The countdown is complete, and permission is given to blast the Alice Cooper hit, "School's Out". That means, as Guidance Counselor, I just landed a seven week break from the hallways of hell!
I exaggerate. After twenty years in the profession, I can recount many rewarding moments with kids and families. I can also look back on some really wonderful vacations!
It usually takes a few years to stash the cash, and rack up some serious frequent flier mileage to go on a big trip. My heart yearns for quaint city destinations, that offer cobblestone pathways to adventure. When the exchange rate is right, Europe is always the first choice!
I have squandered many an English Pound throughout the flowery streets of London, hopping the underground tube, and sampling all kinds of ale! London theatre was just as superb as NYC Broadway!
Amsterdam was an odd little place, with its pot smokers, and storefront prostitutes! Bicycle riders keep the streets quiet, until you imagine the pounding boots of Nazi SS. Never forget the tragic history as you meander through the rooms of the Anne Frank House.
Gay Paris offered a multitude of shops and cafes...and locals who would only speak French, when they definitely knew English. I was a little suspicious of the bus driver who looked at me as if I was a crazy American when I asked for the Eiffel Tower! Maybe he was new on the job!
And the first night in the Swiss Alps had me dreaming of yodelers, who turned out to be alpine youth partying in the pub below!
Although I loved every European city I visited, there was something special about Rome!
Imagine the black, cobblestone streets, bustling with shops and markets...and crazy Italians driving their little smart cars and scooters! Hear the sweet sound of the sing song language...Ciao Bella...and look at those gorgeous men and women. Even the policeman, uzi in hand, had a sense of Versace style. Every piazza vibrated with lively bodies, music, romance, and life!
When visiting Rome, you're surrounded by baroque buildings chock full of fine leather bags, jackets, and shoes...or beautiful cuts of Murano glass! But you're really in luck when you reach a piazza, lined with artists showcasing their work.
During my last night in Rome, I spent most of my remaining Euros on an "original painting". The artist told me it was an original...except I can't help remembering the I Love Lucy episode when Lucy buys an original painting in Paris. She discovers later that Ricky, Fred, and Ethel buy the identical painting! I have to hope that Italian artists, surrounded by all their religious statues, and haunted by Italian guilt, are honest when it comes to their artwork!
Oil painting in hand, I strolled to the famous Trevi Fountain, and tossed some coins over my shoulder. I silently made a wish to return to the Eternal City one day soon! Heading back to my hotel, I wound through the candlelit alleys, and stumbled upon an orchestra. I bought my last luscious gelato and lingered for a while, listening to that gorgeous music of the night. It was then that I knew I was reluctant to leave this ancient city behind!
If you can't venture to Rome soon, you can enjoy making a refreshing Italian dessert, Tortoni. We offer this to you with a kiss on both cheeks, and lots of love,
From Mama Melisi and Me
Italian Tortoni
Ingredients:
1 egg white
6 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
Toasted chopped or slivered almonds
1 cupcake tin and paper cups for the tin
Preparation:
Mix the egg white and salt
Beat until stiff using your electric mix master or hand mixer
Gradually add 2 tablespoons of sugar and beat a little
Whip the heavy cream and fold in the remaining 4 tablespoons of sugar
Then fold in the egg white mixture
Add the vanilla and almond extract
Put the paper muffin cups into the cupcake tin
Spoon the mixture into the paper cups
Top with toasted almonds
Cover with aluminum foil and place in the freezer
Yield: 1 dozen
It's an easy and great dessert!
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Something With A Kick
Having grown up in a small town in Jersey, the educational options were limited. You either ventured into public school waters, or you attended Sacred Heart School.
For nine years, I was in the parochial group, surrounded by rosaries, religious rituals, and funny little nuns. By eighth grade graduation, we had a well-rounded academic and spiritual education, and our tight little group was ready for high school!
Half of our group continued with their spiritual education. The rest of us shed our maroon and gray uniforms for Jordache Jeans, and rode the bus to Hackensack High!
"Who needs a house out in Hackensack...is that all you get for your money?" If Billy Joel could quote this scary city, the school couldn't be all that bad! But we were certainly nervous about attending this ominous new school! We wouldn't know many of the kids, and it was so big!
