Happy Anniversary!

    

     My grandparents were married well over a half century. We were blessed this year to see my parents and in-laws each celebrate their Golden Anniversaries Back then, marriage was for life. There was never an "option"  in "case things didn't work the way you envisioned." Our ancestors were very smart. They KNEW that relationships and marriages are NEVER "what you envisioned".  Neither is life. But with work, devotion, loyalty, and a belief that love conquers all, it can be better than you ever envisioned.


  17 years ago today I married the love of my life. It hasn't been at all "what I envisioned". I never envisioned finding him after a marriage that didn't work out and left me with 3 young boys to raise.

  I never envisioned finding a man who would love those boys every bit as much as I do.

  I never envisioned discovering that it would take countless fertility treatments and tears together to bring home 2 more- and then getting surprise # 6!

I never envisioned him holding my head as everything in me came up after chemo treatments

I never envisioned the sheer joy on his face when our grand-princess calls and says "Hi Grandpa! I miss you!"

I never envisioned this love. 

This

plus this

equals this

   

We've been blessed to see one of our sons marry his teen sweetheart and I DO envision a long, happy life for them- they know what it takes.

Today we will celebrate at home. Another thing we didn't envision this week was this household being decimated by a VERY nasty stomach bug. That's okay- we'll deal with it together.

Dinner today: Boeuf Bourgignon (Beef Stew to my hubby- he SWEARS he doesn't like French food, so I don't tell him he does!). 

An onion tart. 

Yeast rolls. 

And my special Bavarian Sponge Cake with Chocolate Buttercream for my chocoholic honey

As Always,

Buon Alimento, Buon Amici,

Pattie and Allie

Reality Check

          I decided that today's post should be about reality. I actually decided this at 1 a.m. when I was sitting at the computer browsing decor blogs in between wiping brows and cleaning the messes of 2 sick children and a sick husband- this is my reality today.
     I got a comment on one of my posts the other day thanking me for showing a "real-life" tablescape in my working office. The writer mentioned how it didn't seem possible for her in her real life to "tablescape with the pros" per se. As it happens, I've gotten several emails from readers bemoaning their seeming inability to "keep up with the Joneses" as far as their homes matching up to what they perceive as the standard by which others are living. We're all drooling over gorgeous tablescapes, beautiful rooms, and delectable 3 course meals in Blogland- then we turn around in our own homes and what do we see??

This is what I see at 2 a.m.

do you see the common thread here?

The amazing part about it is that there are actually PAIRS of shoes lying around together. Usually if one shoe is in the kitchen, the other can be found somewhere in the backyard.

Or at the neighbor's down the street

A few weeks ago one of my boys called home to say that we needed to pick him and his brother up from school as they had missed the bus. They missed the bus because they were searching for my 11 year old's shoes and socks which he "lost".

In school

At the bus stop

It was 28 degrees. I kid you not

   That's another reality- children can do things that will have you scratching your head for weeks wondering whose DNA they got.

  In our case I know the answer

  They take after their father

My family room coffee table-

someone's belt, a cell phone, an Ipod, a textbook for homework that I'm not quite sure ever got done, and a bag containing a combination of sweaty gym clothes and Legos- don't ask

The container of Boy Scout chocolate popcorn might have been me

I'm entitled

So here I am at 2 a.m. looking at pictures of these gorgeous, sparkling clean kitchens with vast expanses of CLEAR counter space. 

I am a decorator

I am a cooking teacher

I am a trainer

Here's my reality

My mixer can NOT be put away. It weighs a ton and I use it 10 times a day. The basket holds my son's allergy meds and my Advil. That not going anywhere! The croissants- just because. Who doesn't love croissants?? The teapot is Allie's latest ceramics class project and has been sitting there for 3 days while I decide exactly where it can be displayed. I'm beginning to think that where it is may be just fine

2 almost empty cookie jars and the Arborio rice that I never put away last night

The Trader Joe's flyer (LOVE that store!), the makings of tonight's frittata and my coffee

Coffee IS my reality

so I wander into my office....

boxes that I've been meaning to get into the attic for 3 weeks

And why Allie's cheerleading uniform is laying there remains to be determined

So, do you get my point now?? Yes, it's true that you may see pictures like this

and this

and this

and this

Just remember- there's a REASON for the close-ups!!


