Opinions please....

Just ordered this skirt from Modcloth.com because despite having the poors, I really need a couple new outfits for the spring dog and pony show down at The Brewery-- a two week event during which I don't have to wear my smock OR my hairnet.

Plan to wear it with a crisp white shirt and a pair of wicked pointy sling-backs.

Question: Cute or crazy?

Frugal Feasts: Spring Break

Image courtesy of Not Worth Mentioning.com

Spring break is over and our college students have returned to their distant campuses, suitcases crammed with their sibling's pilfered clothes and pockets stuffed with our last twenty bucks.

Just between us, those weren't tears of sadness we were dabbing from our eyes as we waved goodbye.

It's not that we don't love them, or want to spend time with them; it is just that all the book learning seems to have pushed the common sense right out of their heads, and we are exhausted.

Try spending 10 days with a sophomore philosophy major having metaphysical arguments about what exists (beer cans under the pool table), and how to understand what exists (how the heck did college sophomores even get beer, and why aren't they smart enough to stuff them into the recycling bin before we find the little boys playing a game called Liquor Store and start yelling?).
You'd be weeping too.

August seems so very long ago. We dropped them off in their nice dorm rooms, so happy that they liked their roommates and their newly declared majors. We were so proud they were gaining knowledge (which is now used to condescend to us), learning new games (named for exotic locations like Beirut) and honing their time management skills (staying up all night writing papers because they spent the weekend long-boarding in traffic). We, and they, were in a very, very good place.

And then...college break, woo hoo! We know it is hard for them-they've been off on their own, managing pretty well, as they're quick to remind us, and now they've got to deal with our suburban reality. Since we are not vampires, we'd like it relatively quiet after midnight. Since our bathrooms do not have a big drain in the middle of the floor, we'd like most of the water to stay in the shower. Since we are not running a cafeteria, grill and/or a coffee shop, we are not interested in providing food and beverages whenever a hunger pang pops up. And since there is no soapy conveyer belt and Mom is the only underpaid food-service worker, please bus your own table.

You can try the "my house-my rules" thing and it might work out for you-we have found it to be a losing battle. They are pretty good kids, they've kept their grades up and their scholarship money intact, so what are we going to do, throw them out? Make them feel uncomfortable in their own homes? We'd prefer to save that for when they bring home a daughter-in-law we don't like.

When our darlings return for a little R and R they always request the same family favorites, and we are happy to oblige-at least the first night. At Suzanne's it is her One Hour Beef Stew, served the French way on top of garlic-rubbed baguette slices. And yes, it is ALWAYS made with organic, family-farm raised beef; this one was named Stanley, thanks for asking. At Robin's it is her Creamy Chicken Enchilada Nachos-a wacky crock pot recipe that uses both tortilla and tortilla chips and is positively addictive. It also keeps warm for hours, great for feeding the family at 6pm and then (bonus!) the college students with the 2am munchies.

Photo by Ken Williams for The Concord Monitor

Suzanne's One Hour Beef Stew
Makes 8 Servings

The key here is to cut the stew chunks in half or quarters so they cook quickly. If you'd prefer to keep the chunks larger, and have the time, toss the whole thing into a crock pot after browning and add the vegetables for the last hour of cooking.
8 servings
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
2 ½ pounds chuck for stew (not lean)
4 tablespoons olive oil (approximate)
1 large onion, minced
5 cloves garlic, 4 roughly chopped, 1 cut in half for serving
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 bottle dry red wine
6 carrots peeled and sliced on the diagonal into 1 inch pieces
1 pound package frozen pearl onions
¾ pound page frozen petite peas
Flat leaf parsley for garnish (optional)
16 1 inch slices baguette for serving

Cut the stew meat into pieces no larger than 1 inch on any side. Sprinkle well with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper.

