1980 Our Wedding & Italian Wedding Ring Cookie Recipe

We celebrated our 30 year wedding anniversary recently. Here are a couple of photos from the event 30 years ago. I often joke that the entire Italian populace of the city was at the wedding, after all, I'm related to one half of the Italian population in the city and Hubs is related to the other half! : )

This was a time and place when we attended a liturgical church, much tradition and a beautiful place indeed.


That was then, this is now. : ) Voila!

Today we have four daughters ages 27 to 16. We have homeschooled now going into our 21st year. God is good.

Thumbprints of our four precious daughters...


Did I ever tell you about the day my Aunt Margaret called my Grandma? My mother relays that the beige phone rings there in my Grandma's simple house...ring-a-ding-a-ding-a...ring-a-ding-a-ding-a....

My Grandma: Hello (New Orleans accent mixed with Southern Bellishness)

Aunt Margaret: Oh Josie, my heart is black...my heart is black...

Grandma: What's-a-matter Margaret?

Aunt Margaret: It's Michael...He's leaving the priesthood....My heart is black...

You all can imagine how the conversation went...Like something from a movie. Poor, poor Aunt Margaret. Michael was one of she and Uncle Johnny's sons. He was leaving the priesthood to marry a nun he had met realizing God's plan. Before you get any ideas and start imagining things, ; ) please know he left with honor and the marriage was with honor. He is a wonderful and warm speaker these days and professional counselor...Neat man.

My Aunt Margaret was my Grandpa's sister, and she was a sweetheart. She and Uncle Johnny had a great little grocery store, now a yuppie grocery and delicatessen in a museum district. My Grandpa was a sweetie as well, a quiet soul, once an opera singer in New York as a young man. Do you know how my grandpa was discovered? As a very young man, he was hanging his clothes to dry on the clothes line outside of the building window there in New York, singing up a storm and a lady from the opera house heard him singing! That started his career singing in opera houses in New York as a young man. His mother later came here from Italy and called him to her new resident in another state and bless his heart, his singing career was put on hold indefinitely. He later did what he also loved...he became a professional fisherman and shrimper on the waterfront... Every now and then my precious shy grandpa would belt a song out, and it was glorious indeed. The Great Caruso on the Bay! (He and Mario Lanzo really did resemble each other as younger men) Yes indeed, just ask my mom.

When I think of my Italian heritage I sometimes think of the elaborate wedding showers the Italian women would give. One of the offerings they would delicately and artfully make with their loving hands were Italian Wedding Ring Cookies. I remember these type of cookies for the first time as a very, very little girl standing around a table adorned with a lovely lace tablecloth in the night hour at a most elegant but homey shower, these little cookies were the most beautiful pastel colors imaginable...I remember looking up at the young ladies standing around the table in their 60s dresses, high heel pumps and flip hair dos. What a classic memory. It is something that should be in a book or magazine.

You know what I keep on my formal table? My grandma's lace tablecloth she never used, poor Grandma, she saved everything for one day when she would have what she called a pretty house. I use that tablecloth now, and it is a sweet and precious daily reminder of my grandma.

I bring to you today a wedding cookie recipe from my mother in law's files:


Italian Wedding Ring Cookies

1 cup shortening
3 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla
7 cups flour
4 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. salt

Beat eggs and vanilla together. Cut flour, shortening and sugar together as you do pie crust, then add to egg mixture. Let rest 1 hour. Roll dough to shape of pencil, shape into small wedding rings by twisting around your little finger and cut. Bake at 325 degrees for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. When done, drop into icing to coat and then put on wax paper to dry.

Icing:
1 box powdered sugar
1/4 milk
1 to 2 drops food coloring
lemon juice, if desired

Mix sugar with milk to form a medium consistency to coat cookies. Add small amount of food coloring. We always use assorted colors -blue, pink, yellow and green.


