Old House - New House

It's the start of the new week and it seems that it's the start of my new life.

New House.
New Job for the Hubs.
New Carpool routes for the kids.


Change is good - or so it seems.
I still mourn my home, but I am trying to make a new one in this house.
At least I'm showing a bright smile for my kids - it's an adventure you know!

I've decided - for the sake of my own sanity to move on and stop wallowing.
{Dude, snap out of it!}

Today I spent shopping for the incidental things - The items we kind of forget that we need, but use daily.
Like.....
Pots and pans
A drain board
Silverware dividers
Cutting board (oysh! I loved my old one.....It was so cute in the shape of a paint pallet -{stop wallowing}
Bathtub stopper
Wine opener and glasses - SERIOUSLY. Don't judge.
And loads more... the list goes on and on.

Got the call that my studio furniture and supplies are being returned to me tomorrow. So happy just a little nervous as to what shape it will all be in.

And then this afternoon another storm hits.
Someone charged close to $1,000 using my business card.
But the card is still in my wallet.
{Stop wallowing}

Bank account suspended till it's all sorted.
No $
{Stop Wallowing.....}

And then when I get to the bank my iphone falls on the floor and shatters.
{STOP WALLOWING}
The shattered glass makes a neat affect - that is an upside....

So tonight I've decided I'm in great need of some comfort food.
I love lasagna. I could eat an entire pan myself. No joke.
I am very serious about my lasagna. Can you tell?
Just call me Garfield.

I've noticed that there is a great lasagna debate between ricotta and cottage cheese. Have you??
 I'm a ricotta cheese kind of girl, but my hubs likes cottage cheese.
I kind of win since I make it - sorry Sim.

What kind do you use? Why?

Here's step by step instructions on how to make my lasagna.
I promise when you taste it, you'll be blown away.
It's that good.
But you've got to use the same sauce that I use.
Of course change out the cheese if needed.
I am not Cholov Yisroel, but when my sis comes to visit with her brood I change the cheese out and it tastes the same.
Trust me. Your kids will be BEGGING you to make it again.

INGREDIENTS
(1) 9" Rectangle Pans
(1) Packs of shredded Cheese
(1) Jars of Barilla - Tomato and Basil Sauce
(1) boxes of lasagna noodles
1lb Ricotta Cheese
Black Pepper
Garlic

STEP 1

In a bowl mix the ricotta cheese with 1/3 a jar of the Barilla
Sauce. Mix in garlic and black pepper. 

STEP 2 

Put 3 DRY noodles on the bottom of the tin and add
1/2 of the ricotta mixture onto them.

STEP 3

Add 3 more noodles on top of the ricotta mixture
Place some more tomato sauce and 1/2 the shredded cheese.

                                                STEP 4

                                   REPEAT STEPS 2 & 3 

                                                STEP 5                                                                                                                              Your tomato sauce jar should be empty now. 
                                         Fill up 1/3 of water into the glass jar. 
                                    Pour down around the lasagna so it's surrounded by water.
                                          Cover and place in oven @350 for 45 minutes. 
                                             Then uncover for 15 till crunchy :) 

                                               STEP 6

Plate & Serve 

So for now my kids are playing and I'm gonna sit at my rented table and stuff my face with some lasagna.
{not wallowing}

Tomorrow is a brand new day.
Abbey

Moving On.....

Most people who know me are familiar with the fact that I do not wallow in my own grief. Many things, sad things, have happened to me. I have a famous saying that goes...... "I could either sit here and cry about it, or I can get up and do something about it."

 

I have prepared a Plan B for almost everything.
What if.......
My husband died?
I lost a child?
One of my children got sick?
I got sick?
We ran out of money?
My husband lost his job?
My mother died?
My sister died?
My car got stollen?
My house got broken into?

Never did I really plan for something of this magnitude to happen to me. I assumed that if something would happen to my house I would figure it out. Isn't that why you have insurance?

Never did I think that I would lose my belongings.
Never did I think that I would be homeless.

My rebbetzin said to me once - In order to fulfill the mitzvah of Chesed you not only have perform it, but you have to be able to accept it.

Thank God I live in a community where people are so kind and helpful.
The outpouring of support from my fans is immense.

