Nostalgia aside, the fact is, Mrs Eve's recipes are really delicious. Her Cheesy Potato Casserole is to die for and it makes my Irish heart sing! For what better combination is there, than potatoes and cheese? Try it, you'll love it... Continue reading

Olive Bread A Taste of Home Islip Farmer's Market Continue reading

Here is my easiest (and fastest) muffin recipe ever. Now mind you, this is not a gourmet muffin; this is purely an incredibly tasty: "Of course, I have something for dinner - it's in the oven right now" kind of muffin. Continue reading

Easter is the one day of the year that I let my kids eat chocolate from sunrise to sunset. I know it might be consider "bad parenting" nowadays, but growing up, my parents did the same for us - so I follow suit. Amazingly, the kids eat so much chocolate... Continue reading

Siblings in Spring Long Island, NY Continue reading

Monsella Tulip Boo. It's raining cats and dogs today. I was really hoping that we were done with the drab weather and on to greener pastures, but it seems that we have some more rain on the horizon. Yellow Delicious Apple Tree So, how 'bout we brighten our day a... Continue reading

Have fun upcycling all of those unmatched baby socks that are collecting dust in your child's closet. Their naked dolls will thank you! Continue reading

Mother Nature blessed us with some beautiful weather yesterday, and the timing was perfect; it was Easter and we had egg hunts to go on! Surprisingly, she continued her generosity today and sent us even more sunshine. Continue reading

Long Island Game Farm Rio Grande Mini Train Manorville, New York Continue reading

So, after two days of the kids forgetting about breakfast, I decided to trick them into coming back to the table. While they were playing with their Legos®, I made them a delicious Nutella® Banana smoothie. When I told them that they could have a "Chocolate Smoothie" for breakfast, they dashed to the table and clambered into their seats. I mean really, what child could resist a breakfast that looks and tastes like dessert? Continue reading

My sister and I recently decided to clean out our children's closets. I'm not quite sure what inspired us to do this, but it was necessary. Their closets were overflowing with clothes that no longer fit, and we decided that we should donate their clothes to a worthy organization. After doing some research about local groups, we decided to go with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Long Island, NY. Continue reading

It seems that spring may have finally sprung on Long Island, and with the nicer weather, comes the re-opening of one of our favorite family destinations, The Long Island Game Farm in Manorville, NY. This Saturday, April 16th, the game farm will once again open its doors to the public.... Continue reading

Mirror Lake Brightwaters, NY Continue reading

Back in January, I was a wee bit bored and decided to make a donation to The Arbor Day Foundation. As a thank you for our donation, we would receive 10 trees, 2 flowering shrubs, a copy of The Tree Book, and a subscription to the Arbor Day newsletter. In... Continue reading

As we all know, I'm not really a crafty person; I leave that up to my incredibly talented sister. However, if you give me a pile of dirt, I can turn it into a beautiful work of art. So, when I came across Martha's Eggshell Flowerpot Craft - I knew I'd hit the jackpot. Here was a craft that even I could do - and I could do it with all of the kids too. Continue reading

Salad-Topped Chicken Milanese is a healthier version of a fried chicken cutlet. It's super crunchy and delicious, especially when topped with a fresh salad and a pinch of shredded parmesean. I love that it's so versatile too - if I have mixed greens, we use that, but if I have romaine, so be it. To keep this meal on my "Quick & Easy" list, I serve it with a bag of microwaveable Green Giant Health Blends Immunity Boost Blended Vegetables, as well as a bag of microwaveable Uncle Ben's® Ready Rice® Garden Vegetable. Continue reading

Photo Fridays, Charlestown, Nevis, West Indies, Caribbean Continue reading

When I was a teenager, my friend, Jean, became a Vegetarian. If I remember correctly, it happened while we were sitting on the beach at Robert Moses. She was reading a book about how the meat we eat is really processed. I don't recall the name of the book, but... Continue reading

My daughter loves strawberries. They’re pink, they're pretty and they taste good too. She also loves muffins, especially when they have “crunchies” on top. So when I opened the fridge yesterday and noticed a carton of strawberries that had to be used up, I took my cue from her, and made some pretty strawberry muffins. These Strawberry Muffins with Oat-Streusel Topping are a tasty way to welcome spring. On their own, these muffins are just sweet enough with the “crunchies” on top, but when paired with some homemade Strawberry Butter, they disappear twice as fast. Continue reading

We Know Stuff, Photo Fridays, Large Cupped Daffodil 'Red Devon', Latin Name: Narcissus, Long Island, NY Continue reading

Yesterday was my wedding anniversary, and I wanted to make something special for my husband. I know how much he loves Ina Garten's Chocolate White Chocolate Chunk Cookies, so I decided to make them for him. Continue reading

If you have pets, like I do, I'm sure you've experienced an "accident on the carpet" situation before. I know it's an embarrassing topic to talk about, but I wanted to share my latest experience with you. After my dog had an accident on the carpet, I came across Dog Chat, an online forum for dog owners, and they had a whole section about how to remove urine from your carpet using vinegar. I was pretty tired at this point, but I had to do something, so I picked up the gallon bottle of vinegar from the pantry and dragged it back upstairs. Continue reading

I’m bored, I’m tired of winter and I want spring to come – right now. Unfortunately, Mother Nature doesn’t care about what I want, because she has other plans – more rain, wind, and cold weather. To pass the time, the kids and I have been looking through their collection of “Bug Hunting” pictures. One of their favorites features a Praying Mantis that took up residence on our front porch last summer! Continue reading

The kids recently decided that we're now having breakfast for dinner one night a week. This suits me just fine because I love breakfast – and I have loads of breakfast recipes to try out! One recipe that had been calling to me was Sunny Anderson’s Eggs in Baskets. The recipe is very kid-friendly; I just swapped out some of the sunny side up eggs for scrambled – and everyone was happy. These Eggs in Baskets are nice and filling, and are perfect for brunch, or…breakfast for dinner! Continue reading

As I’ve mentioned before, my basement project took forever to finish, but that’s because I made so many errors in the first place. When I think back upon it, I would have to say that the biggest mistake I made was not cleaning the floor properly before painting it. I thought that if I washed the floor thoroughly with soap and water, it would be clean enough. This is not the case. Continue reading