While we’re up at the cabin, it can be a challenge getting really fresh food if you only rely upon the local grocery store. The Roma tomatoes we purchased to go with our salad this evening were from South America, for example. It’s a long way up to Minnesota from there, and the unfamiliarity is definitely an issue. Supplementing with Farmer’s Market and roadside stand purchases, enjoying the seasonal berries, vegetables and sweet corn as they become available is reminiscent of the way our families used to eat before the global economy. While having lunch at the tavern down the road over the weekend, we overheard the bartender talking about raising his own farm fresh eggs, and we were intrigued to learn more.

Jeff’s story is all too familiar: he sort of fell into this endeavor. He didn’t set out to keep chickens at all, but had a big dog kennel and a dog that escaped from it easily and regularly. So he brought the dog inside. Jeff then converted the doghouse and adjoining fenced kennel into a more hospitable home for several kinds of chickens: Black and White Sexlink (who lay the brown eggs in the photo), Polish Crested (the little white eggs) who have a Phyllis-Diller hairdo-like feathering pattern around their necks and heads, and Ameraucana (the pale green eggs on the right). He lets his chickens forage and supplements their feed, evaluating the results in a constant effort to improve his product.

Jeff likes the brown eggs for general breakfast cooking. He thinks the Polish Crested’s smaller size is good for topping a burger or sandwich, and he waxed eloquently on the Ameraucana egg’s superlative results in hard-boiled form. Jeff is so enthusiastic about his eggs, we couldn’t wait to try them. We placed an order for 1-½ dozen, available for pickup the very next evening. At $5 for the lot, Jeff isn’t going to get rich any time soon, but his passion is so infectious that he regularly sells out of his daily supply.

We picked up our eggs in the evening and enjoyed a delicious benedict-like breakfast the next morning. Pete likes using the flat sandwich thins that have about 100 calories apiece instead of the more highly caloric toast or English muffin base called for in traditional recipes. Spinach leaves, benedict sauce liberal with dill, and poached eggs on top were a perfect working breakfast.

This morning, we decided to try the Polish crested eggs and some of the leftover ham we’d brought up. This is the second pig we’ve purchased from Scott, and now that we know the ropes with the butcher, we had the ham processed specifically to our taste. Delicious in a foodie’s version of an Egg McMuffin with perfectly-sized fried eggs!

The Polish crested eggs, you’ll recall, are the pale green ones in the mix, so it was fun to have “green eggs and ham” for breakfast. With all the rain we’ve been having, I thought of more Dr. Seuss, too. Remember how The Cat in the Hat entertains the children who were left at home on “that cold, rainy day?” Notice how I don’t have a finished picture of our little sandwich?

This evening we topped off our multi-day sampling with the Ameraucanas, which Pete boiled per Jeff’s recommendation. Our spinach salads, with bacon, chicken, and mushrooms were simple and satisfying. All that was added was some of Newman’s own dressing and it was a very filling supper.

Another thing that’s different about these eggs is the vivid coloration in the yolks. While Pete maintains he can’t taste too much difference, if any at all, between these eggs and store-bought, their overall appearance is definitely less uniform and therefore more interesting than their more homogenous counterparts.

These pheasant chicks were among the first to arrive at Robin and Scott’s farm. I’m wondering if there is a more of a market for exotic birds’ eggs or the birds themselves? We’ve been lucky enough to have wild pheasant over the years, as it’s fairly easy to obtain in these parts, especially with sportsmen among family and friends. Pheasant makes for a very elegant dinner presentation. Robin and Scott also welcomed ducks and regular baby chicks to the farm within the last week. Their Cornish game hens should be arriving soon as well. We’re going to advocate for quail, which would be quite a novelty, too, but not too unusual to preclude sales, we think.

Jeff warned us that even with precautions, birds and eggs are favorite targets of all kinds of predators. We know this only too well, having lost the loon eggs off the floating hatch platform this year. Jeff’s flock was decimated by a marten last year. Though their neighborhood is semi-rural rather than wilderness, Scott and Robin are working on safe and secure surroundings for their new brood. Even domesticated dogs can’t always be trusted around production animals on the farm. Bird dogs don’t discriminate between domestic and wild: a bird is simply a bird.

Robin says it’s fun to learn about how best to care for her young charges, and she intends to build up the size of her flocks as she determines demand and viability. We’re proud of the kids and their business decisions. While it would be difficult, if not impossible, as a small farmer to make a living on birds and eggs alone, it’s a natural extension to the rest of their operation. What’s really nice to see is how they’re moving toward replicating what used to be commonplace among small, sustainable farms a generation or two ago: production animals for personal consumption as well as supplemental revenue to income from dairy and cash crops. Their plans are coming along nicely!

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Farm Fresh Eggs is a post from: Passing Thru

One such mompreneur we know is blazing her trail online by using her creative skills to great advantage. Meet Rebecca Harnish Villarreal, owner of Buttercup*Baby*Boutique and Buttercup*Baby*Designs, where she sells crocheted baby wear and make-it-yourself patterns. Becky mothers a blended family with her firefighter husband in small-town West Michigan. As a young mother, she figured out real quick that traditional employment wasn’t going to work with her family and lifestyle priorities.

We had originally planned to feature Becky and her business activities in our newsletter (and we still will; you may subscribe at right, if you already haven’t), so off we sent some interview questions. What came back in her responses was so much loveliness and smarts that we just had to share with you in entirety.

Looking back on your childhood, what events or ideas shaped you most?

My mom was a working mother, and so my little brother and I spent the days with our grandparents.  My grandma is a very creative soul, always reading, writing, painting, gardening, crocheting, crafting.  She encouraged me to express my creative side, and taught me to crochet.  I loved to crochet because Grandma loved to crochet; she made intricate afghans while I made mile-long chains.  It was my friend Cyyndie who helped me expand my skills when I was in my early twenties, but having that bit of experience from childhood helped so much.  I was already comfortable with the tools of the trade.  In attempting to teach my daughter and friends how to crochet, that seemed like the biggest obstacle for them: being comfortable holding the crochet hook and knowing how to manipulate it.  Until you’ve mastered that, you simply won’t be able to achieve decent results.  As with many things, it’s all in the fundamentals.

I was also blessed with an incredibly supportive, patient mother. As a child, I just assumed all moms were like mine. As I got older and realized this was not so, I felt so sad for all the kids who were clearing missing out. My mom instilled a belief that I was worthy and special, and that if I wanted something, it was only a matter of how hard I was willing to work to achieve it. Despite a divorce and some bumps along the road, my mom always made sure my brother and I felt loved, secure, wanted.  I have never lacked in self-confidence because of this; I have always known my value. I know I’m smart, I know I can conquer.  It’s an invaluable gift, and one that has helped me in my self-employment journey.  I never think, “I can’t do this.”  Ever.  Even when things aren’t going as planned.  Instead, I think, “What do I need to do differently here?”  No matter the obstacle, I am confident I can find a solution.  My mama taught me that.

You are an awesome mom – focused, loving, strong – raising great kids in a blended family situation as a very young mother. How’d you get so good at that?

