Mom Tiger

I grew up watching Mr. Rogers Neighborhood, so it was no surprise that I fell in love with Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. My 1 year old also fell in love with it several years ago. Luckily, he still enjoys watching it at 3 years old.

The show centers around Daniel Tiger, the son of the original Daniel Striped Tiger (Mr. Rogers hand puppet). The program is targeted at preschool-aged children, and is based on the Neighborhood of Make-Believe. Two 11-minute segments are linked by a common socio-emotional theme, such as disappointment and sadness or anger, or being thankful and appreciative. The theme also uses a musical motif phrase, which the show calls "strategy songs", to reinforce the theme and help children remember the life lessons. We often sing Daniel Tiger songs that apply to our situations.

I learned so many new ways of parenting from this show and am intrigued by Mom Tiger (Daniel Tiger's mom). I appreciate her patience, firmness, actions, and choice of words. While I have my own style of parenting, I incorporate her ways into mine.

One of the shows features a song titled: When We Do Something New. When my son was 1, I began using this song to talk about what to expect. While the song focuses on talking about what to expect when something is new, we did that and what to expect in general. He grew up genuinely appreciating and listening to me explain what we are going to do and/or what to expect. It led to us talking about the next day when I lay in his bed with him after prayers. He says: Let's talk about our day tomorrow! We start with waking up, having breakfast and continuing with something he or I may have going on the next day. If he hasn't had one of our homemade frozen blueberry muffins in awhile, I will throw that in the conversation. Something to look forward to. After all, they are his favorite breakfast. We may not always have something going on the next day, but we always wake up, have breakfast, play together and play outside.

I don't sing the song anymore, but I still talk about what to expect. We had an emergency room visit on Easter Sunday night. He DID NOT want to go. He was scared and very upset. I explained how doctors and nurses are helpers just like police officers and fire fighters (his favorite), and they just want us to feel better. I also told him what to expect when we get there (from checking in to taking x-rays) as we were in the backseat while my husband drove. He calmed down and knew exactly what to expect when we arrived.

I am grateful for all Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood has taught my son and I. We do still sing some songs and have our favorites. "You gotta try new food, cause it might taste goo-ood. SO-O good!" Great episode. And guess what! He tries new foods. He may not like it or want to finish it, but he tries it.



My Martha Pic

Recreating the cover of a Martha Stewart cookbook, from 1984, was one exceptionally fun cocktail party of 3.

The day I posted the intro for my blog, my mom sent me a picture of a recipe she and I were texting about. When I asked where she got the recipe, she sent me a picture of the cookbook she was looking in. I could not stop laughing when I saw it. How had I not see this cookbook before??! I'm still discovering things about this woman I'm so close to. I thought, "Oh my goodness! I have to recreate this picture." It captures what I love to do...entertain, cook and create.

I'm all about bringing humor to our lives in this ever so critical world we live in, which is why I wore my bridesmaid dress from 1994 and pearls given to me when I was a child. I used a mix of mine and my moms things, vintage from the 80's and modern from today (my napkins, her plates from the 80's, etc). Old and modern...exactly what my blog is about. The only things I purchased for the picture were food and flowers.

There have been many requests for "the shrimp appetizer" featured in my picture. It was also served at the Be Wine Party and has been in the family for over 20 years. Here is the recipe!

hands on time: 45 minutes
total time: 2 hours, 45 minutes
feeds 10 with other appetizers; makes about 45 shrimp


Snow peas, deveined
1 1/2 pounds peeled and deveined boiled shrimp (20-25 count)
Marinade:
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon chopped garlic cloves
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt


Boil snow peas for 4 minutes. Drain and cool.
Marinate shrimp for at least 2 hours.
Wrap shrimp in show peas with a toothpick to hold. Drizzle remaining sauce over shrimp.
*TIP* Whole Foods will steam your shrimp at no charge. It's already peeled and deveined. All you have to do is slide off the tail!

Thank you to my girl friends for taking my picture and turning it into such a fun girls night!

The Real Deal Bolognese Sauce

I'm particularly partial to the Bolognese sauce served in Italy. I created a recipe that reminded me of the days I ate pasta with Bolognese sauce every single day while traveling in Italy. One thing I realized during the years it's taken to perfect this recipe is how exceptional it tastes with grass fed ground beef. The grass fed beef consistency is better and tastes delectable. Menus in Italy featured fettuccine, instead of spaghetti, with Bolognese sauce. While we are a whole wheat pasta family, this sauce is great with any type of pasta. I prefer the sauce with fettuccine or linguini. I also love it over spaghetti squash. The recipe freezes well.


hands-on time: 20 minute
total time: 1 hour, 5 minutes
makes 6 servings


2 tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 carrot, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 pounds ground beef
1/2 cup dry white wine
2  28 oz cans crushed tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon red pepper
2 teaspoons oregano
2 tablespoons parsley
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
1/4 cup fresh grated parmesan (optional)


In a large, tall pot, over medium heat, heat the oil. Add the onion, and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the celery, carrot, and garlic and cook for 5 more minutes. Add the beef and cook until brown. Add the wine and the remaining ingredients. Check for more salt. Simmer for 45 minutes. Serve with pasta or spaghetti squash. Sprinkle with parmesan.


I recommend using only the ingredients listed in the recipe. If you're using a substitute, it will change the flavor and consistency. Also, I choose a tall pot, because the sauce tends to pop a little while simmering. If I'm using a short pot, the sauce pops out of the pot onto the counter or onto my clothes.

Served over spaghetti squash