Pasta Genovese alla Nonna

Showing me the tricks of her trade, 2003

These days my sweet little Nonna remembers the faces of the people she loves but much else is just a haze.  Now that she doesn't cook, I am so grateful that 10 years ago I stood beside her in the kitchen and watched her make one of my family's beloved dishes.  To this day, mention of it makes my husband and my father's eyes light up.  

"Genovese" is what she always called it, though, there's no basil to be found.  This one is authentic from her childhood and is absolutely perfect for a cold Fall or Winter night.  This pasta sauce is "peasant style" which is the polite way to say it uses very inexpensive ingredients.  From humble beginnings come memorable cuisine.  It also happens to be super simple and one you should put on your must-try list.  

Pasta Genovese

2 lbs. of onions sliced thinly into strips

1 and 1/2 lbs. boneless chuck steak (cut the meat into 4 large cubes and remove visible fat)
1 lb. hot linguini cooked in salted water
Parmigiano Reggiano to taste

Cover bottom of a dutch oven or thick pot with olive oil

Warm the oil, season meat with salt and pepper, then brown the meat on medium high

Cook for 5 minutes then add the onions.

Add 1 cup of beef broth and bring to a boil,

Turn down heat to a simmer and cook, covered for 2+ hours, until meat is easily falling apart into sauce.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve over hot linguini with lots of freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano.

I hope you enjoy a small part of the legacy that is my sweet little Grandma.

Tips & Tricks for Discounts at Disneyland Resort, Legoland, Sea World, and Four Seasons Aviara

We're just back from a fantastic trip to Southern California and I'd like to share what I found for discounts at the theme parks and resorts we visited. It drives me bonkers when I leave money on the table by not taking advantage of the best discount possible, and it never ceases to amaze me how some of the best discounts are the most peculiar.

Our profile: Two adults, two kids (8 and 5 year old boys as of this post) travelling from Massachusetts for a week-long stay. We're not going back to California again this year (as much as I'd like to) so annual passes, for the most part, aren't viable for us. I've entertained some annual passes that work for parks in California and Florida but haven't found them to be tremendously advantageous for our situation.

Read on for the best discounts and angles I could find and let me know what you've found that works better!

Disneyland Resort

Without a doubt, Disney Parks are the hardest places I've found to get discounts. Kind of like Apple, they do a fine job of maintaining the integrity of their pricing structure by minimizing the availability of deep discounts.

One angle I considered during the booking process, that has the potential to work for a variety of situations, is buying Disney gift cards at a discount. Target had a deal going last year where you'd get a $10 Target gift card if you purchased $50 worth of anything in the store, and gift cards qualified. It was a high involvement slightly shady technique (how many trips to Target would you have to make, and how many $50 gift cards would you have to redeem when you arrived at the hotel?) but 20% off your entire Disney vacation had people willing to do crazy stuff. Read more about it here in this massive thread on DIS Boards.

Also, though it's not the best redemption rate, many credit cards let you use points for Disney gift cards. Disney gift cards can be used at Disney Parks, Disney Cruise Line, and at Disney Stores across the country. Nice broad usability, unlike iTunes gift cards (for example) which can't be redeemed at the Apple Store.

Lodging

The lodging portion of the Disney stay is probably one of the easier parts of the Disney vacation to get a discount on. 20%-30% offers seem to come up fairly regularly. I think I got 20% off the room by way of a promotion code my sister in law shared with me.

Staying at a Disney Parks hotel seems to put you on a list for future offers, and it also gets you into the parks early. With Extra Magic Hour, guests staying at one of the Disneyland Resort hotels (Grand Californian, Disneyland Hotel or Paradise Pier) get into either Disneyland OR California Adventure an hour earlier than the general public.

Main Street USA during Extra Magic Hour (wide open)

Cars Land during Extra Magic Hour
(quite crowded and it got worse from there because
Radiator Springs Racers opened late)

Park Tickets

We bought park tickets bundled with our hotel stay and they accounted for 60% of the total bill. As much as I wanted to get a discount on park tickets I didn't see a significant angle. Perhaps a few dollars off with AAA. The model with park ticket pricing is the longer you stay the cheaper it is per day. But the longer you stay the more you spend on food and merchandise (not to mention lodging).

Food and Merchandise

One angle is to get the Disney Dining Plan but I don't like to lock us into anything. What if the kids are sick and the day gets derailed? Or what if I want to grab something quick off site? I like to keep our options open so I didn't go for a meal plan. So we just ate a la carte.

But upon returning home, I just realized I left some money on the table here. We have an old no annual fee Disney credit card that gives you 10% off a lot of the restaurants and retail shops in Disneyland, including several we spent quite a bit of money at. I was confused about which venues it worked for in the past, so I filed the card away and haven't been using it. But if I were to do it again I'd bring the card with and give it a shot.

