Cinnamon Crust-- A Thanksgiving Treat!

While I love making pie for Thanksgiving, what I love even more is making my mom's Cinnamon Crust with the leftover pie dough! 

This was my favorite treat as a child. When my mother made pies, she'd let me use the scraps of dough to make a delicious cinnamon-sugar pastry. My children love this special treat at Thanksgiving. They gobble it down within minutes after it has cooled.

For a delicious pie dough recipe, try My Mom's Extra-Flaky Pie Crust Dough.

Wishing you and your family a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Warmly,

R O S A N N A I N C . C O M

Mother's Day Gift Ideas

Mother’s Day is approaching so we have put together some gift ideas to help kick start your thinking caps! Help mom build a chic patio experience for the upcoming Summer days, while compotes and canisters combined with pretty trays are a fun way to organize. Or, perhaps you just want to give her a little something to show how much you care. Take a look at our recommendations below and for even more ideas check out our Mother’s Day section on our website!

Calypso | Buon Gustaio

Les Bon Bons Compote | Alhambra | Filigree   

Sweet Nothings | Farm Belle Soap | Farm Belle Blue Ribbon Honey | Word Play | Alphabet Studio

R O S A N N A I N C . C O M

Back to the Basics: The Importance of Small Gestures

I read a wonderful article in The New York Times the other day. It was a small ode to Jeffrey Zaslow. He is a recently deceased author whose writing centered on the themes of love, commitment and living in the moment. Jeffrey is best known for co-authoring The Last Lecture with Professor Randy Pausch, who gave a poignant TED Talk about what truly matters in life, clarity he received after he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. 

The people and stories Jeffrey wrote about were not sweeping. The ideas in his work were not revolutionary. In fact, some might even call them timeworn. One story Jeffrey wrote told the story of a judge who always made sure to tell his family “I love you” before walking out the door. Another op-ed for The Wall Street Journal focused on raising our sons to be considerate in romance.

The article quoted Jeff in why it’s important to write about the basic tenets of a good life. His reason is worth sharing:      

“What I like about my job is sometimes I’m just writing about the obvious. By doing that, you can touch a lot of people and tell them things that will change their lives, even if it’s something simple.”

I feel the same way about this blog—the themes and suggestions I post here are nothing new or astonishing. They’re simply important ideas worth revisiting every now and again. Writing about obvious ideas and small gestures can remind us how important they are.  

Small Gestures That Go a Long Way Towards Love

-Picking a single flower and giving it to someone you care about

-Writing a small note—one or two lines long—to a friend or family member you don’t talk to very often telling them you’re thinking of them and wanted to say hello

-Making a cup or tea or coffee for someone you live with at the end of a long day

-Paying a compliment to a stranger on the street

-Making eye contact, saying hello, and genuinely asking, “How are you?” to your clerk next time you buy something at the store


With love,

www.rosannainc.com

A Feast of Love

Our hearts are large. Soul mates and kindred spirits of all kinds enter our lives every day, and the day to celebrate them is coming soon: Valentine’s Day. Even if we don’t have a significant other, we’re all lovers in some way--of our friends, children, or family. This year on Valentine’s Day, honor the many lights that illuminate your life with a Feast of Love. 

Here are a few ideas to help you plan a celebratory meal overflowing with love.

-Find every dish, piece of flatware, candleholder, vase, napkin, and tablecloth in your house that’s pink, red, purple, or white. Create your tablescape from these assembled items. If you come up short, keep the color scheme in mind and poke around the house for vintage figurines, toys, objets d’art, and other unexpected items to help you fill out the aesthetic.

-Buy pink, purple, red, and white construction paper. Cut out hearts of all different sizes and scatter them down the center of the table. This effect looks especially striking against a clean, white tablecloth.

-Set a construction paper heart at each place setting. On each heart, write something that person brings to the table—something you love about him or her. It could be something like “You do pitch perfect impersonations,” or “Martha Stewart has nothing on you; you make the best upside down pineapple cake known to man,” or "When you’re around, everybody laughs themselves silly.” If you want, you can even make it a game—leave the name off the placecard and have each guest guess which card is meant for him or her.

