Whooooo!  Glogg fest was, yet again, a total blast!  This year, to symbolize unity in our fractious world, we asked all of our guests to come sporting uni-brows.  Once again, to the credit of all friends, we were NOT disappointed!  Be sure to check out the fest album in my pics!

The fest wound down pretty early Sunday morning..around 3am-ish.  Just a few hours later, when we awoke, the ground was covered in the very rare Portland snowfall.  It was beautiful, but COLD!!  About 24 degrees or so.  Needless to say, we relented and actually turned the heat on.  Our out of town guests at least deserve that much...lol!

Anyway, it got really icy so there was no school today, hence the three day weekend.  It was kind of nice being cooped up for a few days with our friends.  Joanne just left for the airport to head back to Tulsa.  Eric will be here a few more days.  Back to the grind tomorrow for all...school and work...oh, but what a fun weekend!!

Dear readers, it has been a snake's age since I have updated this blog.  As life with two growing children gets more hectic, my poor blog has become a bit neglected.  I will try to update more consistantly, I promise.  In the mean time, I have my recent trip to NJ to tell you about.

I flew solo to NJ this past Saturday so that I could attend a memorial dinner/ reunion my sister was hosting in honor of our beloved mom, Crazy Nell.  As most of you know, we lost our mother to cancer and Jen planned the reunion to fall on November second, the tenth anniversary of mom's passing.  There was no way I would not attend.

So, Jen picked me up on Saturday afternoon at Newark airport.  We went back to Jen's place after taking a rather round about route home...(Jen missed our exits we were so busy laughing already)  We were not home too long, when we happened to look outside and see the gas BBQ grill was literally lit up like a bonfire.  After some rushing around and some singed arm hair, the problem was taken care of.

Jen informed me that we were going to a halloween party that evening.  The party was going to be attended by many people that I had known my whole life growing up in NJ, so I was geared up to go.  Luckily, most of my clothing is black (when the hell did I become a goth chick?) so I just threw together a black skirt, black leggings, black shirt, black boots and of course, a black webbed cape'y thing.  Yes, I had packed all of that into my carry on luggage.  I then put my hair up with a plastic bottle inside of it to help it stand straight up.  I was about 6 and a half feet tall and I was ready to party.

The party was fun.  It's always amazing to see people that you have known a long time.  One of the highlights of the evening was when a friend walked in dressed as a "SHAMWOW".  Yes, it's true.  He won best costume.  I actually won a prize as well..."honorable mention".  In all honesty, I think I received the best prize.  While the other prizes were all plastic trophies, my prize was a bottle of red wine.  PERFECT!!  We left somewhat early since the next day was the dinner party for mom and Jen was expecting over 65 people.

The following morning, Jen awoke to a power outage, and her whole kitchen floor covered in turkey drippings.  She had set the turkey in the oven the night before and timed it to turn on at 7am.  During the night, the juices leaked out of the foil roasting pan and dripped all over the bottom of the oven and out onto the kitchen floor.  It then caught on fire when the oven turned on.  Luckily, Jen is a light sleeper and came down before the entire kitchen was engulfed in flames.  (I was actually thinking I should go stay at a holiday inn or aomething since she had two fires in less that 8 hours.)  The electricity being off is not that big of a deal for my sister and her husband.  Jeff is a very handy, handsome survivalist.  He just hooked up the generator and "whaa-la" we were cooking.

The guests started arriving at 1pm.  It was awesome to see everyone.  My dad, uncles, aunts, and cousins.  My siblings and their families.  Jon's mom, brothers and their families came also.  Friends of my mother's also attended.  Basically anyone who had enjoyed the company and love of my mom came to celebrate her life and legacy.  And what a legacy...there are now ten grandchildren between my siblings.  Actually, there were so many kids at this party that we were thankful the weather was beautiful so the kid's could play outside.  There were TWENTY FOUR children at this thing with the oldest being 11 and the youngest being 1.   Anyway, I got to reconnect with some family members, meet some young relatives for the first time, and laugh my ass off.  We enjoyed a wonderful slideshow that Jen had put together.  Dawn and her mom showed up and it was a blast.  Everyone who attended had a wonderful story or memory of mom to share.  The house was filled with laughter and love.

A very fitting way to celebrate mom's life.

