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Tasty Tuesday: Homemade Gnocchi
I have a few loves in life. One of them is good gnocchi. It is one of my favorite pastas and I never pass up the opportunity to try a new dish of it, usually at a restaurant. Recently I stepped out of my comfort zone and tried successfully to make it myself. I can’t find a gnocchi that I just /love/ from a grocery store and now I no longer need to look. Wow is this easy! I believe that traditional gnocchi is made from potatoes and this is made with cheese, maybe that’s why I fell in love with this recipe. Another note, my husband /hates/ Ricotta Cheese so I…
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Support in time of Need
Monday, my baby boy, 23 months old, had a lump on his hiney the size of a golf ball. The pediatrician felt it was too deep for her to lance in the office so we were scheduled for the surgeon the next day. A quick in and out procedure that I knew would bring him much relief. In the mean time he was crabby. Beyond crabby. In and out of sleep. Clingy. Pained. It broke my heart. Continue Reading to learn more about my Support in time of Need My dad, hundreds of miles away, knew I needed help that evening so he called a local pizza place and had pizza delivered,…
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Summer Meals and Menu for Children of All Ages!
Camp Grandpa! It is July on our calendar and fireworks are getting to explode in my heart as the grands are getting ready to arrive. Activities are on Grandpa’s plate. Their hunger for adventure, outdoors, hammering, mud and total movement are insatiable. Therefore, Grandma is getting ready to find some ‘fuels’ that are kid appropriate: lunches and dinners. We have a bread lover, a meat on bone lover, a thick steak fan, and one who isn’t too certain what is the best… well ice cream is there, but not on my meal plan! The secret plan that Grandpa and I have is to keep them so active and involved that…
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Posthumous Silver Star to be presented to the family of U-2 Pilot, Captain Gary Francis Powers on Friday
“Best Father’s Day Present Ever” Capt Gary Powers – See Below for photo creditsWhat does a Silver Star presentation have to do with Father’s Day? To the Power’s family, Friday is a correction to history, a heritage that can be reflected on with pride and a celebration of a father who was a Cold War hero. Air Force Chief of Staff General Norton Schwartz will present a posthumous decoration to the U-2 pilot who was shot down over the Soviet Union on May 1, 1960. On Wednesday, we spoke with Gary Powers, Jr about the upcoming ceremony and how it had impacted his family during a DoDLive Blogger Roundtable. The…
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Tasty Tuesday: Healthy & Yummy Chicken Nuggets
There is something about chicken nuggets that make my children’s mouth water, whether the frozen variety cooked in the toaster oven or the kind fresh out of the deep-fat fryer at our favorite fast food restaurant. Are they on the list of healthy-meals at the Kocsis household though? Not so much.However, earlier this week I made a delicious breaded and baked chicken nugget that knocked my boys’ socks right off! I know it is a good meal when there are no leftovers, when they ask for more and I have to say “Sorry, they are all gone.”, when I think ‘We are definitely doing these again’! Healthy & Yummy Chicken NuggetsINGREDIENTS:3-4 thick slices bread1/2…
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Those Summer Utility Bills
It is almost summer and we have had the weather to prove it! Operation keep the house cool has been in full effect! You see, we are not big air condition users. I love fresh air. Windows open, the sound of children playing, the joy in the noise of summer. But with summer can come a higher utility bill. This is the reason my husband does not like the Air Conditioner. It is expensive. So in an effort to live comfortably and keep the budget in the green I have two quick tried and true tips. Save Money in the Laundry Room Does your dishwasher or clothes-washer have a timer…
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A Reflection of my Own Stress
I was running a morning errand when I saw the car screaming in reverse down the driveway. I tapped my brakes not knowing if she saw me. She slammed on hers to avoid hitting me. I saw the 2nd grader in the back seat, her daughter. I could see the mom YELLING at her daughter. Hands were in motion, up in the air. Mom was flabbergasted over something. It was 8:05am and I knew that kids were considered tardy if they arrived after 8:10am and we live about 5 minutes from the school. It was easy to draw conclusions but I don’t know what was happening exactly in the car that followed…
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I’m a Winner! Thanks to UbiRock
Isn’t it fun when you are notified that “You are a winner!”? I have to admit it doesn’t happen often. The first time I ever won something it was a windbreaker from a pet store – eons ago. The next thing I remember winning was a baby carrier (backpack style) from Babies R Us soon after my now 9 year old was born. We still have that backpack and it has been used for my other sons as well as my nieces and nephews. It is like the gift that keeps on giving! Just last week I got that ‘You are a winner’ announcement once again. Three days later in the…
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Soldiering On…
Last night I fell into bed. Sometimes my mind has time to wander after I turn off the lights. I think about what I did earlier in the day, what I accomplished, what I forgot to do, what I can get done tomorrow. I think about my blessings. Thank God for my family. Dream about what our future holds. It can all be a pleasant way to drift into dream world. But last night there was none of that. It was a hectic day that involved making 30 Valentines Cookies for my 3rd grader’s class, which in and of itself involved multiple (yes, multiple) trips to the grocery store. It was laundry and sheet…
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Roots and Wings
We have an interesting phenomena going on in my house. We have an 18-month old and an 18 year old (and two other brothers in between). My husband and I often laugh with each other over the fact that we are the “young parents” with *J* (at sporting events, parent-teacher conferences etc etc) and we are going to be the “old wiser-parents” with *L*. There are times when I just want my 18-month old to grow up. I want him to communicate (although this can be hard even for an 18 year old); tell me his favorite things; share his deepest wishes; form an opinion that doesn’t involve whining; meet friends;…