Why, thank you!  To answer that: The same way we get good at anything: I had a fantastic teacher, my mother. My mother is, though not technically recognized as such, a bit of a saint.  She’s got this amazing capacity for good; a God-given ability for support and guidance.  One of her greatest strengths is her heart for people; she never neglects an opportunity to help someone in need.  From childhood, one of my favorite books has always been “A Little Princess” by Frances Hodgson Burnett.  Main character Sara Crewe is a kind little soul, full of hope and love for her fellow beings, even when she is left orphaned and penniless.  Author Burnett describes Sara’s character: “If Nature has made you a Giver, your hands are born open, and so is your heart. And though there may be times when your hands are empty, your heart is always full, and you can give things out of that.” My mother was made a Giver.

The fantastic thing is that she also recognizes the subtle -but incredibly important- difference between helping and enabling. My mother has never allowed for self-pity, because she understands how toxic it is.  She cares, but she will not coddle.  If I attempt a ranting/venting session, she will listen for a minute, and then ask: “What’s the solution here?  You’re smart, you can figure this out.  Make a plan and move forward.  Write it down and make it happen, baby.”  You know that saying, “save the drama fo’ yo mama”?  Well, not MY mama.  She allergic.

[Note: my brother is lucky enough to be married to Becky's remarkable mom.]

My mother is only the beginning of my support system.  I grew up in a large family of wonderful, wholesome people. Again, I just assumed everyone had families like that; I know now I got lucky.   I treasure the gift they are to me and to my children.  I am proud of my roots, the rich loam of love from whence I came.  Some draw their pride from their race or creed; mine comes from the enduring goodness, the decency that runs deep in our veins. German, Polish, Irish…my people are those things, but more than that, they are Good, Honest and Kind.  We are only partially defined by our origins; our true identity is in who we become. The lineage of blood means little; what counts is your willingness to spill it to save another.

Photo Credit: http://shuttersparkphotography.com

I was nineteen when I married and had my son, so I became a mom of three in one fell swoop (my two stepchildren live with us most of the year).  It was overwhelming, but I had the benefit of youth. I wasn’t too far removed from my own childhood, so it was easy for me to connect with my kids, to understand their feelings.  I was perhaps naïve at first, but that carries its own sort of energy.  It’s when the greenness wears off and we become wiser (but hopefully not jaded) that we begin to slow down a bit.  I myself had navigated the tricky, treacherous “Divorce Mountains” with relative success as a child, and I know the terrain well.  The difference is, as the parent, I’m now the trail guide. I can force my kids down scary, ugly paths looming with dark words and dangerous bitterness, or I can stroll rather merrily with them along sunlit streams, flowing with acceptance and optimism.  I aim for the sunny stuff, because that’s where my mom led me.

And last, but certainly not least, I have a super supportive husband. He understands me, he accepts me, he makes me want to be worthy of his love.  He is the cheese to my macaroni, the peanut butter to my jelly.  All of that, and so much more.  At some point, I must’ve done something very right, something that made God smile upon me and dropkick this miraculous, magnificent man straight into my life.  And He saw that it was good, and the people rejoiced.

How did you arrive at your career path? What choices did you consider? How structured was your plan?

I didn’t really set out to sell baby hats and patterns.  But I did like selling online, and was happily enjoying an affair with the fiber arts, and so the two naturally merged.

I tend to follow a free-flowing, organic path. I do what makes sense to me, researching and trying out ideas that excite me.  It’s not always the most efficient, but I learn my own lessons and do it on my own terms. Looking back, my progress in self-employment has always been slow but sure.  My main interest has always been in the creative side of it all, less so the “businessy” aspects.  My mother (and her Masters degree in marketing) is my business guru, and she has helped me tremendously.

Photo Credit: http://shuttersparkphotography.com

A few summers ago, just before I started Buttercup*Baby*Boutique, I applied to work at a local gas station.  The hours were terrible, the wage was minimum and my heart wasn’t in it.  It was just a job, just a paycheck.  My mother (smart woman that she is), discouraged the gas station idea from inception.  She told me, “You can make a lot more than minimum wage working for yourself.  Don’t sell yourself short.” And she was right.  I quit the gas station on my second day, and went on to achieve excellent results selling on eBay that summer.  I loved doing it and made triple the hourly pay the gas station offered.  It was then I realized I would never again have a “real job”. Shortly thereafter, I began offering my baby hats on eBay and Etsy.  I was contacted by online retailer Melondipity.com, who was interested in selling my designs.  Once on Melondipity.com, the hats were selling as fast as I could make them.  They were even featured in several pregnancy and baby magazines!

I think so many people miss this fact: when you work at a “job”, you are selling your time and your freedom. You are making only as much as the job will allow, and you must adhere to their rules.  Sometimes it’s a good deal, sometimes not. In the case of the gas station job, it was a definite NOT.  And so I chucked that idea and followed my free-flowing organic heart (and my mother’s advice) right to self-employment.  Hallelujah.

Buttercup Baby is your most visible revenue-earning element. What other things do you do to make money?

Photo Credit: http://shuttersparkphotography.com

Garage sales and eBay!  I usually do one big sale a year during our city-wide sale days. They’re a lot of work, though, so once a year is enough for me.  More than running a sale, I LOVE to shop garage sales, and so I tend to find lots of good stuff for resale.  I take those resale treasures and list them on eBay (and sometimes Craigslist) for a quick profit.  Some of my favorite garage sale gold: a pair of designer jeans (purchased for $4, sold for $120) and a tub of Legos (purchased for $12, sold for $200).  Of course, not every purchase yields that kind of profit, but it’s awesome when it does!  There’s a lot of money to be made if you know what to look for.

My friend Michelle (eBay user ID 2779michelle) is an eBay whiz.  She sells trendy and fashionable plus size clothing and makes a tidy living doing it.  She’s got a real eye for fashion and always gets rave reviews on her outfits.  It’s great having a friend who eBays successfully, who understands all the ins and outs and can give useful advice.

What are your plans for Buttercup Baby and your other revenue-making activities?

My main goal is to sell patterns exclusively.  This way I can design rather than recreate. The profit margin is much higher, and it will provide me both monetary resources and the time I need to spend with my family.  Plus, it’s a “job” I can do from anywhere in the world.

What do things look like 5 years down the road? 10 years?

At five years, I plan to be selling patterns exclusively, and to have found new venues through which to sell my designs.  I also want to start a blog and maybe even learn to knit.  At ten years, I’ll still be growing my design business, having published a book (or two) of my crochet patterns.  Through all of it, I will be working toward true financial independence and early retirement. Though, to be honest, I can’t ever see myself “retiring”, except perhaps to a quaint cottage by the sea, where I will go with stacks of good books and my bag full of yarn.  *happy sigh*

——————————

We don’t see ourselves ever retiring either, Becky! Especially if the cottage by the sea has an internet connection!

Buttercup Baby is offering a giveaway in our June newsletter for subscribers. Look for details in your email inbox shortly. In the meantime, visit her Etsy shops: Buttercup*Baby*Boutique to purchase pre-made baby wear, and Buttercup*Baby*Designs to purchase her crochet patterns. Also, connect on Facebook with Buttercup Baby, too!