These cookies are "little pretties" for the table...It's not a real Italian Wedding Shower without them! : )

I hope you all are having a sweet week in Christ. It's all about Christ and Christ alone. It's a personal relationship with Christ that counts, not head knowledge. May we be Jesus with skin on to others. : ) Please feel free to visit my Vision For a Godly Home.blogspot for recent must-hear messages such as "What Love is This?" by Dave Hunt

Reminiscing Through Recipes

Hello everyone, I've been awol...I know. We are building a home in the country to move to. Yes, I can hear those birds sing now....We won't talk much about the six foot snake I almost stepped on. (I did a left-face that would have made even Gomer Pyle envious.) I have named the fella, Humphrey. Humphrey is not poisonous so we let him slither on over to the next partial of land...We are contracting this home ourselves, my hub just loves doing this type of thing so it keeps us quite busy.

This evening our four daughters and I did Father's Day with hubby after a light day of just fun shopping, a venue at Home Goods for a few practicals including one impractical....a whimsical serving bowl with a pretty color design and a bird painted in it...the girls just loved it, it was on clearance, a small price to pay to bring such smiles to the girls' faces and some newness for our diner table. : ) Our trek also included a stop at World Mart looking for a cute comfy chair for dd24 for her upcoming room in our new house in the country. It was fun, just getting out a bit, I did find two rather comfortable pair of sandals as well at Ross...yay for comfort. I had gone into Ross because you see I have been reading "Sidetracked Home Executives" and I'm on my way to de-cluttering and getting on the ball with some things.

The book, "Sidetracked Home Executives" is hilarious by the way! I bought a used older 1981 version after reading the reviews that the only difference in the newer version is they mention the card system on computer as well as card box. Phooey with that, I'll keep my card system...The book is so funny and I can relate to a lot of it...I literally LOL'd. So. To make a long story short, I de-cluttered a black patent clutch bag from the 80s, and then retrieved it back again out of my huge garbage bag full of purses not being used and awaiting the Purple Heart truck picker uppers. Why you may ask? You see my normal more up to date (resale shop find) black patent clutch that is an almost constant companion on date night with with the long strap has broketh....The cost of a new bag is expensive so I told my dd24 that I would de-clutter permanently the 80s bag but only when I have replaced it with a reasonable black patent one. I am shocked to see prices of $25. and more for a little black bag for Pete's sake. So if you haven't already guessed, that 80s black patent bag will keep it's place for now on my closet shelf in case of a dressy occasion.

Speaking of the card system...When we got back in from our fun spree, we were wondering what dessert would dd27 make for DH for our little Father's Day meal? I found my handy dandy card file from years ago....Years ago. Actually it was stuck on the 7th day of May 21 years ago, the time my sweet step daddy passed away. Yes, it was a major disruption and huge heartbreak in life. I miss him greatly. He was a talented sculptor with humility and mercy plus. A poor artist but rich in character, an Italian from the Bronx. I loved him and so did my girls...That will be another blog. : ) He was awarded the Purple Heart and sculpted Dr. Denton Cooley's family monument, a modern human heart, the same one but smaller scale of the large one in front of the Medical Center. As I write this, I suddenly see how ironic it is....my poor stepdad suddenly died of a heart attack...he barely made it onto the stretcher and to the hospital. My mother remembers seeing his head slowly turn to the side under the hospital marquee lights as he lay on the stretcher under those bright lights. My mother went home alone in a taxi with his clothes draped over her arms...

But today is Father's day for my hubs...A great guy...A godly guy. Neither of us are perfect and we don't always see eye to eye on every little thing but when it comes down to it....We are most times like Scout and Jem in To Kill a Mockingbird...And of course we pray together and have some great date nights and can still make each other laugh as well. : ) He is my protector and encourager. In fact, speaking of the sidetracked home executives? One day last year I was in tears at the state of affairs in our room, it was a mess to behold in the way of laundry baskets and I was feeling a bit overwhelmed. It was one of those days. I remember looking down at his loafers as he stood by me as I sat crying and he just simply matter of factly and kindly said..."Don't worry it will get done..." His home had a part time maid and nanny....manicures and all that goes with that. I don't do manicures and I've always enjoyed raising our own children, it's a blessing and privilege. : ) And that meant going without a car for a time, nothing was worth taking me away from our children. It's a privilege to help make our home a place of stability and peace, family dinner on the table for us to enjoy and look forward to in the evenings is one of our favorite times! I'm so thankful Hubs has been a good father and husband as well as a godly support to me. It means a great deal to me that he appreciates these sweet things and is a down to earth guy, he appreciates my creative side and I, his. It definitely helps keep things in proper perspective.