I have never felt the need to run away as I did last week.
I honestly just wanted to flee. 
But I have 5 children watching me. What was I supposed to do?
They are all looking at me for guidance and I just wanted to cry.
I am stunned.

I have had sleep.
The packing and cleaning are done.
Tomorrow is a new day.

SO for now, that's it. I am finished wallowing in my sorrow.
It's time to get up from mourning my loss and look forward to what Hashem has in store for me.

Closed For Repairs

At this point in time, I thought I would be working on my Chanukah pieces and writing up my latest blog post regarding my amazing trip to Vermont.

Instead, I am sitting in a hotel room 15 minutes away from my house. A house that is no longer a home. Just an empty shell of broken walls and pulled up floors.

If you don't already know, a leak in my second floor bathroom has deemed my home "uninhabitable" - everything has been packed up and shipped off to a storage facility and all that remains are some clothes that I was able to rescue.


What a humbling experience.
I have no home to go to.
No place familiar.


I have such saddness.
So much.
Everything I had. Everything that was mine. Is gone and I don't know when it will come back.

Thank God the most important thing, my children, are safe and sound. You can replace objects but my children are priceless.

Bereishis, in the beginning.
This week's Parsha.
I have my faith. I have Emunah.
Hashem doesn't call you on the phone to let you know that things will happen.
They just do.

It's time for change.
It's time for Bereishis.

This week brings more challenges and heartbreak.
Please stay with me.
It's your support that helps me stay afloat.
I hope to find a new place to paint and work soon.

Till next time.
Abbey

The FAMOUS Beer Chicken Recipe

A couple of Succos's ago, I made this chicken recipe. I usually use wine and NOT beer, but since we were at the tail end of the holiday and we were totally out of wine I decided to substitute it for beer. I served the chicken and not only was it completely gone, the men started sucking on all the little bits. I ended up bringing the actual roasting pan out to the Sukkah so they could all finish it off! It's that good!

Since then, I have made this chicken recipe EVERY Yom Tov. Everyone always requests the Beer Chicken.

I am now sharing it with all of you. Although the chicken is everyone's favorite part, mine happens to be the potatoes. Try the recipe out and let me know which is your favorite!

FYI - It makes the PERFECT Simchas Torah lunch. Make it before you leave and come back hours later to something sooooo delicious!

Before you begin, if you want this chicken to taste all that it can be, you MUST make it inside of a roasting pan. I have a blue one that I got from Target. They cost around $10. It's not the same in a tin. Trust me.

Here's what you need:
Roasting Pan
1 Onion 
1 Zucchini 
1 Yellow Squash
8 Potatoes
1 Red Pepper
1 Bottle of Beer (Samuel Adam's) 
Black pepper 
Garlic Powder
Salt
Paprika 
Onion Powder
2 or 3 Whole Chickens 

Step 1 - Add some oil to the bottom of the roasting pan. Put the pan on your stove top and turn on (2) burners. Cut up onions and saute. Cut up the zucchini,  squash, and pepper and add it to the roasting pan. Clean the skin of the potatoes well. DO NOT peel the skin off. Cut them up into 4th and add to the pan. The peel adds a really nice rustic flavor to the vegetables. Add some salt and pepper.

Step 2 - Clean your chickens and put them on top of the vegetables. You can now turn off your burners. Cover your chickens with the spices - Salt, Pepper, Garlic, Onion, and Paprika. Rub the chickens so that the spices goes all over, especially on the bottom. At this point I also stick an onion into the chicken, but you can use an apple or a pear. That will give your chickens a fruitier taste.

Step 3 - Pour your beer on top of the chickens and around into the vegetables. Once all the beer is put in, fill up half the bottle with water and add it to the pan.

Step 4 - Cover your roasting pan and stick into the oven at 350 degrees for 4 hours. You know that it's ready when the chicken's skin is brown and crunchy looking - Like this.

OMG! SOOOOO GOOD! 

You want to be careful when serving the chicken. It will be VERY soft. Cutting it will be super easy, so you don't want it to fall apart into bits. It's an absolutely beautiful dish to serve. Cut up the chickens or leave them whole on the platter. The vegetables are the perfect consistency and are my favorite part! Serve the Beer Chicken with apple kugle, pumpkin pie, and a yummy salad!