Check out our Work-Life Integration page for useful resources on the pathway to job and lifestyle independence. If Becky’s story has inspired you, we’d love to know! Please leave your comments!

Get to Know Buttercup Baby is a post from: Passing Thru

Pete’s mom and dad were both “loon counters” on Woman Lake and decided the lagoon in front of the cabin was the perfect spot to encourage loons to nest. Don’t let this beautiful shot taken by Pete’s sister Jenny on the afternoon of April 29 lull you with an impression of warm temperatures. You’d be wrong!

This year the plan was to go up the last weekend in April to get the pontoon in, among other “make ready” chores that need to be done after a long, cold winter up north. We didn’t leave until after work on Friday, April 29th, but Pete’s sisters, Jenny and Teri, arrived early. Soon the text messages were flying in: the loons had arrived in the lagoon and were calling out, looking around for their pontoon! We were grateful they are such creatures of habit – this meant that they might not abandon our location just yet. We arrived late that evening and heard their mournful, unmistakeable calling as we settled in.

The cabin is located about 3-1/2 hours north of the Twin Cities, about a half hour southeast of Bemidji, MN on Woman Lake. The history of this area is tied up with logging in the later years of the 19th century. Resorts and hotels sprang up to accommodate sportsmen and vacationers in the early part of the 20th century. The Wuebker cabin began as a family compound on Pete’s mother’s side. They weren’t the only Iowa farmers who got the crop in and then headed north to enjoy summers full of fishing in the Northwoods. The Kee-Nee-Moo-Sha lodge (a short walk down a wooded pathway from the cabin) and other resorts still operate today.

While spring came early last year in Minnesota, this year is an entirely different story. Freezing temperatures and stormy forecasts were in the prediction. Putting in the loon pontoon was going to be a chilly experience, as well as a poignant reminder that Pete’s parents aren’t here this year to see it. It is important to everyone to keep this tradition.

Pete and son Ben were up early to get things started in the damp and chilly morning. It was 27 degrees F while they worked. Jenny, Teri and I watched.

The loon pontoon is a simple construct of PVC with a mesh platform to hold nesting material. It’s anchored with regular old cement blocks.

With the dock not in, the wind whipped up some significant whitecaps later in the day, but for the most part, Ben and Pete were fortunate to be out there in the calmest moments, if you can call them that.

The loon pontoon is always sited directly opposite of the dock to make sure that there is sufficient cover in the reeds for when the babies hatch. It is not uncommon for loon eggs to be stolen by all sorts of predators. A bald eagle had swooped down right in front of Teri the previous afternoon and snatched a gull right out of the water. As we were driving down the dirt road after our long trip up from the Cities, we spotted a large mink alongside the road, and other predators think baby loons are tasty, too.

Once the nesting materials (sticks, mud, mossy earth, etc) were placed on the pontoon, it was time to put the waders on and drag it out to the site. Brrr!

All the while, the loons were watching and waiting while Pete adjusted the setting and set the anchors.

Whooa, watch yourself! Filling the waders up with near-freezing water would not be fun!

That evening the biggest wind I’ve ever heard up there blew in, and the pontoon was rocking and rolling on the whitecaps like the Andrea Gale in “A Perfect Storm.” The next morning (May the 1st!) dawned with ice galore and even a bit of snow:

All the nesting materials were gone from the mesh platform. Teri kindly gathered more and Pete made another trip out to the platform to try again.

We spent the rest of the day watching for signs that the setting was acceptable. Finally, after we left to return home on Sunday, Jenny reported that one of the loons had clambered on and appeared to be settling in:

The family left for home today leaving me here to watch the loons. At about 5:30, the loons started talking to each other with a very soft “whoooing” noise. I watched them swim around the pontoon a few times checking all sides until one decided to attempt to getting on. I think by tomorrow, they will be moving in for good.

Daughter, Jessica, who had to stay behind due to work schedules, commented: of all gma & gpas traditions that we’ll carry on, this might be the one im most proud of.

I said: Thank God! I feel like a Jewish mother! “The things we do for you!”

And Pete, still feeling the lingering effects, replied: After two trips in those blasted waders they damn well better get up their and start making babies.

If you would like to watch another pair of loons in a similar setting, this loon cam is great entertainment. Somehow I think a similar setup might be in our future if we can figure out how to rig it. But not this year.

Ben is heading up to the cabin again this weekend with a group of friends to make sure all is well with the loons, and we’ve got the rest of the weekends in May planned that someone in the family will be there to keep watch. The egg laying and hatching, as you can imagine, are exciting events reported throughout the family!

What outdoor or nature-related family traditions do you keep?

Photo Credits: Jenny Wuebker, Teri Wuebker

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Putting in Our Loon Nesting Platform is a post from: Passing Thru

The Easter Bunny had hung eggs outside in the tree!  All the birds were flying in and around the new bird house. We even had a pair of Eastern bluebirds checking it out, but in the end a pair of chickadees prevailed and set up house. This was a big thrill all ’round!  I sort of felt like a home seller who was contemplating multiple offers!

So far we’ve had red house finches, sparrows, mourning doves, red-winged blackbirds and robins visiting as well. All of our concerns regarding seeing fewer birds than we had at the other house have, ahem, taken wing!

Our neighbors next door had an Easter egg hunt for their little ones and kindly allowed us to join in the fun. The little sisters were so cute, with the older one helping to make sure all things were (mostly) equal.

But this little guy was the show-stopper! He was very deliberate and determined to fill his Easter bucket methodically, and he wasn’t going to be distracted by all the old people exclaiming on the subject.

Pete’s menu was Salmon Benedict, prepared en masse. This is a perfect selection for a spring brunch and the recipe turned out perfectly, even when not followed exactly. It was so delicious, I am hoping to have it again, for Mother’s Day perhaps?

Here are daughter Robin and boyfriend Scott (who raises our beef and pork – we just got another pig over the weekend). They’ve got exciting things coming up – Robin will be interning with a large animal veterinary practice (taking care of race horses!) and they will be adding lamb, chickens and eggs, and ducks to their food subscription business. Good times, raise a glass!

Sister Jenny cooked up some great bacon and sausage from the same place the Minnesota Twins get their hot dogs and brats for Target Field – which, incidentally, is where son Geoff was working this morning for the game. He was missed, but sent a lovely flowering plant to his mother. Jenny’s regular specialty -hand-dipped molded chocolates – is always fun! Daughter Jessica’s retail career in a high-style accessory store has all the women in the family envious. When I go there again, it will be with a definite plan against total overwhelm from the amazing selection! And of course, there you see my personal chef in the kitchen.

I made Sour Cream Pound Cake with Blueberry Sauce for dessert. This is a great recipe, just watch the baking time, significantly shorter than noted. This was fine, because of course I was baking it late last night! The lemon zest in the recipe “took the cake.”

Holiday brunches are fun to host, especially because it leaves time for an afternoon nap after guests have departed! Wishing all of you a very Happy Easter, and a Happy Spring!