Okay, back to that desert.

I was looking through my card file for a peach cobbler recipe my old friend Kathy had given me years ago, I'll be a monkey's uncle if I could not find it. I did find my old friend, Teresa's roll recipe which we put to work for us tonight...I also found Barbara Bush's chocolate chip cookie recipe too! Those are good!

But no peach cobbler recipe....Phooey.

Then it donned on me. Aha! My old friend Sandra, the friend that had 5 boys....yes. I had her Swedish Pineapple cake recipe passed down through her family!

I found it feebly written on an old envelope sharing it's place of honor with an old 20 year old grocery list of "stamps, ear drops, baby-tylenol, cotton balls..." along with purple crayon writing that said "Call Laura at home"...It was crudely punched in my Betty Crocker cookbook halfhazardly on one of the rings...Is that not a hoot? But ya know? At least I knew exactly where to find it! it is right next to the piece of paper also hastily punched in that book with my MIL's chicken & rice recipe....yes indeedie I say. (At least I know where they are at!) ; )

Thought I'd share the recipe with you all. You may want to make one of these for your Father's Day celebration!



Sandra's Family Swedish Pineapple Cake Recipe

Mixing by hand:

2 c. sugar (dd27 used half)
20 oz. can crushed pineapple
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
2 c. flour
1/2 c. nuts

Ungreased 13 x 9 pan.

350 degree 30 minutes


Icing:
1 8oz. cream cheese
1 stick butter melted
3/4 c. sugar melted
1/2 c. nuts if desired

Pour icing mixture on cake in pan after cake is baked (we cooled it a bit first)




I'm not sure what happened to Sandra...She was part of a core of women from the church we attended years ago, we would share maternity clothes, give each other intimate little baby showers in our living rooms and it was a real sweet time. Yes, a real sweet time.

Mom's needing encouragement? Please feel free to visit my other blog too: Vision For a Godly Home

Hope everyone is having a good and godly weekend! If I seem to be awol say a prayer that everything is going smoothly. : )

Blessings to all! And to all a good night! ~Amelia

Three Patriotic Movie Greats Honoring Our Vets

Wowee movies we saw today...Amazing. Inspiring. True stories....Movies of Excellence. The Best.


God is My Co-Pilot (1945)
The trailer doesn't touch the virtue, poignancy and excitement of this movie but thought you might like to see it. A true story as you will see.

Talked with my 80 year old dad today, he saw this when he was young and remembered it.


Another movie great, one of my all time faves, we are talking wowza. The true story of the famous Doolittle Raids. Stars galore.
Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo. (1944)

I found the book written by one of the pilots who lost his leg played by Van Johnson in an antique store, the letters of missionaries are in the book who had ministered to him when he underwent the horrible tragedy. Amazing.

And guess what friends, it is showing in all parts on youtube at present.
Here is Part I to get you started:




One more, this is pure greatness. Christ glorifying.
Sergeant York (1941)

Another true story of one of our marvelous brave vets.

Familiarize your children and youth with these heroes, these are the real deals. Sergeant York's conversion to Christ is amazing...It's all here in the movie. A Farm boy turn hero. His simple life is beautiful. You may notice the clips on youtube of the real Sergeant York. Very interesting history.


Any of you who remotely know me at all, will know I absolutely must post this pic of my mom and dad in honor of our vets, my dad and mom are now 80 years old. My dad would want to tell all of you to please honor our fallen vets who gave their all. My dad is of German background, my mother, Italian.

It was amazing hearing Glenn Beck yesterday speak of how the Italians, Germans and Japanese who were American citizens were treated during WWII. I've heard the stories before but it never ceases to shock me what happened and could happen.

My dad tells me just today of my Italian grandpa being fired from the shipyard during WWII. My dad tells me you could have never found a better American than my precious Italian grandfather.


