Remember To Tell The Stories

March is the month where Women are given attention for the accomplishments. In American history there have been first ladies, authors, astronauts, abolitionists and so many others that have created history by living life. They have told their stories and now it is up to us to remember. Tell your children the stories about the women in your life, the history making moments that have happened during your life. This will help them be able to understand history and share stories they learned with the future generations. 

From women in civil rights and even before standing up against slavery there are women involved in every step of the way. Take a look at Harriet Tubman who helped slaves to escape and get on their way. A sort of moses in a way directing the slaves to freedom. She endangered her own life to help others. Take a moment there are so many awesome stories about her and the way she helped slaves to escape to freedom. Go forward in history and share the stories of Rosa Parks. The "Mother of Civil Rights Movement" because she took a stand which led to the end of segregation laws. She inspired others to fight back

It may be of interest to you and your child to learn about a famous person like Amelia Earhart. Earhart was one of the most famous aviators of the world In 1932 she became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean In 1937 she disappeared never to be seen again

Authors such as Maya Angelou who is known for her poetry Not only a writer but also a civil rights activists, single mother and poet






.

corn beef and cabbage

Corn Beef is often thought of when the holiday of St. Patrick's approaches. Corned beef is not considered an Irish national dish. It is the Irish American culture that welcomes corn beef. 

“Corned beef was used as a substitute for bacon by Irish-American immigrants in the late 19th century. Corned beef and cabbage is the Irish-American variant of the Irish dish of bacon and cabbage. A similar dish is the New England boiled dinner, consisting of corned beef, cabbage, and root vegetables such as carrots, turnips, and potatoes, which is popular in New England and parts of Atlantic Canada.” [Wikipedia]

Yummy Corned Beef and Cabbage Dinner

Growing up corned beef was never found on the table as my mother did not care for it. My fathers mother just like my husband's family often served the corn beef at St. Patrick's day. The town where my husband grew up celebrates St. Patrick's day with a parade, singing, dinner and yes green beer. Every year thousands of Irish Americans will gather together to celebrate St. Patrick's day  and share a meal of corn beef and cabbage.

Cabbage has been considered Irish food for many years  On the other hand, corned beef was only associated with St. Patrick's day at the turn of the century. New York city Irish immigrants substituted corned beef for the traditional Irish bacon in order to save money.

Corned Beef and Cabbage:

• 5 pounds corned brisket of beef

• 6 peppercorns, or packaged pickling spices

• 3 carrots, peeled and quartered

• 3 onions, peeled and quartered

• 1 medium-sized green cabbage, quartered or cut in wedges Melted butter (about 4 tablespoons)

Place the corned beef in water to cover with the peppercorns or mixed pickling spices (in supermarkets, these often come packaged with the corned beef). Cover the pot or kettle, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 5 hours or until tender, skimming occasionally. During the last hour, add the carrots and onions and cover again. During the last 15 minutes, add the cabbage. Transfer meat and vegetables to a platter and brush the vegetables with the melted butter. Serve with boiled parsley potatoes, cooked separately. (The stock can be saved to add to a pot roast or stew instead of other liquid.)

Hope you have had a great green day. Enjoyed a bit of green punch or even a green beer. Remembered the Irish and looked for the pot of gold. However you celebrated I hope you had a great day

Irish American Day

March is Irish American Heritage Month. It is celebrated by proclamation of the President and Congress in the U.S. The month honors the achiemvements and contributions of Irish Immigrants and descendants living in the U.S. 

Irish American Heritage month was first celebrated in 1991. Irish American Heritage Month reoccurs every March and coincides with Saint Patrick's Day. Every March the Irish Taoiseach visits the U.S. for Saint Patrick's Day. A Shamrock Ceremony takes place in the morning at the White House where a crystal bowl holding shamrock a traditional symbol of Ireland is presented to the President in the Oval Office. A Friend of Ireland luncheon hosted by the House Speaker in The U.S. Capitol or the Rayburn House Office Building. The president, vice president, Taoiseach, Speaker and other officials will attend the luncheon. That evening a Saint Patricks Day Reception takes place at the White House.

