000-07:00

My friend Ralph came by today to show us his new toy...I think Mad Max would be jealous!!!!!!!!!!

Ralph's homemade trike!

This thing is so cool-he made it from junked parts and scraps. The back is a converted Volkswagon engine/axle combo, and he gets an amazing 45 miles to the gallon! Ralph is a retired pipefitter, so welding the old Honda 750 front to the rest of this creation was not a problem. It is entirely street legal, and also boasts an air horn. The seats are from an old junked Datsun, and yes, the back seat reclines, and even has little foot rests that flip out for the passenger's comfort. On the 'back porch' platform, there is space for a rolled up tent, and two coolers. He even built a little secret compartment on the side to store things you don't want damaged by the elements when travelling. Ralph told me the estimated cost for this project was around $1800, and it's mostly made of recycled/reused parts, except for the gas tank, of course. I'd want that new, too.

Comes complete with a white picket fence to hold luggage for road trips, and neato skully rear light.

Now I just have to figure out how to convince Bill to get me one for Christmas. In pink.

Instinctual Baking

2009-09-18T08:07:00.000-07:00

A while back some of the mamas in my homeschool support group were talking about cooking the way grandma used to-instinctually. As we discussed our distaste for modern fast-food, the bevy of choices that are offered at the grocery store for 'instant meals' and the like, I began to wonder-how hard is it? Really, how difficult would it be to just re-create recipes from the hip, without relying on the cookbook? Some delightful results have followed.

So, check out this article from roobifood, a website that is a repository of food-related knowledge. (Yes, it's another shameless plug of my work!) I do enjoy this site-anything to do with food is worth a read, in my opinion. I think you'll have to copy and paste the following link, though. I haven't quite figured out the direct-link-on-your-blog thingie completely yet.

http://www.roobifood.com/instinctual-bread

Also, last night we made egg rolls from scratch! YUM!!! Of course I forgot to take a picture of them since once they were done cooking, we ate them so fast. I'm still full.

One of the condiments we bought was hot mustard, for Bill. He loves the stuff! As we traipsed up and down the aisles in the store, my eye caught the funniest name brand of mustard, which decided my purchase. There, sitting on the shelf amidst the hoisin sauce and gallon jars (gallon!) of soy sauce, was sitting this tall skinny bottle of hot mustard. Ready for the name? Tasty Joy! I love it! Bill wondered aloud if it was any good, and my reply was, "Anything that cheap and named Tasty Joy is guaranteed to be hot."

Don't let the cute name fool you- Tasty Joy hot mustard is pretty darn hot.

Anyway, thanks to all of you who are following my random thoughts via this blog. Come on back soon for more updates of this mama's life!

Be Green This Halloween

2009-09-15T09:49:00.000-07:00

Here's a little article I recently wrote to give some eco-friendly tips for Halloween.
Enjoy!

Check out my recently published content on AC:

Eco-Friendly Halloween Bags

Check Me Out!!

2009-09-10T19:18:00.000-07:00

Check out my recently published content on AC:

The Evolution of Halloween

I am so cool.

This Little Piggy Went to Parties

2009-09-08T11:00:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy weekend for me and mine.

We attended three parties, one for a return visit from a family member who happens to be in between tours overseas with the Army, one at the local American Legion hall, and one at a friend's house. The amazing thing is, all of these parties were not planned on-at least, I didn't receive engraved invitations to them or anything. On all three separate occasions, about an hour before the festivities began, I got a phone call from the hosts, who requested my last-minute attendance. I was only too happy to have the weekend off from cooking.

The family party was great fun-children everywhere, laughter and mirth abounded, daddies played horseshoes while mommies mingled, dished and played catch-up. We don't get to see each other often enough, and it was nice to see my extended family all in one spot. (Well, mostly-there were a few absentees.)

The American Legion party was enormous. A few hundred people were packed in the hall, enjoying tons of food, desserts, and fellowship. It never ceases to amaze me how the promise of a free pig roast will get people out in droves. Thankfully, we didn't get to view the pig while it was being, um, prepared. It was delicious, I must admit.

