HOMEMADE POLISH PIEROGIES

I had gone almost twenty-seven years of living without ever tasting a pierogi and even then, when I finally did try one, it was only the frozen variety! Being somewhat uneducated about traditional Polish cuisine, I didn't even know they were ever stuffed with anything other than potatoes and cheese! I found a recipe for homemade pierogies stuffed with ground beef and creamy farmer's cheese on the food network's website and thought I'd give it a try...

It was quite a lengthy/messy process even though the recipe was dubbed easy! I guess the creator did not have a toddler trying to "help" half the time!!! After making the dough, rolling it out, cooking then adding the filling, pinching them together, boiling them, then finally sauteing them with butter and onions...three hours later, they were almost worth it! :( The boys both liked them, but I thought they were too doughy (thick). If I ever attempted them again, I would use my pasta maker to roll the dough out extra thin and stuff them with potatoes, cheddar and jalapenos instead. Can't say I'll be signing up to make them again any time soon...the clean up was murder!!

JUST BECAUSE... A Saturday night with the guys...

They are both growing sooo fast!!

DOES ALLOWING A TWO-YEAR-OLD TO GAMBLE MAKE ME A BAD MOM?

First of all, please don't report me to Children's Services, he's not playing poker and drinking booze in a smokey room! But, I did make the mistake recently of bribing him with a $1 treat for good behavior after a long trip at the grocery store. (Hey, you've gotta be creative with a toddler ;) After we checked out, Ben remember his treat, which I had forgotten. We had one more errand to run and I told him he could pick out something there. As we were heading towards the door, he shouted, "I want a watery ticket!" (Occasionally, I will buy a scratch off if I'm feeling lucky, so he's seen the machine before where you choose your own ticket by pushing a button.) I reminded him that he could pick out something at the next store, but he insisted again, "I want a watery ticket, mom!"

Tired from shopping, I caved. This was not a battle I cared to fight. I put the money in and he chose a "Lucky Dog" ticket. He proudly held onto it so tightly as we walked out to the car and loaded up the groceries. I had to show him how to scratch off the ticket and it took him about five minutes to sort of scratch off all the numbers. When we got to Target, I asked him to show me his lottery ticket. To my surprise, he had won $10! "You won ten bucks," I excitedly told him. He was so thrilled, even though I don't think he really knew what that meant just yet. However, when I told him he could pick out a toy because he had won some "bucks" with his lottery ticket and he ended up with several cars, I think he caught on kind of quick...

So now, instead of candy or some junky plastic toy that kids normally beg for as a treat for good behavior, my son wants a "watery" ticket (I correct him every time, but he just can't say his L's very good :). The crazy thing is, yesterday was the first time he didn't win something! He couldn't really understand the concept of not winning "bucks" from that little piece of paper! I tried to explain to him that you don't win every time, but good luck explaining the laws of chance to a two-year-old!

I'm not sure if this is such a great habit to have started, especially at such a young age! It does seem to work really well as far as his behavior is concerned!! He's usually pretty good in hopes of getting his lottery ticket at the end of our trip! Growing up, my grandma would give us cards with lottery tickets in them all the time as a little gift for small holidays and stuff like that. It seemed completely normal to us! I'm sure we've gotten a few disapproving looks from other shoppers, but you can't please everyone in this world! I hope that it doesn't make me a bad mom, but I will argue that rewarding your kid a sugary treat that contains strange food coloring like red lake #5 and high fructose corn syrup can't be much better, right? Plus, he doesn't always get to spend his earnings on toys. I save the tickets and cash them in all together, then put most of the earnings in his piggy bank. At least he won't end up with cavities and possibly a weight problem! Go ahead, judge away!!!

RANDOM WEEKLY PHOTO

I am a flea market/garage sale junkie. I can't help myself, it runs in the family, I guess. I love a great find at an incredible price...think craigslist on crack!! I'll admit, sometimes you have to rumage through a lot of trash to find a treasure...but it's well worth it!