Good post: 10 Ways to Save Money on Food at Disneyland Resort

Park review: Fantastic. Disney continues to run their parks very well and we all enjoyed Disneyland a bit more than Disney World 3 years ago due to the kids being a bit older and more into it.

Related reading: These Disney Cruises Infuriate Me - Why Do I Keep Booking Them?

Legoland

This was our first visit to Legoland so I wanted to see how we liked it before buying a multi-day or annual pass. This thread on DIS Boards about Legoland Coupons/Discounts pointed me to my local Toys 'R Us to find a free child ticket to Legoland with the purchase of an adult ticket on the back of $3.99/$4.99 Chima/Batman toys. How crazy is it that their $4 toys have a great coupon like this and their $100+ toys don't have much of anything to reward you for a massive purchase?

This "buy one get one" kind of discount works great for our situation and is much better than a percent-off coupon. I hear they have these at Target too. But if you find yourself in line at Legoland without a coupon, here's a Pro Tip: Buy one adult ticket and go into the park. Go to The Big Store (the Lego Store within Legoland) and look for these toys and coupons. As of February 2013 they had them.

A good thing about these passes is that for $20 per ticket you could upgrade everyone's visit to a 2nd day.

Free child ticket to Legoland with paid adult
on the back of $4 Lego toys

Park Review: Quite disappointing. Our kids love Legos but I felt like we were there for them rather than to enjoy our vacation with them. A few of the rides did a good job of integrating Lego themeing but many attempts felt half-hearted. Once the whining started I didn't feel much motivation to stick around.

The park makes too many attempts to grab additional money for attractions once inside. Carnival games and such were sprinkled throughout the park so they couldn't be avoided en masse. A mini-golf course for $5 per person particularly annoyed me: I paid at the gate!

Also, I was disappointed I couldn't use my Lego VIP card for purchases within the park. Lego VIP cards give you 5% back towards future purchases. They said the card couldn't be used because the parks weren't owned by Lego. They parks are now owned by Merlin.

The Volvo Driving School and the Police and Fire Academy were cool but we left at 12:30 and didn't feel the need to come back for more.

Sea World

I was seriously tempted to buy the Sesame Place Super Grover Pass late last year when it was 25% off. Sesame Place is owned by the same folks that own Sea World, Busch Gardens and Discovery Cove. It entitles you to admission to Sesame Place (which I might never go to) but provides a cheaper way towards an annual pass to all of the Sea World Parks (San Diego, San Antonio and Orlando) plus free parking at Sea World, discounts on food and merchandise, and reserved seating at shows.

The best time to get an annual pass is in the fall when it's good for more than 12 months, especially considering that's when the Super Grovers are maximally discounted. I can see us going to San Diego and Orlando in the same 14 month period perhaps as many as 3 times so I'll keep this option in mind for future years.

The best single-day discount I could find was 20% off at the gate (not available online) with a Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards card. This discount isn't widely advertised but I confirmed it by calling Sea World ahead of time. It was still valid as of February 2013. If you don't have a Rapid Rewards card number you can get one for free and print it out before you go. My Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards Visa happens to have my Rapid Rewards number on it (and it also happens to offer a highly usable 50,000 point signup bonus - more on that and 270,000 other signup bonus points here).

No discount on parking ($15), food (kind of mediocre but I do like Dine with Shamu if you haven't done it before, especially if you're visiting the Orlando park which includes all you can drink Budweiser products in 16oz aluminum bottles which sell for $6.99 each in the park otherwise) or merchandise (quite fairly priced compared to Disney in my opinion) with the Southwest angle so factor that in when going the single-day route.

20% off with Southwest Rapid Rewards
Regularly $78 adult/$70 child

Park review: Absolutely fantastic. This is the 4th time we've visited a Sea World and it has been thoroughly enjoyable every time. Something about the pacing of the parks (shows/exhibits/a few rides) and my affinity for marine mammal shows that seems to work out well for us. Your mileage may vary of course.

Four Seasons Residence Club Aviara

Poolside at Four Seasons Aviara Residence Club

This place is absolutely, without a doubt, the best family friendly luxury resort value in the United States. This was the third time we visited and although the adjacent hotel is now a Park Hyatt rather than a Four Seasons, the experience at the Four Seasons is still first class.

The first time we stayed it was on a timeshare preview weekend directly through Four Seasons. I was so "under the ether" I was ready to plop down $25k+ per week to buy one but Deanna talked me down off the ledge.

I'm glad she did because timeshares are a much better buy in the secondary market, and Four Seasons Residence Clubs have a very high maintenance fee on the order of $2,400 per week per year.