-Pick a meal theme. Foods you loved as a child. Foods from famous love stories. Foods with love-related names. Or, maybe just make some food that everybody loves.

-Make sugar cookies for dessert (see recipe below). Instead of using Valentine’s Day-themed cookie cutters, find alphabet cookie cutters. Typically your local kitchen store is a good place to start. If not, try Sur La Table, Bed, Bath, and Beyond, or Fish’s Eddy if you’re in Manhattan. Cut out cookies in the shape of the initials of each guest, plate the cookies and serve with a scoop or two of delicious ice cream. Or, spell out a message of love in cookies on the cleared table or a banquet after the meal is over.

Valentine’s Day is a wonderful opportunity to spread love far and wide. Create a space for friends and family to share love on a grander scale than lover to lover. After all, there’s no such thing as too much love.  

Rosanna’s Sugar Cookie Recipe

Ingredients

2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup of sugar

2 tablespoons vanilla

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter

1 egg

red, pink, or purple sprinkles and silver or gold dragee balls optional

Instructions

1. Sift dry ingredients together.

2. Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and add the sugar.

3. Add the egg and vanilla to the creamed butter and sugar. Beat well.

4. Add the dry ingredients a little at a time and mix until well balanced.

5. Wrap the dough in cloth, pastry paper or aluminum foil. Chill for at least 30 minutes before rolling.

6. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

7. Grease one or two baking sheets and set aside.

8. Roll out 1/3 of the dough and cut with cookie cutters into desired shapes and letters.

9. Optional: Sprinkle the cut out cookies with of colored sugar crystals or decorate with candies.

10. Place cookies on baking sheets and bake for 10 minutes. Watch to make sure they don’t brown!

11. Remove the cookies from oven. Let cool for 5 minutes, then remove cookies from sheets with a wide spatula leave to cool on cookie racks.

   

www.rosannainc.com

Thanksgiving Entertaining: Making A Healthy & Cherished Tradition

In the second of our Holiday Entertaining Series Collaborative posts between Rosanna’s Table & Family Eats, we look at the Tradition of Thanksgiving. Be sure to gather Thanksgiving ideas from Family Eats article, Planning for Success: Making the Thanksgiving Meal A Happy Tradition.

Every agrarian (or formerly agrarian) culture has some version of the celebration of the harvest, an important seasonal marker throughout the world.  American Thanksgiving is a time to celebrate the beginnings of the nation, but it’s also a time to be thankful for the bounty nature brings forth for our sustenance and enjoyment, to pay homage to the gradual passage from fall to winter.  It is also, perhaps most importantly, a time to share, to open our hearts, to be generous as well as thankful for the generosity of others.

For most Americans, Thanksgiving dinner is a tradition that lingers easily in the mind throughout the rest of the year.  Below are a few tips to help you make you meal memorable and delicious.

Treat The Turkey

Choose an organic local bird, preferably free-range.  The flavor will be more interesting than the usual frozen grocery-store varieties.  Make a paste of fresh herbs, olive oil, and garlic and rub it under the turkey’s skin the day before Thanksgiving, allowing it to marinate overnight in the refrigerator; this will make the meat succulent and juicy.

Select Your Sides

Take your cue from the delicious variety of fall vegetables available in your local market and roast them in the oven as the turkey cooks; with extra-virgin olive oil, sea salt, and fresh rosemary and sage. 

No Thanksgiving meal is complete without the old favorite of mashed potatoes and homemade gravy.  But consider adding in something new.  Cook local squash instead of sweet potatoes, if you’d like a change of pace.  (See my recipe below).  Or add a dish to your Thanksgiving table that is distinctly yours; it could even be a food from another culture. Family Eats has some wonderful recipes for other side dishes that you’ll want to check out.

Keep It Fresh  

At Thanksgiving especially, I strive to make sure everything on the table is homemade and make a point of using only natural ingredients. No margarine, no cranberry sauce in a can, and no instant gravy. This meal is as much about the time, effort, and love it takes to prepare as it is about the actual eating of it.