A Happy Easter at Our New Place is a post from: Passing Thru

As spring began to arrive here in Minnesota, I was excited to attend a series of events that promised the superb combination of fun, friends, vintages in both Italian film and tasting flights, as well as an introduction to a fabulous new local charity.

Starting down the path to ubriachezza, our group found itself on a Tuesday evening at La Cucina di Nonna Rosa’s for movie night. This was a spring series of specially-selected films related to Italian culture and places, paired with a wine feature. Diners were treated to the feature which was projected on a large screen in the corner of Nonna Rosa’s private dining room, providing atmosfera unica to enjoy Francesco’s culinary talent.

Nonna Rosa’s is owned by Francesco and Tina Suglia, who was inspired by her grandparents’ romance to meet the right man and marry in their footsteps. Francesco, born in the southeast region of Puglia, grew up learning to cook from his mother and grandmother using ingredients in their region: fresh seafoods, garden herbs, and natural meats and cheeses. They met in the Twin Cities and opened Nonna Rosa’s to honor both families’ legacy.

The first feature we saw was Come September, starring Rock Hudson and Gina Lollobrigida, a classic, light-hearted, innocent boy-meets-girl comedy with supporting appearances by Bobby Darin and Sandra Dee. Set mostly in Portofino, the movie’s scenery was breathtaking and it was beautifully complemented by the wine feature.

The Nero d’Avola grape varietal is indigenous to Sicily, first cultivated in Roman times near Syracuse. The Arancio Nero d’Avola is a bargain at around $8/bottle and its berry hints went well with my dinner: a pan-seared fresh salmon served on a bed of mushroom risotto, finished with a lemon-white wine sauce with artichokes and sun-dried tomatoes.

We tasted the previous week’s selection, Frescobaldi Remole, which had been paired with Under the Tuscan Sun. This wine was more dense and complex, aromatic with fruits – blackberry, raspberry, cherry and red currant, but punctuated with hints of spice and black pepper. Remole is made with a combination of grapes: the sangiovese and cabernet sauvignon. The taste of this wine lingered, much as the story I remembered so vividly of Frances Mayes and her love affair with Tuscany and her husband-to-be.

Eagerly, our group reserved a front row table for It Started in Naples, starring Sophia Loren and Clark Gable. This was the last film released during Gable’s lifetime, and was filmed on location in Rome, Naples and Capri. We thought the show was stolen by the child actor, Marietto, a charming and precocious thespian.

Likewise, the wine pairing, Villa Sandi Prosecco, was light and bubbly, with notes of apple, citrus and melon. The Villa Sandi operation, in the Veneto region, is housed in a 17th century neo-classical palace under which several miles of tunnels, used in WWI by the Italian army, now store over a million bottles of wine. This Prosecco is nicely priced at around $13/bottle, and I enjoyed it more than I did my Insalata Toscana – mesclun greens with balsamic vinaigrette, goat cheese, walnuts, marinated artichoke hearts and sun-dried tomatoes.

We decided to cap off our temporary romance with post-war Italian film with what many perceive to be the epitome of the genre – Roman Holiday, with Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck. This night our group consisted of my sisters-in-law – Teri and Jenny, and daughters Jessica and Robin, along with one of Robin’s girlfriends. Nice of the young’uns to hang out and indulge the old ladies, wasn’t it? Teri brought along a bag of vintage scarves, which we all donned in honor of Audrey’s “look” in the movie.

The Arancio Pinot Noir wine pairing for Roman Holiday was described as having “aromatic elegance and a hint of spice,” just like Audrey. It paired well with every pasta we ordered: tortellini pugliesi – tossed with mushrooms and sweet Italian sausage in a rosa sauce, gnocchi bolognesi, fettuccine alfredo, and spaghetti allo scoglio – tossed with mussels, calamari, shrimp, scallops in a pomodoro broth, a specialty of the Puglia region.

Two days later, I joined Jenny again, along with two other friends, for a A Glass Half Full, an event hosted by local Twin Cities musician, Mick Sterling, to benefit his charity, The 30-Days Foundation. Here’s Mick on video: You Don’t Know What Dirty Is. See why we like him so much?

The 30-Days Foundation is a simple and elegant solution to a common problem in this recession, that of someone, barely making it month to month, who needs a financial assist without having to navigate the labyrinth of social agency services: We want to help people get over the hump. To take care of a nagging bill that won’t leave them alone. To provide them a down payment for an apartment. To fix their tires and other car repairs so they can get to work every morning. To pay for groceries for the month. To buy baby supplies for the newborn. To buy their kids some school clothes and supplies and multiple other real-life scenarios that every family and individual has gone through. The 30-Day Foundation exists to help people out of a temporary jam and get them through the month before a precarious financial situation starts to snowball.

A Glass Half Full married the traditional silent/live auction fundraising event concept with a dinner at Spill the Wine Restaurant.  Located in the theatre district in downtown Minneapolis, Spill the Wine has been voted #1 wine bar and #1 wine list by readers of Minnesota Monthly magazine. Our experience this evening was the result of creative efforts by Spill the Wine’s executive chef, Craig Johnson and Mary Beth Gallagher, representing Wine Merchants of St. Paul.

Mary Beth spent time last year in Italy, getting to know Italian wines and vintners. This definitely paid off for us, as she introduced each one of her selections with a charming back story. I was excited to taste and learn.

We started off greeted by an appetizer, an amuse bouche consisting of a gourgere puff with prosciutto and baby arugula, paired with a festive sparkling wine from the Veneto region: Cuvee Astoria “Lounge.” This wine is a 90/10 Prosecco/Chardonnay blend, which Mary Beth described as having floral, Golden Delicious apple and pear aromas. Prosecco wines as a whole are lighter than Champagne and a little less bubbly. So delicious, I resolved to buy a few bottles right then. The evening was off to an auspicious start!

Course One was a wild mushroom bruschetta with taleggio, on a base of truffle oil. Mary Beth instructed us that Italians believe “what grows together, goes together.” In that spirit, she had selected Rittrati Pinot Noir ’07, from Trentino. This extreme northeast region in Italy is bisected by a mountain range, and its northernmost part, the Alte Adige, borders on Austria. Known for its extensive array of wild mushrooms, the Alte Adige is also famous for strudels made from local apples. The Rittrati pinot was very earthy but still easy, and I bought two bottles.

Our second course was exceptional: cabernet braised short ribs on a puree of yukon gold potatoes with natural jus. So tender, the meat fell apart in uneven strands as we tried in vain to make this course last. Mary Beth chose a Tuscan Morellino di Scansano from the Poggio Morino winery. Their 2006 bottling was selected by The Wine Buyer as one of Five Fantastic Finds a year ago. This wine is primarily made from the Sangiovese grape, which finds itself at the heart of Tuscan table wines such as chianti or brunello. This was a flavorful, medium weight wine that went very well with the short ribs. I rounded out my wine purchases with a couple of bottles of this, as well.

Our dessert course was billed as a nougat terrine, but what came seemed more like a golden sponge cake with lime zest, similar in spirit to tiramisu. The Nero d’Avola Mary Beth paired with this was from the Oko vineyard, but didn’t seem as good as the Arancio Nero d’Avola we had tasted at Nonna Rosa’s, so I passed on purchasing it.

