Comfort food; Spaghetti Sauce with beef and pork

Copyright by The Old School Housewife

Copyright by The Old School Housewife

Copyright by The Old School Housewife

Copyright by The Old School Housewife

Copyright by The Old School Housewife

Who doesn't like good old fashion spaghetti sauce?  Sometimes my mother didn't make it with meatballs.  This is one of her versions of spaghetti sauce with beef cubes and spare ribs.  If that isn't comfort food, I don't know what is.  The first two pictures show method of cooking.  The third picture looks a little messy but if you get all your ingredients together, it makes it easier to cook, you could always clean up after.  The last picture is me with an apron that my friend Barbara made me so I don't get too messy.   Recipe to follow.

My Grandchildren; Olivia first in the pool

Copyright by The Old School Housewife

Copyright by The Old School Housewife

FIRST IN THE POOL!

Olivia was the only one brave enough to go in the pool today.  May 31st.  It's only 77 degrees and windy but there she is, splashing around like it was in the middle of summer.  Her mother did follow her afterward.  Yeah Olivia!!

Nature; Winter versus Spring

Copyright by The Old School Housewife

Copyright by The Old School Housewife

Copyright by The Old School Housewife

Copyright by The Old School Housewife

Copyright by The Old School Housewife

Copyright by The Old School Housewife

Winter verses Spring!  Look at these pictures, they are the winter and spring of the same area from this year.  Even though snow is beautiful in it's own right, doesn't it make you feel happier looking at the spring pictures?? Everyone likes different seasons, so which is your favorite?

My Grandchildren; Olivia Kindergarten Graduation

Copyright by The Old School Housewife

Copyright by The Old School Housewife

Our little Olivia graduated from Kindergarten yesterday.  She learned a lot, she reads better then some grownups.  We love her and can't believe how fast the last 6 years went.  It seems like she was just learning how to walk.  Congratulations Olivia.

Holidays; Memorial Day Family Picnic

Copyright by The Old School Housewife



Copyright by The Old School Housewife



Copyright by The Old School Housewife

Copyright by The Old School Housewife

Copyright by The Old School Housewife

Every year the Ginocchetti family gets together for a family outing on Memorial Day at Francis Slocum Park. 

Nature; Francis Slocum Park

Copyright by The Old School Housewife

Copyright by The Old School Housewife

Francis Slocum Park

Nature; Summer

Copyright by The Old School Housewife

Copyright by The Old School Housewife

Summer is here!  Well, not exactly, but it feels like it because the pool is now open and ready for business.  Frankie opened it yesterday.  It's waiting for someone to jump from the ladder and splash and float around and just plain have fun.

My Grandchildren; Love those girls

Copyright by The Old School Housewife

Copyright by The Old School Housewife

Copyright by The Old School Housewife

We can't help it!  My husband and I just love these girls.  They are extensions of our lives.

Holidays; Happy Memorial Day

 

This is Memorial Day weekend and I hope every one takes the time to reflect on the ones who passed.  Our parents, grandparents, those who had some impact on our lives.  Especially all those soldiers who fought in wars so we can have a safe place to live in and enjoy our backyard picnics or picnics in the park.  They say 'freedom' doesn't come free. 

God bless America!

Gardening; Planting tomatoes and other veggies

Copyright by The Old School Housewife

Pittston, the tomato belt of the northeast.  It's that time again to plant our tomatoes.  You will see them in a lot of yards in the Pittston area because they grow so well in our area.  I read somewhere it's due to the type of dirt we have that has something to do with the coal mines underneath.  This is my husband planting tomatoes and a few other vegetables like zucchini, also very popular in our area, green peppers and cucumbers.  We have mostly red tomato plants and two yellow ones.  There's nothing like tomatoes grown in your own back yard, they are sweeter and juicier then the greenhouse ones could ever be.  When you pick Them, don't put them in the fridge, leave them on your counter, they're even better that way.

Dessert; 7-Up Pound Cake with Limoncello

Copyright by The Old School Housewife

If you like pound cake and you like Limoncello, you will love this cake.  I got this recipe from a good friend of my, Barbara from Ohio.  It called for lemon flavor, but I substituted Limoncello instead.  Limoncello is a liqueur of Sorrento, Italy.  It's a little strong for me to drink but it's the best lemon flavor in any dessert recipe that calls for lemon flavor.  Even if it doesn't in some cakes.
Recipe to follow:

Home Life; House cleaning

Copyright by The Old School Housewife

Copyright by The Old School Housewife

Copyright by The Old School Housewife

 

It's spring house cleaning time and I don't feel like I'm cleaning unless I change some things. 

Recipe of the Week; Lemon Chiffon Cake

Copyright by The Old School Housewife

If you like the taste of lemon, you will love this cake.  I got the recipe from a old cookbook I have called McCall's Best Holiday Foods and Crafts. The recipe in the book calls for a lemon filling but I didn't make that I just added a simple glaze made with 10X sugar and milk.  It has an Angel Food cake texture which is why it's called 'chiffon'.  I only gave it ** however, because it was a little hard to get out of the pan.  You have to have patience and follow the directions in the recipe and inch it out little at a time with a large spoon.  But, once you get it out, it was good.  The recipe follows.

Food; Another spring time favorite, cardoons

Copyright by The Old School Housewife

Copyright by The Old School Housewife

"Cardoons" (I'm not sure of the correct spelling), you see it's a very Sicilian dish that you can only get in the spring. 

Nature; Spring

Copyright by The Old School Housewife

Copyright by The Old School Housewife

Copyright by The Old School Housewife

Copyright by The Old School Housewife

I just love spring. There is something special about each season, but after a long colorless and cold winter, the warm weather and the colors that pop up everywhere is just beautiful and lifts ones spirits.  Above is just two reasons, my pink dogwood tree and the azaleas that line my sidewalk, which are not quite open yet and the pink azalea (top photo) which blooms in my flower garden.  These are just some reasons I love spring.

Recipe of the Week; Strawberry Lemondade

Copyright by The Old School Housewife

This recipe of courtesy of Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman, of the Food Network channel.

My Family; Happy Mother's Day 2014

Copyright by The Old School Housewife

I'd like to say Happy Mother's Day to all you mother's out there.  For all the hours you put in from the day of birth, feeding, cleaning, rocking them to sleep, taking them to doctor visits, to school, to the park and numerous other places, plus all you taught them, how you loved them and will love them forever; God bless you.

Gardening; Update on my "ice cream cone" plants.

Copyright by The Old School Housewife

Copyright by The Old School Housewife



Copyright by The Old School Housewife
Results of the seed I planted in the ice cream cones

Recipe of the Week; The Ultimate Barbecued Chicken

Copyright of The Old School Housewife

This recipe is courtesy of Tyler Florence from the Food Network Channel.  I did change a few ingredients, however, either because I didn't have them or simply didn't want to use them.  He used bacon and I didn't want to, so I eliminated it and I used  a little liquid smoke for the smokey taste instead; also I used dried thyme instead of fresh and honey and pure maple syrup instead of molasses.  Any time you see a recipe, you can follow it but change a few things to make it your own.  This chicken was delicious and I gave it ***, mostly because my husband, who doesn't like sweet foods, really liked it.

Food; What to do with left over greens





Copyright by The Old School Housewife

 

Ever buy too much greens?