Everyday Beauty

Candied Pecans

If you're looking for a quick and easy little homemade gift to give, I don't think you can go wrong with these Candied Pecans. But be careful....you might find yourself eating them up before you can package them and tie the bow.

You will need:

4 cups (1 lb.) pecan halves
2 egg whites
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt

directions:

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Spray a large metal baking sheet with non-stick spray.
Place pecans in a large mixing bowl. Beat egg whites and vanilla in a small bowl, and pour the mixture over pecans. Mix well until all the pecans are coated. In a separate bowl, mix the sugar, cinnamon and salt, and pour over pecan mixture. Toss and mix well to evenly coat.

Spread the pecans on the baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for 1 hour, turning and tossing every 15 minutes. Allow to cool completely before packaging them in small tins, bags or paper-lines boxes.

Now that there are only 4 days until Christmas (YIKES!) I am off to bake some more. And wrap. And bake. Oh, and I'm thinking of finishing the stockings I started making years ago......I'll let you know how that goes!

xo Andrea

Chewy Sea Salt Caramels

This week I made some Chewy Sea Salt Caramels that I wanted to share with you. Since I can't give you each a piece, I thought I'd give you the recipe so you an whip up a tasty batch for yourself.

You will need a candy thermometer and a bit of patience, but it's worth it. They are chewy and delicious, and I have yet to meet someone who doesn't enjoy them. I'll be including a tin of these with the gifts I put together for my children's teachers. The babysitters in the nursery at church will also be getting some, as well as famiy and friends.

 

INGREDIENTS

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

1 pound light brown sugar

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1 cup light corn syrup

1 pinch of salt

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 to 2 Tablespoons coarse sea salt

 

DIRECTIONS

Generously butter the bottom and sides of a glass 9x13" baking pan.

In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, combine all ingredients EXCEPT for the vanilla. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Heat until the temperature on your candy thermometer reaches between 235 and 24o degrees F. Continue to cook for 2 more minutes at this temperature. You have to stir constantly, scraping the bottom so the mixture will not burn. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract.

Carefully pour the VERY HOT liquid caramel into your buttered glass pan. Wait about 1 minute and sprinkle coarse sea salt on top of the caramel, using your preference of how much salt you want to add. The contrast of the sweet caramel and the salt makes for a wonderful combination of flavors.

Allow it to cool completely at room temperature. Then remove the caramel slab from the pan and cut into squares using a large sharp knife or strong kitchen scissors.

Wrap each piece in waxed paper and twist the ends.

Enjoy!

Holiday Picture?

Considering using this one to include in our Christmas cards this year. It is quite comical and quite typical. Sofia is 2 going on 16. Heaven help me. As you may know, trying to get a great photo of multiple children is like trying to herd cats. But I have to say, I laugh out loud everytime I see this picture.

Just thought I'd share my laughing moment with you!

Birthday Bunting & a Bit of Reflection

This weekend I'll be celebrating 36 years of life. Gosh, I remember typing a very similar post talking about turning 32. That seems like yesterday, which is a bit scary. This past year has been all about change for me, in good ways. There was a time not too long ago, where I'd walk past a mirror and hardly recognize myself. Bags under my eyes, a neglected self with no spark, no twinkle in my eye. I wasn't sure how I got there, but I was darn sure I needed to get back to the me I loved, nurtured and recognized. We are all who we are, eternally, aren't we? Deep down, that ember never dies, we don't really change, but we can get so caught up in other things, feelings and routines that cloak us in a frightful foggy mess.

 Balance, balance, balance they say. I do believe "they" are right, whoever they are.

All this babbling and carrying on to say only this: remember who you are, who you love, who loves you, what you love, what you stand for, and what you believe in. Don't forget the little treats that make your heart sing. And don't forget to love yourself first. You will have even more love to give everyone else!

Happy Birthday to me.
xo

p.s. Oh, and the bunting was just a little something I stitched for Sofia's 2nd birthday party coming up in May. I think I should hang it up for my own birthday this weekend, what do you think? And George, I would love to order the window treatments for the kitchen windows and banish the old lace panels. Wink, wink. ;-)

Easter Snapshots

I know it's been a week now, but I hope you had a beautiful and happy Easter! It's a holiday I always love, but it seemed especially nice this year, being here with all of our family. We took the kids to the town park for an Easter egg hunt on Saturday, and then to Grandma & Grandpa's on Sunday for dinner and another egg hunt.

The house was fluffed up and decorated for the holiday, which is just enough but not too much that I dread taking it all down.

I love the playful Easter egg colors of this dress I found at Target....(even if it had to be layered with a shirt, leggings and a cardigan to keep the Spring chill away!)