Hackensack High School had buildings that stretched across both sides of the street! The buildings were connected by a large indoor bridge. During class changes, the bridge was as bustling as a New York City subway. Students huddled together in conversation along the lockers, until they hustled to their next destination. When freshman year began, we just rode with the flow of traffic! Surprisingly, we mastered all of the hallways of the school quickly, and Hackensack High became our new home!
The nice part about high school, was the pool of activities to choose! Drama Club was my first gig, as it attracted those smart but crazy kids! Despite the fact that I was always supporting cast rather than lead, I loved being in the productions..."Gypsy"..."My Fair Lady"...there was singing, dancing, and the occasional kissing of nice-lipped boys behind the curtain! And we all lived for the cast parties! Life at HHS was going just fine!
Somehow, during my Junior year, my group of friends coerced me into trying out for the Colorguard Squad. I had a real resistance to those blue and gold uniforms...and the pom pom white boots! I couldn't picture myself waltzing out on a football field, and twirling a flag that was twice my size! But, much to my dismay, I made the squad, and became an official "Comette"!
Shockingly, I enjoyed our marches at halftime, as we skillfully sliced those blue and gold flags through the crisp football air! But there were other perks! Before each game, we had a colorguard brunch, during which we shared much food and laughter! And on Fridays, the high school allowed us to wear our colorguard uniforms to school, to ignite the spirit before the next big game!
Being the impish Catholic School kid by origin, I did have an inclination to play practical jokes on my new founded friends! Most of those in my group were the true brains of the school, taking advanced classes as they surged closer to their Ivy League institutions! Then there were some of us who were happy to be in the general college-prep courses!
One Friday, the brainy group left their lunch period to go upstairs to their advanced class. The rest of us remained in the lunch room, chatting and laughing as we sat in full colorguard garb. To kill some time before our next class, I had a plan...Why don't we see what's going on upstairs
Our small group of Comettes ventured quietly up to the advanced studies hallway. We could see the studious group listening attentively to the teacher who had been teaching a LONG time.
The Comettes boldly stood right outside the classroom door. As if reading each other's minds, our little group linked arms, and began doing rockette kicks back and forth through the hallway.
Slowly, we received glances from inside the classroom. Our scheme was working, as many of the students were silently busting a gut. We then added a little zest, and kicked even higher. Unexpectedly, my white, pom-pom boot went flying toward the door. The girl sitting closest to the door instinctively ducked, with her arms shielding her head! Luckily, the glass didn't break, and the teacher never skipped a beat.
After four years of antics, we clad our blue and gold caps and gowns, and walked stoicly across the outdoor concrete bridge, which also stretched across the street and led us to our graduation! Thanks to Facebook, we all keep in touch. To this day, we laugh at the Comette Kicks, and believe that the teacher finally retired, and is living somewhere in Florida.
Once again to ignite the spirit, we give you a recipe for Shrimp Cocktail, with the cocktail sauce that has a kick!
We offer this to you with love!
From Mama Melisi and Me
Fresh Shrimp
Ingredients:
1 lb extra large shrimp
1 fresh lemon
Preparation:
Remove the shells
De-vein shrimp - there is a waste sack under shrimp and vein across top.
Remove both and rinse the shrimp in cold water
As you are doing this, bring quart size pot of water with a cut up lemon to a boil
Add the cleaned shrimp after the water boils
The boiling process will stop when you add the shrimp
After it comes to a boil, time for about 5-10 minutes or until all the shrimp are pink in color
Remove and strain
Place the shrimp on a pretty platter with a serving bowl in center for cocktail sauce
Decorate with a few sprigs of fresh parsley and wedges of fresh lemon
Cocktail Sauce With A Kick
Ingredients:
1 12 oz bottle Seafood Cocktail Sauce
2-3 tablespoons of horse radish
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons hot sauce (I use Frank's Red Hot Sauce)
Mix the above ingredients and let it sit for a while and then taste. To add an extra "kick", you can increase the amount of horse radish and hot sauce to your liking. Enjoy!
For nine years, I was in the parochial group, surrounded by rosaries, religious rituals, and funny little nuns. By eighth grade graduation, we had a well-rounded academic and spiritual education, and our tight little group was ready for high school!
Half of our group continued with their spiritual education. The rest of us shed our maroon and gray uniforms for Jordache Jeans, and rode the bus to Hackensack High!
