Homemade Maple Syrup

Oooooh yeaaaah. Maple syrup, it's a must honestly. I know I can't eat a pancake without it.

Maple Syrup is to pancakes as Ryan Gosling is to The Notebook {as a small side note: they now have a Ryan Gosling coloring book...can you believe it!?! brilliant. I think I would color in it while I ate my pancakes}

Okay - back to the syrup - I was one of the lucky girls who's mother made homemade maple syrup. I loved it. It was made every Saturday in large batches for our breakfast pancakes on Saturday & Sunday mornings. While my Mom's syrup wasn't as thick as the kind you find in the store, it is still what I prefer. Ask anyone who had a sleep over at my house and they'll tell you - my Mom's syrup is the best!

To go along with this fabulous syrup a kindred spirit of mine gave me this awesome retro dispenser. I love it. It gives this syrup the finishing touch. I love it so much that I wrote a haiku about it:

Yeah, I really like syrup and the dispenser {and Ryan Gosling}. So I am going to share this syrup recipe with you so you can start creating as many maple syrup memories as I do:

Sugar

Water

Mapeline or Maple Flavoring

I was taught this recipe by my Mom who didn't use measurements and you know me and measurements! This is a guesstimate at measurements {I should have taken pictures sorry} so please get back to me with any problems. I'm going to start you out with a small batch

Put 1 Cup Sugar and 1 1/2 Cups Water in a small saucepan. Put on med-low heat and let heat until it starts to boil. While boiling you want to add your Mapeline. Add enough to make the simple syrup a nice dark color {pictured below}, 1-2 tsp.



Turn the heat down to Simmer and let simmer until the desired consistancy is reached {or the pancakes are ready & everyone is hungry}. If you don't like your syrup on the "Watery-side" like Mr. S states it. You can add a tablespoon of corn syrup and let it simmer in. I don't like to put in too much corn syrup if I'm doing a big batch because if it goes too long it turns into maple candy.

Pour your hot syrup in a retro dispenser, gravy boat or a glass liquid measuring cup {something with a spout is preferable} and Enjoy!!!

I'd love to hear some feedback on this recipe. Let us know! Leave a comment here, on facebook or e-mail: shesaidblog@yahoo.com

A Birthday Party for Nan!

It's Nan's birthday and this year I wish I could be with her and have a party! Because we have this amazing place {our blog!} where I can take you anywhere with anyone - come with us as we celebrate another year of Nan with a {virtual} party!

WHERE:

The Queen was gracious enough to let us use Buckingham Palace

DRESS CODE:

Cocktail dresses for the ladies & dapper suits for the gentlemen

GUEST LIST:

Along with Mr. W and other family and friends of Nan's, we will have Audrey Hepburn, Princess Dianna & Jane Austen in attendance.

                                                                                        ENTERTAINMENT:

 After a few rounds of the Red Green Game {Nan would have to explain} we would be dancing the night away with

The BEATLES!!!

GIFTS:

Nan is really not a hard person to shop for. I recently found our friend at  Paramore Artworks has a new line of swag themed  "I'd rather be at Pemberley" {does that scream Nan or what?}

THE CAKE:

Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake

Source

This is a slice of the party you can actually take home with you! Nan {and I} have had this pinned for quite some time. I made it the other night & it was divine. I think it's something Nan would be happy to have as her birthday dessert.

The original recipe was quite labor intensive & kind of tricky. I simplified it. Enjoy!

Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake

Inspired and Adapted from Mangio da Sola

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees

Oreo Cookie Crust:

 about 24 Oreo Cookies

3 TBS Butter, melted

Crush the Oreos into fine crumbs, you should have roughly two cups. Stir in melted butter. Press the Oreo crumb mixture into an 9 inch spring form pan. Eat the rest of the Oreos.

Cheesecake:

4 pkgs (8oz.) Cream Cheese, softened

1 Cup Sugar

1 tsp. Vanilla

4 Eggs

Beat together cream cheese, sugar & vanilla until it is smooth. With mixer on low, beat in each egg one at a time. Pour on top of the cookie crust. Bake for 55 minutes or until the center is set {no wet jiggling when you gently shake the pan}. If there are cracks on the top - don't worry - we'll be covering those up! Let cool for an hour at room temperature and then put it in the fridge for 4 hours. {I made the cheesecake part on Day 1 and the rest on Day 2}

Chocolate Mousse......the EASY way

1 pkg Chocolate Fudge pudding

1 C. Milk

1 C. Cool Whip

Mix the pudding and milk together until blended and thickened. Fold in the cool whip until incorporated.....yeah it's that easy! Sure, it may not be the authentic fancy-shmancy French mousse, but if it makes you feel better just say 'Bon Jour!" to everyone who comes through the kitchen, it will make the pudding more "French" if you are speaking French while making it.