May we honor what is truly honorable once again in this country. May those of us who know what is right and good with a healthy fear and love of God band together and pray lifting our great country up in prayers. May we live it in our homes first and foremost. Some may say we will never be Ozzie and Harriet again, no that is not true. As for me and my home we will serve the Lord, we will be that family with old fashioned values keeping Christ first. Please don't buy into the culture.

~Amelia

P.S. If you are a stay at home mom needing encouragement, take a listen here. Enjoy. Be blessed.

Must See Video Footage

This is something to see, it's on the Tennessee flood. The video speaks for itself. Let's pray for these people, if you've ever been flooded you know the agony and emotional trauma.

Our home was flooded more than once, I remember vividly boating out with my baby in my arms, three little girls and Hubs as he tried to guide the leaky little boat, trying so very, very hard to reflect on our God as I tried to admire the reflection of the huge country oak trees in the water.

I remember laying across my bed in black rubber boots as the muddy water swirled around the dust ruffle of my bed and noticing a white paper square floating in the dirty water, I picked it up. It was my baby's ultrasound photo. ....I remember well.

For direct link to see: full screen

With Love from Italy & Mr. Smith

Ciao!

I thought perhaps you all might truly enjoy my Italian Green Bean recipe. Around this part of the country, the Italian ladies would make this for many Sunday dinners, gatherings, etc.

It's easy to do and not exactly an heirloom recipe so I feel free to give it out here, hope you enjoy it. My Aunt Margaret and my grandma had a way of making dishes extra wonderful. Aunt Margaret was my grandpa's sweet sister by the way.

The secret ingredient my grandma and Aunt Margaret used? Cheese. Not mozzarella cheese mind you. My family was never big on mozzarella. One of my funniest memories was my quiet little Italian grandpa at a pizza restaurant laughing and laughing as he stretched the mozzarella cheese a foot up in the air and calling it "rubber" laughing all the while. It was a hilarious sight I must say ; ) Romano and Parmesan, the hard cheeses were the prize ingredients in our family and of course the Ricotta that Cousin Phillip made. ; )



Italian Green Beans

Either use cooked fresh green beans or plain frozen green beans running hot water over the frozen til thawed.
Place green beans in casserole dish and toss with olive oil. Sprinkle with garlic powder, romano or parmesan cheese and bread crumbs. Toss well. Bake at around 400 turning every now and then until evenly browned.

Make it with love and care that's the important part. Enjoy the good eats and feel the love. : )

I brought this to Ms. Helen's Country Cottage Full Plate Thursday. What a nice gathering!




At present I'm watching Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
I hope you will enjoy this trailer...




A movie GREAT by Frank Capra.

Capra films usually carry a definite message about the basic goodness of human nature and show the value of unselfishness and hard work. His wholesome, feel-good themes have led some to term his style Capra-corn, but those who hold his vision in high regard prefer the term 'Capraesque'.

Frank Capra was from the same town, Bisacquino, where my grandfather immigrated from in 1915, he and Capra actually resembled each other. Frank Capra remained a conservative Republican throughout his life.



If it's one thing that makes me sad...It's when people give me a half smile when they hear of old movie favorites as if they are thinking the old classics to be saccharin. Dear me. Oh that our world would BE what they might foolishly consider saccharin.


I hope you all are having a luverly week. Yes indeedie...

*Live* *Love* *Laugh* *Pray Hard*

Let's hold our country up in prayers. Let's be a "Mr. Smith" ~Amelia


Freel free to check in on my Vision For a Godly Home for an awfully sweet retro video by Red Skelton, a sweet wake up call.

Totally from the Heart, "Unperfectionized" in the Words of my Daughter, Marianna.

Scout, Dill and Jem from To Kill a Mocking Bird as they peer into the courtroom, their father, Atticus played by Gregory Peck is the ultimate gentleman and walking lesson in humility as well as the defendant, Tom Robinson.

I was in the mood to blog...My mother is here today but is napping, so I thought I'd squeeze a blog in.

Last night it was just hubby and I, our four daughters had scooted out to a Bible Study so it was one of those oh my. It's just hubby and I, what am I going to fix for sup?