The next time we rented through TRI West - a timeshare broker who has a lot of units at Aviara for rent and sale. It was an easy transaction and went off without a hitch.

This time we went through a private party on RedWeek.com. TRI West was asking $2,395 and I was able to get a week in a 2BR from an owner on RedWeek for $2,150 for the week. A fantastic value for 7 nights in a 1,600sf villa that includes Four Seasons service.

If you'd like to stay for less than a week or want to keep the transaction simple you can book directly through Four Seasons.

What I've found while obsessing over watching rental weeks at Aviara is that if you're date flexible and/or opportunistic in when you visit, you can snag a week for less than the annual maintenance fees. Why would you pay to own when you can rent for less? You shouldn't. And that's why we rent. Until rental prices start trending significantly north of the maintenance fees plus property tax I'll continue to be a renter.

Or maybe I'd be a buyer if Four Seasons builds out their network of Residence Clubs to include more properties you can trade into (Scottsdale is the only other location that's viable, although they do have other Residence Club locations which are more true fractionals).

Four Seasons Aviara 2BR Villa Floorplan

Four Seasons Aviara Residence Club Review: Perfect once again. Paradise on earth. I'll follow-up with a full review of Aviara specifically. Subscribe for notifications of new content.

Other

I was pretty proud of myself when I bought a couple pretzels for the kids at Wetzel's Pretzels at Seaport Village, used my AAA card for 10% off and got parking validation. But then my sister-in-law found a FourSquare check-in that led her to a discount booklet that included buy one get one free pretzels and other discounts.

Another option to consider if you're planning to visit 3 or more attractions in the San Diego is the Go San Diego Card available on Costco.com. I liked the savings associated with this card, and it includes all of the big attractions like Sea World and the San Diego Zoo. But the clock starts ticking as soon as you visit the first venue and you have to visit others on consecutive days to get maximum value out of the card. I like days of rest between visiting big attractions, and I don't like to lock us into something ahead of time (weather/sickness contingencies) so I skipped this option.

Question of the Day: What angles did I miss? Let me know for next time - I'd love to go back in a couple years!

Sweet memory from Christmas past

As a little girl, one of the joys of Christmas was receiving a box of cookies from my father's mother, my Grandma Eleanor.  Every year she boxed up and mailed an assortment of treats, and each year, there was a new variety she tried out.  Some years we liked them, some years we didn't (ever had a black walnut?  yeah, not a fan.)  As years went on, she wisely repeated some old standouts.  The arrival of that much-anticipated box always meant a batch of my absolute favorites, which came to be known in our house as 7 Layer Cookies.  After she passed away, I found some of her original recipes, and this one was on a yellowed newspaper page from The Blair Press dated December 7, 1976.  Turns out the newspaper's name for them was Holiday Magic Cookie Bars.  Call them what you want, but these are super-easy and always a holiday hit!  

Thank you Grandma for the recipe, and those sweet memories of childhood. 

Grandma Eleanor's 7 Layer Cookies

6 tbsp butter 

1 and 1/2 c graham cracker crumbs 

1 can sweetened condensed milk 

6 oz semisweet chocolate chips 

5 and 1/2 oz butterscotch chips 

3 and 1/2 oz sweetened shredded coconut 

1 c chopped nuts

Put butter in a 13x9 pan and then into the oven while it preheats to 350 degrees. Once melted, make sure the bottom of the pan is coated. Sprinkle graham cracker crumbs evenly over the butter. Pour milk evenly over the crumbs. Top with chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, coconut and nuts. Press down gently. Bake for 25 minutes or until light brown. Allow to cool and cut into 24 bars.

Enjoy!

If you're not Dutch, you're not much

A friend of mine once uttered this phrase, and it makes me laugh now just as it did then. As long as I’m going to pay homage to my mother’s side of the family, I should also show a little love to my dad’s. He was born and raised in Altoona, Pennsylvania and as a result, he carries with him a bit of Pennsylvania Dutch heritage. One of his family traditions was for the first dinner of the year to be Pork Roast and Sauerkraut. He insists that the meal brings good luck. Although I haven't seen any compelling evidence to that effect, I'm a sucker for the tradition. For many years, my mother made this dish for the family and although I didn’t love it growing up, I’ve come to appreciate it. Now my family loves it and it's an easy way to get my Dad to come and visit. (Now if only I could make him a Shoofly pie.)

This one is super simple and the perfect meal to throw in the oven on a cold Winter day. The ratio of pork to sauerkraut is very forgiving so whatever size roast is used, the finished product should turn out well. Serve with applesauce, mashed potatoes and pan roasted brussels sprouts and you’re good to go.