I found this one at the Rockbridge Flea Market which is HUGE during the warmer weather, every weekend! It's not an original, but it might be my favorite thing I've ever found at a flea market. For $30, the price was unbeatable for a print this size (its about 3 ft x 3 ft)!! I love the colors and could get lost within those trees!!

CHEECH & CHONG:

LIGHT UP AMERICA

Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong, Early 80's

My dad has quite an extensive record collection and I can remember him playing old Cheech and Chong LP's when I was a kid. That was my earliest introduction to the incredibly hilarious duo. Cheech and Chong: The Next Movie was, in my opinion, their best movie of all time...causing you to nearly pee your pants!!

Cheech and Chong are currently on tour and performed last night at the Palace Theater in Columbus. Their opening act was Tommy Chong's wife, who was HIGHlarious!! Cheech and Chong did a few of their famous skits like the "Mexican American" song, which had us literally in tears, but they also had plenty of new material that was so funny! A night filled with laughs and liquor was just what we needed...followed by a lot of munchies!!Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong, Today

WEEKLY RANDOM PHOTO

Wow, time flies!!! This was just two short years ago...my baby is getting so BIG!!

These Are a Few of

My Favorite Things...

A chilled glass of Sauvignon Blanc (my recent favorite, Starborough, from Marlborough, New Zealand), gourmet chocolates from Ethel's, especially the lemon caramel hearts (thanks Maggie ;), and a bouquet of bright red tulips (which I would prefer any day over tired roses)!

A DELICIOUS TREAT YOU CAN FEEL (KINDA) GOOD ABOUT

A friend of mine introduced me to the "No Pudge" brownies several months ago and I feel as though I need to let everyone know...they are so goey and fudgey, it's really hard to believe that they are fat-free!! All you do is add 2/3 cup of fat-free yogurt to the powder mix, which contains all natural ingredients (I kind of cheat, and use Stoneybrook Farms Low-fat Organic "Banilla" instead of fat-free. It makes them extra delicious and adds only 2 grams of fat to the entire batch). ONE brownie will set you back just over 100 calories. A word of caution though... it's really hard to eat just one and eating half the pan in one sitting is not exactly "pudgeless"! ;)

SILICONE BAKING SHEETS:

CAN PLASTIC TRULY BE SAFE TO COOK ON?

I was given a couple silicone baking sheets for Christmas and I am very skeptical about their safety. I have used them several times and they "smoke" in the oven. They cause the smoke alarm to go off every time! On top of that, while they are piping hot in the oven, they bubble up and look like, well, plastic melting! I've baked cookies and garlic bread on them and they've turned out fine and tasted completely normal, but I can't help but wonder if experts will tell us ten years from now that plastic baking sheets have been linked to causing cancer...

Not going to find out the hard way...I've retired my set. I can still use them for other things maybe, but these guys won't be seeing any more oven time!

FIRST "HOMEMADE" LASAGNA

For some reason, I have always shied away from making lasagna. Maybe it was all the layering, but it sounded a bit complicated and messy. Growing up in an Italian family, you'd think that would have been a staple food, but we ate homemade spaghetti and manicotti much more often! I decided to give it a try and, although it was a messy process, it was WELL worth it!! I can't claim that it was entirely "homemade" however, because I didn't use my own sauce (that would have taken even longer) and I didn't make my own pasta... (tisk tisk, Nonna, I know)!! I was given a family recipe, but there weren't many exact measurements and I since it was my first time making it, I decided to go with the tried and true recipe on the back of the San Giorgio Lasagna box! I added an onion, green pepper & garlic, plus used a little more cheese and sauce than they recommended, but it turned out absolutely delicious!! Seeing the satisfied, saucy smiles on the boys' faces as they scarfed it down made it all worthwhile!

