Life Is Beautiful-La Vita e Bella Weblog

It’s Blood Donor month in January

luvsclassics — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 14:04:24 +0000

Tracie and William are both collecting blood at the Masons in Westfield Blood Drive.

I just saw on this mornings news that it is National Blood Donor month. The Pelican Ski , shop is participating by offering all donors free “Ski Lift tickets or snow board ticket ” from January 1 to January 31st 2012 in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Bring your proof of donation letter to any Pelican Ski shop for your free rental certificate until February 5, 2012. See Pelican ‘s web site for all Blood Donation locations.

http://www.pelicanshops.com/specials/blooddrive.html

My husband is a regular blood donor at the place I work at, the Blood Center of New Jersey.

Grace Riordan, R.N. is packing the Platelet products for Field Apheresis located at Wayne Health Dpt.

Team Leaders, Grace Riordan, R.N. and Angelique Crisciolo, R.N. at the Blood Center of New Jersey , Parsippany location.

Happy New Year! Welcome 2012

luvsclassics — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 00:03:55 +0000

I finished out the New Year doing several things.

Sewing and maintaining the practice of Green Living!

Going green as in recycling started a long time ago in my family. We still have a red “breadbox ” that was used to keep loaves of bread inside on your counter in the 1950′s from my grandmother. In it contains boxes of light bulbs. A sewing machine table is used as a T.V stand.

When I went to Junior high school, every single girl had ”Home Economics” for sewing and cooking classes. We were required to go and buy a sewing chest. Now bear with me, I’ve got a lot to say!!!! That year , on a shopping trip with my mother I bought a pink plastic one. Still on the lid is a piece of tape with my name and “period 4″ . What I liked about this kit: has a top tray for two thimbles, bobbins of thread, sewing needles , sewing scissors, and the remainder to hold small sewing projects. Thread colors are ” Clark’s” thread of light blue, light pink, yellow, navy blue,and red. Inside there I still have folded up paper of sewing terminology called” Sewing Unit review sheet”, that I got from sewing class all those years ago. There’s a small folded up newspaper cutting from a “Dear Eunice Farmer” asking for reorganization help of a sewing room. Our local newspaper at that time had a ” pattern Department” that you could write to with your name and address to request a pattern that was shown that day in the newspaper. My times have changed. Everything is order on-line when you read magazines. Also in the bottom of my sewing caddy is a piece of patchwork fabric folded up, blue terry cloth material scraps, “sew-on snap fasteners from the store Bradlees’s, two embroidered patches , a strawberry and a light blue flower ( that I remember my grandmother P. liked ), more spools of thread ( J& P Coates) made in the USA, in colors of royal blue, brown , green, and pastel green, a small pink hexagon -shaped plastic box for straight pins, 2 measuring tapes, paper tags from clothing in size small. Yes, there was a time when I wore size small, way back in seventh grade. He he he. There’s a paper tag from a wool jacket that I bought from Evan Picone, a hot fashion designer. At that time, I thought that was a special wardrobe addition, to keep the tag in my sewing kit!!!

Here’s a pic of me sewing a hem on corduroy slacks for my mother.

My needle and thread and my sewing box from 7th grade.

Part of writing a blog, is self evaluation. I frequently like to read my stats. In doing this, I learn about what was of interest , why people visit my blog.

The most frequently searched items on my blog for yesterday were :

Swiss chalet chicken recipe ( a Canadian recipe) (4), “By the boab tree” lyrics, Toto- the Italian comedian.

I have posted several Lithuanian recipes, and there are many searches for Lithuanian Koshie, Kugles, and Kapusta.

Not far behind in the popularity of searches are Mountain Dew cake and Summer dessert,Vermont, Hershey, Pa, 50′s cars, and many others. ( I ‘ll go back and review again.) You would’t believe how often people from all over the world visit my site for pictures of farm animals and zoo animals!!!

Bellini, The Origin

luvsclassics — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 15:54:41 +0000

The Bellini was invented sometime between 1934 and 1948 by Giuseppe Cipriani, founder of Harry’s Bar in Venice, Italy. Because of its unique pink color, which reminded Cipriani of the color of the toga of a saint in a painting by 15th-century Venetian artist Giovanni Bellini, he named the drink the Bellini.

A true Bellini is made with the nectar of white peaches and Italian sparkling wine. Mionetto Prosecco Brut D.o.c is an example of a good Italian sparkling wine.

The Bellini consists of puréed white peaches and Prosecco, an Italian sparkling wine. Marinating fresh peaches in wine is an Italian tradition.^[2] The original recipe was made with a bit of raspberry or cherry juice to give the drink a pink glow.^[4] Due, in part, to the limited availability of both white peaches and Prosecco, several variations exist.

Bellini Bar

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

Recipe categories: Fruit, Blackberry, Peach, Strawberry, Raspberry.