Once you become a parent, you gaze in awe at the small, amazing creature that is made up of half your DNA, and you wonder, what will this little person be like once they grow?  Will they like pickled eggs like cousin Kevin?  Will they be athletic?  Will they be practical jokers? Where will their passions lie?  These questions and more are in abundance as one embarks on the parental journey.  You stare at that tiny face and allow yourself to dream about the person this infant will become.

The reason I'm waxing sentimental in this manner is because of the pride I've been feeling recently regarding my children's interests.  For instance, all those hundreds of pounds of rocks and minerals I've been lugging around for the past 20 years are now the current interest of  Harrison.  He is positively enthralled by rocks, minerals, gems and fossils.  He wanted a rock tumbler for his birthday and now he polishes rocks and makes them into jewelry.  Some of it quite nice, really.  We took him out to central Oregon a week or so ago to do some rock hounding, and he had a blast as we found stained basalt, jasper and crystals.  I have given him my super cool fluorescing  mineral collection from none other than the Franklin Mineral mine in Franklin, NJ.  Of course I also gave him the UV light one needs to witness the beautiful colors of the fluorescing rocks.  To quote Harrison:  "These rocks, ROCK!"

That brings us to the little girl.  Leni is a hardcore ruffian, but also the most princessy of little girls.  I love seeing her dressed to the nines in satin and lace….but also covered head to toe in dirt and grass stains at the exact same moment.  She is a wonderful mix of fluff girl and ruff girl and I adore her for it.

I bought her birthday present today.  She has been asking for this specific present for well over a year now.  I had put it off and put if off time after time because I wanted to see if she was really serious about what she was asking for.  Well, it's been about 18 months since she first broached the subject, and if anything, her interest has grown stronger.  So, today was the day.  I surprised her with her gift when she got home from school today and she is SO excited and happy.  Hell, I'm excited and happy.

Now, you are probably dying to know what this gift was.  What on earth could a just barely seven year old girl be so focused on as to ask for this gift for over a year?

It's a snake.  A Black Rat Snake, to be exact.   Leni proclaimed her name to be "Rockie".  She is a beautiful snake and friendly too.  Leni held her right off the bat.

I couldn't be prouder.

Well, after the past week of weather, I'm officially worried about my pears this year.  The pear tree is glorious, in full bloom.  The fluffy white flowers are gorgeous and just begging to be pollinated.  There lies the problem.  The weather is just too damn cold for any bees to come on out and get to work on those blossoms.  The forecast is calling for several more days of cold, and throw in some hail, freezing rain and yes, even snow has been spotted in the area.  This is spring?  I've begun hoarding the last of my pear/ginger jam from last season.

Yesterday we had a celebration in honor of  Harrison's birthday.  Hard to believe the little fella is nine already.  Well, we barbequed up some dogs, burgers and a wild coho (for the more discerning tastebuds, of course.) all while standing outside in the 37 degree weather.  Earlier in the day I was dodging hail stones.  The weather seems down right biblical.

For the sake of this year's pear harvest, I hope we start seeing some warmer, more appropriate springtime weather. 

I'd also like to be able to turn off the heat.

It all started years ago in the New Jersey kitchen of our Finnish friend, Gary.  It was Gary's family that introduced the libation, Glogg, to Jon and I, during the infancy of our relationship.  Glogg was a family tradition for them and they made large pots of it around the Christmas season to share with holiday guests. 

When Jon and I moved out here to Oregon, we decided that we would make our own Glogg each year and share it with our friends.   Some years, we would make it and bring it along to holiday parties, some years we would serve it at our own home.  Glogg-fest, in it's current embodiment, came to be when we decided to give the Fest a permanent, fixed date.  We chose the second Saturday of each December, and we have been celebrating the Fest on that day since 1993. 

This year's Fest was a special one for us, as we have been celebrating Glogg, in one capacity or another, for twenty years now.  It is a tradition we have embraced every holiday season as a way to touch base with family and friends, old and new.   As it is with some traditions, we have tweaked it now and again to liven things up by incorporating a theme into the usual old Fest.  In years past we have asked our guests to come dressed as a favorite literary figure, musician, or villain.   This past Fest, as a way to pay homage to our humble roots, we asked our friends and family to honor New Jersey, our home state.

Our guests did not disappoint. 

