On the Eighth Day of Christmas, Some Kindergarteners Gave to Me....

a jolly fun morrrrrnnnnn-ing!

Sweet Pea's class Christmas party was this morning and what fun we had!  Even though class parties aren't the hour long, action-packed fun-a-palooza that they were "back in my day" because of increased focus on instructional time and testing, I thought it was important to plan some big fun for the kids today!  I enlisted the help of the Hubs, who's on vacation for two weeks, and extremely artistically talented.  I have the vision and he sees it through and makes it real.  We're a perfect team ;)  So I came to him semi-last minute (par for the course, eek!) and conveyed my vision for "Pin the Red Nose on Rudolph"....and this is what he creates! C'est MAGNIFIQUE!!

We also played "Human Christmas Tree" which was so much fun!  We divided the class up in to 3 teams.  Each team got a roll of green crepe paper and baggie full of those foamie stickers in various Christmas shapes.  Each team wrapped a member up in the green crepe paper.  And then decorated the "tree" using the foamies.  Super cute and super fun! The kiddos loved it!!

I planned one other game that we didn't get a chance to play.  I made a jingle bell necklace for each child.  The game is played like "Hot and Cold" hidden object.  Have a child hide an object, like stuffed Santa, somewhere in the classroom.  Have the "finder" wait in the hallway while the object is being hid.  Bring in the "Finder" and the children ring their bells slow and low to show the finder is far away from the object, and as the finder gets closer to the object, they ring it louder and faster.  

It was so fun to be back in the classroom and share the giggles of a group of kiddos excited for Christmas vacation. I do miss those "little things" about teaching :)

On the Seventh Day of Christmas, My Cat Gave to Me...

an epic iPhone failure of Mayan magnitude.  Hence, no catchy title in the spirit of the song. No real worthy blog post about something Christmas related.  Because the pictures were on my phone and now they are not.  Along with 100s of other pictures, and most of my calendar appointments, and all my apps in the correct order or page and signed in.  There is information gone from my phone that I am sure I don't even realize is missing until I need it in the midst of a life or death struggle.  It's that's serious. Seriously.


So,  I will do my due diligence to get back on track tonight.  I am still trying to get my phone back in to regular working order. Staying up until 1:30am last night only made it functional.  There's a lot of work to do.


Word of caution, never try to restore your iPhone to get rid of spam taking up space on your memory with a cat in your lap.  Recipe for technological disaster.  Oy.

On the Sixth Day of Christmas, the '40s Gave to Me...

my favorite kind of dec-or-a-ting!

Vintage Christmas...love, love, love! It killed me this year to finally give in and buy LED lights for our living room live tree. (It was more about safety, as the old school lights we were using were pushing 15 years old.  But believe me, if I wasn't seriously concerned about the house burning to the ground, I would've held on to those regular bulbs as long I could!) Our entire downstairs family room tree is full of gorgeous vintage ornaments courtesy of my beautiful Grandma and hours of scouring estate sales/flea markets/antique shows and stores.  Some I bought by the musty basement box load, others I found one by one.  All bring a huge smile to my face every year we decorate our tree!  If your looking to begin a voyage into vintage Christmas. I suggest starting with ornaments.  If you hit estate sales in older neighborhoods or flea markets, many times you will be able to find an entire box of ornaments.  Make sure you negotiate the price, and check that the paint is still in good shape.  As long as the paint/glitter is in good shape, it means they haven't been exposed to too much moisture.  Antique stores tend to be a little pricier, but also will have better quality and selection.  Maybe start your collection one at a time by buying a quality, beautiful piece per year.  Either way, just get started.

Here are a few of my favorites from our tree!

                        

                                     

If you still want a touch of vintage to your Christmas decor, but don't have the time to shop and hunt at antique stores or flea markets or estate sales (believe me, that WAS me for the last 4 years - babies and toddlers do not equal good shopping partners at these places!), many mainstream stores and boutiques offer vintage inspired new decorations. Jo-Ann Fabrics has consistently stocked many choices of very vintage inspired fabric perfect for tablecloths, napkins, place mats, etc.  On a recent trip to picturesque Chagrin Falls, at a small boutique, I found these beautiful sheets of wrapping paper with amazing graphic quality.  They are absolutely too perfect to ever wrap anything in, but they are the perfect poster size for framing and hanging on our dining room wall for the holiday season.  They were only $5 a piece. Easy-peasy and CHEAP way to look vintage.