Growing up, I remember my grandmother made every single Thanksgiving dish from scratch. If you don’t know where to start with from-scratch cooking, you don’t have to look much farther than two generations back. Refer to old family recipes from your grandparents’ generation, before ready-made, instant food became widely available. During that era, there was nothing but homemade.

A Thanksgiving made with fresh ingredients from nature instead of from a can make for a meal that has something special. The extra effort and mindful attention to detail set this dinner apart from the everyday meals. The long hours in the kitchen are something to take pride in and to cherish. Cooking, after all, is one of the most basic and intuitive expressions of love.

Invite Your Guests

Bringing together family is an important part of Thanksgiving.  Being around loved-ones is heart-warming and comforting.  Consider inviting someone to share your Thanksgiving who is alone and far from family.  Sharing the bounty of the season is the spirit in which the first Thanksgiving originated.

Set The Table

Decorate the table with something that comes from nature.  I like to use grapes and vines from our grape arbor.  The gorgeous green leaves that have changed colors are beautiful accents for a fall table.  I like to personalize the table with homemade place cards fashioned from heavy paper.  It not only adds warmth and texture to the table arrangement, but also make each guest feel important.  If you have a set of dishes you use as part of your family traditions, make sure to include them.  If you haven’t started a tradition, now is the time.  A few years back I created the Floriography Collection as a set I wanted to adorn my own Thanksgiving table, and it has become part of our family tradition.   

Finally, don’t forget to enjoy the holiday.  It’s very easy to get sidetracked and focused on what needs to be finished than the people you get to spend time with.  Let some of your focus be on connecting with others.  After all, these are the moments you will want to remember.

Rosanna’s Thanksgiving Squash

One of my favorite dishes from childhood was my mother’s roasted acorn squash.  The preparation was simple, but the flavors were complex and delicious.  The squash’s bare hint of sweetness and spice makes it a sophisticated but crowd-pleasing substitute for the traditional yams.

Ingredients

4 acorn squashes, halved, seeds removed

8 teaspoons unsalted butter

8 tablespoons brown sugar

Ground cinnamon

Preheat the over to 350 degrees.

Arrange the squash halves cut side up on baking sheets.  In each squash half place 1 teaspoon of the butter, 1 tablespoon of the brown sugar, and a dash of cinnamon.  Bake for about 1 hour, until the flesh of the squash is soft when pierced with a fork and the sides look slightly caved in.  Let the squash rest for 15 minutes before serving.

Note: Recipe from my book Coming Home: A Seasonal Guide to Creating Family Traditions.

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Traditions Transcending Generations

When I was a little girl, I always looked forward to my father’s New York business trips. He never returned home empty-handed. Without fail, he came bearing treats from Veniero’s.

Veniero’s Pasticceria and Caffe opened in 1894 on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. My father grew up in Stuyvesant town around the corner. His Italian mother passed her love of Italian confections early on to him, and as a result, my father haunted Veniero’s throughout his childhood and young adulthood. In turn, my father passed this taste onto his daughters. 

Although we lived all the way across the country in Portland, OR, Veniero’s became an important fixture in our family life. My father's favorites became our favorites, which we then passed on to our children. To this day, extended family Christmas celebrations are not complete without Anise Toast, Pignoli (pine nut) cookies, and the famous Veniero’s cookie tray. 

I cherish Veniero’s. This old world café, with its stamped copper ceilings and long glass display cases filled with ornate Italian pastries and the scent of freshly baked biscotti, has played an important role in the story of our family. This place was part of my father’s, my own, and now my daughters' childhoods. It is a place that connects us to the life my grandparents lived in old New York. It is a place to take a small family pilgrimage. For the sake of my family and the many others for whom Veniero’s has a similar significance, I hope their business continues to flourish for generations to come. 

Passing rituals down through the generations is a vital way to keep family bonds strong and healthy. If your family has a tradition already, continue to carry the torch. If not, take some time to reflect on some thing or place you cherish, and consider introducing it to your family, thereby making it a part of your family story. 

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Preparing An Independence Day To Remember

The USA has a birthday that’s just around the corner, and it’s time to think about how we’re going to celebrate.

Here are some tips to help create a delightful and delicious 4^th of July gathering.

