Ham Wraps Quick, Easy Appetizers Your Kids Can Help You Make

I love the holidays and I enjoy all the cooking and preparation that leads to the festivities.

My daughter who is now 15 years old helps me out with everything. She will be in America’s Thanksgiving Day Parade this year and has been very busy leading up to Thanksgiving. However, she asked me the other day when we were going to start baking and cooking. I thought this year she wouldn’t want to get involved with all the preparations, but she surprised me.

This is allowing us to become closer and talk, while at the same time it teaches her how to cook. At 15 years old she does a pretty good job of cooking, but she started helping me with little jobs in the kitchen when she was small. I always took time and made it as fun as possible starting with her Easy Bake oven.

I’ve tried to teach my daughter during our cooking marathons to always make sure everything tastes terrific, but at the same time to try to keep the cost down. Not an easy task in this economy! However, there are some things you can do to keep the cost down. One thing I’ve found is that you don’t necessarily have to buy brand name products. If you can get them on sale, great, but if not, I’ve found the store brand products (Meijer,etc.) taste just as good. The other thing I’ve noticed is that the week before a holiday most stores have wonderful sales on groceries. Look at the weekend flyers and compare prices to make sure you get the best deal.

Another example is cream cheese. I love the Philadelphia brand, but if you are putting it in a dip or appetizer it doesn’t really matter.

Here is a quick appetizer you can make with your kids. This is fun and will get children in the kitchen so you can spend more time with them during the busy holiday season.

I’ve used prosciutto (dry-cured Italian ham), which is very expensive, but I’ve also tried deli ham. They both taste great. I’ve found deli ham as low as $2.99/lb. at my local deli counter. I also make sure I’ve blanched the asparagus spears before my daughter even gets into the kitchen so they are cooled and dried completely. That way you don’t worry about your kids getting burned and you can get started right away.

Also a little added note, I am from Michigan, and Michigan ranks third in the nation for asparagus production. So I can boost the economy a bit as well!


ITALIAN HAM & ASPARAGUS WRAPS



1 8 Oz. package cream cheese
1 teaspoon of dried chives
1 teaspoon parsley
Salt to taste
1/8 teaspoon ground pepper
¼ teaspoon of lemon juice
½ lb. ham or prosciutto (at least 10 pieces of ham)
10 large asparagus spears trimmed and blanched for a few minutes to retain crispness.

Let cream cheese come to room temperature. In a bowl mix cream cheese, chives, parsley, salt, pepper and lemon. Set aside. Place a slice of ham on counter or cutting board and spread thin layer of cream cheese on the meat with a spoon. Place a piece of asparagus on top of the cream cheese and top of the ham slice and roll. Cut each roll into pieces. About 4 to 5 pieces per ham slice.

Makes about 40-50 bite sized pieces.

These little appetizers are great to serve with a glass of wine before dinner. Ham wraps taste great and they don’t cost much to make.

So get the ham on sale and no name brand cream cheese. This is something you can make that will make the holidays a little more festive while being affordable at the same time.

Most of all, get your kids in the kitchen and spend time with them during the holidays!

Happy Holidays!

Stress in Michigan Is Nothing New

Stress here in the Detroit Metro Area has been a way of life for many years. A saying I heard recently: “When the United States gets a cold, Michigan gets the flu.” I have lived in Michigan my whole life, and I believe truer words have never been spoken.

I am very upset with Congress, again. Auto executives yesterday pleaded with them for some kind of financial relief and all they did was put them through the wringer. I didn’t see Congress treat their banker buddies on Wall Street as disrespectfully as they treated the auto executives from Michigan. Yes, of course the Auto Industry is somewhat to blame, but they made the cars that were in demand. Yes, all of America wanted their big SUVs so that is what the auto industry gave them. Now Congress wants to put all the blame on the Big Three. How many members of Congress have or had these big SUVs?

I keep hearing about how great small businesses are. If that’s true, don’t you think by letting the auto industry go under you will affect small businesses across this country? Who do you think supplies many of the parts for the auto industry? The auto industry doesn’t just mean the Detroit Metro Area – it also includes small businesses across the country. The Detroit Metro Area gets a whole lot of beating up by the media, but I’m here to tell you some of the most wonderful down-to-earth people live in this area, and they are decent, hard working people with wonderful families who deserve better.

It seems like anything to help the middle class is taboo in Washington, D.C. Oh sure, help the rich right and left, but middle class and poor people? Forget it, you’re on your own! If you want help to stop a foreclosure on a poor or middle class home, too bad. If you’re rich, start lining up at the front door of Congress because they are handing out all the billions to you guys.


So after the Wall Street bailout, is there anything left for the U.S. auto workers and the millions of people who depend on that industry?