We did, however have a chance to hear about a program called Girls State, where the Women's Auxiliary members choose top performing students from local area high schools to attend a week long session of student government activities presented at Eastern Illinois University. The program is funded by the Auxiliary, and the girls are chaperoned to the college campus in hopes of learning about our government and how it works in an intensive study designed to help girls who are interested in politics. They hold mock elections, learn how to run campaigns, among other assorted activities pertaining to the subject of girls in government. It is only open to eleventh graders with a high grade point average who have an interest in things like political science and whatnot. (Apparently young men have Boy's State, too, so the program is nice and equal.) I asked about the selection process for homeschoolers, some of which do not have grade point averages (sometimes due to learning styles such as unschooling), and was told that inquiries shall be made regarding how to get interested homeschooled girls involved in the program.

We rounded out the weekend with an impromptu get-together at a friends' cookout. We had all the traditional trappings of the good 'ol American cookout and then sat back, bellies full, and gave thanks that we had the day off.

Over the course of the weekend, I ate so much that I'm craving plain spinach and steamed rice to cleanse my insides. Maybe some bran, too. Yep, bran sounds downright tasty at this point.

I guess I didn't need to go grocery shopping on Saturday after all.

Community

2009-08-30T13:15:00.000-07:00

I wrote this earlier in the year, and thought it was worth sharing. Enjoy!

I have found a tribe, a network, a community. They are my family. Only a few are blood-related to me, the rest have been collected over the years. As far as collections go, it totally blows away the goofy teapots my mom tried to foist over on me during the early 90’s.

My original first tribe member, Annie, was a great adventurer. Between trips to the Great Wall of China and the Australian outback, she taught me the importance of surrounding myself with people who give a damn. “You gotta have a network, honey, it’s important! Friends and fellowship, remember that.” I’d listen at her feet as she packed for her next trip-Annie had numerous nephews and nieces, friends in far-flung places, and sisters to boot. When she wasn’t visiting with her relatives, she’d take time to stay with me. When we first met, Annie was in her fifties, and I had just been born.

My sister Maria, in her infinite wisdom, arranged for Annie to guide me spiritually throughout my childhood. After praying for my existence, she got busy with the task of finding me a Godmother. When she was a small child, Maria chose Annie and her husband Jack to be my Godparents. This in itself was unusual for my family. My mom was and is an Atheist, and my dad dabbled in Christian Science, so there was definitely division there. It always astounds me that even though she didn't know me yet, or know what I'd grow to be like, that my darling sister would care that much to hope for me to be born. In her sisterly pureness-of-heart, she has always watched out for me and encouraged me, no matter our differences. At times she questions my actions, not to chastise and disagree, but to check my compass so I stay true to my path towards happiness and well-being. I am grateful to her. It was Maria who first taught me to read and love words.

Shortly after I was born, Jack died. I don’t remember him. Annie, however, grew to be my good special friend.

There were many good things about Annie, but the best part is how she talked to children. She would never insult a child by talking down to them. She was always honest and assumed you would either know or would be clever enough to figure out the big words she would use in conversation. Annie taught me many things-how to find the treasure in an average day, how to cope with loss, and the beauty of relationship. Annie was completely devoid of any ‘holier-than-thou’ attitude. She was real, and nice, and giving.

She was no doormat-she expected me to treat her well, too. But, and here’s the rub, she never forced it out of me. She simply displayed the qualities she valued in a friend, and modeled them. I felt it only just to return her honest conscious efforts, and treated her with respect and dignity-not because it was ‘the rules’- I was a kid and she was an adult- but because I wanted to.

I think community should be like that. Like my Annie.

To have within your reach people who care, who treat you kindly, is priceless. In my experience, it’s even more joy-inducing when those same people expect reciprocity-to know others can rely on you is priceless, too.

This is my community.

