Happy Easter
Holiday Mamasita
Happy housewife, mother of four daughters and lover of the holidays/seasons, goes a long way to describe me. I want to share some of my thoughts and experiences as the seasons roll by. Hope you share some of my passions! Con mucho gusto! Holiday Mamasita Lauren Smith Goss
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Sunday Dinner at Goss Cottage
Our dear old friends, the DeLucias |
Sometimes we invite friends and sometimes family, depending on who is available, sometimes both, but either way it feels like a great way to end the week and get ready to start a new one. This week we are having our old friends the DeLucias over for dinner to take the burden of cooking off them as they wind down from of busy weekend of packing up their house as they prepare to move after 12 years in their home. As they are faced with change in their lives, I thought it would be nice to offer up some continuity....dinner with old friends isn't going to change.
The Menu
Gluten free Spaghetti and meatballs
Simple Green salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette dressing
Garlic bread 2 ways
Gainey Pinot Noir
Strawberry Parfait with a Chocolate Covered Strawberry on Top
The soundtrack from The Godfather
(This is where you get your kids to help you. My daughter, Natalie, thought it would be fitting to have beautiful Italian music serenading us as we break bread with our Italian friends, the DeLucias. Suffice it to say, the mood was just perfect.)
Gluten Free Meatballs
serves 8-10
4 links mild Italian sweet sausage
2 links hot Italian sausage
1/2 lb. organic ground turkey (dark meat, preferably)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup good quality finely grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup whole milk
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. dried parsley
1 tbsp. dried minced onions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees
It may be challenging to find organic meat in your town, but if you can, it is well worth the extra effort and cost. The more we demand organic food, the more available it will become and it tastes so much better. I use Lazy Acres, for this recipe because of all their organic meat choices. The sausage is sold in the butchers case, where I get it, by the link, but if you don't have that option you can buy a 4 pack of sweet Italian sausage in the meat dept. of your local grocery store. You can buy the hot sausage in the same place, but you'll have to freeze the extra 2 links for the next time you make this recipe. In a medium bowl, mix the eggs, milk cheese and spices. Squeeze the sausage out of the casings into the bowl and mix well with your hands. You can make the meatballs any size, but I prefer for them to be golf ball size. Spray a cookie sheet with nonstick spray and start rolling your meatballs. Put them in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. To remove excess fat, drain meatballs on paper towels. In a medium to large sauce pan, combine meat balls with 2 jars of your favorite sauce, making sure it is gluten free. simmer on low while you make the pasta.
Cook 1-2 packages of brown rice pasta, according to directions. The cooked pasta will look more yellowish than usual and very starchy. Not to worry. Just rinse the cooked pasta and dive in. It tastes great! (Nothing like that yucky wheat pasta!)
Remove sausage from casings |
Check label to make sure it's gluten free |
Simple Green Salad
with Gammy's Italian Torpedo Dressing (great on Torpedo sandwiches, too)
1 head red leaf romaine
1 red onion thinly sliced (optional)
1/2 cup shaved Parmesan cheese
kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
Wash the lettuce and spin in a salad spinner or dry on paper towels. Place lettuce in a large bowl, tearing into bite sized pieces. Add onion, cheese, S&P and dressing and toss well.
Torpedo dressing:
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. dried crushed oregano
3 cloves peeled and smashed garlic (leave cloves whole but crush them to release the flavor)
Mix all ingredients in a mason jar and shake before using.
Katheryn Gilligans Garlic Bread
1 stick butter melted
2 cloves garlic chopped finely
1 loaf french bread
Slice the bread, longways, with a bread knife and place on a cookie sheet. Add the minced garlic into the butter and spread generously over the bread. Broil on high for 5 minutes or until lightly browned.
This one is always a crowd pleaser!
For my gluten free friends....do the same thing on a few slices of gluten free bread. Not quite as amazing but it's serves the purpose.
I just found a bakery in my town, (Our Daily Bread), who will make gluten free bread in a baguette...All I had to do was ask.
Gainey Pinot Noir Specail Reserve |
Strawberry Parfait with a Chocolate Covered Strawberry on Top
4 cups rinsed, hulled and sliced organic strawberries
1 pint heavy whipping cream
1 tbsp. confectioner’s sugar (with a mixer, whip the cream until stiff peaks form. Don’t over mix. On low, add the vanilla and sugar, just to blend.)
16 oz. semi sweet chocolate chips
Get out 12 nice stemmed glasses. Presentation is important with this one. Layer the strawberries and whipped cream, starting with the strawberries and ending with the whipped cream. Cover each glass with plastic wrap, place on a tray and put them in the fridge.
With a bain marie or double boiler, simmer water in a pan while stirring chocolate slowly, in a glass dish, sitting over the water. When chocolate is almost completely melted, remove from heat continuing to stir until smooth.
Dip the paper towel dried strawberries into melted chocolate to cover most of the strawberry and set on wax paper lined tray to harden.
