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  • Monthly Archives: April 2014

    • May Day

      Posted at 8:09 pm by Lisa Cavallari
      Apr 28th

       

       

      May_basket_1

      May Day is just a few days away and falls on May first every year.  For those of you who are not familiar with this tradition, it is a day to celebrate spring and spread some cheer to friends and neighbors.

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      As a child, our family and neighbors were all busy assembling May baskets the morning of the first.  Sometimes we would use Dixie cups or wrap some construction paper into a cone-shape, then we would add a pipe cleaner handle and fill it with popcorn and candy.  Once we finished, we would walk to each house, leave the surprise on the doorstep, ring the doorbell and run like mad.  The rumor was if you were caught, the person chasing you could steal a kiss, but luckily that never happened.
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      I will admit that the tradition of dancing around the Maypole seems a bit dated, but I still love the idea of doing nice things for friends and neighbors.  It doesn’t have to be anything fancy either.  For a kid, it’s exciting to hear the doorbell and find a treat waiting for him when he opens the door.

      May_pole

      I still create May baskets each year for my husband and daughters filled with their favorite candy.  Maybe we could try reviving this tradition throughout our own neighborhood(s).  You never know, the old usually becomes new again.

      On a different note, but still holiday-related my first article was published on Red Typewriter.  The topic is Mother’s Day Gifts so check it out and tell us your thoughts.

      Have a happy May Day!

       

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      Posted in Holidays | Tagged May Basket, May Basket Day, May Day, Mother's Day, Mother's Day Gift, Red Typewriter
    • Easter 2014

      Posted at 8:10 pm by Lisa Cavallari
      Apr 20th

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      Happy Easter!  What a beautiful day outside. We went from having the heat on this morning and switched over to the a/c by the afternoon.  Crazy, but I’ll take it.

      Last night I put the girls baskets together (as I am sure a lot of you moms were doing as well).  Here is how they turned out.

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      For Easter dinner, we kept it simple with ham, potatoes au gratin, crusty bread, ambrosia salad and lemon cake for dessert.  I couldn’t resist making the salad.  My Grandma Ezarski would make it each year and my brother and I devoured it as kids.

      As an aside, Target had some cute Easter straws.  I couldn’t resist.

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      I pulled the bunny napkin idea from Martha Stewart. I think I got it pretty close to her model.

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      Like I said, pretty close, but not perfect.   😉  I hope you all had an enjoyable Easter.

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      Posted in Holidays | Tagged Easter, Easter Basket
    • Chicken-and-Tortellini Salad

      Posted at 8:00 am by Lisa Cavallari
      Apr 16th

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      This dish can be served as an appetizer or main course.  It reminds me of the tortellini salad served at my wedding reception.

      Try serving it for Easter or a summer picnic.  It pairs remarkably well with a unoaked Chardonnay or a crisp Chablis.

      My husband and I discovered this unoaked Mer Soleil Silver Chardonnay from the same family that produces Caymus Cabernet.  The bottle is pretty cool too.  It’s made of ceramic.

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      Chicken-and-Tortellini Salad

      Serves 12 to 15 appetizer servings

      Ingredients

      2 (9 oz.) packages refrigerated cheese-filled tortellini

      1/2 cup olive oil

      1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

      1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

      2 garlic cloves

      1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

      2 cups cooked chicken, chopped

      1 cup frozen peas, thawed

      1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions

      1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley

      Salt and pepper to taste

       

      Directions:

      1. Prepare tortellini according to package directions.

      2. Process olive oil, cheese, garlic, lemon juice and Worcestershire in a blender until smooth.  Toss olive oil mixture with tortellini, chicken, parsley, green onions and peas.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

      Enjoy!

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      Posted in Cooking | Tagged Chicken, Salad, Tortellini
    • Last-Minute Easter Ideas

      Posted at 10:51 am by Lisa Cavallari
      Apr 14th

      Here are some easy ways to get ready for Easter this week.

      • Decorate Easter Eggs.  Sydney and Olivia decorated theirs yesterday.  Is this tradition becoming dated?  I would think not, right?  Anyway, they had loads of fun.

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      • Find some Easter stories to read together.  We found some adorable Easter-themed books at the library.  My childhood favorite was Humbug Rabbit.  It has beautiful illustrations and combines two stories into one.

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      The girls enjoying their books.

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      • Prepare the baskets.  For Easter Sunday, I found a cute idea using a galvanized bucket, painting it with chalkboard paint and writing the child’s name on it.  That will be Olivia’s basket.  We already have plenty of Easter baskets around here and this is something that can be re-purposed for organizing toys or collecting rocks and shells at the beach.

      Chalkboard paint bucket

      For Sydney, my mom suggested opening a new umbrella (a gift from Mr. Bunny) and placing all of her Easter goodies in it.  I love that idea and will try to take some pictures to share with all of you.

      Enjoy your activities!  Do you have some of your own traditions or ideas to share?

       

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      Posted in Holidays, Kids | Tagged Easter, Easter Basket, Easter Books, Eggs
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