Welcome Motherload Fans!

Okay, maybe 2 people from The Motherload have followed me over here, and maybe my Dad if he hasn’t given up all faith that I’m still doing this blog. (Yup, still here, just figuring out my place in the world blogosphere)

For those of you that do know of and or read The Motherload, you know that I made it private a few months back. I didn’t want to, and still don’t, and some day when I write a book (I’m serious. Sort of.) I’ll explain the whole situation. Until then though, I’ve decided to focus my energies exclusively on {Dishin’ With Edna}

You are so totally pumped right?

Get very excited.

P.S. – I’m bringing the P.S. with me over here. I love it too much to leave it behind!

Happy Birthday!

Today we get to wish a very Happy Birthday to Grammie {Edna} and Evan!

Today would be Grammie’s 82nd Birthday, and Evan Dane turns 10 today!

We still miss you Gram! How fun it would be to celebrate these two birthdays together! I know that Grammie would be so proud of the many things our family has done and accomplished, and looks down on us frequently with smiles. (Or smirks, you know, depending on the situation)

In honor of her birthday, I’m going to share a story from when I was lucky enough to have Grammie taking care of my brother {Nicholas} and I.

I must have been in the 3rd or 4th grade, and at the time Lucky (Aunt Mary Jo’s dog) was living with use while she was living overseas. Lucky was very fond of all sorts of fruit, and we admittedly spoiled him endlessly and gave him fruit like it was our job. Grammie would always cut up watermelon for us and then cut very close to the rind and get the leftover fruit to give to Lucky. One afternoon I decided I was going to cut up some watermelon for myself and Lucky. At the ripe old age of 8 though, you can imagine that I wasn’t very experienced with using a large butchers knife. I started cutting with no problems until I decided to cut more closely to the rind (for Lucky) as a sliced the watermelon the tip of the knife cut my pointer finger on my left hand. It was very, very ugly. I didn’t want Grammie to be mad at me (since I did not have permission to be using the knife) and I also didn’t want to need stitches again (since not long before I had split my chin while ice skating and needed stitches) so I grabbed a kitchen towel, covered my finger and ducked for cover in the bathroom. I managed to stay hidden for about half an hour or so when the darn dog blew my cover. He was barking at the door and Grammie grew suspicious of my silence and came to investigate. When I finally relented and opened the door, Grammie came in and discovered the injury. Although I didn’t know it at the time, Grammie wasn’t one to elbow her way to the doctor for minor injuries. She agreed with me that I didn’t need stitches, and we could just run it under cold water and put a band aid on the cut. I probably did need stitches, but I lived. Still have a scar on my finger, and every time I look at it I smile and think of Gram.

Lesson learned: When you really are hurt (even if it’s your own darn fault) don’t be afraid to tell someone who can help you. Even if they’re mad, they’ll take care of you first and lecture you second.

Happy Birthday Grammie and Evan!

Yes God, it’s me Lexi and I can hear you

If you read my other blog, The Motherload, you know that I self describe myself as currently living out my quarter life crisis.

I thought I was being clever when I penned that description. Turns out that this terminology is not something I created, but is a seriously studied matter! I realized this while at the book store looking for “The Happiness Project” a book my book club is reading. Two books about the “Quarter Life Crisis” phenomenon. I felt like the books were talking to me:

• How do I weigh doing what I love versus making money?
• How do I know if I’m dating “The One”?
• Why is it so hard to find friends?
• How do I stop comparing myself to other people?

(If you are one of my twenty-something friends, we’ve talked about all these things. More than once. I’m sure.) The book spoke to me, so I bought it. I’m hoping to gain something from it, if only to feel like I’m more normal than I give myself credit for.

Then I get home and open “The Happiness Project” and read the authors realization that she always felt she would outgrow her limitations (twirling her hair (I do it too) wearing running shoes everyday (or flip flops/uggs, but me too), remember friends birthdays (Facebook helps with this a lot), and learn photoshop (I’m still eeking my way through “Photoshop for Dummies” but I don’t know how to open a picture in the program…go figure) She then takes hold of my heart when she says, “I realized I was in danger of wasting away my life…..I didn’t want to wake up one day and think, man I’ve had a good life. I wish I had known then how good it was”

HOLY COW.

Dear Lord, I know you are speaking to me. And you are trying to help me to be a better person, and that part of being a better person is to be more accepting of my own shortcomings. I also know that this season in my life is a learning period, and that I will be eternally thankful for the lessons I’ve learned (read: how to deal with water in the basement and what constitutes a ‘real’ emergency) But please, dear Lord, if I could have a more clear understanding of what my path is going to be I could sleep easier at night. Because I feel like I’m drifting, and maybe drifting is what we all need every once in awhile to figure things out, but it’s not very socially popular so if we could turn my drifting into something seemingly more productive, I’d really love that. (Like that Copywriter Job at Stonewall Kitchen, that would totally make my drifting seem intentional- and be worth it, and I just know I would totally rock at that job and be happy to boot) And just so you know, I’m trying to help myself- since I do totally believe in the whole “God helps those who help themselves” thing…. But you know, divine intervention would be fantastic too. Also, if you could check in with Grammie and get her thoughts, I’m sure she has an opinion (as does every other person in the family) She’s probably sipping her Manhattan thinking “quarter life crisis what a crock of bologna.” And she might be right, but I sure don’t feel that way…..

A Giveaway!

Okay, so {Dishin’ With Edna} is not quite popular enough yet to have earned a giveaway yet. (I know this is shocking to many of you, but I’m sure Grammie is just smirking up there in heaven, still trying to figure out what a blog is!)