Heat half the olive oil in a large, covered Dutch oven or heavy stew pot over medium heat. When oil starts to shimmer, scatter some of the beef over the bottom of the pot. None of the pieces should be touching or they won't brown. Allow the beef to cook undisturbed for 3-4 minutes to create a nice brown crust. Stir, cook for another 3 minutes, and remove with a slotted spoon. Continue browning all the beef in small batches. Add more oil as needed, and watch the heat so that the bottom of the pan doesn't blacken.

When all of the meat has been browned, add the onion and garlic and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring constantly, for about 2 minutes until the onion is fragrant. Reduce the heat as necessary to prevent the garlic from browning. Add the bottle of wine and stir with a wooden spoon to release all the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add back in the beef, along with the bay leaves and the thyme. Cover and bring to a simmer. After about 45 minutes the beef should be nearly tender. Add the carrots, stir and cover. Cook for another 7-8 minutes and then add the pearl onions and the peas. Let cook until the vegetables have warmed and the beef is tender-another 5-7 minutes.

To serve, rub each of the slices of bread with the cut side of a garlic clove. Lay two slices into the bottom of 8 shallow bowls and pour the stew over the bread. Garnish with the parsley.

Photo by Ken Williams for The Concord Monitor

Robin's Creamy Chicken Enchilada Nachos
Serves 8

3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 large (26 ounce) can condensed Cream of Chicken Soup
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups sour cream
1 7 ounce can diced green chili peppers
12-15 slices pickled jalapeno peppers
2 teaspoons ground cumin
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (more or less to taste)
12 small flour tortillas
3 ½ cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Sliced green onions
1 large bag tortilla chips for serving

Place chicken thighs in a large pot and cover with water by 2 inches. Bring to a simmer and cook slowly until the thighs are firm and no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Drain, shred and place in a large mixing bowl.

Stir together the soup, garlic, sour cream, spices, green chilies and the jalapeno slices. Pour over the shredded chicken and mix well.

Lightly spritz a 5 quart crock pot with cooking spray. Layer 4 tortillas across the bottom of the pot, overlapping as necessary. Top with half the chicken mixture and one third of the cheese. Repeat another layer of tortillas, chicken and cheese. Top with the remaining tortillas, and then the remaining cheese. Cook on low for 4-6 hours.

Serve on top of tortilla chips, garnished with the green onions.

Boycott Perfection...perfect

I just had to steal this, it made my day.

I have never been a perfectionist.
I have days when I wish I were perfect, or at least more driven, or more concerned with my appearance....but I'm not.

So when I saw this terrific blog, Be More With Less, life on purpose on my friend's Facebook page, I had to steal it.

It justifies me (and all my imperfections)

10 Reasons to Boycott Perfection

Perfect people are boring.
Perfect people are tired.
Perfect people are anxiety ridden.
Perfect people are passionless.
Perfect people are obsessive.
Perfect people are not spontaneous.
Perfect people are too precise to be forgiving.
Perfect people are too exhausted to be grateful.
Perfect people are not good with change.
Perfect people are not perfect.

When perfection is your goal regardless of what you are doing or being you miss what you set out to do, or be, in the first place.

And who needs that?

My Ears are Bleeding

Happy Friday...





This is the musical equivalent of Sandra Lee's Semi Homemade Kwanzaa Cake.

I'm not sure if it's the look or the idiocy of the lyrics:

Yesterday was Thursday (Thursday)
today it is Friday (Friday)
We, we, we so excited
We so excited
We gonna have a ball today
Tomorrow is Saturday
And Sunday comes afterwards

Or the combination of three head and massive hair,

but

Rebecca Black:





might just be Teresa's long lost daughter....

What He Said....

In 1939 the British Ministry of Information created this poster. The intent was to fortify the public's resolve in the face of coming war, and the crown was used to make it seem like the King had issued the proclamation.

According to Wikipedia (huge grain of salt taken, thanks) it was never used--it only became public in 2000 when a copy was found in a used bookstore and turned into posters, dish towels and tote bags by some enterprising entrepreneurs.

None of which dilutes the message.

It's become my mantra.