Also, don't be afraid to mix true vintage with new/re-produced vintage.  Here's a part of my buffet scene...alittle true vintage and little new vintage. 

The elf, snow girl, reindeer and moose all came

from my grandma's collection.  The house I 

found for a STEAL at an antique show.

The small bottle brush trees are

new vintage.  Bottle brush trees

are REALLY popular and easy to find.

My rule for vintage, as always,  if you LOVE it, BUY it!  It probably won't be there if you wait.  And you may never find it again :)

On the Fifth Day of Christmas, Hollywood Gave to Me...

some of my fa-vor-ite Hol-i-day moooo-vies.

Sure there's the standards; "White Christmas", "Miracle on 34th Street" and "It's A Wonderful Life." All wonderful, heartfelt classics. I do enjoy them.  But my favorites are wide ranging and usually comical.  I humbly offer my list of all-time favorite Christmas movies.

THE CLASSIC - "Holiday Inn"

While I am a gigantic classic movie fan, there is only one vintage holiday movie that I cherish.  I started watching it on Christmas Eve years ago when I moved out on my own, and my husband and I still watch it until the wee hours of the night on Christmas Eve.  It's the ORIGINAL place "White Christmas" was played.  And it's waaaayyyy better than it's remake, "White Christmas". I give to you, "Holiday Inn"; Bing and Fred in their glorious best. The musical numbers are magnificent and the dancing is flawless.  

Runner-Up: "Christmas In Connecticut"

THE FAMILY CLASSIC -  "A Christmas Story"

This movie is my hometown.  Filmed in Cleveland in the early1980s, it has it's glory every year for 24 hours straight on TBS starting Christmas Eve.  It began with a cult following and grew into a national Christmastime treasure.  It gave us a wicked Santa warning "You'll shoot your eye out, Kid", THE leg lamp, triple dog dares, "Oh FFFFUUUUDDDDGGGEEE", smiling Chinese duck dinners and pink bunny footie pajamas. It was also the foundation for the TV series "The Wonder Years".

If you are a fan and you ever find yourself in my wonderful hometown of Cleveland, Ohio, you simply have to take a tour of "The Christmas Story" house too.  

Runner-Up: the original "Miracle on 34th Street"

THE BELLY-LAUGHER - (it's a tie) "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" and "Elf"

Will Ferrell at his delightful, over-the-top, family-appropriate best.  There really is something for everyone in this movie.  My daughter watched it for the first time last year and asked, soon after Thanksgiving was over, "When are we gonna watch that silly Elf movie?".  The plot is holiday heartwarming perfection with just the right dose of irreverence and slapstick humor.  It's a must stop while channel surfing and we own in on DVD for "on-demand" viewing too.

Without this movie, there would be no "Home Alone", "Elf", "The Santa Clause"...etc.  The original "take everything that you love/hate/cherish/drives-you-crazy/makes-you-cry/can't-wait-for moments" of Christmas and wrap it in one hilarious box with a big bow of Christmas lights.  

Runner-Up: "Dr. Suess' How The Grinch Stole Christmas" full-length movie

Now I'm in the mood for an all night movie marathon! What about your family...what are "must-see"s in your holiday house?

One the Fourth Day of Christmas, the Browns Gave to Me...