Perfect additions to this festive meal! 

Succot Inspiration and Crafts!

Succot is almost here and I can hardly wait!

For the first time in a really long time, we will be spending the holiday with my family. There is nothing more enjoyable then spending quality time with cousins, sisters, and brothers. Plus, no mess for me! I get to go away!

Although we will not be building a Succah this year, I still want to send you guys some great inspirational Sukkah ideas!

ENJOY!!!

Dip yarn in watered down glue, wrap around balloon and pop balloon when dry

Another Sequin Ornament Idea from Creative Jewish Mom


Hang them from fishline, singly with some beads knotted on the string, or hang a few sizes on the same string for something that one might hang in a window or on a wall.

You'll Need:

- Styrofoam Balls

- Patterned Napkins

- Mod Podge or any decoupage medium

- Sequins and sequin pins

- A very long needle (For making the hole through the ball for hanging. 

How To: 

check out the instructions HERE. 

For some more CRAFT IDEAS Check out......
Challah Crumbs 
AMOTHERINISRAEL
CHADISCRAFTS

Now if  I was making a sukkah this year, I would go fall all the way. Totally inspired by the cooler weather here on the East Coast!

Chag Samayach! 

Abbey 

Kosher Art

What I love about the new Empire Turkey packaging, and I swear this in not a solicitation, nor did I get paid to write about this :) is their germ free sealed tightness!  I cannot stand the slimy meat packages that you find in the store.

The only problem is what do you do with all the left over containers???

I found that they are the perfect size for kids lunches - salad, macaroni, and even fruit! The only problem is they are pretty plain.

Here's an idea of how to jazz them up!

Step 1: Find any image you want on google images. Cut and paste the image into a word document and print. 

Step 2: Cut out the image and place it behind the plastic. Using a Sharpie black marker copy the image onto the plastic.

Step 3: Color in the image with a variety of Sharpie PAINT Pens or DecoColor markers.


                          AWESOME RIGHT???

Musical Chairs

I'm taking a short break from filling my Rosh Hashanah orders to write about an interesting thing I heard from my sister yesterday.......

Today is the day that most kids FINALLY go back to school. (Can you tell that I am slightly overjoyed??) Our schedules and lives can go back to normal and we can start to turn our attention to Yom Tov preparations and menus. However, for a select few though, "Back to School" means "Back to Work." 

If you have been following me, you know that for the past dozen or so years I have been a teacher, and that this past June I said goodbye to teaching so I could focus more time on my growing company. I can't tell you how hard it is watching my fellow teachers return to their classrooms, it's kind of weird taking my son to school and feeling like I am not apart of it anymore.

So how does this tie in to what my sister told me? Well, as we were hanging out at my parents house last night, she had to rush home. Not only because it was her sons first day of Yeshiva (school) and she wanted him to have a good rest, but she needed to make sure that she saved her son a seat in the class before all the good seats were taken. 

Apparently, it's a "minhag" (custom) to save a seat in their child's new classroom by placing a card with their sons name on it on the desk. The next day the teacher and children will know where everyone is to sit because their parents have placed them.

There are a few serious issues with this that have me FUMING.
1) What happens to those children who's parents have not saved them a seat? How bad do they feel??

2) Who's to say where your child should sit within the classroom? A child spends more time at school with their teacher then at home. A child should sit where it's best for them to learn. Not where it is best for the parent.

My sister told me that she doesn't like doing it, but doesn't want her kid to feel left out, or to sit in the back of the classroom. Sometimes the back of the classroom is the BEST place for him/her. A classroom is a living organism that needs to work efficiently. Every place a child sits is maneuvered by those around him and the distance form the teacher. There are a variety of factors that come into play when sitting a student in a classroom.

3) The teacher/parent relationship must be based on mutual respect and open communication. By placing a card on the table and saying that this is where "MY" child needs to sit without consulting the teacher first, is not open communication, it's entitlement.

So if I was coming back to school tomorrow and I entered my classrom to see names on desks that were written by parents, I wouldn't take all the cards off the desks. Instead, I would just suffle all the desks around the room and when the parents would come that night for Back to School Night, I would watch them scratch their heads in confusion and SMILE.

What would you do?