Rated 5 stars out of 5

Total Time: 1 hr 5 min
Prep: 30 min
Inactive: 30 min
Cook: 5 min
Yield: 12 serving

Ingredients

2 cups sugar
1 cup water
1 (16-ounce) bag frozen peaches, thawed
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
1 (16-ounce) bag frozen strawberries, thawed
1 (16-ounce) bag frozen blueberries or blackberries, thawed
4 to 6 (750-ml) bottles Prosecco or other sparkling wine, chilled
Fresh strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries, for garnish
Orange peel twists, for garnish

Directions

Stir the sugar and water in a large saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Cool completely.

Puree the peaches and orange peel in a blender with 1/2 cup of the sugar syrup until smooth. Strain through a fine-meshed strainer and into a bowl. Cover and refrigerate. In a clean blender puree the strawberries with 1/3 cup of the sugar syrup until smooth. Strain through a clean fine-meshed strainer and into another bowl. Discard the seeds. Puree the blueberries in a clean blender with 1/3 cup of the sugar syrup until smooth. Strain through a clean fine-meshed strainer and into a third bowl. Discard the seeds and solids. Pour each of the purees into clear glass bowls or small pitchers.

For each serving, pour 2 to 4 tablespoons of the desired fruit puree into a Champagne flute. Slowly pour enough Prosecco into the flute to fill. Gently stir to blend. Garnish with the whole berries, as desired, and serve.

Do-Ahead Tip: The fruit purees can each be made 1 day ahead. Cover separately and refrigerate.

This wine is perfect alone as an aperitif or as a delight- ful complement to appetizers such as prosciutto or
mild cheeses. Excellent as a base for Bellinis and other sparkling wine cocktails.

Bellini is also the name of a music group originating in Catania, Sicily . Agostino Tilotta and Damon Che begin writing songs in August 12, 2000. They started their first North America tour in 2001. I must locate this group on you-tube or I -tunes and catch a few bars of their music today!

Bellini is a rhythmic, tight, beautifully aggressive quartet consisting of Agostino Tilotta, his wife Giovanna Cacciola (both also of Italy’s famed Uzeda), bassist Matthew Taylor (the Romulans) and drummer Alexis Fleisig (Girls Against Boys). Though retaining some of the basic elements of their former selves, Bellini are more focused, more structured and more rhythmic than ever before. They embody the true spirit of perseverance and punk rock, making uncompromising, honest music strictly for the brutal love of it.

The Teatro Massimo Bellini is an opera house in Catania, Sicily, southern Italy. Named after the local-born composer Vincenzo Bellini, it was inaugurated on 31 May 1890 with a performance of the composer’s masterwork, Norma. It seats 1,200.

Christmas Eve

luvsclassics — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 12:39:28 +0000

My husband and I went to Christmas Eve Mass last evening. During the priest’s Homily, I jotted down some of his words.
The priest began speaking about Joseph and compared him to our lives.
“We have our expectations, but life does not cooperate.” ” Perhaps we had a vision for Christmas, but it’s not turning out how we planned. Think of Joseph! He responded with Compassion toward Mary; Through the angel, he listened and trusted in God. When we have problems, whether work, school, or elsewhere, we trust in God. Use this as an example, put trust in God, for our lives. In tonight”s Gospel story, we heard of the Salvation history. God works through history; God is woven into the fabric of our lives.
This Evening, A New Day has dawned! A New Day Dawns for us when we recognize it. Tonight, We celebrate that “God has loved Us” through Creation. He taught us “How to Love each other and Love God among all things. Tonight marks the Anniversary, We are to realize, he is always with us , Everyday, not just this day, and everyday.

St. Augustine of Canterbury church's alter during the Christmas season.

Christ's image is painted on the ceiling at the front of the church.

The Angel!

St. Augustine church- the beautiful view from the back of the church , the entrance.

Scenic Sunday and Shadow Shot Sunday

luvsclassics — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 14:38:45 +0000

"For there is born to you this day, in the city of David a Savior who is Christ the Lord," Luke 2:11

For Scenic Sunday today, I’ll share with you a local church’s annual Living Nativity. This takes place in the evening on Friday and Saturday night from 6:00pm. – 9:00pm.

We were first greeted with a warm ” Merry Christmas!” and then directed to the starting point. A reader of the Gospel began with the first of” The Christmas Story”.

One of the stations of " the Christmas Story" readers

One of the many volunteers of Middlebush Reformed church ( the church with the Red door) , escort us to each station by walking through a path of Luminaries to hear a passage read from ” the Christmas Story”.

Our group listens. There's me with the pink scarf!

The Luminaries light the way.

From the moment you begin you journey of the Christmas Story, these Luminaries light the path that you walk to hear the passages read to you. This place is very beautiful in the darkness of the night.