By the way, I'm listening to the theme to To Kill a MockingBird and the song, Boo Who is playing, oh it's so very beautiful, so sentimental. If you know me, it's just me. It just screams life at me...past, present, future... I'm remembering my dad when he was young and how I worry about him now. He and mother are 80 years old but my father lives three hours away. I'm an only child. Enough said?

Life travels before us...My daughters who I thought would forever be young and climbing trees, playing with baby dolls are now old enough to be moms with babes of their own, my baby, Rebecca is 16 and has established with the good Lord's help that photography will very well be her vocation these days...She's my artsy one.


~Self Portrait by Rebecca

The one with the blue green eyes and light hair, the sensitive one who tries to hide it. Once when my dad was visiting years ago, his pipe ashes had dropped on our new carpet. He had no idea. After he had left we found little burn holes in our carpet. I never mentioned it to my dad....No. It wouldn't have done anything but harm. But my little one, Rebecca...She was so sweet, she said in her little voice...

"It's okay Mommy, Grandpa didn't mean anything...he didn't mean anything..."

Now she is more of a quiet gal, very contemplative but when we have buddy time she talks and shares her heart and I enjoy that very much. Her quiet waters run deeply, and the sensitivity is there but under wraps these days as she tries to retain her young lady dignity and I see her blossom with her own unique style and such...It seems not long ago she cried real tears as she held one of our dogs, Charlie at the pound, tears running down her cheeks as she said she loved him. He had been the pet of the week, we had just lost one of our sweet dogs and the newspaper photo of Charlie so resembled her. I remember my husband's loafers there as I sat down squatting next to her and our Charlie... Rebecca was to buy Charlie with her birthday money in a tattered birthday card envelope she had brought to the pound. Charlie lives here now along with our other three doglets. Two others were literally rescued from the streets. They are truly our fur angels and I do not believe God takes it lightly how we treat animals. The older I become the more in tune I am with that.

"Charlie" taken by ~Rebecca

Last night it was just hubby and I as I was saying...the girls had stepped out to a young people's Bible study in the metro.

Hubs offered to pick something frozen at the wholesale club but ya know...I had frozen chicken breasts in the freezer, much simpler I say. We didn't want to go out because tonight hubs and I will go out while Mother is here. Mother loves to cook up something for she and the girls and then she and our girls watch an old movie... Fun times. Hubs and I step out for a date of sorts.

I threw together a nice little recipe...Oh and by the way, do you know what I call hubby and I? I call us Jem and Scout from To Kill a Mockingbird, and sometimes when he is "misbehaving" ; ) I call him Dill. I'm not near as tom-boyish as Scout but when we visit the countryside an entire other side of me comes out...It's the side that will even spit into the trees. Yes! I do that, (when no one is looking of course). I have to laugh to myself when I do that, Most people would never imagine...never.

Okay, back to my recipe. This was quick and easy and I did not take a pic. So imagine away...

RECIPE:

I just took two frozen chicken breasts out. Frozen still....I put dijon mustard on them and drizzled with honey. I then sprinkled liberally with garlic powder, parsley and basil flakes and put them in the oven at 400...Oh for about 20 minutes....Then I flipped them over and put the same ingredients on the other side plus added water to make it's own glaze so to speak. After that side was done a bit, I sliced them butterflied thinly and let them finish up in that wonderful sauce it created for itself. It was delicious. So in a little over 40 minutes I had a luscious dinner.

I served it with brown rice and pea salad. My pea salad? I put vinegar and oil along with salt, pepper, and garlic powder and refrigerate. I used canned peas. I don't use canned veggies very often but this is the way it was fixed when I grew up. My entire family loves it...You can make this with fresh green beans too. It's wonderful on a warm day.

That's the rambles and thoughts from me this week at least for now... Speaking above of To Kill a Mockingbird, I wrote an entry on my other blogspot, Vision for a Godly Home, entitled What Character do We Play?

Also I've just recently posted a precious, precious Red Skelton video on The Pledge of Allegiance, it will bless your heart,it's there on Vision for a Godly Home as well.