Decorate with Vintage Americana

I like my 4^th of July decorations to make a statement. Over the years, I’ve acquired a collection of vintage flags and Americana, which I mix and match with newer decorations and dinnerware. I find that incorporating vintage and antique decorations into the mix adds some soul to the aesthetic of the event.

There are numerous inventive ways you can decorate with your flags—place smaller flags in a vase as a centerpiece on your table, or use an extra large flag as a tablecloth.

You can collect vintage flags and decorations at flea markets or your local vintage store. You can also find some gems online at sites like Etsy and even eBay.

Tablesetting

Always have a set of 12 white dinner plates and 12 white napkins.  This is one of my little secrets.   Doing this allows you to mix and match salad plates to create hundreds of possible tablescapes, depending on the occasion.  For Independence Day, choose a patriotic-looking or an Americana salad plate.  If you don’t have one, find red or blue---after all, you’ve already got the white in your dinner plates!

Coordinate Your Costumes

To create a more festive feel for the event, encourage your guests to wear red white and blue clothing. The sillier, more flamboyant, and outrageous the clothing, the better.

Make One Special Drink

Make sure to have all the usuals—juice, beer, wine, water, and soda—on hand. In addition, make one special, summer-themed punch. This one drink can bring a surprising amount of cohesion to your meal and the event as a whole. Drinks that feature a refreshing summer fruit like peach, watermelon, or strawberry are always well received on hot days.

American Food with a Twist

Because the 4^th of July is all about celebrating America, and America is famous for its cultural and ethnic diversity, take a truly American approach to the holiday by incorporating your family’s food heritage into traditional American dishes. Make hamburgers with the spices traditionally used in your ethnic background. The same thing goes for pies, ice cream toppings, and fruit salads. Prepare a traditional side dish unique to your family’s heritage.   Better yet, ask your guests to showcase their heritage through a side dish they prepare.

Honor US History

When my children were little, one of the things they loved most about the 4^th of July was putting on an annual play. In the play, we reenacted important moments in US history. We performed Paul Revere’s famous ride, a scene in which George Washington asks Betsy Ross to sew the American flag, and the Martin Luther King Jr I Have A Dream Speech. We interwove these important events with the story of our own family in America, starting with our ancestors’ arrival to Ellis Island. We always ended the show with a rousing rendition of “Yankee Doodle Dandy.” Putting on a play can start with a fun brainstorming activity in which you ask children to think of important events in America. Later you can turn these into the plot for the play. Pick up a few white wigs and tricorn hats at your local costume store to add to what you have at home, and costumes won’t be too hard to devise.

Good, Old-Fashioned Games

Organizing a few games throughout the day, like croquet, bocce ball, Frisbee, softball, or charades, brings guests together and creates a spirit of conviviality.  On those sweltering Independence Days, have a water balloon toss with the kids.

           

Fireworks

Every state has different laws when it comes to setting off fireworks, but no 4^th of July celebration is complete without a few flashes in the night. At the very least, make sure to have some sparklers.

Family Tradition

Whatever you decide to do, make sure to create family tradition.  Teach your children about their own heritage and how it plays a part of the American Dream.  As I mention in my book, Coming Home: A Seasonal Guide to Creating Family Traditions, celebrating any festive occasion is always richer when personal meaning is attached.

Note:  Photos by John Granen, for “Coming Home,” published by Stewart, Tabori & Chang

www.rosannainc.com

Connections & Traditions In Every Dish

The message behind every Rosanna dish is the same: slow down, appreciate one another, connect.

Photos courtesy of John Granen Photography;

from Rosanna's book, Coming Home

Human beings hunger for connection. That’s why a moment of relation to another is often the most fulfilling moment of a day. Because moments make up our days, days make our years, and years make our lives, continually seeking out new ways to connect with each other is of vital importance to our happiness.

I designed the collections below to help with the creation of daily rituals, which in turn allow people to bring connection into everyday life.

Happy Birthday & Petite Treat Collections

Creating traditions around common celebrations is easy.  Taking the Happy Birthday plates out on each family member’s annual celebration creates a tradition, a memory.  They can provide the vehicle to that special feeling experienced when one knows something exciting is about to happen.  The festive Happy Birthday plates can become family heirlooms and continue the tradition throughout the generations.  Moreover, our individual cupcake pedestals provide a quirky twist to a birthday celebration, making the celebrant feel extraordinarily special.  Or just use them to serve chocolates or cookies---either way the recipients will smile.

