Traditions
Friday, March 21, 2008, by Leigh Anne
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I have issues, in fact I have shared one of those issues before.
According to my children though, I have a lot of issues. One particular issue that I have only manifests itself three times of year - Easter, Christmas and the Week of the Family Photo.
This issue is - the need to have my children’s Easter/Christmas/Family Photo outfits match or coordinate. Now you would think that with children ages 14, 18, 22 and 24 I would be way beyond that - but I’m not. In fact I spent a fair amount of time at the mall today trying to find “coordinating” Easter outfits for my girls.
We are going with a yellow, black and white color scheme if you’re interested.
Several years ago they put their foot down and refused to wear matching outfits - go figure!
My excuse for this issue though is that it is in the genes. Look at this picture of my sister and I from 1970….
And then there was this one from Easter of the same year…
You see my mother had the same problem - the “Matching/Coordinating Outfit” gene. So of course it was only natural that when I got married and started a family that the gene would kick into gear….
Yes, I made these cute little linen suits for my sweet boys. Then baby #3 arrived and it was a girl so we branched out into coordinating outfits…
And Baby #4 arrived….
Aren’t they cute!
As soon as Baby #4 got a little older and I could find matching dresses for the girls - guess what?
Soon the boys got older and their standard Easter outfit became a white shirt and tie but I still had the girls….
I guess eventually, one day when the children are all grown up and gone from home, I will have to overcome my “Matching/Coordinating Outfit” issue but until then I’ll keep making those trips to the mall.
And then - someday- there will be grandkids!
Popularity: 13% [?]
Categories: Family, Humor, Traditions
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Thursday, March 20, 2008, by Leigh Anne
Nourish - “ Feeding the People We Love”
Today I thought I’d share our menu for Easter Dinner. It should be a fun Easter this year. My parents will be joining us and then a family from church who is in the middle of moving - from a house to an apartment while their new home is built. They have 5 of the cutest little girls you have ever seen and their mother is 8 months pregnant with another girl!! We are going to have fun.
So here’s the menu.
Honeybaked Ham - I am not a big ham fan but my family likes it so we have it once a year - on Easter.
Fresno Potatoes - this is a nice alternative to scallop potatoes or what we call “funeral potatoes’. You know the recipe - frozen hash browns, lots of sour cream, cream of chicken soup and cheese. It seems ham and potato dinners are a popular thing to do at funerals - thus the name.
Strawberry and Spinach Salad - a perfect combination, spinach and strawberries with a yummy dressing.
Parmesan Roasted Asparagus- this is a Barefoot Contessa recipe and my favorite way to eat asparagus.
Roasted Tomato Tart - this recipe is from Gourmet Magazine and will be one of my experimental recipes this Easter. Want to try it with me?
Mom’s Orange Rolls - my mom will be bringing these and they are wonderful. Everyone loves them and Easter dinner would not be complete without them.
Grandma’s Jello Salad -mom will also be bringing this staple of our Easter Dinner.
Lemon Angel Pie - Yum!
White Chocolate and Raspberry Cheesecake - my favorite cheesecake at The Cheesecake Factory is their White Chocolate and Raspberry. When my new friend Theresa sent me this recipe I knew I would have to try it for Easter. Theresa is also where the Lemon Cheesecake Bar recipe came from so if that is any indication how this recipe is going to be- it is going to GREAT! The original recipe she sent me called for strawberries but hopefully I’ll be able to find some raspberries that don’t cost a fortune and use them.
If you are interested in copies of the recipes that don’t have links just leave a comment below and I’ll email them to you. Happy Easter!
Popularity: 18% [?]
Categories: Family, Nourish, Recipes, Traditions
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Thursday, March 6, 2008, by Leigh Anne
Nest - “the place life happens”
I am introducing a new blog “category” today - Nest. I will be sharing a new Nest post every week or so. Nest posts will have to do with the home - “the place life happens.”
I look forward to sharing some fun tips and ideas that I use and passing along ones you share with me for making our nest more fun, more comfortable and an enjoyable place to be.
I chose the word nest because a nest is a “a snug retreat or refuge; resting place; home.”
Whether your nest is a house, an apartment, a condo, a trailer or on a limb of a tree it can be a retreat and a refuge. A resting place for ourselves and those we love.
Spring is here and that means Easter is not far behind.
One of our families favorite Easter traditions (besides the visit from the Easter Bunny and all that chocolate) is growing our own Easter grass.
Easter is only a couple of weeks away so it is time to get it started. It is quick and easy to do.
All you need is some kind of container. I am using a fun, square metal container I found at the craft store. You can also use a plastic lined Easter basket or clay pot. Use your imagination. You just don’t want any drainage holes in the bottom.
Fill your container with potting soil to within an inch of the top.
Sprinkle rye grass seed over the soil. You can buy wheat seed at the local “Feed and Seed” store. I actually found mine at the craft store! (Craft Warehouse in Portland)
For extra thick grass, put a light layer of soil over the top of the seeds and then sprinkle with a second layer. Spritz with water, place in the sun and within a few days your grass should begin to sprout. Spritz with water as needed to keep soil damp (not wet).
You can also “cut” the grass as it grows to keep it from getting too long and leggy.
It makes a fun centerpiece for your Easter Dinner or Brunch table.
Popularity: 19% [?]
Categories: Nest, Traditions
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Tuesday, February 19, 2008, by Leigh Anne
This last week my 18 year old daughter was being spotlighted at church and she was given a short survey to fill out that asked her questions such as - “If you could be the 8th dwarf what would your name be?” She chose Spunky which fits her so perfectly. “What is a new skill you’d like to learn?” - my spunky girl wants to learn to bellydance!