Good Luck Pork Dinner
1 onion, roughly chopped
2 apples, roughly chopped
Boneless pork loin roast, I used a 3 ½ pound roast
2 large jars of sauerkraut, I used 64 ounces total

For the dumplings:
2 cups of all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon of baking powder
¾ teaspoon of salt
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons butter, melted
finely chopped herbs to taste, I used about a tablespoon of Herbes de Provence

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Layer a large covered casserole dish with apples and onions and then sauerkraut. Rinse and then season the pork with salt and pepper and place in the middle of the dish atop the sauerkraut. Cover and bake until pork registers 150 degrees.

Next, make the dumplings by combining the wet ingredients and then adding the dry ingredients. Stir with a fork until the mixture just comes together. Drop dumpling mixture in balls onto the surface of the sauerkraut, cover and return to oven. Cook until the dumplings have a brownish tinge and the pork registers 160 degrees.

Enjoy with a German Riesling or your wine of choice. Here’s to a great year!

The Feast of the Seven Fishes, Casa Dwyer style

As a little girl, I remember Christmas Eve as more than just the night Santa came to visit. I remember my mother and Grandma cooking fish; the only suitable Italian dinner for that special evening. There wasn’t much discussion about the whys of having fish, it was more a tradition than anything else. My mother would make Shrimp Scampi; some years there would be fried flounder and on good years, there would be panzerotti. In Grandma’s northern Italian interpretation these were deep fried, hand rolled balls of potato. She pronounced them as if there was an “a” at the end of the word – "panzarotta." This recipe was the closest approximation I could find.

I couldn’t bring myself to make the time consuming panzarotti but I did want to honor Nonna and my Italian heritage by making fish on Christmas Eve. While my Grandma isn’t cooking anymore, I wanted to make a dinner she might enjoy. My other goal was to accomplish this without spending an inordinate amount of time on the meal – there were still presents to wrap! I did all my grocery shopping on Christmas Eve morning, which ensured that it was all as fresh as possible.

Here was the menu for the small crowd who joined us:

Lobster spread with crudite and crackers
Bacon wrapped scallops
Maryland crabcakes
Baked, stuffed clams
Caesar salad
Lobster ravioli with herbed brown butter sauce
Roasted salmon

A very busy life has made me more than once want to throw in the culinary towel entirely but the truth is that I enjoy the tradition of food and the memories they bring up. So even though I'm not trying to recreate the original meal exactly, I hope to recreate the experience of everyone gathering in the kitchen and enjoying food and conversation that is celebratory, symbolic and delicious.

And the best dish of the night goes to...

The last thing you probably want to think about right now is making your favorite Thanksgiving recipes again.  But I feel the need to conclude our meal with some lessons learned.  I make a lot of the same dishes from year to year so I try to incrementally make them and the overall celebration better every year.

Yesterday I tried one new recipe; something that used an old favorite of my husband's (corn) but in a more interesting way.  I made corn pudding from a recipe I found online.  It was fine but nothing special enough to repeat.  Do you have a corn recipe you love?  Please drop me a line in the comments.

The best side dish of the night award goes to the Sweet Potato Souffle.  Don't let the name "souffle" intimidate you.  This recipe was one my mother picked up over the years and she passed it along to me.  There's nothing complicated about it and when made right, it's heavenly.

I've made it the last 3 years in a row and it didn't turn out right.  I thought it was because I always cooked the souffle at my turkey cooking temperature of 325 but that wasn't the problem.  At long last this year I finally got it right and it was worth the wait.  I attribute my mishaps the last few years to being too insistent that I could make an organic version of my mom's version.  Given the canned sweet potato options at my disposal, that was just not possible.   As soon as I reverted to using the conventional ingredients, it magically worked out exactly as it should.

Sweet Potato Souffle

1 50 oz. can Princella sweet potatoes, drained

1 cup sugar

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs

6 tablespoons butter, softened

Beat together until smooth.  Pour into a souffle dish and bake for 1 hour in a 350 degree oven (I cook my turkey at 325 but for that hour I crank it up to 350.  Try to minimize your turkey basting and temperature fluctuations from opening the oven door for that hour.  The souffle needs to be left still at a constant heat in order to set up.) 

For the topping:

4 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 chopped pecans

1 cup corn flakes, crushed

Melt butter and brown sugar and pour over the potatoes.

Sprinkle nuts and cornflakes on top and bake an additional 30 minutes.

There are a couple of other takeaways from the meal.  Next year I'll remember to send out the tablecloth to be steam pressed.  The only tool that my well equipped kitchen still needs is a carving knife so I will certainly buy one of those before next year's meal.  And of course, we will once again welcome family and friends to join us for laughs and conversation that make the food secondary.