Jon and I had total blast checking out what NJ means and represents to all of our friends here in Oregon…many of whom have never even been to NJ.  It was awesome!  So many of our friends really embrace the whole theme thing and it is so great seeing how creative our peeps can be with these parties.  The outfits were all GREAT!  We did not give out any prizes this year for costume efforts, but if we did, Jon and I both agree the prize would have gone to Uncle Tim and Aunt Liz who came as….drum roll……ME and JON!!!  They not only dressed as us, they "were" us and stayed in character all evening.  It was hysterical.   (Check out the new photo album for some Fest pics.)

So, basically, many thanks to all who attended…and extra luv for those of you who flew in from afar just to attend…you know who "yous' are!  We love all of you and feel very lucky to have such great friends.  Hope you had as much fun as Jon and I did!

Wow.  Check this site out.  And just in time for Christmas gift giving...

http://www.customcreaturetaxidermy.com/

Sixty four years ago, MaryEllen Elizabeth was born.  She was the first child of Harry (Michael) and Margaret.  They went on to have three more children, all boys. 

MaryEllen grew up and met Thomas Crouch and they fell in love.  They married, and in 1967, started a family of their own.  They went on to have four children.

The family was of the loud, loving variety, true "Jersey" style.  Friends, family and neighbors all knew of the open door policy.  MaryEllen was known for her generosity with her dinner invitations…she always made enough food to feed about 20 people.  Also well known was Tom's guitar playing talent.  The family passed many an evening hosting gatherings that would turn into large sing-a-longs. 

Eventually, their first born would grow up and move to Portland Oregon.  Yes, that would be me. 

I missed my loud family, my parents and their hospitable ways when I first moved.  In many ways, I still miss them.  Those of you who know me well, can now guess as to why MY home is loud, busy and filled with people.  Now you know why I cook enough food for an army on any given day of the week.  Why I know the words to the most random of tunes.

My mother, MaryEllen Elizabeth, died of metastasized lung cancer almost nine years ago.  Today would have been her 64 birthday.  She was an amazing person, who taught me more than we both ever realized.  I miss her every day.

Today, in her honor, Peggy and I went up to Dundee to visit the Torii Mor winery.  There was a special event happening there that I was invited to.  I thought it would be a nice way to celebrate life, and a good place, a beautiful place, to think about mom and what her life had meant to us all.  Besides, Mom loved a nice glass of wine.  (I may have inherited that from her as well…ya think?)

Happy birthday Nell!

How is that a whole month can go by so quickly, that one cannot take the time to update one's blog with all the current happenings?  And what a month it was!  For you, dear readers, a recap:

::  School started!  Yes, the universe went back to it's proper alignment as the summer finally waned and the children went back to their classes.  Goddess be praised.

::  I turned 40!  Yes, you heard me correctly….the big 4-0.  And as if turning 40 wasn't exciting enough, my loved ones sprang a surprise party on my unsuspecting ass.   I was completely blindsided by a wonderful gathering, which included the services of my favorite karaoke providers.  One of the greatest moments of an evening filled with great moments, was when I discovered my sister had flown in from NJ to surprise me and with her came my best friend that I have had since 7^th grade, Dawn.  Yes, dear readers, the tears were flowing.  It was a fabulous party, and I am thankful that I have such loving (and extremely SNEAKY) friends!

::  Jon and I attended a beautiful wedding on a roof top downtown.  Our friends Vince and Emma exchanged vows under a beautiful, clear sky surrounded by friends and family.  The evening view from the roof top of the Hotel Delux was stunning and very romantic.  Highlight of the affair for Jon and I; a night in a deluxe suite after the wedding, courtesy of Peggy's overnight babysitting services, which she offered out of the goodness of her heart.  (You're the best!)

::  The oaks park Oktoberfest was our next event.  There was something for everyone as we ate bratwurst, tried some Bavarian beers and watched the kids go on ride after ride.  Luckily, no bratwurst were harmed in the course of the kid's riding the amusements.

::  The last weekend of September found us at one of our favorite events of the year, the Polish Festival.  Dancing, music, vendors, food, great polish beer, it's a very fun festival.  This year is the first in my memory of attending that the weather was not cooperative, but even with the rain, we had a total blast.

::  I think I should also mention that in the moments between the events, I was busy harvesting this year's bounty.  I was able to process the pears, tomatoes and some random plums.  We are still enjoying greenbeans off the vine and as soon as the weather clears I am going to pick the tomatillos.

