A monthly online magazine chock-full of insightful articles for busy mothers.

by Bethany Piccolo

Antique jewelry, cars, furniture, art, coins, vases these are typical items considered to be heirlooms. Being raised in a large middle class family I do not recall discussions of holding onto any item due to its precious rarity. Until on an unseasonably warm February afternoon, I suddenly realized that while spring cleaning, I was indeed unpacking a box of family ‘heirlooms’: outfits sewn and saved by my Mom. These particular items would not pull in a high price at an antique store or auction. Rather, each item holds a personal story created by my mother.

The heirloom discovery happened during my daughter’s nap while sorting my daughter’s barely worn fall/winter wear into a nice storage bin. It was not until I went into our basement to tuck away the freshly packed bin; I reached for a well-worn cardboard box labeled ‘girls clothing infant-12yrs’. I immediately knew what the box contained.

As I carried the box, I thought about how this fragile dilapidated box had survived its journey. Over the past 10 years, the box had made its way from the basement of a rented townhouse I grew up in, to mom’s modest two bedroom apartment, to my brother’s house during a transition period three years ago, to our home while waiting for mom’s retirement apartment approval. When mom moved out of our home, she made a point to leave two boxes here with us, both marked children’s clothing.

Folded inside the box are carefully stitched hand-sewn dresses, short sets, a tiny bikini, a light weight coat and a wool coat. Each precious item carries with it a little piece of my mother and her knack of fitting us with exactly what an occasion required. Among the items is a definite time dated piece: a casual play outfit with LOVE printed in red block letters just off center down the right side along with a sprinkling of large multi-colored flowers and a finishing touch of white eyelet trim across the hem. At the bottom of the box rests a small tissue packet containing a couple of handmade hair clips with delicate ribbons adorning beaded clasps. After reaching the bottom of the box, I am somewhat saddened by several missing items: two matching Easter shawls; several leotards, and costumes.

Intermingled with the handmade items are some quality store bought pieces. A delicate slip, a fun t-shirt or two, a pink and white lace dress, and my personal favorite a snoopy and woodstock sweatshirt which has signs of all the wear truly put on it. I muse about the materials I find: cotton, wool and more cotton. Save for a bathing suit, there is absolutely, no rayon or rayon blend. I inspect each sundress, short set, coat and bathing suit for signs of wear and tear; mom had done a fine job of preserving these items. Most look new with zippers still working, buttons attached, and hems intact. Mom sure knew how to put together classic clothing to last with both memories and quality. She would sew during the night, (now I understand why) and still make sure we would be ready for our day. The clothing to the best of my recollection should have taken a beating with us three sisters wearing them and then several younger cousins.

As I pull a long sleeve, lightweight yellow and white dress with a sprinkling of peony print from the box, I begin to remember watching my younger sister play in the very same dress. Not just any dress but one I had worn before her and my older sister as well. Hand-me-down’s we called them back when we were kids. Now as I unpack the dress, I continue to regard the clothing as heirlooms. Our heirlooms, clothing stitched or selected by our mother, memories created by us. Tucked between the red/white check bikini and snoopy sweatshirt lie two distinct memories, my youngest sister being overthrown by a wave as we snap a family beach picture and drinking hot chocolate by the kitchen window on a snow day. Along with the good memories are of course a generous helping of disappointments: a pink leotard I wore in an ambulance following a gymnastic injury and the red plaid wool coat which I seemed to never outgrow.

Tugging at my heartstrings is perhaps the idea of how mom is now unable to sew-that talent all but a faded memory. Her sewing machine sits in her apartment, unused for at least 20 years; she stopped sewing regularly when I entered high school, as her unpredictable trembling from Multiple Sclerosis increased. Effectively managing material, patterns, thread and needle became too arduous a task. The sewing stool she sat atop during my childhood now rests in the sitting room across from our bed.

Memories as fresh as yesterday continue to flood my thoughts: baking cookies, mid afternoon on a rainy day; being walked to kindergarten; carpools phone trees; block mothers; and most of all reassuring smiles. Not to forget all of the bedtime stories and warmth of a blanket. Through the upcoming years as I watch our daughter grow, and she wears an old piece of ‘heirloom’ clothing, I’ll have a light in my heart with a triggered fond childhood memory or two.

