I'm Thankful for Denise...

As we enter the holiday season and focus on what's truly important in life, I must give thanks for the best friend a girl could ever ask for: my best friend Denise.  If ever asked to describe Denise to someone who's never met her, a quick summary would note that she is extremely loyal - the friend who is always there for you, whether you're drunk dialing her at 3am, or, going through a true life crisis and really need her there by your side.  Beyond her overwhelming kindness and selflessness, I must note that Denise is a Bon Jovi lover, champion chicken pot pie baker, keeper of a sparkling clean home featuring an overabundance of plug-ins and candles, and an amazing mother and wife.  Denise's family is lucky to have her...and so am I.

Denise with her Family: Husband Tom, Daughter Hailey, and Son Dylan

Denise is known to steal tambourines from local bands.  This is actually a relatively frequent occurrence - take Denise to Bailey's to see a cutie boy band perform, and, Denise is guaranteed to weasel her way onto the stage to snatch an instrument and perform for the crowd like the rock star she is.  Take her 40th birthday, for instance...

Denise Jamming with a Tambourine at her 40th Birthday Party.

Denise is a provider of life's necessities.  Every winter when we are forced to succumb to weekly snowstorms, Denise and her kids sleep over my house so we can weather the storm together.  Denise is our go-to girl, the one we know will remember to bring the essentials to get us through should we lose power, heat...or just remain trapped indoors with our kids for unknown periods of time.  Here is an example of Denise's preparedness during our last winter Nor'easter. 

See?  Denise is a planner.

Denise is a discreet shopper...but I can't keep a secret.  Last summer, Denise and I were enjoying cocktails on her porch, which is one of our usual haunts.  Denise told me she was taking control of her health and made a significant purchase towards getting healthy and strong.  I was so proud of her...especially when she brought this life-changing purchase out for me to inspect and try for myself to prove just how effective it was.  I can't continue typing about this without bursting into hysterics, but, here is a photo of Denise's purchase...she refused to be photographed with it, but, I didn't!

Denise's Secret Shake Weight

On a serious note, Denise is truly the best.  When my first marriage crumbled, I quickly learned who my true friends were, and, thank God Denise was one of them.  It was she who came over my house regularly to check on me, and when I was ready, it was also she who introduced me to my husband, George.  When my mother passed away suddenly almost two years ago, my life changed forever.  As I was sitting in the Intensive Care Unit at St. Mary Medical Center in shock over the tragedy that had just taken place, it was Denise who came to the hospital to sit in my mother's room with me until it was time for me to say goodbye.  For weeks afterward, Denise would come over my house and feed my family, listen to me cry, or just sit on my couch and watch television while I slept in another room.  Somehow, just knowing she was there made me feel a little better.  Four months later, I graduated college, and when I looked up to the section where my family was sitting, there was beautiful Denise, cheering me on in the seat my mother would have occupied.  10 months after my mother's passing, I tackled a huge emotional hurdle...I was getting married, and, my mother would not be at my wedding.  I didn't have my mother to go with me to the bridal shop to ooh and ah over me as I tried on wedding dresses and alternating veils and jewels.  But, I did have Denise, and difficult as it was, she assembled the perfect look for my wedding day.

Denise and Me on my Wedding Day

Simply put, everybody should have a Denise in their life.  There is no better feeling than knowing you have one amazing friend whom you know will always be there for you, love your family the way you do, and, simply understands and loves everything about you...annoying quirks and all.

Happy Thanksgiving Denise!  I love you to pieces!

PS: Don't ever be less than one hour early to a movie you are going to see with Denise.  Seriously...you'll learn.

Helping Our Children Stay Safe - The Sandusky Reaction

I, like most people with a brain, have spent the last two weeks shaking in utter disgust over the allegations against Jerry Sandusky.  To be honest, I hate to even use the word "allegations" in this situation as I find it hard to believe they are anything but truths being told by these poor, innocent victims.  As a mother, it is atrocious, gut-wrenching, and simply infuriating.  I have contemplated writing about this ever since the horrendous news broke last week, however, I decided Jerry Sandusky has received enough air time, and, I've opted to focus on what I believe to be more important: focusing on measures to keep our children safe.

We all know our children should utilize the old school buddy system, yet, this is something many parents have been lax on.  Hey, I'll admit it, I once let my child walk home from the bus stop after it dropped her off from her cheerleading practice at 5:30 p.m., when it is now pitch black in our neighborhood.  So, rule #1: Never let your guard down.  Sure, I would like to believe that  my neighborhood is safe enough for Maddy to walk home alone in the dark during the dinner hour, but, that's simply not the world we live in.  I now meet Maddy at the bus stop every night.  I may sound like a lone, over protective mother when I say this, but, I can tell you the bus stop looks like the Grand Central of minivans at this hour, so, clearly I am not alone in my thought processes.  Bottom line: Never let your guard down.  Ever.  It's easy to do it, and, it's something even I have to be mindful of every day.