The most important lesson my Grandma Josie ever imparted to me was this- (she said it in a Sicilian dialect, but I'll translate)


Treat your family like company, and your company like family!


So if you're coming to see me today, be prepared to help me play nursemaid. 


And I'll share my frittata with you

-----------------------------------------------
I got an email this morning from my very best friend. Kathy understands my quirks, having been raised with a very Italian mother. And because she has an Irish father, she can listen to me vent about my Irish husband and laugh at me. I had to share this. I laughed so hard I cried- there is not one line here that I haven't lived

Italians

Italians have a $40,000  kitchen, but use the $259 stove from Sears in
the basement to cook.  There is some sort of religious statue in the
hallway, living room, bedroom,  front porch and backyard. The living
room is filled with old wedding favors with poofy net bows and stale
almonds (they are too pretty to open).

A portrait of the Pope and Frank Sinatra hang in the dining room.
God forbid if anyone ever attempted to eat Chef Boy-are-dee, Franco
American, Ragu, Prego or anything else in a jar or can.
Meatballs are made with Pork, Veal and Beef. We are Italians; we don't
care about cholesterol. Turkey is served on Thanksgiving, after the
manicotti, gnocchi, lasagna and minestrone or shcarole soup.
If anyone ever says ES-CAROLE, slap 'em in the face -- it's SHCAROLE.
No matter how hard you knew you were going to get smacked, you still
came home from church after communion, you stuck half a loaf of bread
in the sauce pot, Snuck out a fried meatball and chowed down so you'll
make up for it next week at confession.
Sunday dinner was at 1:00. The meal went like this...
Table is set with everyday dishes...doesn't matter if they don't
match...they're clean, What more do you want? All the utensils go on
the right side of the plate and the napkin goes on the left. Put a
clean kitchen towel at Nonno & Papa's plate because they won't use
napkins. Homemade wine and bottles of 7-Up are on the table.
First course,  Antipasto..change plates. Next, Macaroni (Nonna called
all spaghetti  Macaroni)...change plates. After that, Roasted Meat,
Roasted Potatoes,  Over-cooked Vegetables... Change plates. THEN, and
only then (NEVER AT THE BEGINNING OF THE  MEAL) would you eat the salad
(HOMEMADE OIL & VINEGAR  DRESSING ONLY)...change plates.
Next, Fruit & Nuts - in the shell (on paper plates because you ran out
of the other ones). Coffee with Anisette (Espresso for Nonno, "Merican"
coffee for the rest) with hard cookies (Biscottis) to dip in the
coffee.
The kids go play...the men go to lay down. They slept so soundly you
could do brain surgery on them without anesthesia... The women clean
the kitchen. Getting screamed at by Mom or Nonna - half the sentence
was English, the other half Italian.
Italian  mothers never threw a baseball in their life, but can nail you
in the head with a shoe thrown from the kitchen while you're in the
living room.
Prom Dress that Zia Ceserina made you... $20.00 for material.
Prom hair-do from Cousin Angela... Free.
Turning around at prom to see your entire family  (including God
parents) standing in the back of the gym... PRICELESS!
The true Italians will love this, those of you who are married to
Italians will understand this, and there are those that wished they
were Italian, and finally,  those of you who are friends with Italians
will remember 


Be sure to check out our previous post for this week's Foodie Friday entry- a wonderful Tuscan Salmon for a Lenten Friday and some really yummy Lemon Cream Scones

As Always,

  

Buon Alimenti, Buon Amici,

Pattie and Allie

Foodie Friday! Tuscan Salmon for Lent and a Scone

          

