A long time dear, dear friend, Tommy Tune, is celebrating his 70th birthday today. Happy Birthday Tommy!

George and I met Tommy 44 years ago in Houston, Texas. I hate to think how old that makes us. But Tommy is happy to say he is now 70 and he is still as energetic as he was in his 20’s not to mention he looks Fabulous. We are so proud to say he is our friend and with all the fame and notoriety he has received all these years, he is the same innocent, honest and loyal person we knew back in 1966.  Read more...

I just received my Kindle 2 and I LOVE it! I ordered it after seeing how much my husband, George, was enjoying his. He was reading all the time and raved to others about the convenience and ease of using it. I posted his review of the Kindle and can be found on my blog, posted January 29^th, 2009.  Read more...

Company is coming for dinner and I plan to prepare a menu that I have served numerous times and it always gets rave reviews. In fact, last month my dearest friends or I should say my surrogate family, Christopher Lowell and his sister, Laura, came for a visit and I prepared several meals for them.

It was such a thrill for me to cook for Christopher who has visited several times. Usually, if we didn’t go out to eat, he would do the cooking while I was his assistant chef, which really meant I did the chopping and stirring while he did all the work. He is a master cook, so I am always honored to be his assistant.  Read more...

Today is Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent, which means it is 40 days until Easter Sunday. As an adult Catholic, I believe this is the most important holiday we celebrate. Without Christ sacrificing himself on the cross for our souls, we would not have a religion.

During Lent we fast, we abstain, we renew ourselves, we do penance and we pray.

The week preceding Easter is Holy Week, which consists of Holy Thursday, Good Friday (the solemn day that Christ was crucified) and then Lent ends on midnight, Holy Saturday, the day of penance. On Easter Sunday we celebrate the resurrection of Christ. This is a very joyous day for all Christians.  Read more...

What is the definition of cannoli? It is a tube-shaped crispy pastry, open ended on each side, which is quickly fried, cooled and then filled with lightly sweetened ricotta cheese. A singe cannoli is called a cannolo, meaning “tube,” but many cannot eat just one of these amazing pastries; hence the term cannoli is heard more often. Cannoli was originally developed in Sicily, however, there are many variations of the original.

Growing up in an Italian family during the 40’s and 50’s I have some wonderful memories of our Sunday dinners.  Read more...

We live in the best country in the world; we are people of many talents, diversities, religions and nationalities. But the best of all, we are a nation of people who care for others. We are the first to help those in need. Remember all those who came to the aid of 9/11 victims? Not only firemen and policemen, but the man down the street, who rushed to give aid to a fleeing victim of the Twin Towers and the lady living in the nearby apartment building who saw the disaster and went out of her safe home to immediately help others. There are also those times in major disasters, such as hurricanes, fires, floods and mudslides, tornados, when we offer assistance in the form of money, food and clothing, and prayers to those who lost everything.  Read more...

Going grocery shopping is one of my favorite activities.  It is almost a hobby for me to go into a grocery store, walk the aisles, check for new items and read the labels on products. Needless to say, this is time consuming, but when you’re retired, what better way to spend time educating yourself on nutritional facts and watching for the latest items out there?

I spend most time concentrating on foods that are on my menu plans for the week.  Read more...

I have truly enjoyed entertaining house guests these past two months.  Since we live in Florida near the water, we have guests who look forward to a change in scene and for some, to get away from frigid weather up north.  Our guests have included my son and daughter-in-law and our two precious grandchildren, also a best friend from cold, snowy Ohio and a celebrity with his sister and personal assistant.  It was fun and enjoyable simply because of the pre-planning and organization that I enjoy doing.

This is how I take the hassle out of entertaining overnight guests:  Read more...

Are you getting ready to watch the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, February 9th-10th at 9:00p on CNBC?  I eagerly wait for those shows as football fans wait for the Super Bowl.  There’s no tailgating here, but there’s munchies for Freddie and me. Freddie, my three year old Maltese loves Wysong’s Dream Treats (non-cooked freeze-dried chicken) and it’ll be popcorn for me.  Read more...

My Mother was very inventive when it came to preparing meatless dishes.  Being raised a Catholic, I remember meatless meals prepared during our Lenten season and for Fridays when we did not eat meat or poultry. Mom’s stuffed peppers is one that I remember and enjoyed.

The dish is not only delicious, but also easy to prepare and can be served hot from the oven, or room temperature and even cold.  Mom did not buy deli lunch meat for sandwiches, whatever leftovers she could put into a roll or between two slices of bread is what we took to school for lunch.  Read more...