At the base, the bedrock, there is my husband, Bill. He is warrior-strong, yet tender at his heart, and possesses a delightful dry sense of humor. We met when we were yet children, and grew up knowing we must band together, to become the stronghold. To hold each other up and defend our kingdom against the villains called ‘past’, ‘hurt’ and ‘neglect’. I cannot imagine another man by my side. Thoughts of his strong scarred, face and jet-black hair fill my mind daily. I value his opinion and seek it often; for his input is fair, wise and often funny. Bill can make me laugh when no one else will try. He knows my deepest fears, and also how to put me completely at ease. I look forward to the future with this man, not because I must, but because I want to.

We have a little daughter, Olivia. She will inherit the stronghold, for my love and I will surely pass on someday. We try, my tribe, my network, my community, my family, to teach her the skills she will need to survive and flourish. Each year we freely give her the choice: public school or homeschool. Each year she elects to stay home. We learn together. Weekly, she composes and sings, solves and dissects, steeps herself in historical fact, explores literature, and puts up a fuss when it’s time to write something. Olivia would rather give an hour-long oral report on a subject than write it out. She likes to tell, to relate, to express her thoughts instead of create a copy for posterity. Her mind is alive, constantly growing, and extremely inquisitive. She is the original child of a thousand questions. Her father and I give her truthful answers to her direct questions, and if we don’t know, we try to find the answer together.

Don is my brother. I met him through my husband, who knew Don through a school friend. After a while, we spent so much time together, he felt more like a brother than a buddy. We adopted each other in 1995. Over the years he has enmeshed himself in our lives, and we have celebrated birth, mourned our dead, bolstered each other up through hardships, shared joy in accomplishments, and encouraged each other with artful sarcasm. He was present at the birth of my daughter, and reassured my husband during the scary time afterwards.

As I lay in the hospital bed hemorrhaging and suffering a beta-strep infection, Don stayed with my husband, listening, encouraging, reminding Bill to eat and sleep. I was too weak with fever to get out of bed, so my husband and my brother diapered, held, walked with, and whispered to my new, wonderfully healthy daughter. “Soon we can go home, kiddo, mommy will be fine…I love you…” came from the hallway as they paced the floor in turns, holding the newly-pink bundle which was my girl. Shortly after I was released from the hospital, Don surprised us with his new tattoo-Olivia’s name and birth date on his back, in hot-pink. (His look of shock and horror was priceless as I fibbed and told him the artist got the date wrong.) Well, now we had to keep him…

I am lucky to have many people like these three in my life. I have several spiritual sisters. One of them is about to become a grandma, quite unexpectedly, and we will all lift this surprise baby up in our strong arms and teach him how to find the treasure in an average day, how to cope with loss, and the beauty of relationship. He is a gift, a yet unopened present for our growing tribe. He will have new eyes to behold-new baby fingers to hang on to. He is the promise of the continuation of our network, our community, our family. I am so excited to meet this little guy and have the chance to pass these things on! Maybe when he grows up to be a big strong man-person, he will remember all his crazy aunties and uncles, and extend a hand to the next generation.

When times are tough, I can rely on my tribe to help me. When my fields are full and I have something to give, be it time, talents, or opportunities, I share them freely with my peeps. Not because I have to, not because it’s the rules-“I take, therefore by some twisted set of objectives I have to give back equally or I’m some kinda guilty sponge”-but because I want to.

Not-Back-to-School

2009-08-23T10:57:00.000-07:00

I've always found it entertaining to shop during this time of year. Entertaining, yet frustrating, too. Example from my own life:
run out of milk, cringe, remember my local corner store carries our brand, hop on over to said store, enter front door of store, immediately regret my decision to live in suburbia and not own my own goat/cow/sheep/camel/whatever on 100 rolling acres. Trying to navigate past the swarming hordes of mom/child teams fighting over the last of the school supplies, I run into someone I recognize, who is ensuing in said melee.

"Oh hi! Are you getting school supplies, too?" The inevitable question. Innocent enough.
"No-just getting milk!" I reply.
"You're one of the smart ones-I bet you got your shopping done early, huh?"

Unforgivable. (Not really, she's a sweet gal, I just overreact when I'm in a hurry.)