Gelato Collection

But tradition and connection should be regular and frequent.  I created our Gelato ice cream bowls to encourage people to gather together for a special treat—even if for no particular reason or celebration. Because, let’s be honest, who can say no to ice cream? These bowls also encourage us to eat locally or freshly, providing an ideal way to serve pudding or fresh berries.

Farmer's Market Collection

The amazing and vibrant produce of Pacific Northwest farmers’ markets inspired me to design our Farmer’s Market bowls emblazoned with images of fresh vegetables. Hopefully, the images will inspire you to visit your own local farmer’s market, or at least use some of these delicious ingredients to cook a healthy meal for family or friends.

Primavera Collection

The claim that we have “no time,” is heard in an almost constant refrain these days. People have to plan dinner parties three months out because we are so overscheduled.  I designed our Primavera tea set to fight back against this predicament. Hopefully, it will encourage people to spontaneously call up a friend and ask them over for a cup of tea and a chat.  Spontaneous gatherings can be so much more fulfilling and less pretentious.

Whether over tea, during dessert, or at the dinner table, these are dishes that encourage connection every day. I myself am a passionate advocate of family dinners, featuring a home cooked meal, nicely set table, candles, and pleasant music. Studies have shown that children who come from families that sit down for a dinner together are better adjusted emotionally and intellectually. So, even if it’s just once a week, set aside a little time to spend with your family. We love connection because it makes us feel so good, but nonetheless it remains elusive. We need to fight to keep it in our lives every day. These dishes are my small contribution to this incredibly important campaign.

Note:  For more information about creating your own traditions, living mindfully,
and many of Rosanna's recipes, check out her book,
"Coming Home: A Seasonal Guide to Creating Family Traditions."

www.rosannainc.com

Memorial Day Celebration, Re-envisioned

When I was a little girl, my family celebrated Memorial Day the same way every year: my grandmother would prepare the most delicious fried chicken, coleslaw, and homemade, hand-cranked ice cream. The whole family would assemble at her house for a sunny, afternoon feast. Before eating, we would toast my grandfather, who fought in WWII. Following the meal, we would all make a trip to the cemetery to pay respects to my uncle, who lost his life in the Korean War.

Although the United States continues to send soldiers overseas to fight, no one from the last two generations of my family has served in the Armed Forces. As a result, Memorial Day has faded somewhat from my family’s collective experience. So this year, I decided to revive and renovate my family’s traditional Memorial Day celebration.

Instead of visiting the graves of my grandfather and uncle, our family had a discussion over dinner about the significance of Memorial Day for all Americans, and what Memorial Day means to us, as individuals.

Below, you will also find recipes inspired by grandmother’s delicious creations, updated to address modern tastes and health concerns.

Regardless of our immediate, individual proximities to war, Memorial Day offers us yet another opportunity to spend meaningful time with family or friends, and to honor Americans who have devoted their lives to service for our country.

Memorial Day 2011 Menu

Fried-Baked Crispy Chicken

Red Cabbage Coleslaw

Strawberry Salad with Lime

Fried Chicken

INGREDIENTS

6 drumsticks free-range chicken

4 thighs free-range chicken

1 cup of fresh homemade breadcrumbs (make in the food processor)

1 tsp. ground sea salt

½ tsp. freshly ground pepper

1 cup of fresh milk

½ cup canola oil

¼ cup salted butter

1.  Remove chicken from the package and select a large shallow pan that will accommodate all the chicken pieces.

2.  Pour the milk in the pan.  Place the chicken in the pan and rotate so the milk coats both sides of the chicken.  Place in the refrigerator.

3.  Heat the oven to 325 degrees and toast the day old slices of white crusty bread until golden brown.

4.  Remove the bread from the oven when golden brown and crispy.  Cut the bread into large squares and place in a food processor.  Pulse until all bread has become fine breadcrumbs. 