Cleveland Browns™

another Sunday full of mis-er-y :(  UGH.  My hubby and I went to the game today full of high hopes, like every Browns fan across Cleveland, Ohio, the US and the World. It's been FOREVER since we rode a three game winning streak.  And it all seemed to be going our way. In the past weeks, the offense had shown signs of improvement, the defense was playing lights out and there was even murmurs through the city that Pat Shurmur was saving his job.  I know, right?!?!  And to put the cherry on the "confidence cake", we would be playing the Washington Redskins minus RGIII.  This thing's in the bag, right? <insert game show buzzer sound> WRONG! It's as if the football gods said, "Whoa, let's not get too excited here Browns' fans. Yes, you have the building blocks for an offense. And yes, you are just two players away from a lights-out defense.  But really? You're thinking that maybe Pat Shurmur should keep his job just for the sake of continuity? C'mon Man!".  A lot of this ugly game can be placed on a lackluster performance of our quarterback, Brandon Weeden. He did not play well.  But, I continued to see the same problems that plagued us since the beginning of the season, which all stem from the offensive coaching staff - lack of creativity/variety on offense, poor play design and most of all lack of or willingness to adjust the offensive game plan. It's as if Pat Shurmur sits on the sideline and thinks, "Daggumit, this is my game plan and nothing's gonna make me change it."  Juxtaposed by the opposing sideline of the Washington Redskins, who handily beat us with their back-up quarterback, which had a game plan that was adjusted after the first quarter and worked like a well-oiled machine.  I certainly hope the Browns' coaching staff looks at that film and takes notes on how to USE WHAT YOU HAVE TO YOUR PLAYERS' STRENGTHS.  The Redskins found Kirk Cousins' strengths and made him look like a HOFer.

On the bright side, another loss gets us a better draft spot to fill a need.  'Tis the mantra of the Browns' fan.

 I hope it ends.


Soon.

Cleveland Browns™

On the Third Day of Christmas, My Mom Gave to Me...

awesome recipes for our Christmas cook-ies!

I remember my mom baking Christmas cookies for DAYS when I was younger.  She'd bake enough trays for almost everyone in the neighborhood. Spritz, candy canes, Russian tea cakes, peanut butter blossoms...plates and plates of cookies.  All of them wonderfully delicious, even for a kid who really wasn't a sweets fan. (That's me).


The spritz cookies have always been my favorites; wreaths dotted with maraschino cherries in the middle, Christmas trees, camels, logs with chocolate dipped in nuts on each end and pinwheel swirls all decorated with sprinkles.  My mom uses the cookie press she received as a wedding present in the late '60s.  I always loved finding the right amount of twist to give the press to make the cookies come out just right.  I never thought the new cookie presses with the "trigger" would get it quite right.  I was delighted to find an authentic old-school, twist cookie press at an estate sale over 10 years ago in MINT condition, which included two disks my mom's doesn't. (I also love that cookie is spelled "cooky" in the old school stuff!) So now when we have "Cookie Day" at my house, my mom and I are double barreled spritz makers!

SPRITZ COOKIE RECIPE

Snowflake/Starburst cookie die.
Dough dyed with blue food coloring.
Edible white pearls for deco.
Move over, Martha Stewart!

*Taken directly from my Mirro Cooky Press recipe booklet*
1 cup shortening
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
2 1/4 cup sifted flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla extract
*various food colorings*

Pre-heat oven to 375*

1. Cream the butter using a stand mixer, or hand mixer. 2. Gradually add sugar and cream well. 3. Beat in egg and extract. 4. Gradually add the flour, sifted with the salt and baking powder. 4a. At this point, if you plan on dividing and/or coloring dough, do it now. 5.  Spoon dough into cookie press and squeeze dough out on cookie sheets.
6. Decorate cookies with sprinkles, edible balls, etc.
7. Bake in oven for 10-12 mins, or edges of cookies just begin to brown.

These are the infamous candy cane cookies,
passed down to my mom from
my grandma.  They are PITA to make,
but so worth it. Delicious!!

                                       

On the Second Day of Christmas, Starbucks Gave To Me...

Loud Crow Inc.'s "A Charlie Brown Christmas" for my (and your) iPhone.  I am a Charlie Brown/Peanuts junky.  My house is lousy with all kinds of Peanuts decorations for EVERY holiday.  My kids already know all the holiday specials word for word at ages 6 and 3 1/2.  I've even converted my husband into a Pea-NUT over the years.  If you want proof of our obsession affection for the Peanuts Gang, see our Halloween costumes from last year.  Of course, when I got my iPhone, I immediately searched for any app featuring Snoopy and his friends. I was delighted last holiday season when Loud Crow, Inc. introduced "A Charlie Brown Christmas" as an animated e-book with a TON of fun extras.  It's a wonderful and true adaptation of the TV special that has delighted me for as long as I can remember. And it's narrated by the Peter Robbins, the original Charlie Brown.