So as moms, while we continue on our family journey, remember the little things that do matter may not necessarily be a picture scripted into a finely coordinated photo album, but what we may create can include the memory of a feeling generated through a treasured blanket, teddy bear, piece of clothing, perfume smell, favorite dessert or cookie being baked, a note placed in a lunchbox, or song hummed while doing dishes. Ultimately, the memories our children hold dear may have little to do with a photograph and much more to do with a memory of what was or may have been their perception of events. Each of us have a special piece to share with our children, letting that individuality shine through, is one of the most precious gifts of all.

Life circumstances change and memories will fade but I’ll always recall those best mom times of all. Since keeping pace with photos or sewing a straight stitch are not my fortes, I hope to preserve a special memory or two pressed between pen and paper for my own children to treasure.
Piccolo, 2007

by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich,
Author of Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy: A Feast of 175 Regional Recipes

In my family, favorite dishes are always being altered according to what is available in the market and what is the best in quality — especially when I’m cooking. Family meals together are near and dear to my heart, and I am always looking for a reason to cook a big meal to share with my grandchildren, children and with Mother’s Day just around the corner, my mother Erminia, who we all fondly call “Grandma.”

Growing up, my brother and I loved our mother’s Chicken & Potatoes, fried together in a big skillet so they’re crisp and moist at the same time — this was my mother’s, or “Grandma’s” specialty, and it was our favorite! This simple and delicious dish has now been passed down through the family, and my grandchildren are always asking me to make it. When I am at the stove — and though I follow my mother’s basic procedures — I can’t resist playing around with the recipe and adding my own flair to it. However, here I’m sharing her Classic Chicken & Potatoes recipe. Maybe you can make it for your mother this Mother’s Day. And for something sweet, I have the perfect recipe that “Grandma” absolutely loves — my Sweet Ricotta Dumplings with Strawberry Sauce. These delicate and creamy morsels sit beautifully in a crimson pool of fresh strawberry sauce.

So this Mother’s Day, why not get into the kitchen with mom? Cooking, eating and laughing together is a wonderful way to celebrate your mom this Mother’s Day and all year round.

MY MOTHER’S CHICKEN AND POTATOES (WITH MY SPECIAL TOUCHES)
From Lidia’s Family Table
Serves 4 or more

For the Basic Chicken and Potatoes:

* 2- ½ pounds chicken legs or assorted pieces (bone-in)
* ½ cup canola oil
* ½ teaspoon salt, or more to taste
* 1 pound red bliss potatoes, preferably no bigger than 2 inches across
* 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
* 2 medium-small onions, peeled and quartered lengthwise
* 2 short branches fresh rosemary with plenty of needles

For My Special Touches — Try Either or Both:

* 4 to 6 ounces sliced bacon (5 or 6 slices)
* 1 or 2 pickled cherry peppers, sweet or hot, or none — or more! — cut in half and seeded

Prepping and Browning the Chicken (and Bacon) and Potatoes:

Rinse the chicken pieces and pat dry with paper towels. Trim off the excess skin and all visible fat. Cut the drumsticks from the thighs. If using breast halves, cut into two small pieces.

Make the bacon roll-ups: Cut the bacon slices in half crosswise and roll each strip into a neat, tight cylinder. Stick a toothpick through the roll to secure it; cut or break the toothpick so only a tiny bit sticks out (allowing the bacon to roll around and cook evenly.)

Pour the canola oil into the skillet and set it over high heat. Sprinkle the chicken with ¼ teaspoon salt on all sides. When the oil is very hot, lay the pieces in it, skin side down, and an inch or so apart — watch out for oil spatters. Don’t crowd the chicken: if necessary, fry it in batches, with similar pieces (like drumsticks) together.

Drop the bacon rolls into the oil around the chicken, turning and shifting them often. Let the chicken pieces fry in place for several minutes to brown on the underside, then turn and continue frying until they’re golden brown on all sides, 7 to 10 minutes or more. Fry breast pieces only for 5 minutes or so, taking them out of the oil as soon as they are golden. Let the bacon rolls cook and get slightly crisp, but not dark. Adjust the heat to maintain steady sizzling and coloring; remove the crisped chicken pieces with tongs to a bowl.