But a blog (and real life, too) friend of mine is hosting a giveaway on her blog for the most awesome stationary ever. I wish I could justify buying a pack of her uber cute notecards for every season and holiday! (On a side note, Ashley Brooke designs if you happen to read this, I would love to win a free blog header design….)

So hop on over to Britain’s blog Simply Southern, to check out this giveaway!

And I lived without this how?

I follow a lot of blogs, and how I sometimes find them is a mystery to me. A click here, a click there, and boom a new blog that I can’t live without. Such was the case with 2 Sisters Blog. Imagine my surprise when I realized that I went to Elon with one of the sisters? What a small world, right? When Karen posted about this, I basically ran right out and copied her. And this handy little tool has come to my rescue countless times since.

If you are looking for an all encompassing tool, this is your go to gadget. With options to grate soft and hard cheese, vegetables, and even a zester the options are endless. I have made potato chips, sliced cucumbers and tomatoes, zested a lemon, made hash browns and even put cute little chocolate shavings on top of hot chocolate. Additionally, this is one of the easiest box graters I have ever used with a comfortable handle and complete sturdiness to help you make short work of the 2 pound of cheddar cheese that needs to be grated for tonight’s chicken bake recipe.

A deeper appreciation..

You can understand now why I felt the immediate need to type up this recipe. And why I had to do some “figuring”?

Oooh, la, la

I do believe these shall make cooking and baking more fun. What do you think?

Click to visit website!

Everyone’s a Critic

You would think you could catch a break when offering to cook for people – not this family! Thank goodness I could dial up {Aunt} Loretta and get confirmation on the recipe and my methods….

Here’s how it went:

I had {Dad} call {Aunt} Mary Jo and invite her over for dinner (Spaghetti and Meatballs with Grammie’s Sauce)..She was coming at 7:00 p and questioned wondered how long I had been cooking the sauce for (okay I admit it, it was cold and took me all morning to get the “oompf” to get to the store and get what I needed and we didn’t get back until 4:30…) So, the sauce was simmering for 2 hours having been prepared to the exact specifications of the recipe which read as follows:

1 Pepper
1 c Tomato Puree
2 c Stew Tomato
1 c Tomato Paste
——–> 2 paste cans of water, 1 of wine
Sugar to taste
Italian Seasoning

The tomato paste cane was 6 oz. so in my brain I accepted that she must have just meant to use one can. It never dawned on me that all those “c”s could mean can and not cups. (That’s what happens when you are semi-formally trained and aren’t used to a home cooks shorthand!)

Then what should have been the easiest part of the meal: Pre-Made Meatballs from Wegmans.…wouldn’t cook all the way through, so at the others suggestion I popped them in the microwave for 2 minutes. Oh well, dinner was served!

My sauce was too sweet. The peppers should have been in strips not chopped. Grammie used whole tomatoes not stewed. Are you sure it said to use wine? Grammie never had wine. Plus that wasn’t a good wine to use. Need I say more?

Thank goodness {Aunt} Loretta came to my rescue. I had already realized the whole can/cup mistake and verified that. BUT she assured me that YES she used stewed tomatoes. YES she used wine (or Sangria!), usually a sweet wine. SOMETIMES she did the pepper in strips, but she also threw it into the blender with the tomatoes too. (I used an immersion blender) However, she never used sugar despite the fact that she lists it in her recipe “to taste” (Her taste = No sugar)

I’m not posting a recipe for this yet. I’m going to go ahead and have a re-do with this, and share the details with you.. of course you can go off of what I wrote above. I do however, have this to say about sauce. I think it’s a very personal thing and allows for a lot of variation among cooks, so don’t be afraid to experiment because even though my version wasn’t “right” it tasted DARN good to me!

Sunday Supper

So far, my favorite aspect of this project has been digging up all the ‘history’ (boxes and bins of pictures & letters) and asking my Dad lots and lots of questions. I am lucky, because out of all the grandchildren I probably got to spend the most time with Grammie. She came to live with us in Virginia, from 1992 until 1995, and looked after my brother and I. It’s funny the things your brain holds on to, but I remember she always cooked supper on Sunday’s in the late afternoon. (Usually around 4:00 pm or so) I remember one such supper specifically, she had cooked ham with rich buttery rolls and peas. I remember right before dinner started my {Aunt} Loretta called, and sitting on the stool under the CORDED phone in the kitchen to talk to her. For me, this is how I remember Sunday Supper- spending time as a family eating a really great meal and sharing stories and time with one another….and talking to {Aunt} Loretta & {Aunt} Suzie on the phone!

To pay tribute to this, I’ve decided each Sunday to share a story or tid bit about Grammie in honor of Sunday Supper.

“Alexandra” and Grammie at {Aunt} Suzie’s wedding, April 30, 1994.

Who else remembers how hard it was for Grammie to pick out a dress? But gosh she looked great in this aqua colored gem that she finally settled on!

Happy New Year!

I spent today with one of my favorite people antiquing and visiting the Offray Ribbon Outlet in Hagerstown, MD. It was SO much fun and I got some really fabulous ribbons (Even Grammie would have approved at $1.25 for 50 yards!) I also scored a set of 1950’s Pyrex Sky Blue mixing bowls for $24! They are going to be so fun to use making all of these recipes. {Dad} seems to think I could head to Grammie’s house and probably find the bowls in her Cupboards for free. If so, I am totally calling them! But these were too perfect to leave at the antique warehouse! Hope you enjoy the precious picture below that I picked up for {Dad}…this cold weather is very reminiscent of the scene below. Have fun and be safe in all your New Years festivities! I’m going to be making Grammie’s stuffed mushrooms for tomorrow night and an onion tartlet recipe from a friend- and will be sharing both as soon as I get home to upload my photo’s!