Not Your Typical Pilgrim's Thanksgiving

For many, Thanksgiving means pulling out the traditional all-American food favorites.  In my house though, meals often have a little Italian spice to them (not unlike the person who prepares them.)  Before the traditional turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing and other sides, I love to offer my guests a "taste of the pasta."  A primi piatti sets the tone for what's truly American: taking the cultures we came from and meshing them with this wonderful and rich melting pot we live in.  And so, I offer you my recipe for Butternut Squash Lasagna.  This recipe was adapted from a recipe from Giada De Laurentiis so don't confuse it with an authentic recipe from Grandma.  I lightened up Giada's version and substituted whole wheat lasagna to make it a bit healthier.  It may be labor intensive, but I promise this dish won't disappoint you or your guests.  And, leftover lasagna will make the day after Thanksgiving a little bit easier.  

Butternut Squash Lasagna
download a printable version of this recipe

1 tablespoon olive oil 

1 (1 1/2 to 2-pound) butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes

Salt and freshly ground black pepper 

1/2 cup water

3 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

3 1/2 cups lowfat milk

Pinch nutmeg

3/4 cup (lightly packed) fresh basil leaves

12 cooked whole wheat lasagna noodles

2 1/2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

1/3 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano

Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the squash and toss to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour the water into the skillet and then cover and simmer over medium heat until the squash is tender, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Cool slightly and then transfer the squash to a food processor. Season the squash puree, to taste, with more salt and pepper.  Set aside.

Melt the butter in a heavy medium-size saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the milk. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, whisking often, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the nutmeg. Cool slightly. Transfer half of the sauce to a blender*. Add the basil and blend until smooth. Return the basil sauce to the sauce in the pan and stir to blend. Season the sauce with salt and pepper, to taste.

Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F.

Lightly butter a 13 by 9 by 2-inch glass baking dish. Spread 3/4 cup of the sauce over the prepared baking dish. Arrange 3 lasagna noodles on the bottom of the pan. Spread 1/3 of the squash puree over the noodles. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese. Drizzle 1/2 cup of sauce over the noodles. Repeat layering 3 more times.

Tightly cover the baking dish with foil and bake the lasagna for 40 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and Parmigiano Reggiano cheeses over the lasagna. Continue baking uncovered until the sauce bubbles and the top is golden, 15 minutes longer. Let the lasagna stand for 15 minutes before serving.

*When blending hot liquids: Remove liquid from the heat and allow it to cool for at least 5 minutes. Transfer liquid to a blender or food processor and fill it no more than halfway. If using a blender, release one corner of the lid. This prevents the vacuum effect that creates heat explosions. Place a towel over the top of the machine, pulse a few times then process on high speed until smooth.


Buon appetito!

Tradition in the Kitchen

All year round I work hard to feed my family healthy, nutritious meals.  Around the holidays I relax the rules and pull out all the family favorites.  This year my younger sister won't be spending Thanksgiving with us so she's visiting for Veteran's Day weekend instead.  It was the perfect opportunity to make an early batch of her Thanksgiving favorite.  It's a baked bar recipe that is both sweet and tart and makes a wonderful accompaniment to a cup of coffee any time of day.  I'm not a baker but even I can whip these delicious bites up so they're a winner every time.  And, if all the butter in them starts to get me down, I think about all the antioxidants in those locally grown cranberries!

Cranberry Squares

In a bowl mix and spread on the bottom of a 13x9 baking pan:

2 cups of (Massachusetts-grown if possible) whole cranberries (wash and drain them but allow them to be a little bit wet so the sugar sticks to them)

½ cup of sugar

½ cup of chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans work well)  If you want to make my sister happy, you better leave the nuts out.

In another bowl mix:

1 ½ cups of melted and cooled butter (yes, that’s right, 3 whole sticks)

2 cups of flour

2 cups of sugar

4 beaten eggs

1 teaspoon of vanilla

Mix above ingredients and spread on top of the cranberries.  Bake at 325-350 degrees for 1 hour.

Enjoy!

He Knows Me So Well

16 Things

My friend Michelle from Subtle Revealings tagged me to participate in the 16 things exercise. You have to write 16 random things, shortcomings, facts, habits or goals about yourself. I fought the urge to make this into an all consuming self-evaluative exercise -- and I think I've succeeded. I'm just not sure whether I'm as interesting as she is.

1. My freshman year in high school, my parents moved us from New York to Connecticut over Spring break. The transition was traumatic and made me swear I will never uproot my children when they're in high school.

2. I am compulsive about keeping the floor in my house clean. Except for special occasions, I don't allow shoes in the house past the mud room. There are few things that bug me more than crumbs underfoot.

3. By the end of college I was pretty well able to hold my liquor. Fast forward to two not-even-a-sip pregnancies and almost 2 years of nursing and all that's left is a girl who's flushed and silly after a single glass of wine.