Meanwhile, rinse and dry the potatoes; slice each one through the middle on the axis that gives the largest cut surface, then toss them with the olive oil and ¼ teaspoon salt.

When all the chicken and bacon is cooked and out of the skillet, pour off the frying oil. Return the skillet to medium heat and put in all the potatoes, cut side down in a single layer, into the hot pan. With a spatula, scrape all the olive oil out of the mixing bowl into the skillet; drizzle over it a bit more oil if the pan seems dry. Fry and crisp the potatoes for about 4 minutes to form a crust, then move them around the pan, still cut side down, until they’re all brown and crisp, 7 minutes or more. Turn them over, and fry another 2 minutes to cook and crisp on their rounded skin sides.

Cooking Everything Together:

Still over medium heat, toss the onion wedges and rosemary branches around the pan, in with the potatoes. If using cherry peppers, either hot or sweet, cut the seeded halves into ½-inch wide pieces and scatter them in the pan too.

Return the chicken pieces — except breast pieces — to the pan, along with the bacon rolls; pour in any chicken juices that have accumulated. Raise the heat slightly, and carefully turn and tumble the chicken, potatoes, and onion (and bacon and/or pepper juices), so they’re heating and getting coated with pan juices — but take care not to break the potato pieces. Spread everything out in the pan — potatoes on the bottom as much as possible, to keep crisping up — and cover.

Return the heat to medium, and cook for about 7 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally, then uncover and tumble the pieces and potatoes (and bacon rolls) again. Cover, and cook another 7 minutes or so, adding the breast pieces at this point. Give everything another tumble. Now cook covered for 10 minutes more.

Remove the cover, turn the pieces again, and cook in the open skillet for about 10 minutes to evaporate the moisture and caramelize everything. Taste a bit of potato (or chicken) for salt, and sprinkle on more as needed. Turn the pieces now and then; when they are all glistening and golden, and the potatoes are cooked through, remove the skillet from the stove and — as I do at home — bring it right to the table. Serve portions of chicken and potatoes, or let people help themselves.

SWEET RICOTTA DUMPLINGS WITH STRAWBERRY SAUCE
From Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy
Makes about 18 canederli, serving 6

* 3 pints fresh strawberries, hulled and quartered (about 6 cups)
* ½ cup sugar
* ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice for the canederli
* 1 tablespoon plus ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
* 6 tablespoons butter
* 1 pound fresh ricotta, drained
* 2 large eggs
* 1 cup all-purpose flour

Put the cut strawberries in the saucepan (or cut them right into it), pour the sugar and lemon juice over, and toss together. Set the pan over medium-low heat; stir occasionally as the berries release juice and it gradually starts to bubble. Adjust the heat to keep the juice simmering, and cook for about 8 minutes, until the berries are soft and the juice is slightly syrupy. Turn off the heat, and cover the pot to keep the sauce warm.

Meanwhile, fill the big pot with about 6 quarts water, add 1 tablespoon salt, and heat it to a boil. Put the butter in the big skillet and melt it over very low heat; turn off the flame, but leave the skillet on the warm burner.

For the dough: Dump the ricotta into a large bowl, and stir to loosen it and break up lumps, then blend in the eggs and ¼ teaspoon salt. Sprinkle all the flour on top, and fold it in gently, just until it is all incorporated, with no small clumps of dry flour. The dough will be stiff and somewhat sticky.

Adjust the heat so the cooking water is bubbling gently. Fill a glass or jar with cold water to moisten the scoop, so the dough doesn’t stick. Dip the ice-cream scoop into the water glass, scoop up a round of dough, level it off (scraping excess back in the bowl), and dispense the dumpling into the cooking pot. Scoop up all the dough in the same way, and get the dumplings cooked as quickly as possible. If you don’t have an ice-cream scoop, use a ¼-cup measure. Empty each portion into your hand (both hands must be lightly floured!), and quickly roll it into a ball, then drop the dumpling into the pot.

