2009 Relay for Life

Two months ago today, my mom lost her long battle with cancer.

One month from today is the Berkshire County Relay for Life. There are few things I can do to calm the tremendous loss I feel each day. Raising money for cancer research in honor of my mom seems like a good place to start.

I welcome you to visit our team page and make a donation -- of any amount -- to this wonderful cause. For the second year in a row, we are JoAnn's Knockouts.

Note: I will resume blogging sometime soon after this year's Relay.


(Dad, mom and friends -- 2008 Relay for Life)

Cookie of the Month, Part 1: Tassies

The folks that I work for were so wonderfully supportive during the two months when my mom was extremely ill. They granted me a flexibility that allowed me to spend as much time with my mom and family as I desired, and I will forever be grateful for this.

As I told them, I didn't know how to thank them (apart from being a good employee!) at first, but then an idea popped into my head.

My mom was a wonderful baker — so much so that a handful of people at her wake mentioned the food of hers that they remembered and will miss at holiday gatherings. Me, too. In her memory, I decided to establish a "Cookie of the Month" at my workplace. It was therapeutic to take the time in the kitchen to make this first batch.

Everyone loved my mom's tassies, and rightfully so. I know that she didn't make up the recipe, but no one's tassies compared to hers, and she freely shared the recipe. I made a batch of these wonderful little pecan-pie-like cookies around Christmas and have been wanting to post the recipe since then.

My Mom's Tassies
For the crust:
• 3-oz package of cream cheese (room temp)
• 1/2 cup of butter (room temp)
• 1 cup flour

For the filling:
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1 TBS butter, softened
• 1 tsp vanilla
• pinch of salt
• 2/3 cup broken pecans

Blend butter and cream cheese, stir in flour. Chill slightly (about 1 hour), then shape into 2-dozen, 1" balls. Place the balls into the cups of a mini muffin pan. Press dough onto bottom and sides of cups and divide the pecans among the cups.


Beat together the egg, sugar, the TBS of butter, vanilla and salt until smooth. Add this filling mixture to the cups. (I have most recently been placing this mixture in a large plastic bag, then cutting the corner to make a spout for neater pouring.)


Bake at 325 for 25 minutes or until filling is set. Cool slightly and remove from the pans (they are easier to remove while still warm).


My God, they are good! (Part 2 to follow...)

Bear With This Blogger

I am going through a very difficult right now, and regret that my blogging has been shelved for nearly two months.

I am just starting to consider and re-enter normal weekly routines (like grocery shopping and, say, being present at work all day), and will soon restart my work in the kitchen. Slowly, I'll get back to posting regularly, but it won't be easy.

I originally created this blog for myself as a means to document the things I create — edible and not. My mom soon became my biggest fan. (I think she was before I created this blog, but she most certainly became its most dedicated reader.)

On March 19th, we lost my mom to some aggressive, unstoppable, evil cancer cells — despite her determined, continuous 2-year fight against them. She was 60 and healthy and wanted so much to be here for me and my family. My mind still cannot seem to comprehend that she is gone.

In many ways, I know I will feel that I am still blogging for her.

What Mom Made Yesterday #8

With our first Berkshire snow falling in October this year, I was reminded of this felt wall-hanging that my mom made a few years ago. So cute!

What Mom Made Yesterday #7

I confess that I've come across some older photos and, in fact, mom made this more than five years ago. I am sure of this because the baby for whom this quilt was made just started kindergarten! Here is Mikey's bright, fun quilt:

What Mom Made Yesterday #6

Another lovely little wool felt holiday mat made by mom!

What Mom Made Yesterday #5

Mom's been working on this lovely little autumn-themed wool felt mat for a friend of the family. Now that it's finished and the friend has received it, I can post it on the ol' blog without ruining any surprises!

Love the colors!


What perfect little stitches!

Mom's First Game at Fenway!

It was my mom's birthday exactly 11 months ago yesterday. For that birthday, we presented her with a series of gift certificates — one to be enjoyed "sometime next week" (a restaurant gift certificate), one for "sometime next month" (a spa gift certificate), and the last one for "sometime next year" (a promise to get her to Fenway for a 2008 game). At last, she was able to cash in the "sometime next year" gift yesterday.

We were prepared, as much as I despise the entire concept, to buy tickets from a ticket broker. I lucked out, though, big time — after entering the MLB drawing for tickets to one of the Yankees series, I was able to get 4 tickets together for the sunny game yesterday...for face value...$12 per ticket.


It was pretty hot, but we were blessed with the occasional cloud and sea breeze. Mom got to see JD Drew's home run, did the (seated) wave, and participated happily in the 7th Inning Stretch. I took a bunch of photos, of course.


We left early in order to beat the crowds (the Sox were losing pretty badly, anyway), and headed to Kelly's Roast Beef at Revere Beach. Mom and Dad got to see the ocean, and get some awesome summertime sandwiches for dinner. It was a great day.

What Mom Made Yesterday No. 3 & 4

OK, mom actually made this quilt last year for the arrival of our new little family member, Tyler. I think this might have been the first of many adventures in the world of Minky fabric for her. So soft!


(Looks kind of like it's levitating - that's a quickie Photoshop job for ya!)

Earlier this year, she made another Minky quilt for Baby Madison—she's been busy! Here's a close-up:

What My Mom Made Yesterday No.2

My parents visited us a few weekends ago and brought a much known-about, talked-about gift. It was, however, so special and so magnificently crafted that it was an incredible surprise.

While we were planning and creating/designing our wedding decorations in 2006, my mom came up with the idea of making table centerpieces out of jewel-toned velvet fabric, on top of which we placed bundles of wheat. This, alone, would have been lovely, but then she used a heating technique with autumnal rubber stamps to deboss areas of the velvet.

They were a centerpiece, indeed (I really need to find a better photo)!


A close-up of the de-bossed velvet:


We collected each of these centerpieces after the reception, and my mom (along with some very generous, talented friends!) sewed together each of these squares, binding them to a super-soft Minky backing, and quilting the entire blanket with a swirly stitch to form the most beautiful, heavy, luxurious quilt I have ever seen. I am afraid to use it!

A landscape of velvetness on one side:


Unbelievably soft, beautifully quilted Minky fabric on the other:


And, as an added surprise, an embroidered inscription on the back:

What My Mom Made

Huge thanks to my super-creative, crafty, skilled mom who made us a beautiful Japanese-inspired "Bento Box" wall quilt for our living room! We love it!