I’m sick of Congress laying most of the blame on the middle class about the financial situation in this country. I’ll tell you who is to blame for this mess. It’s all the wealthy, greedy people in this country. Do you want the truth? I’ll tell you exactly what happened, because it happened to my family and many others. Big business didn’t want to pay the American worker enough to make a comfortable living. They were greedy and wanted more profit to line their own pockets. So what did they do? Out-sourced our jobs and sent them overseas for cheap labor so they could make more money. They raised prices on everything from food to heating your home with deregulations on just about everything. Well, now they have completed their mission. However, who can buy all these products if we (middle class America) don’t have the money to spend? We don’t have jobs. Maybe that’s why the economy is in such a mess. If we the middle class don’t have decent paying jobs and money to spend, who is going to buy all these products? To me this is Economics 101 and Washington needs to go back to school so they can figure all this out. I’ll tell you what will help. GET OUR DECENT PAYING JOBS BACK! The middle class doesn’t want a hand out; we want our jobs and homes back. We want to be able to pay our bills and still have a little money left over. We want to be able to buy food to feed our families without worrying what bill not to pay this month. We want our children to have presents under the Christmas tree. We want to feel like we make a difference in this country, because we do. We want to not have to fight with our spouse because of all the stress. We want to be able to buy clothes and shoes for our children. Our kids want to be able to go to college without a $45,000 debt hanging over their head when they graduate. We want our pride back. Is that too much to ask for? Apparently it is.


Supply and demand: America's thirst for big SUVs like this one prompted the Big 3 to make them at the expense of smaller, more fuel efficient cars


You see, Washington didn’t want to help and acknowledge the problem until it hit their rich banker and Wall Street friends. The stock market drops and all of a sudden we have a financial crisis. Well, we’ve had a financial crisis for years here in America, but they didn’t want to pay attention until it hit them and all their buddies. What did they do? Race to help them while the rest of the country continues to drown. Job well done!

When you don’t help the auto industry you don’t help get our jobs back. The economy won’t get better until the middle class is restored. Why can’t Washington figure this out?

On the front page of the Detroit Free Press today it says, “Congress Ready to Sink Bailout” and “Anxiety Is the New Normal”. Need I say more?

I have hope, however, with all of the above now that President-elect Barack Obama won, and I, like millions of Americans, can’t wait until the day he takes office. I am also happy about a new Congress who will also take charge in January. I know things won’t get better overnight, but I know they will get better eventually.

On that note I wish you a good day, and a bright and happy future!

How to Keep A Parading Kid (and others) Warm? Here's How!

My daughter’s high school marching band will be in The America’s Thanksgiving Day Parade this year in Detroit. I am so proud of the band, and of course Nicole. However, putting that aside, this started to create a problem in the beginning and that was: how to keep her warm all morning beginning at 7:00 a.m. until the time she returns home?

Keep in mind, we live in Michigan and November can be pretty cold. Our neighbors are Canada and I can see Russia from my back door. You betcha! Of course, I’m just kidding about Russia, but we do get the Canadian winds and we are also surrounded by the Great Lakes. I’ve lived in Michigan my whole life and I know from experience how cold November can be, especially early in the morning. For instance, we already have snow on the ground and it’s only November 17th.

When I went to our parent’s monthly band meeting, they mentioned getting the kids a product called Under Armour. Now I had never heard of this product before-- so off I went dragging my poor mom along to our local sports store. Ouch! We looked at this product and it looked to us like long underwear except for the price. For a top and bottom it would cost around $127.00, and that’s before the tax. If you can afford it by all means go buy it because I heard it really does keep you very warm. However, if you are like I am and you’re on a budget and about a month away from Christmas this is simply not an option. My first reaction was being mad how expensive the Under Armour is. Now my problem remains: how do I keep my child warm and be able to afford it?

My first thought was to layer her clothes. This is affordable, but it may be bulky. I have to keep in mind she is marching and I also have to get it under her band uniform. So we continued to look around the sports store. We ended up finding some pretty cool products all for under $4.00 each. We found hand warmers with an adhesive body warmer which was included in the package. The hand warmers with body warmer cost only $2.79. I also found mini hand warmers and foot warmers. The mini hand warmers were $0.99 and the foot warmers were $2.99.

The company that distributes this product is called Grabber. Even though they are made in Japan they are distributed by Grabber which is located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. So hopefully I am helping keep some Michigan people working. The economy could sure use it around here.
The website is http://www.warmers.com/, which shows them in bulk. However, the warmers I bought were sold individually and that made it more affordable. My suggestion would be to go to your local sports store first and just ask about them.