As you form the canederli, keep the scoop moistened (or your hands floured) and the water at a gentle simmer: don’t let it boil vigorously, which can break apart the canederli.

After all are in the pot, let the dumplings cook, without stirring, until all have risen to the surface of the water. Simmer them another 5 minutes, and then scoop one out and test it for doneness. First, press it gently: it should feel solid and spring back to the touch. If it feels soft at the center, return it to the pot and cook the batch a minute or two longer. Scoop out another dumpling, and cut into it to check that the center is not wet and oozing and that the dough looks uniformly cooked through.

Meanwhile, have the big skillet with melted butter warming over very low heat. Lift out the cooked dumplings with a spider, let them drain over the pot for a few seconds, then gently drop them in the skillet. Roll the dumplings gently so they’re coated all over with butter, then turn off the heat and leave them in the warm pan for a few minutes to firm up.

Serve the canederli on warm dessert plates, spooning a pool of strawberry sauce in the center of each plate and setting two or three canederli on top. For family-style serving, arrange the canederli in a large, rimmed platter and drizzle some of the strawberry sauce around them in a colorful border. Pass the remaining sauce at the table.

© 2010 Lidia Matticchio Bastianich, author of Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy: A Feast of 175 Regional Recipes
Author Bio
Lidia Matticchio Bastianich, coauthor of Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy: A Feast of 175 Regional Recipe, is the author of five previous books, four of them accompanied by nationally syndicated public television series. She is the owner of the New York City restaurant Felidia (among others), and she lectures on and demonstrates Italian cooking throughout the country. She lives on Long Island, and can be reached at her Web site,www.LidiasItaly.com.

Just some sugestions for Mother’s Day.

Take your mom/wife on a picnic. Pack a lunch. Take some special cheese, cut up some good quality apples, make some sandwiches: peanut butter and jelly for the kids, ham,chicken or turkey with tomato and nice green lettuce, a little of mayo,salt and pepper. Bring along a book of poetry or have kids write some verses for mom and give them to her. Don’t forget some fruit or brownies for dessert and bottled water on ice.
Make sure you do all the clean up.

For something to buy her…Is there something she wants for the house? Maybe a new area rug for thr foyer, a pair of matching lamps for the bedroom, for the family room?
I am getting rugs for my foyer, hall and steps!

Think, did she see some cute sweater she wanted or a special plant for outside? Get it for her now. Buy her that piece of jewelry she pointed out.

Take her and the kids to an outside movie in your community and afterwards go for ice cream.

If it’s still chilly, build her a fire and you and the kids give her a basket of her favorite magazines and let her read while you entertain the kids or put them to bed.

Make a Spa Basket for her:
Some new nail polish, emery boards,toe nail polish kit,soothing tea, an herb face scrub, and again, a book to read.

Does she love to garden?
Get her some gardening tools, her favorite plants, pretty gardening gloves, some special cream to soothe her hands.Place it all in a nice basket.

Does she love to draw? Buy her a sketch pad and some pencils or paint and of course, a book on sketching or painting.

Just start thinking for your own ideas. Think of what she likes or points out to you. Hey, ask the kids. Make this a very special Mother’s Day. I know you can do it.

The Glue of Society

Johann Christoph Arnold
for Mother’s Day, May 10, 2009

Thank God for mothers! Mother’s Day is an opportunity to make life special
for them. It is a chance to celebrate family. I thank God for my mother,
who died some years ago. There is one thing I regret: for too many years I
did not appreciate her enough and took her for granted. She was always
there for us. I thank God for my wife. We have been married for
forty-three years and have eight children. God has blessed us with
forty-one grandchildren.

Mothers are the backbone of our society and the glue that holds a family
together-their work is vital but often unseen. We all need to show greater
appreciation for them. I pity the man who does not have a good wife to
take care of him.

My favorite Hasidic saying goes, “God could not be everywhere at once, so
he gave each child a mother!” Mothers should be proud to be mothers. It is
a God-given task and privilege. Actually there is a mother’s heart in
every woman, whether married or single. In the past, motherhood was
regarded as the noblest calling of a woman. Today it is too often pushed
aside by more “desirable” occupations such as careers, and seen as an
inconvenience or even an embarrassment.