It's Foodie Friday at Gollum's place and Blogland's best will be there with food to inspire, soothe, and delight. Come and join the fun! Thank you Michael- you're the best!
    We are now officially in the Lenten season and in this Italian/ Irish household that means no meat on Fridays. I remember growing up when the Church rules were even stricter. My grandmothers wouldn't touch a morsel of meat on Wednesdays OR Fridays. Those were the days when going to church on Sundays meant nylons, heels, sleeves and a head covering for the ladies and men in suit and tie. If a woman forgot her hat (or didn't want to destroy a new salon coif) she would pin a dainty lace trimmed hankie on her head. If I walked out of the house with a handkerchief on my head today, my husband would...actually he might not think twice- he knows I'm a little weird.
     I know it sounds funny today, but back then woe to the lady that dared walk into Sunday Mass bareheaded. She faced the wrath of Father Donovan and Sister Joanne- a fate worse than death. 

Even the children were dressed in Sunday best.

Now don't laugh

Promise??

 My brother and I on our way to church

(our parents were apparently big Frank Sinatra fans)

Note the white gloves I wore

I can't even imagine one of my children in white gloves

though there was that Michael Jackson stage my son went through.....

   These are the memories that come to my mind sitting in Church on Sunday morning. I look around and see flip-flops, and shorts, and scruffy jeans. It's a bit sad, but I am very happy to see families there. It would make my Nonna and Grandma very happy.

      For this Friday, I decided to make salmon. Easy decision- it was on sale :)

I've been blogging a lot about my Italian ancestry, so this recipe is a variation of a Tuscan dish I make with braised lamb shanks. I'm serving it on a soft polenta with creamy Fontina cheese blended in. When we were in Italy for my childhood summers, polenta was a staple on my Nonna's table. We had it served, one way or another, at least 4 times a week.  

Pattie's Tuscan Style Salmon

2 Tblsp. olive oil

1 Tblsp. minced garlic

1 med. onion, chopped fine

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped fine

1-2 yellow squash or zucchini, chopped

       Saute onion, squash and pepper over medium high heat till softened. Add garlic and saute, stirring often, till beginning to brown. Add:

1 can San Marzano tomatoes, chopped or broken up by hand

1 cup chicken broth

1 jar sun-dried tomatoes, drained well and julienned

1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives

1 Tblsp. chopped fresh rosemary

1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

    Simmer over low heat. While this mix is simmering, sear salmon

4 salmon fillets or steaks

olive oil

salt and pepper

Brush salmon with olive oil and sear one side on grill pan over high heat for 5 minutes. Remove and place with seared side up on sauce in pan. Cover and cook about 5 more minutes till flaky. Serve over soft polenta, grits, or couscous.

Soft Polenta

48 oz. box (6 cups) vegetable broth

1 1/2 cups polenta (yellow corn meal) 

 3/4 stick butter

1 cup grated Fontina

salt and pepper to taste

In a heavy  saucepan, bring 4 cups of the broth to a simmer over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, whisk together the polenta and remaining broth. Slowly pour the polenta into the  broth, stirring constantly ( I use a whisk to stir-don't beat it). Cook for about 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently, till thick. Stir in butter till melted, then cheese- stir till melted. Season to taste.

** This is also excellent with sauteed mushrooms stirred in-YUM

I have a bonus for you all this week

     I'm also going to share another of my favorite scone recipes- just because. 

Actually, it's just because I made them this morning for an early meeting and my camera just happened to be sitting on my desk. 

Lucky for you guys- these are so good served with a creamy lemon curd

Lemon Cream Scones

2 cups flour

1/4 cup sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

Dash of salt

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 large egg

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

grated zest of 1 lemon

1/3 cup cold unsalted butter

1/2 cup currants (I used dried cranberries)

egg glaze (optional)- 1 egg beaten with a little water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a food processor and pulse a couple of times to blend (or whisk together in a bowl). In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, cream, vanilla and lemon zest. Cut the butter in small pieces and drop into flour mixture-pulse till evenly combined and it looks like coarse crumbs- small pieces of butter are good ( you can use a pastry cutter and cut the butter in by hand).