Chance of getting a new position down at the brewery diminished by the fact that I am not a girls varsity soccer coach? Keep Calm and Carry On.

Struggling to fulfill the endless requirements of the mortgage company to get a restructured loan? Keep Calm and Carry On.

Income taxes due in a Month and no money left? Keep Calm and Carry On.

Hair grayer and skin wrinklier today? Keep Calm and Carry On.

Roped back into lacrosse scheduling to get a discount on the season fees? Keep Calm and Carry On.

Ah well, whatever the outcomes, it's a far better plan than my old one.......

The Fru Gals Take One for The Team!

Photo by Ken Williams for The Concord Monitor

The team dinner is a terrific idea; get the entire squad together for a pep talk, some carbo-loading and a little bonding the night before a big game. We’re talking about the Moms here—though we’re pretty sure the athletes enjoy it too. Is it the good manners that we’ve tried to pound into their skulls that compel our children to raise their hands and offer us up as hostesses at least once a season? Or is something darker at play—perhaps payback for all the times we’ve dragged them on marathon quests to find wallpaper and window treatments? Let’s go with good manners, shall we?


We like to grumble, but we honestly feel the same way about the team dinner as we do about driving the carpool—the inconvenience is far outweighed by the priceless opportunity to observe the group dynamics—it’s like John Hughes’ entire opus come to life. At every team dinner you’ve got the seniors who are as cool as Ferris Bueller and just as ready to jump on a float and grab the microphone. Next come the underclassmen, solid and loyal, and about as unappreciated as Ducky in Pretty in Pink. And then there are the freshmen. Oh how we love them, full of unearned swagger and confidence; a whole tribe of Farmer Teds looking to make a name for themselves even if it means convincing one of the good girls to lend an undergarment to the cause. Never mind the fact that we are older than the Griswolds were when they finally made it to Wally World; in our mind we’ve got just as few candles in our cake as Molly Ringwald had in 1985.


The goal of the team dinner is to get everyone in, fed, and out again with a minimum amount of collateral damage to your budget, your house and your last good nerve. An easy menu of pasta, salad and bread is clearly the way to go here. Most of the other parents are so grateful it isn’t their turn they are happy to supply desserts and drinks, so with a little work in advance the team dinner is a snap, even on a weeknight.

While there is nothing wrong with a crock pot full of meatballs and five pounds of spaghetti, we like to make two or three big lasagnas for team dinners. They can be made in advance and popped into the oven, leaving plenty of time for a sensible glass of wine to fortify you for the onslaught. We’ve run our favorite tomato sauce based lasagnas before; you’ll find a link to them on our facebook page.

Today we are featuring mushroom lasagna. Yes it does involve making a white sauce, but the results are heavenly—perfect for those dinners when you’re expecting other parents to attend—or if you’d like to butter up the coaches. And if you really cannot bear the thought of making the sauce, crack open a couple jars of Alfredo sauce and use that instead. The bread recipe is a keeper—it’s from our new favorite cookbook, The Pioneer Woman Cooks—we’ll be featuring more recipes from this book, and a giveaway in our next column. The cupcakes speak for themselves.

Mushroom Lasagna
Makes one 13X15 inch pan, or about 20 small but rich servings

2 1-pound boxes lasagna noodles

For the white sauce:
1 stick butter
½ cup flour
1 quart whole milk, warmed
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon nutmeg

For the mushroom layer:

3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds sliced mushrooms
4 cloves garlic, minced
8 ounces cream cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack
2 1 pound boxes lasagna noodles
Chopped fresh parsley, for a garnish (optional)

Cook the noodles according to package directions. Drain and lay flat on clean, damp kitchen towels; cover with a layer of plastic wrap or a couple damp kitchen towels to keep moist while you work on the rest of the dish.

Make the white sauce: Melt the butter in a large, heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk for 1 minute to cook the flour, reduce heat as necessary to keep flour from browning. Add the warm milk and whisk until the sauce is smooth. Keep whisking until the sauce bubbles and thickens, about 3 minutes. Add the nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste. Remove from the heat and set aside, whisking occasionally to keep a film from forming on the top.