"Who needs a house out in Hackensack...is that all you get for your money?" If Billy Joel could quote this scary city, the school couldn't be all that bad! But we were certainly nervous about attending this ominous new school! We wouldn't know many of the kids, and it was so big!
Hackensack High School had buildings that stretched across both sides of the street! The buildings were connected by a large indoor bridge. During class changes, the bridge was as bustling as a New York City subway. Students huddled together in conversation along the lockers, until they hustled to their next destination. When freshman year began, we just rode with the flow of traffic! Surprisingly, we mastered all of the hallways of the school quickly, and Hackensack High became our new home!
The nice part about high school, was the pool of activities to choose! Drama Club was my first gig, as it attracted those smart but crazy kids! Despite the fact that I was always supporting cast rather than lead, I loved being in the productions..."Gypsy"..."My Fair Lady"...there was singing, dancing, and the occasional kissing of nice-lipped boys behind the curtain! And we all lived for the cast parties! Life at HHS was going just fine!
Somehow, during my Junior year, my group of friends coerced me into trying out for the Colorguard Squad. I had a real resistance to those blue and gold uniforms...and the pom pom white boots! I couldn't picture myself waltzing out on a football field, and twirling a flag that was twice my size! But, much to my dismay, I made the squad, and became an official "Comette"!
Shockingly, I enjoyed our marches at halftime, as we skillfully sliced those blue and gold flags through the crisp football air! But there were other perks! Before each game, we had a colorguard brunch, during which we shared much food and laughter! And on Fridays, the high school allowed us to wear our colorguard uniforms to school, to ignite the spirit before the next big game!
Being the impish Catholic School kid by origin, I did have an inclination to play practical jokes on my new founded friends! Most of those in my group were the true brains of the school, taking advanced classes as they surged closer to their Ivy League institutions! Then there were some of us who were happy to be in the general college-prep courses!
One Friday, the brainy group left their lunch period to go upstairs to their advanced class. The rest of us remained in the lunch room, chatting and laughing as we sat in full colorguard garb. To kill some time before our next class, I had a plan...Why don't we see what's going on upstairs
Our small group of Comettes ventured quietly up to the advanced studies hallway. We could see the studious group listening attentively to the teacher who had been teaching a LONG time.
The Comettes boldly stood right outside the classroom door. As if reading each other's minds, our little group linked arms, and began doing rockette kicks back and forth through the hallway.
Slowly, we received glances from inside the classroom. Our scheme was working, as many of the students were silently busting a gut. We then added a little zest, and kicked even higher. Unexpectedly, my white, pom-pom boot went flying toward the door. The girl sitting closest to the door instinctively ducked, with her arms shielding her head! Luckily, the glass didn't break, and the teacher never skipped a beat.
After four years of antics, we clad our blue and gold caps and gowns, and walked stoicly across the outdoor concrete bridge, which also stretched across the street and led us to our graduation! Thanks to Facebook, we all keep in touch. To this day, we laugh at the Comette Kicks, and believe that the teacher finally retired, and is living somewhere in Florida.
Once again to ignite the spirit, we give you a recipe for Shrimp Cocktail, with the cocktail sauce that has a kick!
We offer this to you with love!
From Mama Melisi and Me
Fresh Shrimp
Ingredients:
1 lb extra large shrimp
1 fresh lemon
Preparation:
Remove the shells
De-vein shrimp - there is a waste sack under shrimp and vein across top.
Remove both and rinse the shrimp in cold water
As you are doing this, bring quart size pot of water with a cut up lemon to a boil
Add the cleaned shrimp after the water boils
The boiling process will stop when you add the shrimp
After it comes to a boil, time for about 5-10 minutes or until all the shrimp are pink in color
Remove and strain
Place the shrimp on a pretty platter with a serving bowl in center for cocktail sauce
Decorate with a few sprigs of fresh parsley and wedges of fresh lemon
Cocktail Sauce With A Kick
Ingredients:
1 12 oz bottle Seafood Cocktail Sauce
2-3 tablespoons of horse radish
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons hot sauce (I use Frank's Red Hot Sauce)
Mix the above ingredients and let it sit for a while and then taste. To add an extra "kick", you can increase the amount of horse radish and hot sauce to your liking. Enjoy!
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