Next, I wholeheartedly believe every child, male and female, should partake in some sort of self-defense class...often.  Thankfully, my son loves tae kwon do, and, I at least have the comfort of knowing that, should someone try to physically harm him, they'd learn that was a mistake within 30 seconds.  But, what about my cheerleading, petite daughter?  Well, this situation has made me realize I need to get her in a self-defense class pronto.  Thankfully, my son's martial arts studio offers self-defense class for the school's students as well as their family members.  Trust me...we will ALL be at the next class.

Also, open communication is key.  Our children need to know that, no matter how horrendous the situation, they can and must confide it in us.  These days, child development specialists suggest each child have five "safe people" they can confide in should they need to pick and choose who they can turn to for help. 

Finally, I'm putting pressure on our lawmakers to change the reporting policies of our children's teachers, coaches, etc.  The only thing I find more appalling than nobody stepping in to help these children are the "leaders" out there who claim they would have responded to this situation exactly the same way.  Seriously?  As you read and hear all of the backlash about the lack of intervention provided to these children, you would still respond the same way?  If this is the mindset of some teachers, coaches, or anybody for that matter, the law needs to intervene and take the side of the children and make it a legal requirement to properly report such events to the police...period. 

Suzi's Chicken Soup for the Soul :)

Last week I was faced with every mother's favorite time of the year: cold and flu season!  Four members of our five person family came down with an illness of some sort last week, so, I decided to whip up a huge pot of chicken soup to warm my family's soul.  George, Maddy, Nick, and I all agreed this was the most delicious chicken soup we've ever had, so, I decided I must share the recipe with anybody who wants to make a supper yummy, EASY pot of chicken soup.  This recipe truly is a cinch - no real cooking skills are required, I promise!  I got the base for this recipe from Rachel Ray, but, I made a few modifications.  For one, I doubled Rachel's recipe - this made enough soup to last my house full of sickies a full week.  Secondly, as this is a thick soup, I added extra chicken stock,  not water, as Rachel suggests (I find that water really drains the soup of its flavor).  Also, I used pre-packaged, pre-cut carrots and celery - every time I cut these veggies myself, I find the soup to be a little bland.  If you want a smaller pot of soup, just cut this recipe in half.

Total Time: 30 Minutes
Prep: 15 Minutes
Cook: 15 Minutes (use your judgement - when the noodles look perfect and the soup tastes delish you know it's time to remove it from the burner!)

Ingredients:

• 4 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil (I don't measure 4 Tablespoons - I circle my soup pot 4 times instead) - I only suggest buying Olive Oil that is made in Italy
• 1 16oz. bag of pre-sliced carrots (the carrots are a little big, so, you can cut them in half if you wish, but, I just use them as they come packaged)
• 2 Parsnips, peeled and chopped
• 2 Onions, chopped
• 1 Container of Chopped Celery
• 4 Fresh Bay Leaves
• Salt & Black Ground Pepper (I use McCormick)
• 4 32oz. Boxes of Chicken Stock (I only use stock, not broth.  This is a thick soup - if you like extra broth, I suggest using more stock, not water, to the recipe for flavor)
• 4 Packages of Perdue Short Cuts Carved Chicken Breast, Orignal Roasted 
• 1 Pound Wide Egg White  Noodles
• A Handful of Fresh Italian Parsley (I use Italian, not Curly)
• A Handful of Fresh Dill

Directions:

1. Place a large soup pot over moderate heat (I turn mine on directly between medium and high)
2. Add Olive Oil (add it in circles, 4 times around the pot, to make sure it spreads evenly)
3. Stay close to the stove and add veggies in the order they are listed.  Make sure each veggie is nicely married with the olive oil as you do this.
4. Once the veggies are nicely married with the olive oil, add Bay Leaves, Salt, and Pepper to taste.
5. Add Stock and raise the pot to a boil.
6. Once the pot is boiling, add the Chicken and return the soup to a boil.
7. Once the soup is boiling after the Chicken has been added, reduce the heat back to moderate.
8. After turning the soup back to moderate, cook the Chicken for two minutes.
9. After two minutes, add Noodles.
10. Cook the soup with Noodles for approximately 6 minutes or until the Noodles are tender.
11. Once the Noodles have reached desired tenderness, remove the soup from heat.
12. After you remove the soup from heat, add Parsley and Dill and remove Bay Leaves.  Stir the soup to let the Parsley and Dill flavor the soup - once the Parsley and Dill have settled, add more Salt and Pepper to taste, if desired.
13. Your soup is now ready to go!  If it is too thick for your liking, add more Chicken Stock, not water.
14. Serve with grated Parmesan Cheese.  I use Gabriela but Lotito - I don't care what brand you use, as long as it doesn't come in a green shakeable container.  ;)

I serve my homemade soup with fresh bread.  In the fall, I love my soup with a French Baguette topped with apple butter.  Yummy :)