National Shoe The WOrld Day

I have often told individuals that I love to go barefoot but that was never because I did not have a choice. I always had a pair of shoes to wear. I never had to go barefoot because I had to but because I wanted to. Unfortunately that is not the case for every one. Every day there are 500 million children, teens, and adults who do not have a pair of shoes to wear. No matter what the land or the climate is they do not have a choice and must go barefoot. They do not have the choice. Living life without foot protection can lead to a lifetime of problems including pain, injury, cuts, sores, infections, parasites, banning from schools and other places.

Sometimes there is the slim chance of having a pair of shoes that do not fit but yet feet are protected. If the shoes are too big then they will not need another pair for sometime. Furthermore they can not wear their shoes except for where they need to. On the other foot if their shoes are too small and tight and they try to make do with them the pain would be unimaginable. Simply to have a pair of shoes to big or to small would be a luxury

National Shoe the World Day is a day created to bring awareness across the nation to the incredible need to help those people around the world that do not have shoes to wear and take action helping. Many organizations have started to collect shoes and clothes in our area to hand out to those in need. This is a great way for all to get involved and help your neighbor.

One for The Ladies Pears Helene

This one’s for the ladies. It was named after one after all.

Sweet, warm, tender pear, in warm chocolate sauce with Chantilly cream and toasted almonds. What’s not to like here.

Peel your pears and poach them in Champagne (Or Prosecco or something cheep!), until tender. Your knife should cut into it easily.

Whip double cream with some caster sugar and vanilla essence, until just stiff.

Heat cooking chocolate with a little butter, once melted add cream and keep on the heat until combined.

Toast almond flakes in oven for a minute or two.

Put it all on a plate.

And as my bro used to say…

2-4-6-8! BOG IN DON’T WAIT!

The Ides Of March

Have you heard of the Ides of March?? In ancient Rome, the Ides of March were equivalent to our March 15th. Most of us that have heard of the Ides of March have most likely heard of William Shakespeare. It was William Shakespeare who wrote the play Julius Caesar. In the play a soothsayer or what most of know as a fortune teller tries to make Caesar aware that he should Beware of the Ides of March. 

Reality and the play alike finds Julius Caesar assassinated on the ides of March in the year 44 B.C. The word Ides is a Latin word which means to divide and were originally meant to mark the full moon. The calendar months and lunar months do not travel together so the Ides were often out of step. Remembering the Ides of March also commemorates the day of Julius Caesar 2,060 years ago. On this day Julius Caesar was stabbed in the back, front, side, top and everywhere. The stabbing of Julius Caesar was made famous by William Shakespeare. 

Crispy Grilled Caesar Salad

2 heads romaine lettuce, cut lengthwise in half
1 package (6 ounces) FRESH TAKE Italian Parmesan   
    Recipe Cheese Breadcrumb Mix, mixed together
1/3 cup sliced grape tomatoes
1/2 cup KRAFT Classic Caesar Dressing

HEAT grill to medium-high heat.

COVER grill grate with foil. Place lettuce, cut-sides down, on foil. Grill 2 minutes.

TURN lettuce; top with cheese mixture. Grill 2 minutes.

CUT each lettuce piece in half; place on platter. Top with tomatoes; drizzle with dressing.

Serve with grilled chicken.

Recipe and photograph courtesy of Kraft Foods.

Check Out These Blog Post on Dumbstruck Day

Today is Dumbstruck day, March 15th. Are you dumbstruck to know that there is such a day?? Today is the day to be dumbstruck over the things you see, hear and read. Some people are dumbstruck on a regular basis no matter what day it is. The events in their lives and the world around them are overwhelming. Hopefully, that is not you but if it is do not feel alone as with 6 children and 3 grand-babies you would be delighted to know that I have days like that as well. 

Today I want to share with you some great post that dumbstruck me because they were liked by so many:

• One of the hardest things for me to get done with such a large family is to get and stay organized. However, over time this has become easier. You may want to read a post where I shared tips of proven tips that have helped me stay organized.  http://shopannies.blogspot.com/2010/04/ten-tips-to-help-manage-and-organize.html
•      Dagwood loved his sandwiches and if you want to create a dagwood sandwich of your own you will want to check out the recipe http://shopannies.blogspot.com/2010/02/superbowl-dagwood-sandwich-recipe.html
  
•        Peaches and Cream cupcakes dressed up enough to serve at an elegant get togeter but easy enough to enjoy at home. You may want to check out the recipe http://shopannies.blogspot.com/2011/06/peaches-and-cream-cupcakes.html                        
• 

I love you this much

We all consider our children awesome. As a proud mom and nana I have to say that our children make mistakes but for the most part are incredible. I am sure yours are as well but I am the author of this blog and therefore will talk about my children only. If you have a blog it would be a great day for you to brag about your children or grand-children as well. If you are not a blogger then whip out those pictures and tell everyone how special your children really are. We should always be proud of our babies no matter their age. We are the one that will always be there, sure they make mistakes in their lives but that is to be expected. It is up to us to help them find their way.