DANCING JELLYFISH

On Valentine's Day, we visited the Newport Aquarium in Kentucky, across the river from Cincinnati. We had a great time and Benny truly enjoyed it. The jellyfish really seemed to amaze him! Despite it not being a very romantic day, it was filled with lots of love!! My Nonna, Aunt Anita, cousin Dan and his entire family spent the day with us feeding tropical birds, watching the sharks swim and the penguins waddle. There were so many cool exhibits and animals to touch and experience! It was well worth the $20 admission price, although the cafeteria food was way over-priced and a little less than appetizing! I love how they force you to walk through the gift shop upon exiting! Great marketing technique, I'll give them props on that!! Ben walked away with a rather sparkly seahorse, complements of Nonna!

HERE'S TO DREAMING...Humboldt County, California

Beautiful coastlines,
lush forests,
vineyards peppered throughout the hills...
and plants growing the way nature intended...

Looks like heaven on earth to me, I'm ready to pack my bags and move out there tomorrow!!!

WEEKLY RANDOM PHOTO

What can I say, I LOVE my boys!!

LIVE-IN ENTERTAINMENT: PART II

Last night, while Ben and I were reading books and getting ready for bed, I asked him if he wanted to read his "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" book before I tucked him in.

"And do the sandwich?" he sweetly questioned.

Puzzled, I repeated "sandwich" just to make sure, and he eagerly shook his head. I asked, "What does that mean?"

"You know mommy, with your hands!" he said, matter-of-factly.

"OOHH...Sign Language! Pretty close!!"

HILARIOUS!! (Maybe you had to be there)??

Had to add this photo...these two are best buds! Watching them together can be entertaining!

WEEKLY RANDOM PHOTO

Snow in the desert, out in Nevada...now THAT is random!!

TEN SIGNS THAT YOU AREN'T IN COLUMBUS ANYMORE...WELCOME TO LANCASTER!!

10) The number of pick-up trucks far outnumber any other cars on the road.

9) EVERYONE is white...unless they work at the mexican restaurant.

8) People still proudly rock out mullets...women included!!

7) The social security office is located inside the mall.

6) Cow-tipping is something kids ACTUALLY do to have a little fun.

5) People ride their 4-wheelers out on the street all day long.

4) Couples proudly wear their matching camouflaged hunting gear out in public.

3) At least 3 out of 5 vehicles has some sort of deer hunting sticker or decal on it.

2) Kids are allowed to miss days of school during hunting season.

1) The most popular type of winter coat for any age is, hands down, a Carhart!

ABSOLUTELY HILARIOUS!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vXIiuuJi-s

IF YOU ARE IN NEED OF A LAUGH, THIS KID'S REACTION TO ANESTHESIA AFTER A VISIT TO THE DENTIST IS SURE TO HAVE YOU IN STITCHES!!

NEW HAIRCUT & COLOR...BRAND NEW WOMAN!!!

A brand new outlook... Things are going to go my way this year!!!

HELP!!! WHAT COLOR SHOULD I HAVE MY HAIR DYED??

I'm thinking I may go darker this time...but I just can't decide! My natural hair color isn't quite as dark as Biel's hair on the left hand side, but it isn't as light as Alba's hair on the right side either! I usually play it safe and get highlights, EVERY TIME, but I want to switch it up!! I could go either way...I need some input!!

Definitely NO red of any kind!! I kind of like Alba's hair pictured below?! I might go shorter too! HELP! Any suggestions?

BEST NEW SHOW ON TELEVISION

Directed by Steven Spielberg, United States of Tara is one of the best shows I've seen in a long time! Toni Collette plays a woman with dissociative identity disorder (a.k.a. multiple personality disorder) and she has three wacky personalities that her loving husband Max, played by John Corbett, and their two kids deal with on a regular basis. This dark comedy is sure to keep you laughing throughout the entire thirty minutes as you get to know Buck, the redneck, T, the teenage tramp and Alice, the 50's-style homemaker. I would suggest you check it out on Sunday nights at 10pm on Showtime if you are up for a good laugh!