I have been very fortunate to have many wonderful women in my life. They have been my confidantes; my teachers; my mentors.  They have always been there for me, either to hear me pontificate or to cry on their shoulders and to give me much needed advice in my growing years and even my adult life.

My Mother and my two Aunts fall into that category and have been a great influence on me.  They were the best teachers on being a great Mother, an understanding wife and best of all a great cook.  I watched them cook before I could reach up to the countertop in the kitchen.  Read more...

Winter is upon us and that means cold and flu season and not to mention blustery cold weather.  What better comfort food to have when sick with a cold or flu or on a cold wintry day, but a delicious, healthy cup of homemade chicken soup?  What makes this homemade chicken soup recipe a little different is the addition of paprika to the broth. Instead of a bland looking hot water broth, this soup achieves a wonderfully lustrous golden color. This recipe is so quick and easy to make too!

Ingredients:

12 c water  Read more...

I very fondly remember my Aunt Mary who was my Mother’s youngest sister.  She was so loving and caring and a wonderful Mother to her three children.  In fact, she was like my second Mother and I spent many a day visiting her and also spent summer vacations with her.  She loved to laugh and make others laugh and she was a mentor to me on being a good Mother and wife.

Aunt Mary was also a great cook and I learned many a dish from her.  Read more...

Did you know that after a man reaches the age of 35, he loses 1% of his muscle mass every year for the rest of his life? I don’t like to talk about my age, but that means I have lost almost 40% of muscle (you do the calculation) and in a few years I’d be less than half the man I used to be.

That is, until I met Kevin and Karen Dubree, two young and charming entrepreneurs from Chicago who are co-owners of HIT Fitness in Naples, Florida . They practice a revolutionary new training technique called slow-motion high intensity training. Their clients range from 10-85 years of age.  Read more...

It’s difficult for us seniors to keep up with the new technology out there for communicating with others.  But once we get the hang of it we go at with full force.

Take for example, The Computer.

Most seniors are skeptical of purchasing a computer and getting started.  Usually a son or daughter encourages their parent to get a computer so they can communicate by email to their grandchildren who always want to hear from Grandma and Grandpa.  So good ol’ Grannie and Poppy take adult education courses to learn the ways to use a computer.  Read more...

I happened to be watching the Oprah Winfrey show last October when she was enthusiastically introducing her audience to the Amazon Kindle.  Her guest that day was Jeff Bezos, Founder & CEO of Amazon and they both explained the features of the Kindle.  I was so impressed with this portable eBook reader and its ability to make reading so enjoyable and convenient no matter where you are.

My husband, George, is an avid reader and I thought he would really enjoy receiving a Kindle.  It then became my choice of a Christmas gift for him.  I ordered the Kindle immediately after the show and was so glad I did because in no time Amazon was running out of stock.  Read more...

What a surprise to find that the house you loved and worked so hard with a designer to make special is not to the liking of a realtor when you are putting your home up for sale. He or she is only pleased if you follow the format.  Did you know that there are ways to present your home to a prospective buyer and if you want to sell, you better learn what to do to make it saleable?

First, remove all personal photographs.  Poor Grandma’s photos are relegated to a box stored in the basement.  Read more...

As a descendent of an Italian immigrant family, I have been handed down numerous variations of Meatball recipes from great- grandmother to grandmother to mother then me. That’s a picture of Mom over on the left.

Then after marrying an Irish-Italian man I was given his Italian families versions of their best meatball recipes.  I could fill a book with these recipes.

However, they really don’t differ much.

It could be as simple as a little less cheese or no parsley but basically the same.  However, I could never find one recipe that really gave me a nice moist meatball and one that would stay moist after being cooked in spaghetti sauce.  Read more...

We are all so busy in today’s society to be the old fashion welcome-wagon greeter when a new neighbor moves into the area.  I remember those days when women were stay at home Moms and they looked forward to meeting their neighbors and having chats in the morning over a hot cup of coffee.   Back then the neighbors would greet a new neighbor with a casserole dish or pie and welcome them to the community.

Those days are gone since we are all involved in outside the home activities.  Be it either jobs or volunteer work or constant carpooling children, we don’t have time to welcome a new neighbor.  I miss those days and the opportunity to meet a newcomer.  Read more...

I have been married for 48 years to the same man who I love just as much today as I did when I first met him.  We met while in college and dated five years before our marriage.  So, basically we have known each other 53 years.  When younger people hear we are married for so long, the usual question is “what is the secret to staying married so long?”

The answer is simple:  Similarities!!  Read more...