5.  Remove the crumbs and place in a 10-inch baking dish.  Season with sea salt and ground pepper.

6.  Take a large iron skillet or stainless steel skillet that can hold all the chicken pieces.  Heat to medium high.

7.  Add the canola oil and the butter to the skillet.  Heat on medium high.

8.  Once pan is hot, add the chicken.  Brown, and continue turning chicken until all sides are browned evenly.  Chicken should look golden brown.

9.  Remove chicken from skillet and place in a large baking dish.  Salt generously with freshly ground sea salt.

10.  Place chicken in a pre-heated 350-degree oven for about 40 minutes.  After 40 minutes, make a small cut in the chicken to check for doneness.  Meat should be white and juices should be clean.

Homemade Red Coleslaw

INGREDIENTS

1 head red cabbage

1 bunch small green onions

3 small carrots

½ cup olive oil mayonnaise

1 tsp. red wine vinegar

1 tsp. sugar

½ tsp. freshly ground sea salt

½ tsp. freshly ground pepper

1.  Cut red cabbage into ½ inch slices.  Cut again to make shred of cabbage approximately 4 inches long.

2.  Place in a 12-inch low bowl for dressing and serving.

3.  Cut the white heads of the green onion off the stems, remove the roots.  Chop the small white part finely.  Add to the chopped cabbage.

4.  Cut the carrots into 4-inch pieces, by slicing in half and then cutting into fine julienne strips.  Add to the coleslaw.

5.  In a separate bowl, mix the mayonnaise, red wine vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper vigorously with a fork until smooth. 

6.  Place tablespoons of the dressing scattered across the top of the coleslaw.  Toss with salad tongs until coated.

7.  Add salt or pepper (if necessary) to taste.

Serve healthy portions with Fried Chicken.

Strawberry Salad with Lime

Make this strawberry salad with fresh strawberries from the farmer’s market. You don’t need much else. Strawberries that are truly in season speak for themselves!

INGREDIENTS, serves 3

Fresh strawberries

Juice of 1 lime

Zest of 1 lime

2 tbs brown sugar

1.  Wash, de-stem, and cut strawberries in bite-size pieces.

2.  Zest whole lime. Set zest aside.

3.  Cut lime in half and juice. Set juice aside.

4.  Pour strawberries into a large bowl.

5.  Mix in zest, juice, and brown sugar with a large spoon.

6.  Cover bowl with saran wrap and let rest in the refrigerator for one hour or more. The longer you let the berries sit, the juicier they’ll become!

Serve salad on its own, or topped with a dollop of whipped cream.

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Sisterhood

This past President's Day Weekend, my husband and I got a taste of what it's like to be Empty Nester's. On Friday we put Francesca, our youngest daughter, on a plane to Berkeley, CA to spend a few days with her older sister, Alessandra.
At first, I was nervous about Francesca's trip. She's my baby! But, when she arrived back home that Monday night, emitting an astonishing and unmistakable new aura of confidence, I forgot about my concerns. I knew that agreeing to the trip had been the right choice.
I realize now that encouraging your children to spend an extended period of time together on their own can be one of the most powerful ways to perpetuate close bonds between siblings. Something magical and crucial to closeness happens when siblings hang out without their parents around, at least that's what my older daughter tells me.
For my girls, who are eight years apart, this year couldn't have been a better time for this trip to happen. Francesca, who's 14, and Alessandra, who's 22, are finally starting to relate to each other as peers; their age gap is finally starting to close.
For a younger sibling at the seminal point of transition into life as a young adult, spending time with an older sibling can be an especially profound and impactful experience. I didn't realize it until after Francesca's trip, but an older sibling can be an incredible resource in raising younger children. Here is another person who can provide perspective, introduce new worldviews and get your younger children to start thinking about the life stages that lie a little further down the road. As an added bonus, because younger siblings generally regard older siblings as the most gloriously cool humans to ever walk the earth, they're much more likely to incorporate the values we hope to teach them when those values are modeled by their big brothers and sisters.
We all know that it takes a village to raise a child. But as you search out role models and mentors who will help your children grow into their full potential, don't look too far; they may be right under your nose. They may even call you "mom."

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