Spread the chocolate mousse on the cheesecake. Let set in the fridge for 30 minutes. Then release the spring form by running a butterknife around the edges before releasing the spring and slowly lift it off the cake.

Let the cake sit in the fridge while you make the ganache for the top.

The best/easiest Ganache that I know of is.......

Our Best Bites: Super Easy Chocolate Ganache

8 oz. Semi sweet or Dark Chocolate Chips (I happen to know that Milk Chocolate works too)

8 oz of Heavy Cream (I also know that whole milk will work as well)

Put the chocolate chips & cream into a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 2 minutes and stir. Let it go in for another 1 to 2 minutes or until chocolate is fulling melted and stirred into the cream. Be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl and make sure there are no little chocolate bits.

Kate advises that the ganache thickens as it cools so if it seems a bit runny, just wait a minute and it will start to thicken.

As it cools it will be thick and fudgy, like a frosting.

BEFORE it gets thick and fudgy (it should have the consistency of a thick syrup) pour it over the top of the cheesecake letting it run over and down the sides. Let set in the fridge or serve.

Cut into your deliciously rich, decadent pie and think of Nan!

Happy Birthday Nan! You are the best-est friend a gal could EVER have!

Tolstoy & The Purple Chair {Book Review & List of Three}

When my book club picked Tolstoy and the Purple Chair by Nina Sankovitch for the month my first thought was, "Why do I want to read a book about a woman who is talking about all the books that she's read? How interesting is that going to be?" Well, let me tell ya - it was pretty darn interesting.  Based on her real life experiences, Nina shares that the untimely death of her older sister spurred the idea of reading a book a day and blogging a review of it. What I thought was going to be a 240 pg long book report was actually a beautifully woven novel of her going through the grieving process and the books that helped her do it. I love that Nina was very honest about HOW she read a book a day and all the priorities that she let go to do it - she didn't make the reader believe it was an easy task, but actually made you want to try it yourself {or at least someday when your kids are a bit older}. I think this book is a testament of how books can effect our lives, how a book can define a moment or a feeling and how a book can take you far away for a little vacation from life. I really enjoyed this book and I hope if you have read it you will share your feelings about it too! At the end of the book she lists all 365 books that she read ....it made my "To Reads" list a bit longer!

As I was reading this book I started to think about the books that have "stuck with me" through my life. Books that have helped me through a tough time. Define feelings or emotions in a way that I couldn't express. Represent an era or a memory. Nan & I will share our three and we hope that you will share yours:

1. Strega Nona by Tomie de Paola. This is a children's book that is my all-time favorite. I remember having it read to me when I was little. I loved that it was based in Sicily {where my Father was born} and I LOVED that it had to do with pasta! Every time I read it I think back on my grandparents, my father's stories of growing up and of course...the spaghetti. Oh the spaghetti!!

2. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. I remember reading this in AP English and thinking "Wow this is nothing like the movies" and then went on with my class work. Then, almost a decade later, I was listening to Paul Harvey's "The Rest of the Story" a radio program where Paul Harvey talks about popular points in history, politics & literature and tells you...the rest of the story. Most of us know that Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein for a horror story writing contest that she was having against fellow writers while on vacation {those authors....they really know how to party!}. Well it just so happens that Mary Shelley happened to have suffered through a few miscarriages & two stillbirths. Those deaths of her children made her think about the death of a body, the chance of bringing it back to life again and contemplate the consequences of that. Around the time I heard this broadcast I was also going through the grief of having a stillbirth. The minute I heard Paul Harvey end with "and that's the rest of the story" I was at the library checking out my copy of Frankenstein. I read it with new eyes. It will always still with me as a symbol of another mother's catharsis of dealing with her stillbirth and how it helped me with mine.