Throughout all this, a rollicking great time was being had as a dynamic live auctioneer encouraged generous bidding on a variety of live and silent auction items. At the end of the night, many tens of thousands of dollars were raised for Mick’s foundation.

What a great few weeks it has been with these events! I am sorry to have to miss the last feature of Nonna Rosa’s Tuesday movie nights: Three Coins in a Fountain, which will be paired with Umberto Fiori Moscato d’Asti, another sparkling wine. Tina Suglia informs us that her patio seating will be opening up for warmer weather, and based upon the success of these movie nights, she may repeat the concept in open air format over the summer. What fun that will be!

I am certain that Mick Sterling will continue with creative event planning for his charity, as well. His good friend and wine expert Mary Beth Gallagher is available for Twin Cities area home and special event wine tasting, too. If they repeat A Glass Half Full, Jenny and I will jump at the chance to introduce more friends to this worthy cause.

For certain: we’re far more knowledgeable about Italian wines now than we were several weeks ago, and we’ll be enjoying them regularly thanks to the efforts of these fine folks. Salute!

Are you a fan of Italian wine? What kinds of special restaurant and charity events do you enjoy attending?

Related articles

• A year in Southern Italian wine and the unknown etymology of Puglia (dobianchi.com)
• OUR 1ST TASTE OF ITALIAN WINE COUNTRY IN TUSCANY! – Volterra, Italy (travelpod.com)

Tasting Italian Wines for Fun and Charity is a post from: Passing Thru

During these weeks my thoughts have often turned to the role of our personal effects in life. What we do with our stuff. What meaning we assign to our things, and the distractions we endure from what matters because we’re dealing with belongings.

A move confronts you with everything you own. Doing this in the stark relief of emotional loss makes you think about what owns you. And you must come to grips with what you’ll eventually leave behind.

I thought I might deal with all this more easily, seeing as how I’d already downsized significantly when we combined houses almost five years ago. Then, I was upset that getting rid of my stuff was upsetting. Wandering through the estate sale comprised of things from the household I had made for the children and myself, seeing my life spread out on tabletops, everything neatly arranged and priced, was as if I myself had passed on. In a sense, the former me had done so, and the me-to-be mourned her. So here I was again, on the threshold of this latest move, saying hello to familiar feelings.

Despite the great attention currently paid to having too much stuff, as well as the emphasis on defining how much is too much, most of us continue to acquire. We may rein in our acquisitions with greater awareness, but the simple fact is we own a lot by comparison with the rest of the world. And, we must care for the belongings we have. If we don’t, we’re said to be “letting things go.” And of course, letting go is also what many of us can’t bring ourselves to do.

The human brain defaults to classification mode in its attempts to understand. We need to know what goes with what so we can know where we belong within the mix. Reconciling the voluntary act of letting things go inevitably leads to the associations we’ve made and assigned to our stuff.

We derive comfort from these associations. For example, our beautiful antique china cabinet (shown here on the charity’s showroom floor) held the glasses with which we toasted those we love, and the dishes on which we served many a celebration. Pete’s workshop had tools his grandfather used. I have traveled through the last thirty years toting around an unassuming little paper punch and green-handled needlenose pliers that were my father’s. They’re all old friends.

The disposition and organization of things brings our associations to the forefront. When we simplify and get rid of stuff, it can feel like we are dishonoring experiences and people with whom our things are associated. Are we letting it all go if we let the things go? The china cabinet and its contents had layers of associations. There was the cabinet, and then there were the things inside it. All this made it even harder.

These associations are extremely influential on our behavior. Even though our heads may be ready, our hearts may want to hold on. I tried out many different scenarios – could we keep the china cabinet if we used it in another room or for another purpose? After all, when newly single I had used it in my bedroom where it held my sweaters. Could something like that be done again to keep it with me? Pete suggested there was room in the new dining room for the china cabinet’s partner, the antique buffet. Except I’d already come to grips with giving it up and created a plan for that room. Slowly I traveled in my mind toward the inevitable.

I began to better understand why some people can’t throw anything away. Their associations are just as intense for something we might think is inconsequential – a random greeting card, or even a plate of uncovered food – as mine were for the antique furniture. They think in terms of scarcity, of needing it someday, of not having enough at some other time long gone. In the face of such uncertainties, of what might happen, stuff must be kept.

Equally intense associations for everything must be exhausting. No wonder the inertia with some people! I can’t imagine the level of stimulation coming from being surrounded by all those things and would need to withdraw.

Too much stuff in a place makes me nervous. I feel stricken and made claustrophobic by the disorganization. I watch the television shows about people who hoard with equal parts fascination and nausea. It must help viewers to feel that “there but by the grace of God go I.” Collections and displays feel better to me in store windows and museums. Is this because I was admonished as a child not to touch? Perhaps. But even more so, I’m aware that my associating with this many things would lead to impossible levels of fatigue. The clutter is noise.

As we packed and prepared, one thought brought focus during my struggle with what things meant and what needed to be done with them:

“Life is no less vivid with fewer things.”

I looked back on other periods during my life in which I’d lived in smaller places with less: a shared dorm room, my first apartment – a basement studio, a one-level house. Things were not the reason my experiences were intense. Things were around while I was living life, and keeping them reminded me of what I’d been through. Was I worrying that when I got rid of the things, would I also lose the memories? Now we were getting somewhere, me, myself and I.

We keep things to hold onto the past, to mitigate the sense of loss for what was or might have been, all of which comes with the passage of time. It’s why we inevitably retrieve photo albums during a fire, and why I could have used a quick drink before a box containing hundreds of old, sepia-toned family photos was discarded. Note: if you don’t know who’s in them, it’s okay to let them go.

I made valiant efforts to transfer things to the care of others, too. We returned childhood possessions we were keeping to the appropriate children. (We still have more of this to do). Appeals went out: “Are you sure you don’t want the wicker furniture?” “Who knows who is in these family pictures?” Invariably, the appeals were all declined, and no one knew. Even so, there were pangs of reluctance: my brother recognized our grandmother’s table in a batch of donations publicized on social media by the charity we used. A wistful, philosophical conversation ensued on saying goodbye.

When we pass to the next life, we leave behind all our personal effects. They’re gathered up – handbag, wallet, parking stub, shopping list, jewelry – and held for disposition. The furnishings, clothing, and food in the fridge. The uncompleted project, the unfinished letter. Since we rarely know the moment, it’s safe to say others will make the decisions about all our stuff. My own mother was very direct with her intention: “I’m leaving it all for you to deal with when I’m gone.” She did and we did, which is one of the reasons I don’t want to do the same.

Leaving things tidy feels like a great gift I can give to others at this point in my life. This concept never occurred to me when I was younger, perhaps because my personal effects were fewer and life was more simple and straightforward (consequently?). Somewhere along the way, the inventory swelled and life slowed – a combination that spawns clutter in one’s circumstances, and, I believe, in one’s mind, leading to overwhelm. This kind of messy leaving, with one’s things in disarray or great number, feels like blatant disregard to me.