At this point I realize that I will have to come out of the closet and admit to this casual acquaintance that I keep my daughter at home to learn. In years past, when Olivia and I would go to the grocery store on a 'school day' and we were asked if she had a day off or teacher institute day by complete strangers, I'd smile, nod my head sweetly and exit quickly in nervous frustration.

These days, my reaction tends to be more natural and relaxed, and I usually end up in discussion with the checkout person. We talk about how they know someone who homeschools, the pros of homeschooling, how much time Olivia and I get to spend together, etc. One young mama tending the register at our local bargain store even asked for advice on how to start learning at home with her child. In other words, these days I try to connect.

Which is exactly what I end up doing with the acquaintance in the corner store, amid the flying color-coded folders and endless lists of required objects public school families must purchase. (However did the pioneers manage? Oh, sorry, that's another rant for another day...)

While still eyeing the milk shelf, (gotta keep on target!) I calmly tell my new friend about how our choice to keep Olivia at home to learn has worked out really great- how we have the freedom to chase whatever 'lesson' we're on till she's satisfied, how we can spend entire days just reading, how much fun it is getting together with other homeschool families in the middle of the afternoon.

However, on some days, I just don't have the energy or desire to be that friendly. I have thought about answering the inquiring minds out there with snarky or comical statements such as:

"Oh, she's graduated already."
"What's school?" add shocked, surprised look, like I forgot to do something of extreme importance. Dropped jaw and keys helps.
"She doesn't go to school anymore-she's just a really short adult."
"We homeschool, and this is a field trip. Can I get a tour of the dairy aisle?"
"My homeschooling kung fu is stronger than your public school kung fu! MWA HA HA HA!"
(Okay, that might be a little much.)
"Perhaps you've misunderstood me with someone who really cares to justify herself to you?"

If you have any other suggestions to this end, please jot them down and send them to me-I'm always looking to beef up my repertoire.

Books I'm Liking

2009-08-18T06:43:00.000-07:00

I've been on a bit of a self-help kick lately, mostly to motivate myself to make better choices for getting my writing out there. With that in mind, two books have been pivotal in my quest.

First is Sean Stephenson's excellent book, Get off Your BUT Now!, which not only chronicles his fascinating life, but also shows how to implement the techniques he used to overcome potentially enormous obstacles. This guy is truly amazing-he's a powerhouse of confidence and charisma all wrapped up in a three-foot tall frame, bound to a wheelchair because of brittle bone disease. But, he doesn't let that get in the way of his writing, motivational speaking career, or dating life. In addition to that, my husband went to his book signing, met him, and said he's a really nice guy.

Second is Michael W. Dean's book entitled $30 Writing School. In short, it is an extremely easy read that offers practical advice for anyone looking to break into the writing world. Dean covers the basics-grammar, software, etc.; and then goes deeper, telling his personal experiences of how he created his own writing space, how he works, and pros and cons of dealing with agents. Woven throughout are bits of his personal story, which is fascinating in and of itself.

Both are worth a read. Enjoy!

Happy Birthday Olivia!!!!

2009-08-12T10:11:00.000-07:00

I suppose I should be approaching this time of my life with a certain sense of trepidation, but I'm rather looking forward to it. Maybe I'm biased, but my daughter is a delightful adolescent. We laugh, talk endlessly, dream, and have a lot of fun together. Yes, we have disagreements, arguments, and the like, too, but as we experience those times, we both are learning to communicate better. So, we are growing together.
Speaking of growth, we measured her today on the growth chart I started when we moved in to our house (eight years ago!!) and Olivia just topped five feet.
Scary!
But in a really good way.

A recipe from my young apprentice:

OLIVIA"S LOVE SALAD

In a large bowl, combine the following:

1 can black olives

1 cup chopped carrots

1 cup canned corn

1 cup sliced cucumber

1 cup cherry tomatoes

1 cup canned chickpeas

1 cup heart 'o' palm

enough Italian salad dressing to lightly dress above veggies

Have a big 'ol bowl of this and smile. It screams summer!

2009-08-10T17:29:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Antonia's kitchen.

Cooking up saucy interpretations of this mama's life since.....five minutes ago.

Enjoy!
Antonia