3. Confessions of an Unbalanced Woman by Emily Watts. The title alone is what drew me in and the fact that it was a whole 58 pages long sealed the deal. I had just had Baby S. after a stressful/wonderful pregnancy. I had finally gotten down the times that he napped & I showered. I felt like I was doing okay, but really...unbalanced. This book put me at ease and made me feel like I was doing just fine. All of the pressures I was putting on myself {perfect wife, perfect mommy, perfectly clean house & gourmet dinners} were silly and unimportant. After reading this I felt much more balanced being unbalanced...if that makes sense. {Not to mention being able to read a book during that busy time...that felt good too!}

Nancy

This is tough!  I could probably come up with twenty books that have had a big impact on me, but this is what I've settled on...for now. :)

1. Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak.  I liked this book as a kid, but I really came to love it during the summer between my freshman and sophomore years of college.  I was back living with my parents and I got a job working at a daycare.  I was the "teacher" for the two-year-old class.  Me and seven two-year-olds, all day, five days a week.  I started out with a co-teacher, but she left after about a week and it was just me and those seven kiddos for the rest of a long, hot summer.  Let me tell you, that was both the hardest and the best job I have ever had.  There were times that I wanted to pull my hair out and run for the hills, but there were so many sweet, fun moments that balanced out the frustration.  Where the Wild Things Are was a popular choice for storytime, and eventually I had the entire book memorized; I could "read" it to the kids without looking at the pages.  That was almost ten years ago, and now those two-year-olds are twelve and probably starting middle school.  But whenever I read Where the Wild Things are now, I'm transported back to that daycare classroom, with seven sets of eyes watching me and sticky kisses on my cheeks.

2. Families Are Forever...If I Can Just Get Through Today! by Janice Madsen Weinheimer.  This is a really strange selection; I realize this.  It's a book written by a woman who has nine children -- two singles, two sets of twins, and one set of triplets.  The author talks about what it was like raising that many children, how she and her husband structured their home, things like that.  My mom purchased the book when it came out in the '70s, before she had a family of her own, and I decided to read it as a teenager.  Coming from a very small family, I was fascinated by the dynamics of such a large family and loved reading about the ins and outs of their everyday lives.  I've read it -- or at least parts of it -- multiple times.  When I left home, my mom gave me the book since I've read it more than she has. :)

3. Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster.  Opening this book is like seeing an old friend.  I think the first time I read it was when I was in 6th grade; my grandma had been talking about how much she loved it, and my grandma is not a big reader, so I took the recommendation pretty seriously.  My dad found me a copy and I devoured the book.  6th grade was definitely an awkward time: I was frustrated with still being in elementary school but scared to go to middle school, I was going through some major transitions in friendships, and then I was experiencing all of those joys of adolescence.   Daddy-Long-Legs gave me a chance to escape the uncertainties of my life and provided something for me to discuss with my grandmother.  I have reread it more times than I can count.  There's nothing particularly amazing about the storyline or the writing, but it is a book that I loved in a time when everything was changing.

What about you?  What books have made an impact on your life?

Sharing Easter Traditions with our Peeps

"Sometimes imagination just isn't enough" Source: Akward Family Photos

Easter is coming up quickly!  In my family growing up, Easter was a pretty quiet holiday; my parents wanted to focus more on the spiritual aspect of the holiday, rather than on the commercial/Easter Bunny side.  Even if you decide to simplify your Easter celebration, there are still things you can do to make it special for your family.  If you're looking for some new ways to celebrate, here are some of our favorite traditions.

Nan:
The Easter Bunny didn't actually visit my house when I was a kid; we had the Easter PIG!!

Source

I think my dad started this just to tease me, and trust me, it really irked me when I was little and I would argue with him about it.  Nonetheless, the Easter Pig tradition stuck and now I refer to it all the time.  Mr. W does find it a little crazy, but I love it -- and I love that someone created the above artwork, too!

The Easter Pig would leave a trail of "droppings" by my bedroom door (aka mini chocolate eggs), which I would follow to find my Easter basket, which usually just had more candy in it.  In Mr. W's family, though, they would have a new book in their Easter baskets.  Since I'm a voracious reader, I love this idea and we have continued it in our own family to an extent.  (Hey, when it's just two people, sometimes it's hard to get excited about putting together Easter baskets!)

Last year I made a set of plastic Resurrection Easter Eggs, similar to these:

Source

They were easy to put together and are an egg-cellent way (wink wink) to help kids and adults focus on the true, miraculous reason for Easter.  You can keep them in a carton, in a basket, or use them as part of your Easter egg hunt.  I think it would be fun to hide one each day in the 12 days leading up to Easter, then have a mini-Easter egg hunt and read what's in the egg, like an Easter Advent.  I can't find the exact one I used, but this post at Mommy Savers is pretty close.