I’ve been thinking I’d rather my “personal effects” be less tangible and more transient – the first gaze into an infant’s eyes, the way it feels when a task is well done, the beauty of a sunrise, a knowing laugh or the recognition of a kindred spirit.

Today I sit in a space we deliberately chose with more simplicity in mind for our life going forward. Pete and I engineered a reduction in our personal effects to make room for more of what’s important to us now. These priorities promise a less distracted existence, in which we have more freedom to choose and focus on what and whom we care for. This evaluating, these reductions, and yes, these outright eliminations in our inventory of belongings will ensure our energy going forward is devoted to what matters. We’re feeling a lightness that is very right, even with the boxes marked “History” that are stacked in the garage.

What about you? What’s the state of your stuff?

Personal Effects is a post from: Passing Thru

Rest in peace, Grandpa, and we’ll see you up at the cabin.

High Flight

Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I’ve climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds – and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of – wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov’ring there
I’ve chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air.
Up, up the long delirious, burning blue,
I’ve topped the windswept heights with easy grace
Where never lark, or even eagle flew -
And, while with silent lifting mind I’ve trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand and touched the face of God.

— John Gillespie Magee, Jr.

Dennis Wuebker, RIP is a post from: Passing Thru

I’m a life-time member (surprisingly?) of the Cooking Club of America. Their monthly publication features great recipes that are well-written and straightforward. I routinely make note of things that look good when the magazine arrives for Pete to try out (or modify with his personal touches). This time it was my turn to make the selections, shop for the ingredients and prepare for 10 hungry appetites.

For Pete’s birthday, I wanted something unique and different that I wouldn’t be preparing up until the last minute. Nothing worse than slaving away in the kitchen while everyone else is enjoying themselves! Here’s what I chose (click titles for links to printable recipes):

Stuffed Pork Loin with Roasted Apples

“Inspired by a classic Tuscan pork dish, this boneless pork loin is butterflied and stuffed with apples, onion and raisins. Apple wedges are added to the pan along with white wine, and all are roasted together.”

2 tablespoons coarsely chopped garlic

1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt, divided

1/8 teaspoon plus 1/4 teaspoon pepper, divided

1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh rosemary, plus additional sprigs for garnish

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

1 cup finely chopped onion?1 cup finely chopped peeled Fuji, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith or other crisp apple

2 tablespoons raisins

1 (2 1/2- to 3-lb.) boneless pork loin

3 cups peeled apple wedges (1/2 inch)(2 to 3 apples)

1/2 cup white wine or apple cider

1. Mash garlic, 1 teaspoon of the salt and 1/8 teaspoon of the pepper into a paste in mortar with pestle or finely chop and mash with side of chef’s knife. Stir in chopped rosemary.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in medium skillet over medium heat until hot. Cook onion 5 minutes or until softened and golden brown, stirring occasionally. Add chopped apple, raisins and 2 teaspoons of the garlic mixture. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; cool slightly.

3. Cut pork horizontally through center of loin without cutting all the way through; open like a book. Sprinkle cut surface with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

4. Heat oven to 350°F. Spray large shallow roasting pan with cooking spray. Spoon apple mixture over bottom half of pork; fold top of pork over stuffing. With kitchen string, tie roast at 2-inch intervals, pressing any escaping stuffing back inside roast. Place in roasting pan; rub with 2 teaspoons of the garlic mixture.

5. Toss apple wedges with remaining garlic mixture; spoon around pork. Drizzle apples with wine. Drizzle apples and pork with remaining 1 tablespoon oil.

6. Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 145°F., stirring apples halfway through. Remove pork; cover loosely with foil. Let stand 10 minutes. If necessary, return apple wedges to oven to brown more.

7. Remove string from roast; slice. Serve with apple wedges, pan juices and rosemary sprigs.? ?8 servings

PER SERVING: 315 calories, 14.5 g total fat (4.5 g saturated fat), 32 g protein, 12 g carbohydrate, 90 mg cholesterol, 350 mg sodium, 1.5 g fiber

This is a delicious combination. I omitted the raisins, and suggestions from the table included adding craisins or dates. Sounds reasonable! The flavors were just the right combination of tart and sweet.

To accompany the pork dish, I chose: Four Mushroom-Cheese Baked Penne and Baby Greens Salad with Clementines, Olives and Goat Cheese Dressing.

Four Mushroom-Cheese Baked Penne

“This gourmet take on mac and cheese features dried porcini mushrooms, three varieties of sautéed fresh mushrooms and four cheeses. The water used to reconstitute the dried porcini lends the creamy sauce an especially rich, deep mushroom flavor. Make it ahead and bake just before serving.”

2 cups water

1 oz. dried porcini mushrooms

2 1/2 to 3 cups whole milk

1 lb. penne (tube-shaped pasta)

1/4 cup unsalted butter

4 oz. button mushrooms, chopped

4 oz. crimini mushrooms, chopped?4 oz. shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded, caps chopped?2 teaspoons minced garlic

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup heavy whipping cream?1 teaspoon salt

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese?1 cup shredded cheddar cheese?1 cup shredded Manchego or Monterey Jack cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley?4 oz. mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 13×9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish with cooking spray. Bring water and porcini mushrooms to a boil in medium saucepan. Reduce heat to low; simmer, covered, 5 minutes. Remove from heat; let stand, covered, 10 minutes.

2. Remove mushrooms from liquid; chop. Strain soaking liquid through coffee filter to remove any sediment; add enough milk to soaking liquid to measure 4 cups total.

3. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions; drain.

4. Melt butter in large pot over medium heat. Add button, crimini and shiitake mushrooms; cook 10 minutes or until golden brown, stirring frequently. Add garlic; cook and stir 1 minute or until fragrant.

5. Sprinkle mushrooms with flour; reduce heat to low. Cook 5 minutes or until flour is lightly browned, stirring frequently. Stir in milk mixture, cream and salt. Increase heat to medium-high; bring to a boil. Boil gently 3 to 5 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally and adjusting heat as necessary.

6. Stir in pasta, shredded mozzarella, cheddar, Manchego, Parmesan, porcini mushrooms and parsley until well-blended. Spoon into baking dish; top with sliced mozzarella. (Recipe can be made to this point 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Add 5 to 10 minutes to baking time.)

7. Bake 35 to 45 minutes or until top is browned and bubbly. ??8 servings

PER SERVING: 700 calories, 36.5 g total fat (22 g saturated fat), 31 g protein, 62 g carbohydrate, 110 mg cholesterol, 990 mg sodium, 4 g fiber

Baby Greens Salad with Clementines, Olives and Goat Cheese Dressing

Note: I omitted the olives this time and used store-bought mixed baby greens and Italian-style croutons. The dressing is delicious and worth the extra few minutes to whisk together. “Clementines are the perfect salad citrus because they’re easy to peel and separate into neat little segments. Here, olives provide an appealing salty counterpoint.”

