Chicken Tortellini Alfredo

I attended a party recently where this was on the buffet. I loved it and asked for the recipe. It is so simple, I'm sure it will be on your favorites list too. It can be served to lots of people, as at this party. Or you can make it for just one or two people, which is what I normally do.

You'll need:

Jarred Classico Roasted Poblano Alfredo Sauce
Frozen or fresh cheese tortellini
1/2 of a cooked chicken breast, shredded
grated Romano cheese

Measurements: You know how it is with pasta and sauce - a little of this and a little of that. When I make it for myself, I boil 4 oz. of tortellini in one pan. In another pan, on very low heat, I heat up about 6 oz. of the sauce.

When I am ready to assemble, I add the shredded chicken to the sauce to heat up for a minute. Then I add the drained, cooked tortellini to the sauce mixture. Pour it into a bowl and drizzle with the grated Romano cheese.

Add a small side salad and there you have dinner.

God Stories

I normally post on my blog on Tuesdays but today I had acute inspiration collapse so I asked the Lord to download a bit of creativity. When I checked my email, there was a letter from Dave and Michelle !!!!! It was a news update from them. They attend my church but are currently serving as missionaries in Kigoma, Tanzania, Africa.


A little background: Dave and Michelle are young marrieds. Dave is a music teacher and worship leader. Michelle is a nurse.

I thought - this is such good news - I want everybody to know about it. Here is the Kigoma Update:

Hi guys! How are you? We are grateful for all of you and hope you are
> doing well. We are in Mwanza for a few days with Tim and Gerald,
> because of PEFA meetings, but also for a chance to buy things we dont
> have in Kigoma (so far jello, maple syrup and balloons). There are
> really big storky- cranes here, about 4 ft tall. They are called
> "Grandpa Health" because they eat up all the garbage on the streets.
> God has been doing miracles often lately. My shoulder was out-
> you know vertigo-iy. At women's Bible study, we prayed and it was
> made whole. Praise God.
> We invited a couple teen guys from the Kellys kids program to
> join us in our village program since there was no school on Friday.
> One of those guys (Alex) preached, and 106 kids came to Christ. Some
> of these kids are from Muslim families. We do ask for wisdom about
> the program though. Many kids cary a baby on their back. That's fine
> and dandy until he starts crying- and with 200 kids, one or two are
> bound to be crying always. There is such an echo in the church that a
> baby's cry is the only thing that can be heard. We have asked for
> talkers and cryers to calm down outside, maybe I need to ask them to
> be 20 or 30 feet from the church so we can hear well.
> There is a sweet lady at the church whom I have been impressed
> with. Her name is Helena. She gets it. At most churches, if there
> are dirty kids outside of the church on the steps, the leasders shoo
> them away. However Helena invited them in. This is counter cultural,
> but maybe the culture of Simbo village is changing.
> Helena came to me with some serious health troubles that had
> plagued her for about 6 years (it appeared to be partial kidney
> failure). We prayed but no change. Dave and I prayed and decided
> that I should take her to the hospital and trust God to pay the costs
> for treating a chronic condition. At the hospital, the outpatient Dr.
> recognized me as missionary who is trying to get permission to work
> there. Therefore, he re-opened the closed down department, he saw her
> and treated her ffor free of charge!!! He said that we are servants
> of God, so we should help each other out! Helena and I were so happy
> that we jumped up and down thanking God and the Dr. for free and good
> medical care!
> While I am waiting for permission to nurse, I am teaching 7th
> grade English. This is such a need because from 8th grade on, all
> teaching is in English. Many students fail the exams because they do
> not understand the language of the test. We are starting with the
> basics, and it is fun!
>
> David is teaching a choir. some songs are translated from English to
> Swahili (including "Dancing Generation"). Others he composed in
> Swahili in the African style.
> Thank you for your love, support, and prayers. How can we pray for
> you? Michelle and Dave

To play a part in this ministry: Designate for - Dave and Michelle Heed - contributions@elimfellowship.org

Inspiration Incorporated

I subscribe to a quartery magazine called WHERE WOMEN CREATE. I absolutely devour this magazine. I'm always sad when I've finished waaaaaay before the next one appears on my doorstep. I kinda go into WWC withdrawl, that is until the new one is on my kitchen table.

It's a pricey mag to be sure. But I have successfully suggested to my children a subscription for me as a Christmas gift. They never know what to get me. Problem solved.

Throughout the magazine, there are enchanting announcements for shows, conventions, camps, workshops, meetings, retreats, etc. plus visits to the most astonishing women in their own creative environment. But, alas, never one happening in my neck of the woods, though. They take place in romantic locales like California, Atlanta, Houston, NYC, Saratoga Springs, Colorado, etc. As you can see, not one occurring in western NY on the shores of Lake Ontario.

