Mama's Dream

We all have dreams. Some are of a fab vacation, some are of winning the lottery, dreams of a bigger house, etc. Well my big dreams have been pushed aside. Most of all my hopes and dreams have all come true!!! I married my Prince Charming, Have 2 handsome boys, Get to stay home, etc. But all my BIG dreams I haven't even thought about in I can't tell you how long. My hopes and dreams also have changed, they all about the boys now. Hope they get into a good college, good grad school. Ok here is my low down on what I want to happen!!! High School Seton, Undergrad, ASU, Norte Dame, or USD, Medical School USC. There I said it!!! Both my boys do want to be doctors. Gabriel wants to go into sport medicine he wants to work with any pro sports team. He wants to be their team doctor. Matteo wants to be a ER doctor or trauma surgeon. HELLO what Mom doesn't want to say "My 2 sons are doctors"Im sure it will change but I can still dream!!!
We went to Seton Catholic High football game on Friday night. Boys had so much fun!!! As I looked around and took everything in. I got a little teary eyed. We got to go on the field, as I looked at the football players, I couldn't  help notice how BIG they are. Then I got choked up and teary eyed. OMG My boys will be that BIG in only a few years!!! Then I kinda got a sick feeling just thinking about it. UGH them dating, driving, going off to college, not needing me as much, I almost got dizzy. Later that night I told Gabe about me getting all freaked out. He said the BEST thing EVER. We are great parents and we can't stop time. Its going to happen. We are giving them high morals, values, and have big exceptions, we are giving them every opportunity life has to offer. If they screw up its because they are dump ass boys. We all have made mistakes, we learned from them and grew from them!!! UGH he is right!!
So my dream is so raise Happy, Healthy, Well Rounded, Sweet, Handsome, Doctors. Just maybe ill get one day  grandkids. OMG I just got a sick feeling again!! Them being married!!
So tonight Im making the boys their FAVE dinner. Pot Roast, mashed potatoes and candy carrots.

Pot Roast
4 lbs. pot roast
1 can Campbell's french onion soup
1 can Campbell's golen mushroom soup
1 can water
4 cloves mashed garlic
black pepper
all in crock pot 6+ hours

To make gravy from the roast, pour out the liquid and put in sauce pan.
bring to boil and mix in Wonder Flour Mix (mix 1/4 cup flour with 1/4 or less cup water in a cup)
bring back up to boil till it thickens. This is how my Mom always made it.

Mashed Potatoes
After boiling them use Half and Half , butter, and sour cream to mash them.

Candy Carrots
After they are streaming and draining them put butter and a little brown sugar on them. Your kids will LOVE them!!

Enjoy,
Anna DED

Would You?

Would you go back in time? If so what would you change? I would totally go back!!! Not sure if I would change anything. I think the mistakes I made were all stepping stones on who I am today. I would LOVE to go back and have that feeling of being "free". What I mean by that is having NO RESPONSIBILITY !!
No bills, no kids, ect. Just me hanging with friends, no where really to be at. I think it would be fun for a day. Being with friends i've haven't seen for 20+ years. No internet, no cell phones, no texting. That would be weird. Playing outside till the street lights came on. My boys don't even know whats that like. I have to sit outside while they play outside. We NEVER worried about being kidnapped or sexual  predators. We would play all day outside. Can't do that know days. Or Im just a OVER protective mom.  What age would you go back too? It would be a toss up what age for me to go too. Jr high  HELL TO THE NO!!!! Those were very AWKWARD years for me. High School maybe my senior year. I think my early 20's were some of the BEST times I had!!! Bar seen, dating, partying, traveling, getting married. The first 5 years Gabe and I were married we had no kids. We both worked our butts off and I put Gabe through Grad school. We had no money but they were the BEST times!!! Don't get me wrong we still are having a blast. But back then it was just us. Just to relive some of those day would be FUN!!! Thank GOD we have so many GREAT memories!!! Oh and how i so MISS being a skinny bitch!!! I so miss being a size 3/4!!!! Aww those were the days. LOL I so miss my mom doing EVERYTHING for me!!! My dishes, laundry, ironing, well stocked fridge. GOD bless my Mom for spoiling me. I NEVER did dishes, ironed, did laundry, not even really cleaned the house, only a few chores here and there. MAN when I got married I had to learn how to do it all!!! I learned pretty quick, and learned how to cook too. It would even be fun going back to when I was 5. Oh to ride my Big Wheel again!! Man I LOVED my Big Wheel. I LOVED to use the back break and spin out. Or roller skating all day with my BF Kerry. Man those were some good times!!! AWW the feeling of being "free".
Would you go back? If so what age?