   Put flour mixture into a bowl and stir in the cranberries and cream mixture. Stir with a fork to just combine-if it seems too dry and doesn't come together, add more cream by droplets. Turn dough out onto a parchment lined cookie sheet and pat into an 8 inch circle. With a serrated knife, cut into 8 wedges and seperate just slightly. Brush top with egg glaze and sprinkle with a bit of sugar. Bake for about 20 minutes till light golden. Cool on sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a rack to cool

As Always,

Buon Alimenti, Buon Amici,

Pattie and Allie

A Regular Workday

Tablescape Thursday~ A Regular Workday

     It's Tablescape Thursday and we're linking up to Susan's party at Between Naps on the Porch. Thanks, Susan for hosting one of our favorite events each week.


      This week just completely got away from me. It seemed like every time I THOUGHT I was getting caught up (or at least doing something), I would run into something else that needed doing. I didn't even know it was Wednesday till almost 10 o'clock this morning! I was thinking we'd have to skip this week, but then I started talking to myself (I do that a lot- I seem to be the only one around here that listens to me). 
    I managed to convince myself to invite all of blogdom into my inner sanctum. No, not my bathroom, though I have been known to blog from there. My husband thought I was nuts when we moved into this house and he caught me dragging a chaise into the bathroom. "Who DOES that??" says he. "WHO puts furniture in the BATHROOM??"

   Sometimes I'm very smart. 

Somehow I knew that I'd need a hideout from the insanity around here and the brilliant person who designed this house must have known it too

My chaise was made for this spot

    Anyway, the sanctum I'm inviting you all into this week is my office. Now, I will freely admit to drooling when I see pictures of beautiful home offices, decorated with beautiful things and abounding with empty surfaces

You won't see that here

This is a working office. Three businesses and a large household are run out of this room. 

    Depending on the time of day, you may stumble on a dumbbell or a roll of fabric or a stack of cookbooks or a pair of sneakers attached to the feet of the child who is using his father's computer to play Combat Arms

Or maybe not attached to anyone but just laying there so Mom can trip over them in the high heels she's wearing in an obvious attempt to look professional for the client meeting

It never works.

I simply must have pictures of my favorite people on my bookshelves-they're the reason we do what we do

Note the exercise mat in front of the fabric rolls next to the flooring samples stacked on the cookbooks

I'm a very organized person

Grandma's buttons, trims, fabrics, and gravel

Gravel??

Really, I am organized in the fantasy I've created in my mind

On the rare occasions when I need to take a break (20 or so times a day), hold my head in my hands and stare aimlessly, I want to see things that make me smile

Like this

and this

(the babies in my life and the monkey fabric drapes that make me smile even though I spent a fortune on silk and didn't use it)

Because monkeys make me smile

That's why I have 6 kids

and this

and this

(We had to make this a rule. It was getting pretty rowdy around here)

and some light reading

Today I had a meeting scheduled with a design client. I was serving a light lunch and decided, since we were both pressed for time, to serve it in the office while we made some decisions

And get our story straight before we tell her husband that the fabric she wants for her windows will cost roughly the equivalent of several mortgage payments

I LOVE old snack sets and have quite a few

I use them often, but never with my boys

Snack sets are not meant for boys

        This is a combination of two sets. I found the plates at an estate sale and the owner told me they belonged to her mother. She had no idea what had happened to the cups. So, I borrowed some glass cups from another set and I think the carrot ginger soup is pretty enough to make them look good.

Buttermilk Herb Biscuits with Basil Mayonnaise and Shaved Ham 

 Carrot Ginger Soup

Heirloom Tomatoes on Mixed Greens

I LOVE that burlap on the bottom. A future tablescape??....

Paint samples- how many shades of taupe-y gold are there??

What IS taupe-y gold??

Always a vintage mat

Be sure to wander over to Susan's. Sit a spell and enjoy the creativity of Blogland's best tablescapers

As Always,

Buon Alimento, Buon Amici,

Pattie and Allie