A true mother thinks day and night about the well-being of her children,
and is the first to praise, comfort and protect them. She is willing to
sacrifice her life for them. The pains of pregnancy and childbirth are
borne by the mother, and she continues to carry the child in her heart her
whole life.

Motherhood is a mystery. It is something truly divine for which every
human heart longs. This is why mothers provide the most powerful influence
on a child’s life, and are the most important role models for positive
change in our society. When anyone is in trouble, or knows that they are
dying, the first person they think of is their mother. When children start
going wrong ways a mother’s prayer is powerful. Mothers remind us that
there is a loving God above us who will take good care of everyone,
especially children. Whenever a tragedy occurs-no matter where in the
world this happens-you will always find mothers both weeping for the dead
and bringing comfort and security to the living.

As we seek to improve the education of our children, let us start by
taking better care of our mothers. This will enable them to provide better
homes for all of us, and ensure the survival of our society. Never before
in our history have so many men abandoned the children they fathered.
Fathers are vanishing from their children’s lives, not just physically,
but legally as well. Therefore, congratulations to all single mothers and
grandmothers who do their best to raise children on their own. They often
struggle under the most difficult circumstances. They are the real heroes
of the family-and not just on Mother’s Day.

Happy Mother’s Day to all of you!

[ Johann Christoph Arnold is a pastor and author of ten books, which are
available at www.plough.com .]

By: O Quinn

Has the Mother’s Day celebration become too expensive? In the past have you taken mom out to a costly dinner and shower her with expensive gifts? As we come upon Mother’s Day we still want to let mother’s know who special they are but that doesn’t mean you have to break the bank.

Ideas for a frugal Mother’s Day celebration are endless and you hampered only by your own imagination. In our family we hold an extended family celebration. Father’s and children prepare the meal and desserts while also cleaning up after the entire shindig. Gifts are exchanged father and child to mother and mother’s to each other. Gifts are very small and usually end up being good baskets that cost only a few dollars.

The first thing to think about when putting together a Mother’s Day is that this is a wonderful opportunity to make and create. Even though we are a in a buy buy society hand crafted gifts are much more memorable and meaningful.
Here are some ideas.

Make your Mother’s Day Meal from scratch -Taking mom out to dinner can be incredibly costly. Put together your own 5 star meal at home. Roasts are so much easier to prepare now that we have those great oven bags Just follow the directions and pop it in the oven for a never dried out cut of meat. Add some potatoes and a yummy salad. Make some of your menu items before hand such as desserts and appetizers. Bake a cake from scratch rather than buying one. If you’ve never baked a cake before buy a cake mix and a tub of frosting. It’s so easy it should be outlawed. You can also find complete meal recipes and instructions on the internet also. Just do a search under “Mother’s Day Menu”. If you are rather gourmet in your cooking ability search for special recipes in magazines like Cook’s Illustrated and back issues of Victoria Magazine. Get these issues from the library.

Make your Mother’s Day cards from scratch – Scrapbook your card or cards. Be extra frugal and use flower cut outs and sentiments from previous cards in your Mother’s Day card. Do you have a printer and some great ink? You can find tons of printable cards online. Just do a search and check out what you find. You still have time make a day of it with the kids. Pull out all the paper crafts and design an outstanding Mother’s Day card. Cut flowers from ready to toss magazines. Glue them onto card-stock. Make a border out of a scrap piece of lace. Pre-print the words on the front and add you own special sentiment inside.

Make Your Mother’s Day Gifts – What would mean more to mom than a bottle of expensive perfume? Probably a day or two without household worries or cares. A week’s worth of freezer meals. Can you sew? Make mom a fragrant lavender filled neck wrap. Fill it with rice and dried lavender.

Mother’s Day is a very special day but that does not mean it has to be very expensive. Let mom know you care because you took the extra time to make it by hand.

O Quinn is a stay at home, work at home mom who while enjoying the art of taking care of home still likes to simplify the whole homemaking process. Join her affiliate program and brand these articles to earn money from your website or blog.
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