What a great month.  Until next year, September!  Can't wait to do it again!!

Around noon time today, Jon came home for lunch.  It's a luxury he enjoys when his job is nearby.  He and Danno arrived today for some homemade soup and some grilled cheese sandwiches.   When Danno comes around, Jemez goes crazy.  She adores him and whenever she sees him she races around the yard like a canine demon, then piles into Dan full bore.  The licking and the slobber are all just incidentals.  So, Danno was greeted by Jemez in just that way today and with the normal slobber was mixed a really gross amount of pear goo.

You see, we have a pear tree in the yard.  Right now it is heavily laden with almost ripe fruit.  An average of about ten pears a day fall from its branches and smash onto the patio.  Jemez loves to eat these pears and she has been enjoying them for a few weeks now.  Anyway, after Danno's messy encounter, he came in to wash up and then enjoy his lunch.  It's one of the perks of working with Jon.

After lunch, Jon and Dan had to pack up Jon's truck with some equipment they would need for the afternoon.  Danno stepped into the backyard on his way to the shop, and….no Jemez.  After about 15 minutes of loading the truck, both Jon and Danno noticed that Jemez was lying on the ground, panting.  Jon called her.  She lifted her head and looked at him, but then just plopped her head back down.  She wouldn't even get up for Danno.  Jon called for me to come out.

I looked at the dog.  She was spread out on the concrete slab near the back of the house.  She was panting, and she seemed somewhat alert.  Her eyes where looking at us, while we looked at her.  I called her.  Again, she lifted her head, looked at me, then lay it down again.  I wasn't sure what to make of it.

Until I found the pear puke.  Once I found the evidence, it was crystal clear what was going on with Jemez.  She was drunk.  She had devoured one too many fermented pears.  I thought she had been especially rambunctious right around when the guys had come home.  She had been tying one on all morning!  After she puked, and it was quite a goodish amount, she found a comfy spot, a cool spot, and laid her drunken dog butt down.  I'm looking at her right now through the window, she's looking at me.  I bet the backyard is spinning for her.  I'll let her sleep it off.  I just hope she's not expecting a hangover remedy when she gets up.

A few posts ago, I was relating my frustration over the fact that I could not ascertain what, exactly, Brigiole was, let alone how it was made.  My google searches turned up plenty of recipes…however they were all in Italian.  Luckily for me, Peggy's mom, who I fondly call Mama Rita, is the real deal.  The cute, wise, all knowing Italian Mother.  And we all know how those Italian mothers know their way around a kitchen.  Of course she knows what Brigiole is!  First thing she pointed out to me is that here in the states, it's spelled  Braciole.  (and yes, with that spelling, I was able to find more recipes written in English)  Then she was so kind as to send me four different renditions in recipe form.  She is a total sweet heart.

So, Braciole is, basically, a stuffed beef roll that has been braised in a tomato sauce.  The beef is usually a very thin sliced round steak that is also pounded with a tenderizer.  The stuffing varies depending on the recipe, but almost all include garlic, and some sort of cheese.  The stuffing is placed on the flattened meat, the meat is rolled up and tied with cooking twine.  The rolls are then seared and browned in olive oil before being added to a marinara sauce for at least an hour of braising.   This dish is then usually served over pasta.  YUM!

Once I had studied the recipes Mama Rita was so kind to send me, I decided I would invent my own stuffing.  I bought my thin sliced top round steaks, took them home and flattened them with my meat hammer.  (I love doing that.)  I then made my stuffing.  In my mini food processor, I chopped up garlic, onion, kalamata olives, dates, thyme, and feta cheese.  Yes, I was giving my braciole a Greek flair.  I spread the succulent mixture over the steaks and rolled them up, tying each roll with two pieces of cooking twine.  After browning them in olive oil, I lovingly placed them in a big pot of sauce made from my LAST jar of homegrown tomatoes.  I let them simmer all afternoon.  The smell was crazy good.

I served them that evening with pasta, crusty bread and a Greek salad.  The meal was delicious.  While braciole is a bit time consuming to prepare, it's no worse than lasagna or eggplant parm, and it makes for a dramatic presentation.  I will definitely be keeping the dish in my lineup for the future. 

Thanks again, Mama Rita!!