When ready to serve, remove plastic wrap from glasses and add a chocolate dipped strawberry on top. ~ gluten free decadence
I added a store bought gluten free cookie |
Sharing an evening of food, wine, music and conversation, with our dear friends was delightful. We have broken bread together many times in the past and are sure to do so many times in the future, but the warm feelings extended between our families will never get old.
Dave and Morgan shooting the breeze |
Flavored olive oil for dipping |
It does my heart good to see such concentrated eating ~
Tradition, my friends, tradition... it's the spice of life
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Happy Saint Patty's Day
Celebrate the day and our Irish ancestory, whether you're Irish or not, by wearing something green, enjoying some green beer, cornbeef and cabbage, and/or a Shamrock shake!
Shamrock Shake Recipe
Yes, I acknowledge the Shamrock Shake originated at McDonald's, but because my mother was the thrifty woman she was (& is), we always had the homemade version.
In the blender, add 2 scoops vanilla ice cream, 2 scoops mint chip ice cream, 1 cup milk, 1 cup lemon lime soda, and 3 Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookies and blend. Serve in a tall glass with whipped cream on top and a couple of extra Thin Mints!
Faith and Begorrah, that's good!
An Irish Blessing
May you always have walls for the winds,
a roof for the rain, tea beside the fire,
laughter to cheer you, those you love near you,
and all your heart might desire.
~ and may there be a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow ~
Monday, March 12, 2012
Americana : 100 Years of Girl Scouts
Juliette Gordon Low awarding one of her Girl Scouts |
Self-portrait of Juliette |
Bravo, Juliette! |
1931 |
1932 |
1964 |
1961 |
A current publication of American Girl magazine |
I am proud to say this is my 3rd year as a Girl Scout leader, sharing the role with 8 other co-leaders. We are a like minded group of women who are interested in teaching our girls about nature, civic duty, and loyalty to each other. My daughter Lizzie, who has graduated from Daisy to Brownie, has gained a lot from her time as a Girl Scout. Our girls are learning how to be good citizens, by visiting old folks homes, where they sing, deliver handmade notes and flowers, hold peoples hands and share their time; by helping keep the Earth beautiful, by trash collecting, gardening, and recycling; and by donating their hard earned cookie sales money to worthy causes such as our school, animal shelters, food banks, and homeless shelters, keeping just a little for their own pleasure. Our girls have learned how to appreciate the great out doors.
Playing the Dredle game |
Learning about our family's cultural traditions |
Our troop shares their favorite holiday dishes |
Alternately singing Christmas and Hanukkah songs |
Girls Scouts are popular for their support of young girls all over the world and throughout the ages, but they are probably best known for their iconic cookies. As my daughter set up a booth to sell cookies at a well traveled intersection in our neighborhood, we almost caused a few accidents as people made wild u-turns and skidding stops once they saw what we were selling. "I saw the Thin Mints and had to stop!", they would often exclaim. Most of us dread fundraising because it seems like we're constantly asking friends, family and complete strangers to support this effort or that, but selling Girl Scout Cookies is like taking candy from a baby. People actually anticipate it and it's a real learning experience for the girls. By selling cookies the girls learn how to set goals, to be responsible for and deal with money, and to speak up and be assertive while always being polite. Our girls ask for cookie donations for a local charity and for our soldiers abroad. This year my daughter, Lizzie, set a goal of donating at least 7 cases of Girl Scout Cookies to our soldiers. She was able to exceed her goal and donate just under 12 cases.
Lizzie with a personal message for the troops |
Last week, I co - led our Brownie meeting at my house, with 2 other leaders. The meeting was focused on learning about our founder, Juliette Gordon Low, and celebrating the 100th year birthday of Girl Scouts. We followed the timeline on girlscouts.org, that highlighted the life of JGL, as the girls cut out vintage Girl Scout paper dolls that I had purchased the year before, while visiting the historic home of JGL in Savannah, Georgia. We decorated cupcakes and then passed out birthday candles, preparing to sing happy birthday to Girl Scouts. Lynette, my co-leader, who had dressed up as Juliette Gordon Low, gave the girls a lesson on how to properly light a match. We lit our candles and blew them out...myself, making the wish for at least 100 more years of Girl Scouts.
Cutting out paper dolls |
Learning to light a match |
Girl Scout troop #1 |
Girl Scout troop #50724 |
Happy Birthday, Girl Scouts!
A Tree for the Future
Every spring
The sap rises in the trees
From root to branch
And makes a tree that looks dead
Blossom with green leaves
And life.
So it is that the Scouting Spirit
Rises within you and
Inspires you to put forth
Your best.
~Juliette Gordon Low
If you'd like to learn more about the amazing woman who was Juliette Gordon Low, I would recommend, Juliette Gordon Low: The Remarkable Founder of the Girl Scouts and Lady from Savannah: The Life of Juliette Low, for adults and for children, Juliette Low, Girl Scouts Founder, of the Young Patriots series.
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About Me
- Holidaymamasita
- Happy housewife, mother of four daughters and lover of the holidays/seasons, goes a long way to describe me. I want to share some of my thoughts and experiences as the seasons roll by. Hope you share some of my passions! Con mucho gusto! Holiday Mamasita Lauren Smith Goss