This week, Starbucks is offering "A Charlie Brown Christmas" as their featured app.  Even if you're not a coffee fan, it's worth a trip into a Bux to pick up a card at the counter.

As for me, two of my favorite things joining forces...maybe the Mayans were right.

Photo courtesy of Loud Crow, Inc. 

On the First Day of Christmas, My Mail Lady Gave To Me....

a pretty box from my favorite make-up comp-a-ny! My beloved Birchbox arrived a few days ago, but I thought it would be the perfect kick-off to the 12 Days of Christmas: Things I Love Most. And since I've been saying that when I receive my Birchbox each month it feels like Christmas, here's my review of December's beautiful Birchbox for the FIRST DAY OF CHRISTMAS!

DECEMBER'S BIRCHBOX

Juice Beauty - Stem Cellular Repair CC Cream

I am a BB/CC cream virgin, so this is incredibly exciting to finally get a sample to try before I decide to plunge headfirst into the latest skin care craze.  I have loved the two previous samples of products to improve and even out skin tone, and with a hectic weekday schedule, products that combine functions are a must. I am optimistic that this CC cream will cover all my bases!

Kerastase - Nutritive Nectar Thermique/Protect

AAAA-MMMEEENNNN! Love Kerastase and LOVE that I have this product this month for my dreadful winter straw hair.  It's specially formulated for heat styled hair, and my straightener and curling iron get a workout during the holiday season. Score this product a Holiday Home Run!

ModelCo - SHINE Ultra Lip Gloss in Berry Pink

If this size of lip gloss is considered a sample size, a full size must be gargantuan. I love that the tube has a large built in mirror. It's a great darker shade of pink for the winter.  It would look great with the sparkles of silver and gold for a holiday outfit or a lazy Saturday at the mall. It smells amazing...just a hint of berry as the name might suggest. It wears light and clean and can easily be layered over lipstick to give it extra shimmer. 

Versatile.  The best stuff always is. 

Thymes - Naia Body Lotion

A great travel size for your purse for a quick lotion pick-me-up on dry winter days. A light and fresh smelling lotion won't overpower perfume.  Another perfect winter pick!

BEAUTY EXTRAS

Thymes - Lotus Santal Body Lotion

A single-use sample size with a shea-enriched hydrator and a heavier woodsy scent. Might stash this in a travel bag to use on a getaway.

Rent The Runway - $50 Gift Card

I am super excited to use this gift card...now just to figure out what I want to use it for!  I might have to make up a special occasion! Was hoping it would be good until summer, so I could save it for 40th birthday/10th anniversary celebrations -  but alas, it's only good through the end of February!  Maybe I can use it to sport some hot threads for Bon Jovi in March!!!  

I hope you enjoy the remaining 12 Days of  a WendyTime Christmas. I am looking forward to sharing my tons of fun for the Holidays!!

Holiday Must-Reads for Kids; Toddler - Elementary School

In my previous life, I was an elementary teacher.  And by previous life, I mean B.C. - Before Children.  I loved being a teacher, and I think I was pretty good at it too.  But I knew I wanted to be a SAHM once I did have children, and am so eternally grateful that we are able to make that happen as a family.

And if you ask me these days if I plan on going back to the classroom full-time once Monkey starts school full-time, the answer is no. Not because I don't want to. I still love to TEACH, but I know in my heart that I cannot tolerate the insurmountable burden being placed on teachers with testing, paperwork, meetings and state mandates. I was beginning to get burned out at my 11th year teaching, when I was pregnant with Sweet Pea, without having a full family to come home to and be responsible for. Now that Sweet Pea is in Kindergarten and I am PTA Room Mom and helping out in her class, I walk into that room and feel AT HOME...comfortable.  But even knowing that the classroom is the place I belong, it just seems like it's not the right fit anymore.