2 oz. soft goat cheese, room temperature

1/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt

2 1/2 tablespoons water

1 1/2 teaspoons white wine vinegar?1 teaspoon honey

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

3 cups slightly packed baby spinach

3 cups slightly packed baby romaine lettuce

4 clementines, separated into segments

1 cup Homemade Garlic Croutons (recipe follows)

1/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives, sliced

1. Place cheese and yogurt in small bowl; slowly whisk in water. Stir in vinegar, honey, salt and pepper.

2. Combine spinach and lettuce in large bowl; divide among plates. Top with clementine segments, croutons and olives; drizzle with dressing.??8 (1 1/2-cup) servings

PER SERVING: 85 calories, 4.5 g total fat (1.5 g saturated fat), 3 g protein, 9.5 g carbohydrate, 5 mg cholesterol, 205 mg sodium, 1.5 g fiber

Homemade Garlic Croutons

1 large garlic clove, quartered, lightly crushed

2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups loosely packed cubed white bread

1/8 teaspoon salt

1. Cook garlic in oil in nonstick skillet over medium heat 3 1/2 minutes or until browned, stirring frequently. Remove garlic.

2. Cook bread cubes in oil 6 minutes or until golden brown, stirring frequently. Sprinkle with salt. Drain on paper towels; cool completely.

Served along with the above: broccoli florets with melted sweet cream butter. For dessert I made Vered’s chocolate cupcakes (and yes, it’s a wonderful recipe!), which were served with Pete’s sister Jenny’s homemade ice cream.

Robin requested pasta and chicken for her 21st birthday dinner a couple of weeks later.

This time, I prepared a recipe from Midwest Living: Angel Chicken. Because of course, Robin is such an angel, right? LOL Because we were partying on a weeknight, this slow-cooker recipe was convenient. I wouldn’t bother browning the chicken before putting it in the slow-cooker next time. This was served over whole wheat penne, instead of the spaghetti pictured.

Angel Chicken

Prep: 15 minutes

Cook: 4 to 5 hours (low)

4    skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 1-1/2 pounds)

1  Tbsp.  vegetable oil (optional)

1  8-oz. pkg.  fresh button mushrooms, quartered

1  6-oz. pkg.  fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, caps sliced

1/4  cup  butter

1  0.7-oz. pkg.  Italian dry salad dressing mix

1  10-3/4-oz. can  condensed golden mushroom soup

1/2  cup  dry white wine

1/2  of an 8-oz. tub  cream cheese spread with chives and onion

Hot cooked rice or angel hair pasta

Snipped fresh chives or sliced green onions (optional)

1. If you like, brown chicken on both sides in a large skillet in hot oil over medium heat. Combine mushrooms in a 3-1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker; top with chicken. Melt butter in a medium saucepan; stir in Italian dressing mix. Stir in mushroom soup, white wine, and cream cheese until melted; pour over chicken.

2. Cover; cook on low-heat setting for 4 to 5 hours.

3. Serve chicken and sauce over cooked rice. Sprinkle with chives, if you like. Makes 4 servings.

I had run to Costco for the boneless, skinless chicken breasts and found them in a convenient vacuum-packed, divided bulk packaging concept allowing me to only use what I needed. Since I was already at Costco, I decided to pick up what we fondly refer to as OMG Cake. Because everyone who sees the uncut cake inadvertently exclaims, “Oh.My.God.” This is a multi-layer chocolate cake with ganache between the layers, frosted with ganache and decorated with dark chocolate curls. Oh My God, indeed!  Served with Jenny’s strawberry ice cream, as Robin requested, and champagne for the birthday girl.

These meals were a pleasure to prepare, not intimidating or overwhelming. This allowed me to enjoy the occasions and our family. Since these two times would be the last we would gather around the dining table in our current home (yes, we’re downsizing!), I wanted them to be special for everyone.

Getting our dining room together in the new house is a priority, but it will be a while before we host another get-together the size of these. I’m grateful for these happy memories that cap off our time in this house. We’ll take them to the new one.

What are your favorite comfort foods to balance wintry chill?

Related articles

• Recipes: Wild Mushroom, Winter Greens and Parmesan Strata, Chicken Sausage and Apple Strata and more (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Sunday Spread: Pork Tenderloin with Pan Sauce and Vegetable Ragout (symbolandsubstance.wordpress.com)

Comfort Food for Winter Birthdays is a post from: Passing Thru

As we reminisced, I was transported back to our small town childhood. Last year, when Pete and I visited Michigan, we all went to church one last time in the old building where my parents were married, and where my family attended weekly. While there is a new sanctuary under construction outside of town, this building still remains the standard by which I judge all I have subsequently entered: elegant in its spare New England white clapboard simplicity, frosted windows and brass chandeliers, and a towering spire that our tiny hands mimicked in play: “this is the church, this is the steeple, open the doors and see all the people.” More opulent interiors discomfit me by comparison. It was in this place that we learned to sing and love traditional carols and hymns.

During Advent, we were treated to a wealth of music, and while we each called up our memories, we realized we loved so many of the same carols: Still, Still, Still – which Pete and I used on a Christmas card (with this photo in blog post form: For All Is Hushed); Lo, How a Rose ‘Ere Blooming; O Come, O Come Emmanuel; O Holy Night; and, of course, just about any selection from Handel’s Messiah.

The Winter Solstice collections from Windham Hill are favorites of mine.  The third in the series has simple and beautiful renditions of ancient carols and melodies: Veni Emmanuel, I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day (an unexpected, yet better, melody than the traditional one you may recall), Lullay Lulli, and In the Bleak Midwinter. Highly recommended.

John insists that the 1984 version of A Christmas Carol with George C. Scott as Scrooge is the best – superior acting, special effects and everything. My favorite is still the one with Basil Rathbone and Fredric March from the 1930′s. I can remember watching it on our black and white television and being frightened to death of the hooded Ghost of Christmas Future.

We were in agreement on the classic TV movie specials: Truman Capote’s A Christmas Memory, narrated by the author, with Geraldine Page winning an Emmy for her performance. The Homecoming: A Christmas Story , with Patricia Neal, which was the pilot episode for the long-running series, The Waltons.

The Gift of the Magi, from the short story by O. Henry. “One dollar and eightyseven cents. And the next day would be Christmas.”  John brought up cartoon favorites: A Charlie Brown Christmas with the classic piano riff.  He still laughs at the character who dances just by moving his chin up and down from his chest. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer with the Yukon Cornelius character Johnny loved as a boy.

Amahl and the Night Visitors was one of my favorites – it’s a one act opera which was commissioned by NBC especially for television beginning in 1951, and it was presented live for nine years. The story of the poor boy with a disability who is visited by the three Kings is very moving. Perhaps being influenced by this performance so early in life led me to my very favorite Christmas CD: Luciano Pavarotti’s O Holy Night, recorded at a service in Montreal with a children’s choir.

John favors choral music, too.  He said he still catches himself singing the first verse of Silent Night in German, reminding him of the Christmas Eve he spent in Germany back in 1976. We’re just not ones for all these modern improvisations. I still prefer the King James language of the Gospel, too.