But, what to my wondering eyes should appear..........an ad for an upcoming event planned at a venue a very short drive from me. Inspiration Incorporated (an event celebrating inspired women who incorporate creativity and business) would take place on a Spetember Sunday in the little village of Honeoye Falls, NY in a 150 year old mill, once powered by those same water falls. A charming building of three floors, with a restaurant - The Rabbit Room - (where this event took place) on the first floor, boutiques, (one of which is Talulah's Fancy, whose proprietor - Tamara Shopinski - was the planner extraordinaire responsible for Inspiration Incorporated) and art studios on the second floor. I did not explore floor three.

As I walked into the building, I was greeted by a warm, welcoming hostess who pointed me to my assigned table, which had already started to fill up. I chose to sit on the side of the table that would afford me the best view of the speakers. All of my table-mates were busily creating their name tags in the most creative way they could. Everyone was intently sewing, clipping, pinning, while chatting all the while. What an ice breaker!!! Even if you were shy and reserved, people were going to be looking at your name tag and commenting, offering suggestions, passing you supplies, asking question of you, etc. The supplies were stored in 6 count cupcake tins, which were transformed into baskets by adding a wire handle and raggedy cloth bows. One of the cupcake spaces held a decorated canning jar filled with fresh flowers. In all the remaining 5 spaces were embellishments for your name tag (buttons, safety pins, needle and thread, bits of lace and string, small cards with sayings on them, even fresh rose petals. These charming little baskets of invention were the table centerpiecs. Three on each table. I counted 9 tables, each with 10 guests. There was a delightful female buzz in the room.

Note: Wouldn't this be an enchanting craft for a little girl's birthday party. All those dressed up little princesses would be thoroughly engrossed in making their name tags to be a charming as can be, instead of tearing through your house, pulling each other's pigtails.

All during act 1, a beverage station and an appetizer table were available.

Presently a lovely lunch was served, provided by The Rabbit Room and then the speakers. Lyn Alinger spoke first. She is the owner of Craft Company #6 in Rochester, NY. The shop is in an old fire house, the brass pole the firemen slid down from second floor on, is still evident. There is even a replica of the horse, which pulled the old fire wagon, standing out in front of the building looking like he's just waiting for that old alarm to ring. This store sells only hand crafted items by various artists. Lyn told the story of how it came about that she and her husband came to be the proprietors of this business.

And the main speaker was Jo Packham, creator and editor and chief of WHERE WOMEN CREATE. She gave a biographical look at how she came to be the editor of WWC. She has a delightful sense of humor and I know you all wold appreciate her stories about the amount of time she puts in on her craft and the resulting $$$$$ per hour she currently enjoys. She says she is up to $1.00 an hour and would like to be advanced to $2.00 an hour very soon. ha ha hah Proof that creativity is a constant, it is up and running all the time, you probably never will receive a comensurate monetary return. It is just something you have to do because that's who you are. You would create even if you never received anything in return. But your home would be decorated with all your projects and so would the homes of all your friends and relatives. And there would probably be a trunk and the end of your bed with carefully wrapped creativity waiting for someone who needed a gift.

I am so happy I had the privilege to be part of Inspiration Incorporated. It's tucked away with my treasured memories.

Reticule

I am a rabid reader of Victorian novels, the Victorian Era, Victorian architecture, Jane Austen, Mr. Darcy, Louisa May Alcott, Howard's End, Cape May, NJ (in fact) all things Victoriana.

I was so inspired by the presentation given at the Brighton Library on the costumes worn to afternoon tea, that I attended last week, that I did blog about it. One thing that I'll be eternally grateful for is finally discovering what a "reticule" is. I had come across this word countless times in my readings and was mystified and finally saw one up close and personal.

Here is the dictionary definition:
reticule [ˈrɛtɪˌkjuːl]
n
1. (Clothing & Fashion) (in the 18th and 19th centuries) a woman's small bag or purse, usually in the form of a pouch with a drawstring and made of net, beading, brocade, etc.


reticule - An older term for a small handbag, it alludes to the fact that they were originally made of netted fabric—Latin rete, "net," became reticulum, "netted bag."


ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun 1. reticule - a woman's drawstring handbag; usually made of net or beading or brocade; used in 18th and 19th centuries
handbag, purse, bag, pocketbook - a container used for carrying money and small personal items or accessories (especially by women); "she reached into her bag and found a comb"

Here is a photo of the one which was in the costume presentation...............

The Victorian woman did not need the satchel-like purse like most of us carry around. She had no car, therefore, no car keys, no cell phone, no credit cards, no pictures of kids or grandkids, no packages of kleenex, etc. All she needed when she left her house, was a hankie, her smelling salts (in case she fainted from her compressed lungs due to her corset), a comb, spare change in case she wanted to tip the carriage driver. All that would, indeed, fit into a reticule.