Let your child know they are incredible to you Here are some great ways to show your love

Offer your child a hug. A hug has many attributes to it and can offer a smile and a change of attitude. Sometimes misbehavior is a way to get attention offer a hug and you may offer a surprise that will send your child on the straight and narrow. Hugs can be given any time of the day in the morning, after school, after homework, before meal, after meal, and best of all bed time.


Even as my children are adults and I now have grand-babies our family still has active family meetings. We started these when the kids were younger and they simply keep us close and in touch with what is going on It does not take a long time to have a meeting, while ours are now over meal times a family meeting in the past could take as little as 20 minutes. These meetings helped our children and keep yours to feel special as they get to share what they think as well. Problems are solved and all learn to get together.


Children have a desire to help. I know that mine often ask to help and they seem so disappointed when you do not have a job they can do. They need and desire to feel needed. Set aside jobs that you can ask for them to help you be specific so that they know what you are looking for. This will leave them feeling needed and loved

Plan out special times to have family fun. It can be a simple reading time or it can be going and doing something. This is their time to be with you and they look forward to it

Broccoli Noodle Casserole

Broccoli-Noodle Casserole

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1/8 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1 cup cottage cheese
6 ounces whole wheat egg noodles, cooked and drained
12 ounces fresh broccoli florets, blanced and coarsely chopped
4 ounces shredded sharp white cheddar
3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350

In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add butter and flour and stir until bubbly. In a small bowl, whisk together the milk through freshly ground pepper. Slowly pour in milk and whisk until thickened, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cottage cheese.

Coat a 2-1/2 quart casserole dish lightly cooking spray, place noodles, white sauce, and broccoli. Mix well. Scatter the top with both cheeses.

Bake for 30-40 minutes, until bubbly.

4-6 serving

Did You Take A Nap

Feeling a bit tired today?? It's ok I am sure you are not alone. It is napping monday so if you were like many and took a nap then don't worry it was allowed. 

Did you remember to set your clocks up one hour?? While you may be a bit tired, there is one more thing you need to do. You need to remember to check the batteries in your smoke alarms. Working smoke alarms help reduce the chance of dying in a fire by half. 

Homemade Potato Chips and Blue Cheese Dip

1/3 cup sour cream
1 1/2 ounces finely crumbled blue cheese
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons milk
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 pound russet potatoes, thinly sliced
coarse salt

Preheat oven to 400

In a small bowl, stir together sour cream, blue cheese, mayonnaise, milk and Worcestershire sauce until well combined.

Place a baking sheet in the oven to heat up for about 5 minutes.

Pat the slices of potatoes well with paper towels to remove excess moisture. Spray the hot baking sheet with olive oil spray and carefully arrange half of the potato slices in a single layer. Sprinkle with coarse salt. Place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes - carefully turn potato slices over and continue baking until golden, about 5 to 10 more minutes. Repeat process with remaining potatoes. Serve with blue cheese dip

Create a Butterfly Garden

When I was a little girl one of my favorite things to do was to chase butterfly's My grandmothers yard often caught the butterflys attention as it was decorated with lots of plants. Do you like butterfly's would you be interested in attracting them to your yard?? 

Brightly colored butterflies can be a welcome addition to your garden. The beauty of the butterfly is not all that they have to offer. They can also be useful in pollinating flowers. The trick to attracting butterflies involves keeping plants in your garden that serve the needs of all life stages of the butterfly. Butterflies need places to lay their eggs, plants to use as food for the caterpillars, places to form chrysalides and nectar sources for adults. 

check out plants to add here

Butterfly Gardens should include:

• native flowering plants that many butterflies depend on These native plants offer nectar and foliage that adults and caterpillars both need. You can research what plants are recommended for your state and area at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
• plant type and color is important to adult butterflies. Blossom colors of red, yellow, orange, pink and purple that have short flower tubes or are flat topped are important to the butterflies.
• Good nectar sources should be in good sun from mid morning to mid afternoon. Adult butterfly feed only in the sun One grand idea is to plant plants with nectar sources in the vegetable garden
• Take into thought to plant plants that offer nectar to adults to be there all season long. One great idea is to plant plants that start blooming just as one blooming time comes to an end
• Do not use insecticides such as Sevin, malathion, and diazinon that are marketed to kill insects. These are lethal to butterflies as well
• Feed the caterpillars so that they turn into adults. Caterpillars never cause the leaf damage like some moth caterpillars such as bagworms, tent caterpillars or gypsy moths. 
• Small flat stones in your garden provides the perfect place for butterflies to rest and bask in the sun. 
• Puddling or drinking water is very important as well. This can easily be done by placing coarse sand in a shallow pan and insert the pan in the soil of your habitat. For this to be beneficial for butterflies you need to keep the sand moist. 

helpful resources here

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Our World Tuesday 

Happy Birthday Albert Einstein

If I was to ask you to name a genius you may say Albert Einstein and that would be the truth. Einstein is one of the most iconic genius. He is a legend as a physicist who formulated the Theory of Relativity and the mass energy equivalence formula. 
Born in Germany he came to America when Hitler rose to power. During WWII he would have his name placed on a Nazi list of assassination targets, with a $5000 bounty on his head. In America he worked on the Manhattan Project which would develop the atomic bomb. 

While most people will talk of Einsteins achievments many may not know he was a family man as well. He had 3 children by two different wives. 
Goes to show you while we may know someones fame we may not know their home life at all.
Happy Birthday Albert!!!

Bake a Pie on Pi Day

Whether you are a mathematician or not, National Pi day is always a day to have a good time. Pi day occurs every year on March 14th. No other day for Pi day to occur on. Pi is the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter. It is an irrational number so it can be expressed as a simple fraction with two integers. It starts out with 3.14 and goes to infinity

I had a math teacher in high school that celebrated Pi day each year with pie. Yes that is right she would give each student in her class a piece of pie. So whether you celebrate Pi day or Pie day have fun and celebrate

Pi is the Greek letter "TT". In math it represents the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. It measures approximately 3.14159265359 Commonly this number is rounded to 3.14 which is why March 14 or 3/14 fits exactly. Whether you celebrate with pizza or pie make math fun and celebrate pie day.

One of the most fascinating numbers is known as Pi. The size of a circle is calculated using Pi, a real number with non repeating decimal expansion that goes on infinitely or forever without end. Have a little fun and recite Pi to see how many places you can go. Another even more tasty way to use Pi and celebrate is to bake a pie. Baking a pie can help you with many important learning skills

• ability to follow directions. This skill is demonstrated through making sure the pie turns out correctly and tasty.
• attention to detail. One must pay attention when baking a pie in order to get ingredients correct. 
• Decision Making. One must decide when to check the pie for doneness waiting to long or not waiting long enough is not good.
• Improvising. Don't have the exact ingredient knowing what to substitute shows being able to improvise and think on your feet
• Patience. One must have patience to stay in the game of baking and life. Lack of patience often means a big price must be paid. Making sure the pie is baked through shows patience

Homemade Classic American Apple Pie Recipe

Preparation time: 20 minute(s)
Cooking time: 50 minute(s)

Number of servings:12

Apple Pie Ingredients:

Pie crust dough for double-crust pie (double pie crust dough recipe)
4 medium Granny Smith apples
3 medium McIntosh apples
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp allspice
1 egg white, whisked

Apple Pie Directions:

Prepare the dough for the pie crust, shape into 2 disks and refrigerate.

Preheat oven to 425F. Spray the 9-inch non-stick round pie pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Roll one disk of dough on a floured surface into a 12-inch circle.  If the dough is too cold and stiff and hard to roll (it can happen if it’s been in a refrigerator overnight), let the dough disks stand at room temperature for 30 minutes to soften.

Carefully lift the rolled dough and put it in the pie pan.  Press  the dough into the sides of the pan.  Some dough will overhang the edges of the pan, and it’s normal.  Put the pie pan in a refrigerator while you prepare the apples.

Peel the apples and slice into slices, discarding the core. Put the apple slices in a bowl, add sugar, lemon juice, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice.  Toss the apples so they are evenly covered with sugar and slices.