Anna DED

Meal Ideas.
How about you make something that your mom made that you loved.
Make something that was your fave meal as a child and share it with your kids now.
Im sure your family would love that. 

Cute Italian Superstition.

Today is my Dad's "Real" Birthday. He was born Sept. 17. 1949 in a small house in Palermo Sicily. When my Great Grandma went to get his birth certificate in town she thought the 17th. is a very unlucky number so she put Sept. 18th.  On the birth certificate it says Sept. 18th not 17th. To this day we always celebrate Dads birthday on both days. Cute true story...
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY!!! XO

Anna


My "Winning" Iron Chef Recipe.

Creamy Carmel Fudge Apple Dip

1 brick of cream cheese
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tea. Vanilla
1/3 cup Mrs. Richardson's Carmel sauce
1/3 cup Mrs. Richardson's Hot Fudge sauce
1/2 bag of Heath Candy bar Chips
cut up apples

Mix first 3 ingredients
spread on platter
mix carmel and hot fudge together and micro for 20 sec.
pour on top of cream mix
top with Heath Bar Chips.
Serve with cut up apples. I like Granny Smith apples

Thank you to my BFF Dianna for giving me this recipe. She uses carmel and she puts salted chopped peanuts on the top. Which is YUMMY!!! But if you know me I always have to put my own twist on things!!!! Use your imagination toppings are endless!!

Anna DED

9/11

Do you remember where you were when the World changed? I do!! I was a new Mom, Jr was 4 months. I was nursing him in bed and my sister called me in a panic. "HURRY turn the tv on you cant believe what happen in NY!!!" Talking to my sister we watched the tv we saw the second tower get hit live. I had so many feelings. Between shock, broken hearted, worry, sick to my stomach, and feeling lucky all at the same time. Gabe had just come back from NY two weeks earlier. My sister husband Paul is from NY and has so much family that lives there. One of his cousin who is a firefighter we were all freaking out about. THANK GOD he called in sick that day. His crew or ladder (not sure what they are called)most of them were killed. After 10 years I still can't wrap my head around this EVIL!!! My heart goes out to all those people who lost their lives and most of all to their families. Im positive the pain and hurt that they feel will never go away.
I've been watching all the tv specials on this weekend for the 10 year. Their were so children who spoke about losing their Mom or Dad. One young man was maybe about 20ish really touched me. He was talking about not having his Dad around to watch him play football, teach him how to drive, see him go to the prom, see him graduate from high school,  give him advice about dating, seeing him off to college. Tears all weekend, all I could think is THANK YOU GOD GABE WASNT THERE!!! He was just there two weeks earlier. Jr could have been  just like that young guy. I would have never had Matteo. My life could have turned out so different. THANK YOU GOD!!!! I know as a Catholic we are taught to believe God has a plan for all of us. But the EVIL that happen on 9/11.I know God didnt plan for all this and didnt plan for those people to have lost their lives that morning. See I can't even wrap my head around this.

Thank you to all the service men and women fighting for our freedom.

9/11/2001 We will never forget.  That morning our lives changed forever.


Anna DED

Music

My family is real big on music. Gabe is the master at music trivia. We grew up watching of course MTV and still do. FYI we are proud we still do. As we watched the MTV VMA's we wondered when do they even play videos? We watch videos on youtube!!! Or VH1 sometimes has them on. MTV is all about the reality shows now. Then we talked about how music just isnt the same as it was when we grew up. WOW I SOUND LIKE A OLD LADY!!! Thank God for ipods my play list are full of 80's music. What happen to really great bands and their music? Or listening to a song can bring you right back to a memory from your past. Some of course good memories and some bad. I LOVE the fact my boys think Bon Jovi, Journey, Van Halen, Rush, Cult, AC/DC, KISS, ect. are all COOL!!!! If you think about it music is all around us. In our car, the song you first danced too, wedding song, National Anthem, there are even funeral songs,your work out play list to get you going, love songs, and I know a few friends who have their own "theme" song. If you had a "theme" song about you what would it be? What songs to like to "rock out to? You know you do when your driving down the road and that one song comes on. You know sing loud and proud because no one can hear you!!! Unless you have your kids in the car. FYI my boys have already told my I can't sing and my dancing in worse!!! They just have never seen me with a few drinks in me ROCK the micro or hit the dance floor!!!  Its a good thing there are no hidden camara's in my house!! I would be a YouTube HIT!! Not because Im good because Im that bad!! But I don't care,  my boys  think Mom is a weird-o,and embarrassing. Isn't that one of a Mom's job to embarrass our kids?