4. Genetically speaking, I'm less than half Italian but I have a strong affinity to all things Italian. I lived with my Italian grandparents for most of my formative years and WISH that I'd learned the language when they could have taught me. I still hope to learn it someday.

5. When I first met Bob I was drawn to him because he reminded me of my next door neighbor when I was growing up, John. He was as close to a big brother as I had as a girl. I remind Bob all the time that if he ever meets John, he has some serious thanking to do.

6. I like going to school. I think about getting another graduate degree. Or at minimum, taking enrichment classes when the kids are older.

7. One of my regrets from childhood is being mean to my sister. I used to torment her because I was so much older and I could. Today, she's my best girl friend.

8. Part of me wants to be just like Martha Stewart. I love things organized, color coordinated and all things monogrammed. I have (almost) every copy of her magazine dating back to 1997.

9. The thing in college that introduced me to the most new experiences was the debate team. I traveled to Louisiana, Utah, Maryland, Michigan, Virginia, Vermont and all those states in between to compete at debate tournaments. Yes, I met plenty of geeks but many more cool, smart people than I anticipated.

10. I love vintage clothes, jewelry and household items. I know I'm too young to say this, but they just don't make things as well as they used to.

11. When we found out we were having another son, we both loved the name Benjamin. But I could not give him that name because I was convinced people would catch on that his name was "bend wire."

12. People closest to me used to call me the Ice Queen. I once sat through the movie Lorenzo's Oil without shedding a tear while all the women around me were whimpering. Ever since I had children of my own, I'm a regular water works. And the thing that gets me worst? Sick kids.

13. I will always be a value shopper no matter our financial situation. The only things I will pay the retail price for are groceries.

14. My hands are like my dad's-- rough, strong, manual laboring hands. Except smaller.

15. I fight the urge to be the grammar police. I like to write but am kept from it because I have to edit, edit, edit to perfection. Even a quick personal email has to meet rigorous standards.

16. I am terrible about keeping in touch with people who mean a lot to me. I never think to pick up the phone and call someone to chat. This has cost me several friendships over time. Sometimes it's so bad that I wonder if I'm phoneaphobic.

At the end I'm supposed to choose 16 people to be tagged. But I like the number 4 better (and I think my chances will be better if I only put the pressure on a few) so... Sarah, Dave, Rick and Laura consider yourselves tagged.

A Note from School

Sam has been doing really well at his new preschool. Today, he brought home this note for me:

"Papa play time" is what we do when Deanna is making dinner and I get them out of her way for a while. You should see him on the iPod touch- it's quite remarkable how well he can navigate his way around. Obviously, the teacher wrote what he was saying for this note, but there's no doubt the words were his own. I'm looking forward to the Father's Breakfast!

Bates Pumpkin Fair

Day Trip to Newport, RI

A Day in Boston

Top 3 Vacation Destinations

With July 4th just a couple of weeks away, I thought to share a list of my favorite vacation destinations. Unlike similar lists you might see- I feel that this list defines me as a person. My high school biology teacher, Buddy Rollins, used to say that each of us should be an advocate of our chosen professions. I'd like to extend that notion to my favorite vacation destinations- I highly recommend these very special places!

South Haven, MI

Growing up, my family spent every summer in this area. It takes the meaning of the word "special" to a new level; we are obsessed with this place. My Grandparents bought a cottage on a nearby lake back in the '50s and that, I believe, has to be the best money they ever spent because it has become the place where so many family memories have been created over the years.

I always remember summers at The Cottage being endless, even as our stays there got shorter and shorter as we got older. This summer, we're going back for the first time since we've had kids. I am looking so forward to showing them around just as so many other generations in my family has in years past. Check out these scruffy young characters racing sailboats on Lake Osterhout (me and my brother Rick racing our homemade sailboats c. 1985):



In terms of things to do in South Haven, I've enjoyed hanging out at Three Pelicans (recently renamed to "The Fish Tale" or some such thing) on their open air deck drinking some South Haven Iced Teas; or their sister establishment across the way The Bayou Beach Club. Captain Lou's is a great little hole in the wall bar to visit. When I retire, I'd like to buy it and call it "Captain Bob's". It is right under the drawbridge where my brother Rick has, in the past, generously offered to buy a round of drinks for the bar whenever the bridge goes up. The younger set might enjoy a trip to the old fashioned Soda Fountain at Macdonald Drug Store- delicious stuff.

The family favorite restaurant in town is Clementine's- don't miss their onion rings by the foot. And absolutely, whatever you do, do *not* miss Sherman's Dairy Ice Cream. Best ice cream anywhere, and it is their 50th anniversary this year.