I just read on their website that this is their 8th or 11th year, and I sure that we have visited this Living Nativity all the years except one.

for more Scenic Sunday photos , please visit this website.

http://scenicsunday.blogspot.com/

Ruby Tuesday

luvsclassics — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 13:45:22 +0000

Ruby Tuesday

Retro red Christmas stockings, my dad's, my sister's and mine. That's a Santa puppet hand sewn by my mother!

Do you have your first Christmas stocking? Do you collect Christmas stockings?Happy Ruby Tuesday everyone!

"Let's do lunch?"

Let’s do lunch?

It is more fun to talk with someone who doesn’t use long, difficult words but rather short, easy words like “What about lunch?”

In the second photo, I was taking a pic of my frozen yogurt at a shop in nearby Princeton, N.J. it was starting to melt, he he, and then I noticed in my photo the modern style chair. Reminds me a little of a Parcheesi game piece.

We love to walk along Nassau Street and browse the shops, visit the Princeton Art museum on campus and the best part, stop for a snack!!!! Sometimes, it is the Bent Spoon on Palmer Square or that, Cow ice cream place , both a short walk from each other.

Please join me in sharing your photos and images with the color red, a little red or a lot of red, It is all up to you!

As always, comments are welcomed. Scroll down , click on the word “comments, and add yours.

http://workofthepoet.blogspot.com/

Got something RED that you’ve photographed? Join us on RUBY TUESDAY

Comments are WELCOMED. Tell me what you think.!! Do you have your first Christmas stocking? Do you collect Christmas stockings?

Tea Party, Irish

luvsclassics — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 02:02:29 +0000

n Gaelic “cupan tae” means cup of tea, and the Irish make it a strong cup. Irish tea is blended to be mixed with a lot of rich milk-up to 1/3 of the cup for some. The custom is to add the milk to the tea-cup first, then pour in the tea. Irish breakfast tea is often a strong blend of Assam and Ceylon and most people would only drink it for breakfast, though the Irish love it strong and would use this blend all day long. Even during the traditional Irish wake, after a family member has passed away, it’s expected that a pot would be continuously boiling to make tea for company.

Irish tea is served generally three times a day; 11:00 in the morning, 3:00-5:00 for afternoon tea and a high tea at 6:00 pm, serving as the evening meal. Many think of high tea as formal or fancy, but it’s actually a working man’s tea that serves as a meal. Afternoon tea is the fancier of the three teas-the one with scones, breads, jam, curds and other dainties.

SUGGESTED MENU for AN ‘IRISH HIGH TEA’ PARTY

* Recipes shown below

Potato and Leek Soup* served with Irish Herb Scones*
Smoked Salmon Mousse* with Irish Soda Bread
Dublin Lawyer* served with with sweet peas mixed with creamed new potatoes
Irish Tea Cakes*
Bailey’s Irish Cream Cake*
Barry’s Irish Tea – Classic Blend

Irish Herbed Scones

Ingredients:
1/2 pound potatoes
4 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried dill
1/4 teaspoon savory
1/4 teaspoon marjoram
1/4 teaspoon powdered sage
Oil for frying

Method:

Boil the potatoes, then pass through a food mill. Mix the flour, salt, oil and herbs with the potatoes. On a floured board, roll this dough to a thickness of about 1/4-inch. Cut the dough into triangles 3 or 4 inches wide. Fry in very hot oil on both sides until light golden.

Potato and Leek Soup

Ingredients

2 medium leeks, cleaned and chopped 1 medium onion, finely chopped 1 tablespoon butter 1 cup mashed potatoes 1-1/2-2 pints chicken stock salt and pepper 4 tablespoons cream 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
Method

Sauté the leeks and onion on low heat in the butter until soft. Mix the potatoes with the chicken stock; the less stock you use the thicker the soup. Add the leeks and onion, season to taste and bring to the boil. Simmer for 15 minutes. Pour into individual bowls and garnish each with a tablespoon of cream and chopped parsley before serving.

Has anybody heard of a Dublin Lawyer?

Dublin Lawyer

This dish is delicious and traditional – a happy combination – though its expensive ingredients make it a rare treat rather than an everyday affair. For the best flavor the fish has to be freshly killed just before cooking. Plunge a sharp knife into the cross on the back of the head. Slice in half lengthwise and crack open the claws. Remove all the flesh and cut into large chunks. Keep both halves of the shell for serving.

Ingredients

1 live lobster, about 2 lb
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup Irish whiskey
1/2 cup whipping cream
salt and pepper
(serves two)

Method

Toss the lobster meat in foaming butter over a medium heat for a few minutes until cooked. Take care that the butter does not burn. Add the whiskey and when it has heated up set light to it. Pour in the cream, heat through and season.

