October | 2014 | Home Is Where The Haggis Is

Monthly Archives: October 2014
- Home Is Where The Haggis Is Turns 1! Plus, A Giveaway…
  
  Posted at 10:00 am by Lisa Cavallari
  
  Oct 23rd
  One year ago this blog began. It’s been quite a journey. From recipes to family activities, you guys have followed along. I am sorry to write that I will no longer be continuing to post in the future. Ha! Did I fool you? Sorry about that, but I had to make sure you were actually reading this and to let you know that in order to make this fun for all please tell your friends, family and co-workers about these posts. I need more followers, more comments and feedback in order to keep improving. If you haven’t already, sign up to follow my blog via email. It will ensure that you never miss a post. Thank you for the support. I truly appreciate it.
  
  Okay, so I’m trying to incorporate more leafy greens and veggies for the family and when the 5:00 frazzles hit our household last night I decided to whip up a basic and extremely versatile vinaigrette to toss with some salad greens that are about to get slimy if they continue to sit in the fridge for even one more day.
  
  I used Galena Garlic Company aged balsamic vinegar in this recipe. Since there are very few ingredients it is important to use the best quality for the balsamic and olive oil. Doing this, makes the flavors pop and turns any basic, boring salad into a masterpiece. One lucky winner will receive a bottle of this dark, tangy, sweet balsamic vinegar when you add a comment indicating your favorite blog post from Home Is Where The Haggis Is. This balsamic is aged 18 years and the owner brings loads of it over from Modena Italy. In the store, you can sample the vinegars and olive oils straight from a small, plastic cup and man are they are smooth!
  
  Here’s the recipe.
  Balsamic Vinaigrette
  - Servings: 6
  - Time: 10mins
  - Difficulty: easy
  - Print
  adapted slightly from Emeril
  
  Ingredients:
  
  1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
  
  2 tsp brown sugar
  
  1 Tb chopped garlic
  
  1/2 tsp salt
  
  1/2 tsp ground black pepper
  
  3/4 cup olive oil
  
  Salad greens
  
  Directions
  
  Combine all ingredients minus the salad greens in a medium-sized bowl using a whisk. (Or cheat and use an old vinaigrette container to shake it all up) Toss salad dressing with greens just before serving.
  Here’s my attempt to please the younger taste buds around here. I have to be honest (I swear this blog is like my confessional) they didn’t go for it. They just ate the fruit around it and picked at the shavings of Parmesan. Oh well, more for me!
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  Posted in Cooking | Tagged Balsamic Vinaigrette
- Table Manners
  
  Posted at 10:42 am by Lisa Cavallari
  
  Oct 14th
  I don’t know about you, but mealtimes at our house can be a little, well, stressful. Some of this I bring on myself by allowing my kids to pick what they want to eat instead of serving one meal for the family and making them eat it. With the holidays approaching and my lovely Emily Post Etiquette book setting on my nightstand quietly summoning me to read the chapter dedicated to children’s table manners, I acquiesced and scanned through it last night.
  
  These tips are not hard and fast rules. Let’s be honest, we need to keep our sanity and if that means Janie wants a pink glass instead of purple then give her the friggin’ pink glass. Some battles are not worth fighting, BUT if the battle means that eventually you can get to the point where it isn’t an issue anymore then give it the college try for a few weeks or a month and see if it takes. Here is what I learned:
  
  The Family Table
  
  Don’t worry if the meal isn’t elaborate. It can be takeout food that is warmed and served in real dishes and eaten with real dinnerware. Introduce new foods because a child used to variety at home is less inclined to be picky and fussy when eating out.
  
  Clear and set the table. Have your children practice setting and clearing the table. One can be in charge of silverware or napkins. Teach them where the knife, fork, spoon, etc. should be placed.
  
  Limit distractions. Turn off the T.V. and other devices.
  
  Liven up the discussion. Instead of talking only about what they did today, try talking about what you have planned for the week, the month or year. It’s fun to have things to look forward to and setting goals is good too. You could also spark their imagination. Have them describe what they’re eating or have them make up a story.
  