The only negative is you can only use them once. The mini hand warmers last about 7+ hours according to the package. The foot warmers last 5+, regular hand warmers last 7+, and the body warmer last 12+ hours, which is plenty of time for our use. Regardless, it's a great and affordable product.


Another advantage the products have, other than being affordable, is that they are non-toxic, environmentally friendly, and odorless. Plus they have all-natural ingredients and are non-combustible, so they are very safe. Like any product you use, please make sure to read all the directions on the package.

After I picked up this product I drove to Target and bought long johns for my daughter. The top and the bottom were $4.99 each. I may still add layers depending on how cold it is on Thanksgiving, but all and all I am able to keep my daughter quite warm for under $20.00. In this day in age that is saying something.

These hand and foot warmers could have many uses. If kids are playing in the snow for long periods of time this is a great source of added warmth that is quite affordable. They would be great for any winter outdoor sport. My mom has arthritis and I’m sure it would be wonderful for helping that also.

Again, the website is http://www.warmers.com/ and the phone number is 800-423-1233. What a super way to stay warm during winter with these wonderful, affordable products!

Good luck to my daughter’s band in the Thanksgiving Day Parade! We’re all proud of you!!!

Here’s to the beginning of a long, but hopefully warmer winter. Cheers!

Barack The Vote!

Yes, America did "Barack the vote"!

It was a moment that brought tears to your eyes. It was a moment that brought hope to humanity. It was a moment that will mend many fences. It was a moment that showed the world we are Americans first and it is a bond that holds us all together in this country.

Yes, it’s true that there hasn’t been a woman president yet. But what this proved to me is that anything is possible with drive, determination and hard work. I can now say to my daughter, a middle-class child, "Yes you can be anything you want to be and here is the proof."

Mothers and fathers can now say to their children -- “Joe or Josie the Child”-- that with hard work, determination and a belief in yourself, you can be anything you choose to be. We can now mean it. Even a child who is poor or middle class without all the money has hope and an opportunity to become President of the United States.

I don’t want to bring race into this post, mainly because I have always believed we are all mutts. White, black, Hispanic, Asian -- whatever you think your background is, there is a mix in you somewhere. I look at my daughter and to me she looks Asian. She has beautiful long dark brown hair and her eyes have a lovely tilt. Now as far as I know we are Italian and Polish, but my aunt who has two Italian parents like my mom also has the same look. So yes, I believe somewhere in our past their may be some Asian blood.

My point being, no one is pure anything, but our common thread is that we are all Americans. I still believe most people care about each other and we love our country. However, to love your country you must love warts and all. I think Tuesday’s election proved that we can remove some of those warts. No, our country isn’t perfect. Yes, you will always have a few people who are racist, no matter what. However, that being said, this is still the greatest country on Earth. Where else can this type of election be possible?


Barack needs YOU to help America!


We should all be proud of ourselves. Yes, we put our country first. We put our children first. Our children will grow up in a country that may not be as racially divided.

When you look at me you will see a white woman. However, how I feel inside is that I am an American. I voted for the best person. A person who I feel has compassion for each of us. A person who cares. A person who is smart. A person who will put the best interest of the entire country first. Not just the rich and special interests!

Here is a sign of our new times already: my daughter’s math teacher approached them yesterday and asked who wants to start doing community service right now! He wants to get them started on that path. He is giving them choices to help the elderly or to help tutor other kids. I think it’s a wonderful thing. Community service gives you a sense of purpose and will give us a new generation of caring people. It will teach them to have compassion for others.

My daughter said she was scared to do community service. Now begins my challenge as a responsible parent to get her over that fear. Just like I make sure she does her homework. I have to make sure she has enough confidence in her ability to be able to meet this new challenge. I know she is capable and one thing I know for sure is that my daughter has compassion for others. She is a loving and caring person and just needs some guidance to overcome this fear of community service. She gets wonderful grades and I know she relates to others well. I think she could tutor another child and not only help that child, but make a difference in her own life. What a great gift to give and receive. You can’t put a price on that!


Tutoring younger children is a great example of community service that teens can perform


I know over time I will not always agree with President-Elect Obama. However, I do believe he will be honest with us. I know he is smart and I know he will do what he believes is best for the majority of this country -- not just a few of us. What more can you ask from a president?

I know these next several years will be tough on his wife and daughters, and let’s not forget what they are giving up. Michelle is giving up time with her husband. His daughters are giving up time with their daddy. This family will go through much over the years, and I thank them for that alone. It is a sacrifice they are making as well. So see, we all have to sacrifice something. Of course, some will always sacrifice more than others and that is how it has always been.

Last year at this time I didn’t have much faith in this country, but now I have hope. Like President-Elect Obama said, we have to be willing to work hard and sacrifice. I think any American should be willing to do this to leave our children with a brighter future. I know I am!

God Bless America!