From the Appletree Press title: A Little Irish Cookbook.

Bailey’s Irish Cream Cake

For the cake:
4 oz unsweetened chocolate
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
6 Tbs Bailey’s Irish Cream
3 eggs
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup milk

Preheat the oven to 350F/180C and butter and lightly flour two nine-inch cake pans. Put the chocolate to melt over a low heat with the Bailey’s and the brown sugar. Stir often to blend to a smooth mixture. In the meantime, cream the butter with the sugar. Add the eggs one by one. Sift the dry ingredients over a piece of waxed paper or another bowl. Add the milk and the dry ingredients gradually to the egg/sugar/butter mixture, alternating wet and dry. Once they are completely incorporated, add the chocolate mixture. Bake in the middle of the oven for about 35 minutes, allow to cool ten minutes in the pans and then turn out onto wire racks to finish cooling.

For the filling:
90 cl (3/4 cup) whipping cream
3 Tbs Bailey’s Irish Cream
2 Tbs powdered sugar

Whip the cream until it forms lovely peaks. Fold in the powdered sugar and the Bailey’s. When the cakes are cool, place one flat side up on a cake plate and heap the cream in the center, reserving about half a cup for the frosting. Place the second cake, flat side down on the cream.

For the frosting:
1/3 cup (90 g) butter
about 2 cups powdered sugar
1 heaping Tbsp cocoa powder reserved cream from above

Beat the butter with the powdered sugar and the cocoa powder and cream. If it seems a little dry, add a tablespoon of milk. If it seems a little wet, add a little more sugar. Frost the cake.Garnish with grated bittersweet chocolate and use a cookie cutter to put a powdered sugar shamrock on the top. Serve with more strong black tea and maybe a wee Irish whisky

Shadow Shot Sunday and Scenic Sunday

luvsclassics — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 16:30:07 +0000

cat

For Shadow Shot Sunday, one day while taking a stroll after a delicious brunch at Kingston”s Main Street Bakery and coffee shop, I happened to see this black cat. He was taking a stroll, too! See below for Scenic Sunday.

Show shot Sunday: black cat struts!

Here’s my photo for Scenic Sunday! The tree looks pretty with little pillows of snow and leaves.

Fall leaves still on tree and snow.

Revisiting a recent Sunday in October, we had an unusual snowstorm that caused many trees in the Northeast to collapse from the combination of the weight of the leaves still on the trees and the heavy snow. This caused extreme power outages in many towns and surrounding states. People resorted to using candlelight at night and flashlights at night. At our house, the power was out for 3 days and nights.

I recalled with humor, the children’s book, ” Twas the Night Before Christmas” and the true meaning of one of the lines. The line that came to mind was, ” And I in my kerchief and mama in her cap had just settled down for a long winter’s nap when my husband and I went to bed with winter hats on because of the lack of heat in the house.

A word on Comments:

Comments are always appreciated. Please take the time to tell me what you think of these photos. Thanks to fellow Shadow Shot Sunday/ Scenic Sunday / and Sunday Favorites meme for stopping by and visiting me. I’ll visit yours as soon as I can.

Skywatch Friday, Season 5, Episode 21

luvsclassics — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 15:42:14 +0000

at the summit of Mt Equinox in Sunderland, Vermont

Mt Equinox is one of the highest mountains in southern Vermont. At an elevation of 3,848 feet , it is the Highest peak in the Taconic Mountain range.

The Green Mountains, The Valley of Vermont and the White Mountains of New Hampshire may be seen to the east.
Adirondack Mountains of New York provide the backdrop to the west, and the Taconic and Berkshire Mountains of Massachusetts to the south. Guard rails have been installed almost the entire length of the drive making it one of the safest, best engineered, well constructed toll roads in the country. There are many vistas and areas for picniking along the 5.2 mile drive, which has a vertical gain of 3,248 feet to the summit.

I’m participating in Skywatch Friday photo meme. Please share your photos of the sky from where you live or where you’ve traveled.

Link http://skyley.blogspot.com

Watery Wednesday

luvsclassics — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 15:02:05 +0000

Watery Wednesday #163

This week, I’ll continue showing photographs of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

At the towns ‘ Christkindlmart, there was an outdoor display on Ice Carving. We had a chance to watch the man carving with electric tools and a hand chisel.

"Ice Carving" in progress!

Oh, look , “it’s a Ice Christmas Tree complete with star!

A captive audience , the ice is melting as it's carved.

"Chair, Anyone!!!"

Do you want your picture taken in the thrown? Ohh , that’s a cold seat!!! I saw a piece of cardboard to sit on, though.

Ice Carving in progress

Simply, an Ice angel!

Here's Snoopy!

For more watery photos , please visit the weekly “Watery Wednesday meme.

I’m linked to: http://waterywednesday.blogspot.com/