  Excuses, excuses. Young children should be allowed to leave the table when they have finished eating. They can ask if they may be excused. I usually warn my children on nights when dessert is not an option that this will be their last opportunity to eat and to eat more if they still feel hungry. I do not ask them to eat everything on their plate. The Clean Plate Club was something I was a member of as a kid and, well that’s a whole other topic.
  
  Table Manner Timeline
  
  By Age Six
  - Arrive at meal with clean hands.
  - Place napkin on lap.
  - Begin to eat when everyone else does.
  - Stay seated: no slouching, ducking under table, or rocking of chairs.
  - Ask permission to get out of seat if necessary during meal.
  - Keep elbows off table while eating.
  - Use spoons and forks; begin learning to use a knife for cutting.
  - Eat bite-sized portions and chew with mouth closed.
  - Don’t talk with food in mouth.
  - Ask for food-no reaching – and say “please” and “thank you.”
  - Don’t make negative comments about the food.
  - Join in mealtime conversation.
  - Don’t interrupt others when they are talking.
  - Don’t make rude or disturbing noises (burping, snorting, singing, etc.).
  - Ask, “May I please be excused?” when finished eating.
  - Thank the person who prepared the meal.
  - Offer to help by removing own plate.
  I cringed as I read these tips because while my four and six year old haven’t mastered some of these, I haven’t either. I’ve spoken with food in my mouth, “Sydney sit down before you hurt yourself!” I’ve occasionally made a face and said something like, “That rice was vile.” I guess we all have a little brushing up that we can do for ourselves and it sets the example for the children.
  
  Do any of you have a question or gripe about etiquette? I was thinking of posting a few questions (you will remain anonymous) in the future. Thoughts?
  
  Source: Emily Post’s Etiquette, 17th Edition, Peggy Post
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  Posted in Etiquette, Kids | Tagged Etiquette For Children, Table Manners For Kids
- Chilling Ideas For Frightening Fun
  
  Posted at 9:00 am by Lisa Cavallari
  
  Oct 3rd
  Halloween is less than a month away so here are a few ways to spark some inspiration and get into the scream of things.
  
  Fun activities for you and the little ghouls:
  - Watch Teeny Tiny and the Witch Woman. This short story is read aloud by an old woman whose scratchy voice lends to the spookiness of the tale. My girls watch this one over and over again. Of course, there’s always Hocus Pocus, The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, Spookley, The Square Pumpkin, and Hotel Transylvania.
  - Play Halloween Bingo. Crazy Little Projects created an adorable free printable Bingo game.
  - Take a stroll around your neighborhood to check out what people have done to decorate their homes for Halloween. A fun way to get some fresh air and gather up good ideas.
  - Decorate a gingerbread haunted house. Who says Christmas gets all the fun with gingerbread? Add a gnarled tree made from a brown paper bag and some black sugar sprinkles around the lawn to complete the look.
  - Check out some spooky stories at the library. Old Man Wind, Room On The Broom, The Runaway Pumpkin, Five Funny Frights and The Costume Copycat are some of the girls favorites.
  - Crank up some spooky tunes on Pandora. They have a kids Halloween station that you could play while decorating your haunted house.
  - Print off some pages from Activity Village. They have coloring pages, games and all sorts ideas to celebrate Halloween..as well as many other holidays celebrated around the world.
  Ideas to get yourself psyched:
  - Relive the 80s and watch Weird Science, Ghostbusters, or An American Werewolf In London. If the 90s was more your style, there’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Edward Scissorhands.
  - Read some Edgar Allen Poe. “The Raven,” “A Tell-Tale Heart,” “The Premature Burial,” and other creepy stories and poems are sure to give you the shivers.
  - Bake some pumpkin bread or pumpkin cake. These two recipes were my very first post from almost a year ago.
  - Make pumpkin soup. I have been dying to try this recipe.
  - See what Martha, the Queen of Halloween, is up to this year.
  - Try some salty caramel apple vodka by UV ($13/1 L). Another thing I have been meaning to try…with guests over of course. 😉
  Are you ready now?
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  Posted in Kids | Tagged Halloween Activities, Halloween Ideas for Kids
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