The Holidays

This is my favorite time of the year.  Thanksgiving day was filled with family events beginning with a nice walk with Sandy, Nicole, Ryan,Dennis, Courtney and Ramsey the dog.  We had two turkeys this year, one deep fried and the other traditionally baked.  They were both delicious.  Sandy my son-in law cooked the deep fried one and made three pies for dessert. His pumpkin pecan and chocolate pecan were big hits.  Dennis children, Erin, Jason and Courtney joined us this year along with my son Jason and his wife Olga and their two children Sasha and Ben. My daughter Nicole her husband Sandy and their son Ryan were with us to.  I hope all of you had a good Thanksgiving and enjoyed the time spent with family and friends.

Happy Thanksgiving!

November has been a busy month.  The book signing at Antonio's Gourmet Market was a success and a good time was had by all of us.  Special thanks to Antonio Salidino and his daughter Brittany for hosting me and to Fran and Bob Giannuzzi for helping out.  Thanks to all of you who purchased a cookbook and to those who participated in the gift basket raffle and soup donations.  We raised $400.00 for the Raleigh Rescue Mission and Leslie Millett from the Mission was very grateful.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of our family and friends in North Carolina, New York and Michigan. We are grateful to have you in our lives.

Antonio's Gourmet Market Booksigning

More exciting news. Antonio from Antonio's Gourmet Market in Raleigh and I are teaming up in a fundraising/booksigning event to raise money for the Raleigh Rescue Mission on Nov 12th from 11:30 to 4pm.We will be having soup sampling and gift baskets to raffle off. If you have never been to Antonio's Market, it is a treat to behold. It is filled with wonderful prepared foods, soups, pizza, sandwiches, specialty items and so much more. That in itself is worth a visit. It's a great time of the year to help those less fortunate and have a great time doing it. If you live local, it is a great way to spend a Sat. Antonio's is located in Layfayette Village, off of Falls of the Neuse and the village has all kinds of wonderful shops to go through. There is a great spice shop, a gelato shop, a wine shop,some boutiques, a couple of restraunts and much more

August fun times.

Denny and I went to Michigan in August for the annual Hanley reunion hosted by Jack and Denise, Denny's brother and sister-in-law.  There were many family members and old friends present and a good time was had by all. We headed to Northern Michigan and visited many of the small towns along lake Michigan, what a beautiful area.  Stayed with Al and Jan Bersted for one night, they are long time friends of Denny and enjoyed a meal that was prepared by Al that was so delicious right down to the homemade Italian ice cream.  Of course a trip to Michigan wouldn't be complete without a visit to Conor O'Neills an Irish pub in Ann Arbor where many of Denny's friends gather on Sunday night to hear Irish music and share conversation. Stayed with Marie and Tony Kilbane our last night. We visited Tony's mom while we were in Ireland in April.

Where has the summer gone?

I must apologize for not keeping connected through my blog but all of this is very new to me.  Denny and I had a wonderful summer and visited so many friends and family members in July and August.  We had a great time in Broadalbin attending the annual Morreale family reunion hosted by Toni and Fred  It was a treat to see my sisters, Toni, Nancy, Connie, Phyllis and my brother Mark along with many of the nephews, nieces and cousins along with their children.  To my brother-in laws, Fred and Vern it was wonderful spending time with you guys.  We had a very nice boat ride with Vern and Nancy on the lake even though it was cut short by the weather. 

I'm Back!!!

So many things have happened since the last time we spoke.  Dennis and I were married on April 16th and then took a two week honeymoon to Ireland.  We had a wonderful time and met so many nice people and even some family on Dennis's side he had never seen.  Driving on the left side of the road was a challange as was shifting a five speed standard transmission with your left hand.  What a beautiful spot Ireland is. So green and mostly rural.  Many small towns and villages with castles and museums to wander through.  We had wonderful meals especially at Morans on the Weir where had a delicious salmon dinner compliments of Bob and Mary Ellen Cain who set everything up prior to us arriving.  What a great wedding present.  Thanks guys. We met Michael Moran the owner and promised him a copy of Everyone Brings Something to the Table which we mailed when we returned to the States.  Michael followed with one of his special aprons.  Cooking is a universal language and we all in our own way share its undeniable pleasure whether its eating or cooking.  Much more to come....