The holidays were always such a great time in the classroom.  So many opportunities to tie literature into daily lessons and discover great stories to read just for fun. It's an easy topic/subject to get kids excited about reading :)  I especially loved when I was teaching first grade and we did "Holidays Around the World". The children traveled to one of the 6 first grade classrooms each day with their passports to learn about how different countries celebrated the holiday season, and how some of our traditions in America came to be  from other nations' traditions.  Here is a list of books I recommend if your family would like to travel the world this Christmas:

An Early American Christmas By Tomie dePaola

The Legend of the Poinsettia By Tomie dePaola

Nine Days to Christmas By Marie Hall Ets

Babar and Father Christmas By Jean De Brunhoff

The Christmas Tomten By Viktor Rydberg



This next list is full of my personal favorites and they will always be "must reads" in our house for years to come, with the sincerest wishes that my darlings cherish them to carry on for their next generation.  I have a recommendation for a toddler/pre-school age, one for early elementary age and one for late elementary age.

TODDLER/PRE-SCHOOL AGE

"Bear Stays Up For Christmas" By Karma Wilson

Bear is an all-time favorite in our house.  Monkey has a super-sized bear he got for his first Christmas from Santa and Mimi got him this book to go along with it.  Ever since, we've loved Bear and all his friends.  Monkey gets a new Bear book every Christmas. We've only got two more titles to get.  I hope you find Bear as charming and sweet as we do.

EARLY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AGE

"Auntie Claus" Series

These books are HANDS DOWN my favorite children's Christmas stories.  I bought "Auntie Claus" during my early years teaching at a Scholastic Book Fair.  They are the funniest, most entertaining and delightful modern Christmas stories around.  I  pray every year that I will read Hollywood/Disney/Pixar is going to turn these stories into full-length Holiday features.  They are INCREDIBLE!!

LATE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AGE

"Who Is Stealing The 12 Days of Christmas?" (Chickadee Court Mysteries) By Martha Freeman

This gem was my daily read-aloud during the holidays to my 3rd and 4th graders.  It is fantastic for inference, prediction and reading for detail strategies.  Plus, it's just a good, old fashioned, fun mystery ala' the days of Scooby Doo.  I CANNOT wait to start reading this with Sweet Pea in the next years.  As you can see, it's part of a series.  They are all FANTASTIC! 

I hope you have found a few new suggestions for holiday enjoyment with your kiddos this season.  There are so many choices in the world of children's books.  I'm always on the lookout for a new favorite. Please share some of your family favorites for the holiday season. I would love to see what you're reading!

                                           

November Birchbox: Setting the precedent for this month's theme - "Huh, it's the end of the month already."

Yes, yes it is, the end of the month already.  The holiday season will do that to you.  Plus, throw a natural disaster in on the mix and it really messes things up.  Birchbox was very proactive on the problems that Hurricane Sandy tossed in their direction.  Plus, anyone in their right mind would understand that production at Birchbox Ops would be affected by this terrible storm. Heck, I would've even understood if they weren't able to get our boxes out this month.  But, we received an email assuring us that we would receive them, albeit probably a little later in some instances. WOW! Brava/Bravo Birchbox Ops.

So, knowing that it may be a little late, I didn't stalk my mail lady as I normally would around the 10th of the month. I actually kinda forgot about it for a little while. The holidays will do that to you.  But to my surprise, I got my tracking email on Monday the 12th saying it had shipped AND was already at the processing plant in Michigan.  WHOA! YEA!  I checked the tracking again the next day and it was already in Ohio.  The next day, in Cleveland.  DOUBLE YEA! And I started stalking my mail lady. I stalked her for FIVE DAYS! My beloved Birchbox sat at MY post office, not in Hurricane Sandy ravaged NEW YORK, for FIVE DAYS!  So, once again, THANK YOU BIRCHBOX OPS for your outstanding service.  Cleveland-area Postal Service...get on the BALL!

Here it is...the end of the month.  It sneaked up on me much like the initial delivery of my Birchbox did.  The holidays will do that to you.  Because we've been bustling around already with hosting Thanksgiving and getting the house Christmas-ified, this is the first chance I've had to sit down and share the box.  I've had a chance to use a few things too!

NOVEMBER'S BIRCHBOX

Atelier Cologne - Rose Anonyme Cologne Absolue

This very musky & heavy (and I mean that in a good way) perfume takes the rose scent in a whole new direction.  It isn't the typical light, floral type of perfume you find with a rose base.  It's great for the winter season and I will probably wear it very sparingly.  It's intense.  It also came with a beautiful postcard.