Another question was “What is one of your favorite family traditions?” Being a family of “strong tradition” there were dozens of things she could have chosen. Anything from Santa’s elves dropping off new pajamas every Christmas Eve to the maze of string the Easter Bunny leaves each Easter morning for them to follow to find their Easter goodies - but no - her answer was JELLO!
You may wonder how Jello can be a family tradition but actually, in our family, it is. Having grown up as a child of the sixties and seventies there was a lot of Jello consumption in my home.
About twice a year my “Grandma Canada” would come for a visit. Each time she came she was amazed by the amount of Jello our family consumed. In fact she often said -”Your family must keep Jello in business!” I am not sure how often my mother really did serve jello but I remember it as being pretty much a staple of every Sunday dinner.
The Jello was usually served in individual little servings, having been molded in those little, metal jello molds - remember those? In fact, I still have a box full of my mother’s old jello molds in my kitchen cupboard.
My favorite Jello though was the 1-2-3 Jello.
It was amazing. I would get to help mix it up and after you poured it into the individual glasses (on Sundays we used my mom’s good crystal goblets to serve it in) my siblings and I would watch anxiously as the Jello magically divided into 3 different layers -AMAZING!
If you are interested there is actually a movement going to bring back 1-2-3 Jello - you can sign the petition too if you want!
When we were sick my mom would mix us up a mug of warm Jello - yes, we would drink it! O.K. so nutrition wasn’t big in the sixties and seventies in Wisconsin!
Well, we no longer eat Jello (or drink it) on a weekly or daily basis at our house, instead it is usually about twice a year - Christmas Eve and Easter. And let me tell you - it would not be an official Christmas Eve or Easter without my children’s favorite Jello dish. We affectionately refer to it as “Grandma’s favorite Jello” even though my “Grandma California” who loved her Jello too has been gone for many years.
Each year when Christmas and Easter roll around and we are discussing holiday menus one of the children will always ask “Are we having Jello?”
Food is an important part of family traditions, a link that ties the generations together, even if it is something as simple as Jello! Do you have a favorite family food tradition? A favorite family recipe that reminds you of a special family member? I’d love to hear - please leave a comment below and share!
See the next post for our families favorite Jello recipe and my sweet daughter’s favorite family tradition!
Popularity: 17% [?]
Categories: Family, Traditions
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Tuesday, February 19, 2008, by Leigh Anne
This is the Jello recipe that we have been serving at our house for years - each Easter and Christmas Eve. The only difference is on Easter we use lemon jello mixed with orange juice and at Christmas we use strawberry or raspberry jello mixed with cranberry juice.
The color needs to match the season!
Grandma’s Favorite Jello
Easter Version
1 6 oz. pkg. of lemon Jello
2 cups boiling water
1 cup orange juice (really needs OJ, don’t substitute cold water)
1 cup Cool Whip, thawed
1 can drained, mandarin oranges
Dissolve Jello in boiling water. Add orange juice. Allow to partially set up in refrigerator. While it is slightly thickened add in 1 cup thawed Cool Whip and 1 can drained mandarin oranges. Mix together and refrigerate, allow to set until firm.
Christmas Version
1 6 oz. package of strawberry or raspberry jello
2 cups boiling water
1 cup raspberry or cranberry juice (or you can use cold water too)
1 cup Cool Whip, thawed
1 cup of loose, individually frozen raspberries or strawberries.
Dissolve Jello in boiling water. Add juice. If the berries are still frozen you can add them in right away and they will help the Jello set up quicker. If they are not frozen refrigerate Jello and wait until the Jello is partially set before adding them and the 1 cup Cool Whip. Mix together and refrigerate, allow to set until firm.
Popularity: 18% [?]
Categories: Family, Recipes, Traditions
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Saturday, January 5, 2008, by Leigh Anne
Happy 2008! Well, the decorations are down and packed away and the sweet college boys head back to school tomorrow. So before we get “back down to business” I thought I’d share one more Wilkes family fun, holiday tradition. For at least the last 30 years our family has enjoyed fondue on Christmas Eve - even when it wasn’t the “fashionable” thing to do! We’re not sure how or why the tradition started other than it was the 70’s and someone gave my mom a fondue pot. But once you start a tradition in our family it’s hard to break!
I am actually the proud owner of 5 fondue pots, including my mother’s original “burnt orange” one from the 70’s. We usually do two kinds of fondue - an oil fondue in which we cook steak, little smokies and mushrooms along with a variety of dipping sauces (ketchup, BBQ sauce, horseradish etc.). The second one is a cheese fondue. I cheat on this one and we buy this yummy Swiss cheese fondue from a local restaurant(Gustav’s or der Rheinlander) here in Portland. For those of you who don’t live in Portland - the recipe is available, although I have never actually made it. We use french bread, rye bread and vegetables to dip into the cheese. For dessert Grandma makes ice cream pie. We save the chocolate fondue for New Year’s Eve.
For chocolate fondue I use a super good and easy recipe - all it is is Toberlone chocolate and a little whipping cream. This year we did both the milk chocolate variety and the white chocolate. Yum!
Just melt the chocolate in either your microwave (be careful the white chocolate burns easily) or a double boiler. Add enough “warmed” whipping cream to make the chocolate the right consistency for dipping. (do not add the whipping cream cold or it will “bind up” the chocolate).
For dipping we use all kinds of things -pretzels, pound cake, potato chips, marshmallows, oranges, bananas, berries (raspberries in white chocolate are to die for!!), pineapple, graham crackers, brownies, rice krispie treats, miniature cookies, gummy bears, licorice - basically anything!!
Happy dipping!
Popularity: 12% [?]
Categories: Family, Recipes, Traditions
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