My older son had his game face on with a strategy to get lots of eggs in the park when they blew the whistle. Luckily it was arranged by age group....

3...2...1...go!



And this little man was just so happy to be there, he couldn't stop smiling.





Kisses for Papa.

Easter morning in the playroom, photo courtesy of my 7-year old son. Ha ha...

The day wouldn't be complete without the annual Easter Day family photograph. I remember Easters in the past with snow flurries. This one was a gorgeous welcome to Spring!

Easter Mallow Kabobs

Easter really snuck up on me this year. I can't believe it's nearly here! We have been so busy with the house, focused on renovations and decorating, which is part of the reason I've been away from this blog for a while. That, and just the usual busy-ness that goes along with keeping three small children fed, clean, happy and healthy! 

But I found a few spare minutes today and took these pictures. I just can't resist cute marshmallows, and few bags found their way into my shopping cart a month ago, with plans for Easter Mallow Kabobs.

One little tip I will share with you about the kabob.....wet the wooden skewer before you try to pierce the marshmallows or you will have a sticky mess that looks terrible. Trust me on this one.

I placed each finished kabob in a plastic bag (the slim ones intended for pretzel rods) and with a few turns of a twistie they were finished.

Found these cute twisties on etsy:

So easy and fun. I am a kid at heart, so I'll admit these are as much for me as for the kids!

Flashback to "The Feast"

Thanks so much for the warm welcome back! It is really wonderful to be blogging again. I thought I would go back in time a bit and recap what's been happening around here since I last blogged in June. It was a crazy but wonderful summer, filled with family outings, celebrations and memories in the making for the kids, which is exactly why we moved to Ohio.

One big bonus to living here (for us) is that there are so many Italians......and therefore lots of Italian festivals and great restaurants and delis. My husband is in his glory. As most people probably know, food and family are the backbone of Italian-American culture, and the NE Ohio area welcomed thousands of immigrants during the big wave of immigration at the beginning of the last century. Many of the families have stayed for generations, and I think half the kids in Mario's school are Italian. There is even another Mario in his class, which we never thought would happen!

In August, we headed to the Murray Hill section of Cleveland for the annual "Feast of the Assumption", more commonly known as "The Feast". Most Italian festivals coincide with holy days in the Catholic church. You celebrate by eating good food, visiting the catherdral, peeking inside the bakeries (and buying a pound of cookies and some cannolis), and shopping the antique shops and boutiques. Just hanging out together and enjoying the energy of the gathered people. Good stuff.

Of course no festival is complete without rides for the littles. Sam rode this truck ride no less than 10 times. And he seriously thought he was driving.



Sofia's first cannoli!

And filling her belly with homemade cavatelli. Heaven!

I know it's just a festival, but it's really important for us to stay connected to our heritage. Although so much has changed since my grandparents' generation, family traditions, special recipes and stories can be passed on forever.

Mother's Day Love

 
Mario colored this precious picture for me, and was so excited when he gave it to me. Aren't these the best kind of presents? I have a box full of his handmade treasures I will never part with. It's sweet to think about what goes through his little mind as he's drawing a picture. His favorite shirt at the moment is a red one, that he would wear all week long, and sleep in if I let him. The fact that he put me in a pink dress cracks me up, and my crazy hairdo is not too far off from reality! I love the happy clouds and sun (wearing sunglasses of course) and trees. Observing the innocence, wonder and happiness of childhood is one of
the greatest gifts of motherhood.

I hope all of the mamas out there have a Happy Mother's Day!!!

First Easter

 
We spent Easter out of town, with family, and had a wonderful holiday weekend. It was Sofia's first Easter, and I kept reminding myself that she has no clue what Easter even is....so there was no need for a fancy basket. So, she got a book and a soft bunny and a few marshmallow bunnies. She enjoyed chewing on all items equally as far as I can tell!

 
We managed to get one family picure where we are all sort of looking at the camera and no one is crying or pouting, so I thought I'd share it. I hope you had a happy Easter too! 

Thirty Five

 
So, today I turn 35. And it's funny because sometimes I still feel 16. Heck, sometimes I still feel 6. Do we ever really change? With each passing year, we grow and learn, of course, but the core of who we are is so solid. Deep down we always remain the same person with the same needs, hopes, desires, fears, sensitivities and loves.

And each year holds nearly infinite possibilities. We have no idea what is really in store for us in the next 365 days! That is a bit scary, and very exciting at the same time! I am making a promise to myself to remember to LIVE each day this year with passion, gratitude and kindness. With so much to be thankful for, life is just too short to settle for anything less!

Thanks so VERY much for your gracious comments, messages and emails about the new site! I'm so happy you like it. It was the perfect way to kick off my 35th year!

With Love (and balloons and cake), Andrea