MIRACLE SKIN TRANSFORMER™ - Vanish Instant Imperfection Corrector

I have used this product for a few days. I apply it right after I moisturize in the morning and within MINUTES I see a difference in the tone and evenness of my skin. My foundation goes on more smoothly and felt as though it helped it last longer and look more natural.  I am considering buying this product at full size.  I really like it.

OSCAR BLANDI - Pronto Texture and Volume Spray

I have not had a chance to use this product yet.  But I am looking forward to anything that will help keep volume in my hair.  I have a lot of hair, but it's very fine. So it looks amazing right after I style it, but in 10 minutes - eh, not so much. Anything that will help KEEP volume in my hair works for me. I am hoping this is the product!

stila - all over shimmer liquid luminizer

stila could be my favorite line of make-up. Period.  Any time I get a product from them it's a celebration, in my mind anyway. I love the little "holiday glow" it gives your skin. I love you, stila!!

LIFESTYLE EXTRAS

CHUAO CHOCOLATIER - ChocoPod

This are bite size, all natural chocolate snack "bars" (I can't really call it a bar, because it's shaped more like a football).  Anyways, they sent me the POTATO CHIP and chocolate snack pod. Good call, Birchbox Fairies....GOOD. CALL.  If I ever got a hold of an entire box of these....GOOD NIGHT IRENE! Delicious and great snacking size.

We also received a small gift box to "give back, give thanks and give treats" to a deserving someone.  I know to whom I'd like to share a gift, just trying to find the perfect thing.  Hmmmmm.

Looking forward to what December has in store for us BBers.  I'm sure the fairies won't disappoint :)

Easy-peasy Thanksgiving Appetizer

I am a cheese head.  I'd fit right in in Wisconsin. My ideal fall Saturday night...football, cheese plate, glass(es) of wine and my hubby. So naturally when the holidays roll around I'm always looking at different recipes for cheese munchies.  A few Thanksgivings ago, I tried this awesome brie recipe.  And now I crave it all fall and winter.  It combines my favorite flavor, salty-sweet.  It is delicious and super-easy; a real crowd pleaser! So if you're looking for a last-minute appetizer, or something amazing looking and tasting to bring as a dish to Thanksgiving, I recommend you give this a try :)

BRIE WITH APRICOT TOPPING

*Published in Taste of Home; HALLOWEEN (special issue, 2008)

Photo: Taste of Home

- 1/2 c. of dried apricots (or apricot preserve works in a pinch too)

- 2 tbs. brown sugar

- 2 tbs. water

- 1 tsp. balsamic vinegar

- Dash of salt

- 1/2 to 1 tsp. fresh minced rosemary or 1/4 tsp. of dried rosemary, crushed

1 round Brie cheese wheel (8 ounces)

Crackers

*Preheat oven to 400*

1. In a small saucepan or skillet, combine apricots, brown sugar, water, vinegar and salt. Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; cook and stir until slightly thickened.  Remove from heat, stir in rosemary.

2.  Remove rind from top of brie wheel.  Place brie in an ungreased ovenproof serving dish with cut side up. Spread apricot mixture over the top of brie wheel.   Bake uncovered at 400* for 10-12 mins or until brie is soft.  Serve with crackers. 