Four Seasons Aviara, Carlsbad, CA

We discovered this gem while we were living in Arizona. This Four Seasons offers a resort hotel and adjacent Four Seasons Residence Club. We first visited for 3 nights as part of a Residence Club preview package. This place is amazing on so many levels I don't know where to begin. When we arrived they had chocolate covered strawberries and Champagne waiting for us, and it just kept going from there. The preview package is a great deal because for $250/night you get to stay in a 1,000 square foot villa that would probably cost close to $800/night, and the only thing you have to do is stop in and talk to them about the the Residence Club (timeshare) for about 30 minutes. They brought us some muffins, some coffee, they told us the pricing and they sent us on our way. Later that night they called and asked if we wanted some complimentary tickets to the Padres game. The service was amazing.

Though I tried to rig the math that would convince myself that buying into their timeshare program was a good deal, I just couldn't make the numbers add up. I knew I wanted to go back to this property again, and I didn't want to pay too much for it, so I signed up for http://redweek.com. There, I found a week being rented by an agency for a great price and we went back and had the time of our lives. This property is the #1 rated timeshare in the world according the Timeshare User's Group. Clearly, I love this place; but I also recommend timeshare rentals in general as being one of the best values in the travel industry.

Must do: Lay by the pool, have an attendant "set you up" with towels, and order lunch poolside with an icy cold beverage. You won't want to leave the resort.
Top food: The Friday night all-you-can-eat seafood buffet. Avoid the starches and load up on the lobster tails. But be careful not to overdose and have an allergic reaction!



Sedona/Grand Canyon/Flagstaff, AZ

When I'm rich and famous, and consequently interviewed in the American Way in-flight magazine, I'll surely wax poetic about my home state. I grew up in Tempe, AZ and went to college in Flagstaff, AZ so when it comes to showing visitors Arizona, I love to take them on a loop as follows:

• Get an early start from Phoenix and head up to the Grand Canyon. Stop for lunch in Flagstaff on the way at the Crystal Creek Sandwich Co. It's OK if you get to the Canyon towards the later part of the day because the views only gets better as the sun sets.
• On the way back from the Grand Canyon, stop and spend the night in Flagstaff. The lodging options are nothing special, but there are lots of great bars and restaurants. For bars, the names are ever changing, but if they're still there I'd recommend Beaver Street Brewery, Maloney's Tavern and Collins Irish Pub. For restaurants I'd recommend Buster's (for fried zucchini and a Buster Bowl), August Moon (for the best $5 Chinese food you've ever had), and Strombolli's (for a Strombolli calzone and a pint of Oak Creek Nut Brown Ale). Oh, and be sure to visit the NAU campus- alma matter to three Dwyer kids!
  
• The next morning, head down through the switchbacks to Sedona. Sedona has got to be one of the most beautiful places on earth. There are tons of great hikes to take around Sedona. Nearby Slide Rock State Park is always fun. It's like a naturally occurring water slide. I like to stop in Tlaquepaque (tuh-la-key-pah-kee) to stroll around the shops and have lunch at El Rincon.
• Once you're done in Sedona, head back to Phoenix to relax for the rest of the day. Taking in some margaritas under the stars at a nice resort in North Scottsdale would be the perfect end to the day (though I'm usually zonked after this trip and just want to rest).

What vacation destination defines you? I'd love to hear about it. Please post a comment below to share.

Father's Day in March

Yesterday at Sam's school, they had a special Father's Day celebration. I had the privilege of accompanying him to school for the day where I got to see him doing his thing for a couple of hours. It was a great experience.



My favorite part of seeing Sam in action at school is watching how he interacts with his classmates and teachers. The kids are amazingly well behaved. For example, one of his friends was carrying a tray of empty plastic cups. It was a little crowded in the classroom (with all the parents, teachers and children in attendance) and as a result, someone bumped into Sam's friend sending the plastic cups flying. Sam stopped what he was doing, helped his classmate pick up the cups, and they exchanged "thanks yous" and "you're welcomes". It was really amazing. Later, when it was time to gather around the piano, the older children in the class politely made room for the younger kids up front so they could see the piano. It was adorable watching Sam's little girl friends shepherding him up front so he'd have a good view. The kids were better behaved than their parents!

At the end of the day, I was so tired. I have a tremendous amount of respect and appreciation for teachers- especially Sam's preschool teachers. I don't know how they do it. To cap off the event, Sam surprised me with the card below. If the artwork is a little hard to see due to the scan being faint, it is a picture Sam drew of me with his name and age:

Up for air

It's been a while since I've written mostly because typing with one hand is too blisteringly slow to stomach. This little baby of mine, Will, sure loves to be held. There are times during the day when putting him down for even a moment is cause for urgent shrieking. Other times, he's content to stare at me, smiling as much with his eyes as with his lips. At present, he is sleeping in his father's arms, as we sit watching our beloved Red Sox with great anticipation. This quiet time is a welcome respite from our clamorous days.