Take the pie pan out of the refrigerator.  Put the apples in the pie pan.

Roll out the second dough disk into an 11-inch circle.  Carefully lift it and put it on top of the pie.  Pinch the edges of top and bottom crust to seal.

Brush the top crust with the egg white and sprinkle with 1 tbsp of sugar.  Cut four slits in the top crust.

Put the apple pie in the oven.  Bake for 20 minutes.  Reduce heat to 375F.  Bake for another 30 minutes.

Remove the apple pie from the oven.  It will be extremely hot, especially the filling.  Let it cool down somewhat and dig in  Enjoy your homemade classic American apple pie!

recipe source here

St. Patrick's Day Easy and Sweet Treat

You can find recipe here

Cheers

She made it to Vegas and shared a toast with me.

That would be one of my good friends. Always having wanted to travel to Vegas, she finally did. She was a bit worried about the plane ride which was needed to save time since their was no time for a road trip. But she got there and having fun and sent me a drink to share with all of you

Cheers

shared at Monday Mellow Yellow 

K9 Veterans Day

Today is K9  Veterans Day. While I was not aware of this holiday until recently when I was researching another post it has been around for 25+ years. The holiday was founded by Joseph J. White who served during the Vietnam War and was honored for doing so. Many feel just like I am sure that he did that these dogs that give their life to serve our country should be recognized as well. So the holiday was created

The date of March 13th was selected with purpose as well. It was March 13th 1942 that the United States K9 Corps was created. 

There are 11 states that recognize K9 Veterans Day. These states are: 

• California
• Florida
• Kentucky
• Michigan
• New Jersey
• Oklahoma
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island
• Tennessee
• West Virginia
• South Carolina

The holiday of K9 Veterans Day represents more than just military dogs. Dogs that serve police, customs, border patrol, secret service, F.B.I, therapy and other working dogs are recognized as well.

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Coconut Torte Helps Celebrate St. Patrick Day

I love coconut, whether in fruit salads, pies or simply by itself. There are some that do not like coconut in our family and for them I feel sorry for. For me however, I claim their piece of the sweet lol. This delicious recipe I found when I did a search for a coconut torte recipe. After all it is coconut torte day and since I did not have a favorite recipe I looked for one that was festive and delicious.

National Coconut Torte Day | Luck O’ The Irish Coconut Cream Torte

Serves: 8-10

• 1 box super moist white cake mix
• 1 cup water
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 3 large eggs
• 1 container fluffy white frosting
• Green food coloring, normal green and neon green
• 1 (3.4 ounce) packet instant pudding in coconut cream flavor
• Sweetened shredded coconut flakes
• Toffee pieces

1. Preheat oven to 350*F. Grease or spray two 9-inch round cake pans.
2. Cook cake mix according to package directions, with water, canola oil and eggs.
3. Once cakes have cooled, cut each in half horizontally using a serrated knife, to form 4 round cakes.
4. In a medium bowl, prepare instant pudding according to package directions. Add desired drops of neon green food coloring and set aside. In a separate medium bowl, empty frosting and add desired drops of normal green food coloring.
5. To assemble, cover the top of one cake layer with pudding and the second cake layer. On top of the second cake layer, spread a layer of green frosting, followed by a third cake layer. Spread more pudding on top of the third layer, followed by the fourth and final cake layer. Ice the cake like normal. Top with shredded coconut flakes and a sprinkling of toffee pieces.

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Good Samaritan Day

The parable of the good Samaritan tells of a man who gets hurt along his journey. While there are three men that are traveling the same path two of them walk by. As the third man is walking down the path on his journey the injured man realizes that he is a Samaritan. Since the injured man himself be a Jew he feels at once that the third man will pass him up as well. Imagine his surprise as the Samaritan stops and helps the man takes him to the inn, pays for his stay and medical care.

How many times have we took a moment to think about who may or may not help us if we were in need. It may just surprise us what friend will be there and who will pass us up. That is what Good Samaritan Day is about.

Now days in America there is such a thing as the Good Samaritan Law. These laws are designed to protect those who choose to help others who are injured or ill. The feeling is that bystanders will be more willing to help without the fear of being fined, sued, or prosecuted for unintentional injury or wrongful death if a mistake is made. These laws vary from area to area.

What is it that you do when you see trouble. As little as calling 911 or as much as helping someone who needs help all counts and good for you for helping out

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