Im sure there will be many BBQ going on this weekend. Burgers, Hot Dogs, Ribs, etc. But what about the sides? Here are some kicked up sides.

Root Beer Baked Beans

Recipe courtesy Aarti Sequeira

Show: Aarti PartyEpisode: Cooking with Fire!

• Recipe categories: Meat, Bacon, Vegetables, Beans / legumes, 
  more

• Recipe
• Ratings & Reviews(0)

Be the first to rate this recipe

Total Time:

1 hr 10 min

Prep

5 min

Inactive

20 min

Cook

45 min

Yield:

4 to 6 servings

Level:

Easy

• Print Recipe
• Full-Page Viewnew
• Save to My Recipe Box
• Review Recipe
• E-Mail
• Share It!

• Tweet

Ingredients

• 4 slices bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 large white onion, finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 (12-ounce bottle) root beer
• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoons molasses
• 1 tablespoon grainy mustard
• Hefty pinch red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon garam masala, store bought or homemade, recipe follows
• 2 (14-ounce cans) cannellini beans (white kidney beans), rinsed and drained
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Set a medium oven-safe pot over moderate heat and add bacon. Cook until most of the fat is rendered out and the bacon is crisp. Prepare a plate with paper towels, and using a slotted spoon, remove the bacon from the pot to the plate. Set about a quarter of the bacon aside, for garnish.

Add the onions, garlic and ginger to the pot, and saute until soft and golden. Add the tomato paste and cook until the tomato paste deepens in color, about another minute.

Next add the root beer, cider vinegar, molasses, grainy mustard, red pepper flakes and garam masala. Stir to combine. Then add the beans and bacon, and gently stir so the beans don't lose their shape. Taste for salt and pepper, then pop into the oven, uncovered, until the mixture thickens, about 30 minutes. Remove the beans from the oven, let it cool slightly, and sprinkle with reserved bacon and serve.

Add a photo

1 of 9 Photos

Ramen Coleslaw

By: Mary 

"This is nothing like the mayonnaise based coleslaws that most people think of."

 Rate/Review | Read Reviews (349)

Prep Time:
15 Min

Cook Time:
10 Min

Ready In:
25 Min

Servings  (Help)

USMetricCalculate

Original Recipe Yield 4 servings

 

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 (3 ounce) package chicken flavored ramen noodles, crushed, seasoning packet reserved
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds
• 1/2 medium head cabbage, shredded
• 5 green onions, chopped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, sugar, ramen noodle spice mix, salt and pepper to create a dressing.
3. Place sesame seeds and almonds in a single layer on a medium baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven 10 minutes, or until lightly brown.
4. In a large salad bowl, combine the cabbage, green onions and crushed ramen noodles. Pour dressing over the cabbage, and toss to coat evenly. Top with toasted sesame seeds and almonds.

Antipasto Pasta Salad

Gourmet  | June 1992

• recipe
• reviews (64)
• my note

Antipasto P

yield: Serves 8 to 10

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less but requires additional unattended time.

ingredients

• 1 pound rotini or fusilli (corkscrew-shaped pastas)
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard
• 1/3 cup red-wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 ounce (1/2 cup) sun-dried tomatoes (not packed in oil), soaked in hot water for 5 minutes and drained well
• 1/2 pound smoked mozzarella, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• a 1-pound can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 3 1/2 ounces sliced hard salami, cut into julienne strips
• 10 to 20 bottled small peperoncini (pickled Tuscan peppers)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes
• 1 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leafed parsley leaves, minced

print a shopping list for this recipe

preparation

In a kettle of boiling salted water cook the rotini until it is tender and drain it. Refresh the pasta under cold water and drain it well. In a blender blend the garlic, the mustard, the vinegars, the water, the oil, and salt to taste until the dressing is emulsified. In a very large bowl toss the pasta well with the dressing and stir in the sun-dried tomatoes, the mozzarella, the garbanzos, the salami, the Tuscan peppers, the red pepper flakes, and the parsley. Chill the salad, covered, for 1 hour. The salad may be made 2 days in advance and kept covered and chilled.

I hope everyone has a great Holiday weekend and please be safe!!!
ENJOY,
Anna DED