Despite the volume around here, I've thought much about mothering these two little ones. At any time, my general attitude depends very much on my degree of sleep deprivation. I've not had an uninterrupted night of sleep in more than 4 months which has been difficult for this slumber lover to endure. And sleep is but one example of luxuries lost that I once thought basic human needs. But holding my boys is a luxury too-- I'm reminded when I think of those friends trying unsuccessfully to start a family. I'd just like to handle the sacrifice this job requires with more grace.

I've seen plenty of moms deal with toddler tantrums and infant demands with far more ease than do I. I struggle with the requisite putting aside of one's own needs to meet those of my children. Moms, dads, what's your secret? How do you deal with the demands of parenthood and still do the things that are important to you? Consider this an open invitation to share your wisdom. In the meantime, I'll share a moment that kept me going on a shall-we-just-say "challenging" day.

Connecticut native brings a fresh perspective to Colorado

My cousin Diane has an amazing talent for photography and a passion for horses that comes alive in her shots. She's just released a new web gallery of work called Red Feather Ranch Photography. Her photos will inspire you to take a visit to the Wild West or your local stable.

This land is your land, this land is my land

The weather in New England has finally turned for the better and I’ve spent as much of the last week in the garden as my unwieldy body would permit. Images from the very many nursery catalogs I now receive are cataloged in my mind for inspiration. (It is amazing how quickly one mail order nursery launches a thousand catalogs and special offers from nationwide sources for shrubs, bulbs and perennials.) While I still have any vigor, I’ve been planting everything I can get my hands on to set the stage for the blooms I’d like to enjoy later in the season when I have my new baby in my arms and little time for much else.

With a yard full of aged flora and hardscape relics, we've been working little by little to improve what we have. To his surprise, Bob has enjoyed tending the new grass in the front yard. He has less enjoyed, but hasn't yet complained about the many trips to the dump required to dispose of the copious lawn and leaf bags brimming with Spring debris. Nor has he complained about my requests for more and more and MORE of the compost the dump so generously makes available for free.

Yesterday while hunched over the front beds digging a trench for lilies, I caught a town police cruiser passing slowly by the house. I didn’t think much of it until he passed again and stopped in the street-- right in front of our house. My initial thought was that a concerned neighbor had called the police to report a very pregnant woman appeared to be lying on the ground. But, rather than jump out to rescue me, the officer simply asked me if this was my home. I thought, perhaps this was a ‘no dig’ day? Insane thoughts raced through my ever law-abiding head. Was I unaware of some New England blue law where earth could not be turned midweek in April? Perhaps this was a sister law to the senseless liquor quotas that still govern where, when and how one can buy a six pack? He cleared up the mystery for me and told me that he grew up in this house; his parents were the first owners some 60 years ago. He talked fondly of the house and I learned that he and his two brothers shared the two kids’ bedrooms upstairs. That they’d all snuck out the north window over what used to be the garage and that his father dug the drainage trench in the basement after the first time it filled with two feet of water. While neither of those thoughts was very comforting, knowing that I had law enforcement looking out for the well-being of my house was. Our meeting was just another way I know this friendly neighborhood and small town are just right for our little family. There’s something reassuring about knowing the ground I dig in and the rooms where we rest were inhabited by happy families who came before us.

Her way, His time

Yesterday should have been a celebration of 90 years of your life. What an accomplishment! You lived through the Great Depression, the Vietnam War and Daddy's permed hair phase. In that time you were independent before women were so. You were charitable even though you didn't have the means to be. You knew fun and adventure despite sadness and strife. I'm sorry you left us just a couple of weeks too early to see Sam's smile firsthand. But I'm sure the time was right.

Perhaps some thought it inappropriate in your eulogy I mentioned that my Dad was, in my opinion, your greatest accomplishment. Please understand that I don't discredit your other accomplishments, I see most prominently before me though that raising such an honorable man without a husband is something remarkable. Finding that laminated clipping from a 1986 Redbook amongst your belongings made me think you must agree. Remember the one? The story references a then-new study finding that a boy's intelligence comes from his mother. I think that was your way of taking duly earned credit. I know he makes you proud. Nevertheless, I hope you understood that I meant only to share my gratitude for giving me such a wonderful father.

Sarah made a beautiful board of photos for your funeral in case you didn't see. My gratitude will continue on as will those memories. I promise to convey my recollections of passing Skip-Bo cards from my childish to your long nailed hands. Early December I'll make those 7-layer cookies we looked forward to receiving from you in holiday tins. And whenever I see Canadian Club on the shelf I'll smile and think of you.

Rest in peace, Grandma Eleanor.