Prepare the mushrooms: Heat the butter and oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and turn the heat down to medium low. Saute, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms have browned. Add the garlic and sauté for one additional minute. Reserve about ¼ cup of the best looking mushroom slices to use as a garnish. Add the cream cheese to the rest of the mushrooms, turn the heat down as low as it will go and stir until the cream cheese melts and makes a smooth sauce for the mushrooms. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To assemble the lasagna:

Ladle about ½ cup of white sauce into the bottom of an oiled 13X 15 inch lasagna pan. Cover with a layer of noodles, overlapping slightly, and cutting as necessary to fill the pan. Spread with half the white sauce and half of the shredded cheese. Top with another layer of noodles. Spoon all of the mushroom sauce over the noodles and spread out into an even layer. Top with another layer of noodles. Ladle the rest of the white sauce over, spreading to cover the whole top. Sprinkle evenly with the remaining cheese. Cover with oiled aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for an hour if the lasagna is at room temperature; 1 ½ hours if it is right out of the refrigerator. Remove from the oven and let sit, covered, for another 20 minutes to firm up. Garnish with the reserved mushrooms and serve.

Photo by Ken Williams for The Concord Monitor

Cheesy Olive Bread

A new favorite adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks
Makes 1 loaf of deliciousness

1 14 ounce jar pimento stuffed olives
1 15 ounce can black olives
2 cups Shredded cheese – Monterrey Jack and/or Cheddar
½ cup mayonnaise
½ stick butter at soft room temperature
1 teaspoon hot sauce, more or less to taste
1 large loaf soft Italian bread

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Drain and roughly chop the green and black olives and place in a large bowl. Add the cheese, mayo and butter and stir well to combine. Add the hot sauce and stir again.

Slice the bread open along one long side, making sure not to cut all the way through. Lay the open loaf on a double layer of foil that is about 6 inches longer than the loaf of bread and slather with the olive mixture. Grasp the foil and gently slide the loaf into the oven. Bake for 15 minutes until the cheese is bubbly. Carefully remove from the oven and cut into one inch wide slices—a pizza cutter is perfect for this.

Photo by Ken Williams for The Concord Monitor

Spaghetti and Meatball Cupcakes

Ridiculously easy—from the awesome book Hello Cupcake—and the perfect dessert to send along to a team dinner that you dodged hosting!

Please check our facebook page for step by step instructions

24 vanilla cupcakes baked in white wrappers
2 cans vanilla butter cream frosting, NOT whipped frosting
12 Ferrero Rocher hazelnut chocolates
½ cup seedless raspberry jam
1 quart size Ziploc bag

Spread each of the cupcakes with a very thin layer of frosting—about a teaspoon each. Group the cupcakes together on a serving platter or in a large, shallow pasta bowl so they are bunched tightly together.

Stir the frosting well—it should be very creamy and soft—if it seems a little hard, nuke for 5 seconds to soften up. Fill the Ziploc bag with the frosting and snip a very small hole in one corner—take off less than a quarter inch of the bag. Squeeze the bag for a second or two over a plate to make sure the hole you’ve cut allows a spaghetti-sized squiggle of frosting to come out. If the squiggles are too skinny snip off another tiny bit of the bag. If the hole is too big, get another bag—having the frosting look like pasta is the key here. Using a very free flowing motion, squeeze long draping squiggles of frosting all over the cupcakes. As the frosting piles up you should be able to easily bridge the gaps between the cupcakes. Continue until it looks like a typically messy bowl of pasta, making sure to allow some of the frosting to go over the edge of the cupcakes.

Scoop the raspberry jam into a small bowl. Thin with a teaspoon or two of hot water and stir until smooth. Add the candies and stir to coat well. Use a spoon to artfully place the jam and the candies on top of the pasta. Place one of the candies on the side to make it look like it rolled off.