The Banana Clip of Cooking Magazines

Thanksgiving menu - CHECK! (Finally).  I feel like I'm a couple days behind on this one.  Usually I have  it done by the 1st of November.  OK, maybe it's a couple of weeks behind.
Anyways, it's done and I'm excited.  I was never a fan of Thanksgiving until I started hosting it.  Now I LOVE IT!  I try to add a new dish to the menu each year to go along with the standards.  So today I hauled out my stack of Taste of Home magazines from  past October/Novembers and started going through them.  I sang the praises of Taste of Home, in my early post about Menu Planning, and it's abundance of easy recipes.  But I noticed as I thumbed through issues that went back as far as 2000 (YES, I AM A MAGAZINE HOARDER! I have Martha Stewart Living issues that go back to the '90s!), that the transformation of Taste of Home in the past 2-3 years has been incredible.  In my mind, TOH was the "banana clip" of cooking magazines;  useful, but a LITTLE outdated.  I used it in the deep, dark corners of my kitchen...but would never use it in public ;-P  I re-subscribed to it after I received the TOH Best Recipes Collection Cookbook for Christmas a few years ago.  By purchasing the book, you receive a year's subscription to the magazine.  Boy was I surprised when the first issue arrived in the mail!  Banana clip no more! Gone are the features on dowdy country kitchens populated by goose and heart wallpaper, pictures of great-grandma contributors/editors, reliable, yet not that exciting, recipes and boring photography.  Bring on bright feature articles, focus on functional and modern kitchens, interesting product recommendations, what's new in food and family-focused products and healthy, inventive recipes using a wide variety of ingredients...yet still EASY! I found 3 new recipes from the October and November, 2011 issues -  and managed to plan almost the entire month of December dinners from those two issues as well.  If you're looking for a place to get started running a well-oiled family kitchen, I  recommend getting a subscription to Taste of Home STAT.

TASTE OF HOME TRANSFORMATION

1997

2008

2012 Christmas Issue

MDNA = EPIC; a laywoman's review of Madonna LIVE in Cleveland

MDNA 2012 CONCERT
QUICKEN LOANS ARENA
CLEVELAND, OHIO

I am a red-blooded American child of the '80s.  Which therefore translates into a whole-hearted love affair with The Queen, Madge, M....MADONNA! I have been DYING to see her live since middle school...it was getting into "Bucket List" territory. Seriously.

 All the way back in February, tickets went on sale for her MDNA 2012 tour stop in Ctown.  My dear friend Bess got tickets through pre-sale and thus, I SAW HER LIVE LAST NIGHT!!! I was ecstatic to be heading out for the ULTIMATE GNO.  And I was not disappointed. Not in the least. Never.

Here's my brief review of the MDNA 2012 Tour Live in Cleveland; a review completely devoid of any appropriate music critic training, other than taking the most EPIC class ever offered at MHHS - POP CULTURE - to study the origins of American music. But nonetheless, I offer my humble thoughts and feelings on one of the most memorable nights in my 39 years on planet Earth...

I've never been to Vegas.  I have heard Vegas shows are a feast for the senses.  I am going to go out on a limb and say what I witnessed last night could be every show in Vegas wrapped up into one ON ECSTASY, but in a good way.  I have never seen anything so visually amazing, perfectly choreographed and supremely staged.  I cannot describe it.  You cannot take your eyes off of this spectacle and nor should you ever try to. The energy is overpowering, contagious.  Madonna is breathtaking and stunning;  in constant motion through the 2 hours of the show - only taking short breaks on musical/dance interludes for costume changes to coincide with the concert theme changes.

My lovely girl  Michelle
aka Golden Triangle Queen
(The Gianni Tree,)
and me

I do have a few offerings of advice for future ticket holders. If you're going expecting to see her rolling around on stage in her white wedding dress singing all your old time faves straight off The Immaculate Collection....DON'T.  If you're a casual Madonna fan looking to relive the glory days of 20+ years ago, this show is NOT for you. And unfortunately, I think a lot of the "MOM" crowd who showed up at last night's show was expecting that. Because that's what I heard them ALL complaining about & I wanted to punch them in the face. (Ok, no not really. Well, maybe just a little bit at the end of the night.  My feet hurt, we couldn't find a cab, it took us forever to get home. I was crabby about that stuff!)
Now, if you're a fan that has kept up with her over the years and know how she has evolved as an artist; knowing she loves to put on a production which has a message, shock value and artistry, then you will LOVE IT!  The song ratio of new to classic is about 3:1.  She brings down the house with the new stuff from MDNA and does surprising renditions of some of the classics. If you don't enjoy the production of Express Yourself (where she spends the majority of time singing the song while twirling a freakin' baton!), you should seriously check your pulse.  Vogue is the most beautiful, visually stunning thing I have ever seen.  And the finale/encore left me wide-awake with energy for most of the night even after I got home.  SIMPLY AMAZING.  My last word of advice is, don't worry about being on time for the concert.  Doors usually open at 8. DJ Paul Oakenfold is her opening act and plays music for about an hour.  He finished up at our concert around 9:45 and Madge made it to the stage a little after 10:30.  Knowing this going in completely changed our game plan for the night.  Most concert venue websites make you aware of the concert timing, but again, judging by some of the complaints, not everyone was "educated".