Let's remember, life is whirring faster and faster, it's like a roller coaster. What will we write in our journal of life today? What character do we play?

Take care, let's look to the Lord, He is our Hope. ~Amelia

Hi-De-Ho, A New Recipe and Fun Napkins for You to Make!

Hi-De-Ho and away we go...

The other night I was getting ready to make a recipe for supper, you know the famous question..."What would you all like for supper?" For our family, supper time is a special time, nothing fancy but we do look forward to it. It's a time of gathering together and just enjoying good food and conversation.

Well to make a long story short I had my eyes in my Betty Crocker's cookbook I've had since I first married in 1980. My eyes fell upon this recipe I've never tried. And ya know? It was so the Lord....I had everything on hand, and it turned out very nicely! It was a very pretty dish as well and I think it will be nice for company. A tried & true type of recipe that should suit most tastebuds.

Here it is, and a picture to boot.

Chicken-Broccoli Bake

(The broccoli was brighter, and it had a pretty glaze)

2 T butter

2 T oil, I used olive oil

6 small chicken breasts (about 2 pounds) I used 4 huge breasts, boneless, skinless, and sliced thinly.

1/2 tsp. garlic salt, I used garlic powder and my own salt

1 can (10 3/4 o) condensed cream of chicken soup, I use healthy request.

1 can (4 oz.) mushroom stems and pieces

1/4 c. water

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves

2 packages (10 oz. each) frozen broccoli spears. (I used florets, half a huge economy bag)

1/2 tsp. salt

Heat butter and oil in oblong baking dish, 13 x 9 or larger in my case, In 400 degree oven til melted. Place chicken in dish, turning to coat with margarine mixture. Arrange chicken skin sides up; sprinkle with garlic salt. Cook uncovered 30 minutes.

Mix soup, mushrooms (with liquid), water, Worcestershire sauce and thyme. Rinse broccoli under running cold water to separate; drain. Remove chicken from oven; drain fat if needed. Arrange broccoli along sides of chicken; sprinkle with salt. Spoon soup mixture over broccoli.

Cook uncovered until chicken is done and broccoli is tender, about 30 minutes. Garnish with paprika and ripe olives if desired. 6 servings

Dd24, Marianna made roasted potatoes drizzled with olive oil with fresh rosemary, fennel, oregano and some lavender sage from her herb garden. : )

My little napkin project. Fun & Easy.

This is some Mary Enghelbreit fabric my daughter found on clearance. It's black with tiny little red cherries & white dots on it. I cut sqares I had left over from a skirt I had made. I made most of my squares around 10 inches, some are not perfectly this size, I just did what I could. I didn't hem the edges, I just zig-zagged the edges on my handy dandy Brothers machine. A couple of years ago, I bought the least expensive (at the time) Brothers model from Walmart and am so satisfied with my little machine. It's the blue & white model.

Edit 11.5.10 I have also recently purchased the pink & white Brothers machine so our daughters would have a machine so we can have fun sewing at the same time. I am very satisfied with that particular Brothers machine as well. You can't beat the reasonable price online at Walmart.

Another thing I've found that works well for our cloth napkins is when I find the cute handkerchiefs from Hobby Lobby? I cut those in fourths, and do the same with them. And I have 4 new napkins per handkerchief. It's fun, it's easy and I can afford to pick cute patterns. It doesn't have to be matchy-matchy poo-poo.

Here is what I did with my napkins so my family can grab a napkin easily:

Sweetness. Comforting, Cozy, Cotton Cloth Napkins

Special thanks and appreciation to my dear friend, Adam, a sweet Christian young man. He graciously gave me the "Beautiful Blogger" award. Y'all go say hello to Adam, he's a nice Christian fella. One thing I especially appreciate about Adam and his sister, they are very kind and considerate to me, leaving comments from time to time as they see fit even though I'm old enough to be their mama. : )

For thoughts on appreciation, respect and good manners feel free to stop by my visionforaGodlyhome.blogspot

Have a sweet rest of the week folks!

This post is also linked to Life as Mom for more money saving tips and encouragments. : )