Michelle
In my house growing up I remember getting a new Easter Dress every year. The whole family would be matched in the same fabric dresses for the girls (including my Mom, I don't know how she found the time and patience to make a dress for herself, but she did, she's a rock star) and the boys having matching ties. As we grew older I remember getting DVD's in our baskets and this year my Mom is changing that tradition into Books, which I think is a GREAT.
I have to laugh because we would always dye easter eggs, but never eat them all, but we would still dye a dozen. I also remember watching Jesus Christ Superstar....I know that it's not your typical video to watch and for some it's not the most reverent{my Mom hated it}, but it does cover the Easter story if that's any justification.

Source

This year we made Resurrection Rolls from Eat At Allies. The rolls turned out great and Baby S. made the connections to the elements of the Easter story. This will be something I'll be incorporating into our Easter traditions.


What Easter traditions do you remember or are there new ones you will be incorporating this year?

Happy Birthday Nan!!

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10 Years Ago Today...

Michelle and Nancy,

two proud graduates of the WJHS Class of 2001.

How time flies!!

Check back later this week

for a glimpse of what we've been up to lately!!

A Flashback

While watching Dick Clark's Rockn' Eve to celebrate the new year they were listing off their entertainers for that night and my ears perked up when I heard The New Kids On the Block. I was a HUGE fan back in the day. I had (and still have stashed in a box somewhere) all of their tapes...ya cassett tapes, my New Kids blanket & the Jordan & Joe doll. But wait! There was more! Backstreet Boys would be performing with them! Now the Backstreet Boys was our (mine & Nan's) first BIG concert. Me, Nan & our friend Merisa (along with Merisa's wonderful Mom Jane) shouted and screamed and sang along with a billion other girls at the E-Center for the Backstreet Boys.
Sadly I didn't get to watch their performance on new years eve - I was swiftly out voted by my dad & two brothers, but I found it on You Tube (ya got to love it). I guess they will be touring together this summer.
For your viewing pleasure I have their performance at the VMA's...who knew they had so much in common?

All you people can't you see, can't you see N-K-O-T-B-S-B!!!

Hey ladies! Shout out your favorite New Kid and/or Backstreet Boy!

Mine's kinda complicated. I started to like Jordan, but then changed to Joe and I have always liked Nick!



For Your Quizzing Pleasure

Once upon a time in the mid-90s, one of our favorite teen magazines sponsored a write-your-own quiz contest.  The lucky winners would actually have their quiz printed in the magazine.  Since we spent a good portion of our teenage years taking magazine quizzes, we decided to create a quiz with another one of our friends (hi, Merisa!).  Even though we spent an entire French class period working on it, our quiz did not win the contest.  But fortunately for you, our faithful readers (all nine of you!), I saved a copy!  Now you finally can learn whether or not you are "crushing on him too much".  It's a serious problem, people.  Take the quiz and seek help if necessary.

Are You Crushing on Him too Much?
1. If you see him looking at you during class, you think:
a) Is he looking at me? (2 points)
b) Do I look okay? (3 points)
c) He must be looking at the girl behind me (1 point)

2. When you think of him, you think he is:
a) A god (3 points)
b) Average Joe (2 points)
c) Geeky Melvin (1 point)

Getting to Know Us...

We have been best friends for almost fifteen years, and a LOT has happened to us along the way.  Starting this blog gives us the perfect chance to take a walk down memory lane...

An early memory of the other person
N: One of my first memories of you is that in middle school you had a blue case for your viola.  You would hold it like a left-handed guitar and pretend to be Paul McCartney.
M: Sitting next to eachother at the spelling bee. We didn't know eachother at all and I asked you if my breath smelled and you said, "No". Looking back on that I feel so lucky that you didn't give me a "you-are-a-weirdo" look and never talk to me again.

Three words to describe the other person
N: Funny, loyal, patient
M: Creative, good listener & dedicated

A little-known fact about the other person
N: Michelle can do an awesome impression of "The Nanny" (aka Fran Drescher)
M: Nan knows how to make a stick of butter look like a pine cone. (It's a family secret)

Remember when we...?
N: Wore those matching middle school band shirts?  They were about 30 years old and stained, but we thought we were so cool to have matching "vintage" outfits!
M: Stealthily got the locker combination to our crushes locker and opened it.