LONG LIVE THE QUEEN...I'll be watching her dance around the stage using her walker as a prop. Guaranteed.

Flipping Pajamas

It's really easy to think about how quickly time flies at holidays, birthdays and celebrations.  A year's time, gone. When I'm in the moment, I try to cherish it and not think, "WOW! Where did the year go?!". But that feeling sneaks up on me at the most innocuous moments these days.  One of them being when I'm putting away my laundry.  I've got a special pile of holiday pajamas in my drawer...Halloween, Christmas, Valentine's Day, Easter, Summer holidays.  And the pile rotates once the holiday is over.  Moving a holiday to the bottom of the pile always seems to get me.  And Halloween is at the bottom of the pile now.  I'm sad it's done.  It will be one for the record books....the first one Monkey really understood the meaning of Halloween and got excited for it; Hurricane Sandy rained on us for 7 days straight, cancelled school (and a Halloween party) for a day, postponed trick-or-treat for 4 days and we celebrated with my in-laws for the first time so the cousins had some fun.

On the bright side, Christmas is at the top of the pile...

Klassic Kraus Komfort Food #2: Crockpot Chicken Paprikash with Egg Drop Dumplings

I had every intention of going to the butcher this morning for chicken legs. But Sandy/Frankenstorm had other plans. So I heeded Mayor Bloomberg's recommendation to stay inside and not travel....all the way in Cleveland.  Seriously though, low 40s and abysmal rain is the WORST WEATHER on the entire PLANET - to me. So, chicken paprikash is on the KrausHouse menu this fine October Sunday and all I have are chicken breasts in the freezer.  Eh, it'll do.

Chicken Paprikash is my all-time, hands-down favorite meal EVA!  And like most ethnic-based, passed down recipes there are a MILLION variations of it. Every family, restaurant, banquet facility, etc. has their own special way of preparing it. I've had delicious versions which are more on the "brown" gravy side, but my version is decidedly orange to almost coral colored gravy.  It all depends on how much paprika you like!  Most of the time I make mine on the stovetop in a dutch oven or in an electric skillet.  But, I have adapted the recipe for the crockpot and it's still REALLY GOOD!

CROCKPOT CHICKEN PAPRIKASH

INDGREDIENTS

Chicken Paprikash

- chicken legs and thighs (enough to feed your family; usually 4-5 legs and thighs)

-  1 pint of sour cream (I make a lot of gravy bc of the dumplings)

-  1/2 stick of butter

-  medium onion, chopped

-  2 tbs. paprika (I like my gravy very orange, you may like less paprika)

-  3/4 tsp. salt 

Start your crock pot on HIGH.  Finely chop the onion.  Add to the crock pot.  Mix in the sour cream and butter.  

Cover and let the butter melt.  

Once the butter is melted, stir in the amount of paprika you'd like.  Then add the chicken.

Let chicken cook in the crockpot on HIGH for 3 hours. When the 3 hours are up, turn on low for dumpling preparation.

EGG DROP DUMPLINGS

- 4 eggs

- flour

Start a large stock pot half full of water to boil. Beat eggs in a large bowl.  Add flour in spoonfuls and mix thoroughly into eggs until batter is thick and sticky.  It should look fairly dry.

Using a teaspoon, scoop half full spoonfuls and drop into boiling water by scraping dough off of the spoon with another spoon.  Dough will sink to the bottom of the pot and rise when fully cooked.

Using a slotted spoon or frying spoon, remove dumplings as they rise and transfer to crock pot to mix in with chicken and paprika gravy. Mix in and let sit in crock pot for 15-20 minutes with the lid on.

Serve with crusty bread or awesome rolls to slop up all the yummy extra gravy. Yes, I know, not the most etiquette-friendly recommendation, but it's soooo worth the dining faux pas!  If you give this version a try, let me know how it turned out and if you had a family full of "clean plate club" members!