I love classic Christmas movies, so I was delighted to see this post from Hooked on Houses: Vote for Your Favorite Christmas Movie House! I voted for #7, the stone farmhouse from Christmas in Connecticut, a favorite movie of mine. My all time favorite Christmas house, though, was the one Claudette Colbert lived in with Jennifer Jones and Shirley Temple while the father of their family was off to World War II in Since You Went Away. They were just so plucky in that movie, taking in a boarder and doubling up on rations and all! And the house is gorgeous.

Other great vintage movie photos of Christmas trees and wintry activities can be found on the SixMartinis site archives: here’s a sample.

An entirely different post would have to be devoted to our favorite recipes. Pete still raves about John’s Cranberry Glaze from last year. For years, I made Baked Ziti in honor of an Italian restaurant that served an incomparable meal to my ex-husband and me one Christmas Eve when we were between homes. This year I modified it to this: Four Mushroom-Cheese Baked Penne, and served it for Pete’s birthday dinner with Stuffed Pork Loin with Roasted Apples.

We spent a wonderful day with the kids and Pete’s sisters on Sunday. This year our donation in the children’s names was made to someone who cooks, as well. Narayanan Krishnan, of the Akshaya Trust, was featured in our December newsletter as Someone You Should Know.

We’ll be traveling over Christmas, so we’ll see you in the New Year. Until then, we’ll leave you with this, our Christmas greeting:

May there be hope in your heart, and angels in your midst during this Season of Light and throughout the coming New Year.

We’d love to know what your Christmas favorites are in the comments, too!  Merry Christmas!

Christmas Favorites is a post from: Passing Thru

Simplifying Christmas means doing less. But what we’ve found is that you can do the things that make the cut very well, intensifying the experience. It seems more meaningful to be doing less in this way.

This afternoon, during the blizzard, I mixed up my traditional cream cheese sugar cookie dough (you can find the recipe here). My daughter, Robin, and I are planning an all-too-rare day together to decorate and pack them.

I decided to play around with my recipe and wound up making a batch flavored with spices and molasses (add 1/4 tsp each of allspice, ground ginger, allspice and nutmeg; 1 tsp of cinnamon; 1/4 cup of mild molasses to the recipe, and adjust flour amounts as necessary for consistency) and a couple of batches flavored with cocoa – about 1/4 cup- to make chocolate cookies. I wouldn’t have had the time to experiment in other years because of too many other items on my list.

Pete and I are making our Christmas cards again this year. With less to do overall, this has been a joy instead of a stressful task. We use one of his photographs and match it up with a phrase from a Christmas carol. This year we’re . . . well, it’s a surprise. I’ll have him take a photo of the card, maybe, after they’re finished and mailed.

Christmas gifts in more frugal times with grown-up children in the family are simpler, too. Just the thought of having to go to Toys ‘R Us is enough to elevate my blood pressure. We’re happy to have the reprieve for a few years before the grandkids come. We’d rather spend time with the kids than receive gifts ourselves.

Our friend Becky Blanton wrote a wonderful post about gifts at Christmas called Gifting and Regifting and the Magic of GIVING. Her point is it’s not supposed to be about GIFTS, it’s supposed to be about GIVING. Her muse and mine must hang out together from time to time, but Becky generally listens to hers better than I do:

In a season where people are focused on gifts, I think the focus on giving and why we give, is lost. If there is someone in your life that you love, that means a lot to you, that has helped, inspired or moved you in some way – let Christmas be a reminder to you to reach out and let them know how you feel. Don’t give because it’s expected. Give because it allows you to be vulnerable, to be real, to let someone know you care. Your gift doesn’t have to be expensive. It just has to be real.

Becky has distilled the many not-so-great associations with Christmas gifts we’ve all experienced into the reality of giving. Christmas simplified.

These days, there’s plenty to read in the blogosphere and traditional media about simplification. The”new frugality” permeates lifestyle features in every form of media. Our recessionary decade has ushered in the antithesis of the acquisition mode, and its excesses, that we were in throughout the 80′s and 90′s.

Coming from a family that didn’t have much when we were growing up, this is all very familiar. My mother could squeeze a nickel until it cried for mercy. When I moved to California in the 80′s it was like living on another planet, where everyone was racing to acquire. Minnesota’s culture was a little more subtle, but acquiring bigger and better was a big preoccupation with many. What I saw around me, and aspects of my own life, embarrassed me.

The pendulum has swung back and now simplification, uncluttering, and thrift are back again. Retailers like Organized Living or Totally Organized promote the idea of having everything in its place. Other sites, like Unclutterer.com, promote the idea of living with less altogether, accompanied by mindful decision-making on what we do have and keep.

Although, there are certainly elements within this trend that run the gamut. An article I read on Becoming Minimalist articulates the good balance that comes when frugality and minimalism work in tandem, citing the freedom to just be that comes with less.

Another article I read somewhere else talked about purchasing gifts at thrift stores – the ultimate in noble frugality. It cited a real score: a set of unopened drafting pencils – around $70 new – acquired for $5. Sounded great until I read on where the author wasn’t sure if they’d ever been used by the recipient. Doesn’t that kind of defeat the whole purpose of giving, thrift and frugality, I wondered?

A few months ago I read an article about “stealth wealth,” where folks buying expensive things felt compelled to downplay or hide them, for fear of critical opinions. How things have changed! Interventions are held for shopping addicts, and “retail therapy” now has a sinister undertone.

Perhaps what we have with all this is a kind of haute frugalité, with an overblown benchmark that will translate down into a more practical application in daily life, just as couture is reinterpreted into something people can actually wear. We won’t be reducing the number of things we own to 100 or less, but we can appreciate how much easier life is going to be without the things we don’t use.

Pete and I try and be mindful about what we give, hoping it’s something that will be enjoyably used.  We like to make gifts for people or give experiences if we can. Sometimes we fall short of the mark, and other times we’re right on the money. I beamed when son Ben was excited about the books he received. It meant that I was getting to know him well enough to anticipate what would interest him. I got a little verklempt when we heard from another child that “I have everything I’ve ever wanted.” Christmas is about giving in the way Becky describes it when these kinds of events occur.

Christmas is also the season to be inspired by others who give so much of themselves to others who have so little. I recently was introduced to this man’s cause and wanted to give you the opportunity to see a true saint, alive and doing the work of God:

I’m writing this and the blizzard is tapering off. It’s getting dark and we’re home, where we should be on a night like this. There’s stew with beef from our steer simmering in the crock pot, and tonight is our annual date to watch “It’s a Wonderful Life”together. We’ll set up the TV trays and bask in the warmth of the wood stove, and my husband will cry when Jimmy Stewart comes home to his family.  Just like he does every year.

Christmas simplified.

Related articles

• Getting Through Christmas Frugally (myinvestingblog.com)
• How to Have A Meaningful, Yet Frugal Holiday: Mint’s Personal Finance Roundup (mint.com)
• Green Christmas Ideas – Simple, Frugal and Ethical Holiday Gifts (lillslist.com)
• How Do you Avoid Mega Consumerism At Christmas? (ahighandnoblecalling.com)

Christmas Simplified is a post from: Passing Thru