In my dreamy Victorian state of mind, I made one for my sammysgrammy etsy shop. I will tag it for the wedding market. No other woman on earth needs to carry so little to a big event as the bride. Just her smelling salts and hankie.

What do you think?

Dressing for Tea: 1890-1920

If only I loved history in high school as much as I do now, we would have saved ourselves a lot of trouble.

I recently attended a presentation at a local library entitled: DRESSING FOR TEA: 1890 - 1920 - The Clothing and Customs. This program was presented by the Costume Resource Center at the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site in Buffalo, NY.

Short history lesson: President McKinley was assassinated in Buffalo, NY on September 14, 1901. Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt was vice president. He came to Buffalo to be sworn into office, hence The Buffalo Museum. This event took place in the Ansley Wilcox House, which today houses the museum.

The costume resource center is part of the museum. The presenters brought with them what a well to do woman would wear to tea in that 30 year span. In that time frame many events took place that had great historical import. Queen Victoria died, King Edward took the British throne, the Boar War was taking place in Africa where British colonialism was contested and independence was the prize, British women won the right to vote and WW I was taking place on European soil. These events greatly affected life in the U.S.

The 1890's woman wore what would be considered today a huge amount of clothing. The presenters had a mannequin dressed for the occasion. She wore the cinnamon colored dress, a fedora hat, pale colored kid leather gloves, shoes, stockings, and carried a matching purse. This is what the audience saw. But underneath, she had many more layers.

The presenters undressed her, layer by layer. They explained what each piece was and it's purpose. The dress was silk. At this time in history, you either had a silk dress, a cotton one or a wool one. A dressmaker would have made the dress for you. The dress was partly machine sewn and partly hand sewn. (the sewing machine had been invented in 1850). You could not just go to a store a purchase one. The dressmaker would have made your purse as well. The cinnamon dress was two pieces, the skirt and the top were separate and matching. Very detailed, leg o' mutton sleeves, tucks, matching lace at the neck. That removed, we saw the white cotton, lace trimmed petticoat. Each and every one of these garments closed with buttons. No zippers, no velcro. She wore a white, button front, lace trimmed, fitted camisole tucked into her petticoat. Under that she had on a corset, drawers and stockings.

The stockings were cotton or silk at this time. Later, in wartime, silk could not be had. The garment called "drawers" was so named because one would draw them up over one leg, then draw them up over the other - thus "drawers". They ONLY covered legs. They were woven white cotton and lace trimmed, of course. note: the only knitted garment was hosiery. When I say, the drawers only covered legs, I am saying there was no crotch or behind in this garment. It was all open. They looked much like an apron with legs. note: with all this clothing on, a visit to the bathroom could possibly be a very tense situation - having "drawers" that facilitated this event, I'm sure was very much appreciated.

The corset laced up in the back. The front had hooks and eyes. It was a very rigid garment, meant to give an hour glass figure. The rigidity was provided by whalebone or metal stays. This garment was not laundered often because of its construction. Many women wore a very thin garment under it to keep it reasonably clean. Garters were attached to the bottom edges of the corset to hold up the stockings.

Then the lovely miss put on her shoes, her gloves, her hat and carried her purse. Now she was ready to go to tea.

She would have been invited to this tea by hand written invitation.

The tradition of afternoon tea came about in the 1840's because lunch was skimpy. People were hungry again in the late afternoon. Not dinnertime yet, they needed a cup of tea with bread and butter. Therefore, tea time.

One of the items in her purse would have been smelling salts. Wearing those corsets prevented one from ever taking a deep breath. Much fainting was the result. The corset also, over time, changed the contours of a woman's torso. Her rib cage and her pelvis were squeezed together. This too, caused unhealthy respiration, as well as many miscarriages and deformed births.

When this part of the presentation concluded, the presenters then dressed another mannequin from the inside out. She has the white dress on. You will note her crocheted purse. It is called a "reticule". Any purse with a drawstring was called a reticule. You may also notice her hat. The crown of the 1890's hats were very large to accommodate big hair. The women saved all the hair in her comb and hair brush in a small container. When she had a goodly amount, she would wrap that hair in a net. Then used it to give her hairstyle extra height for pompadours and Gibson girl up do's. Hence, hats with large crowns.

It was also during this time that women wore bustles which were created with yet another undergarment. This one, all wires and tape. The dresses were all longer in the back in order to accommodate the bustle. The figure gained by this look was called "the powder pigeon". Women looked much like a walking pigeon wagging its behind.

As history played on, women became more and more emancipated and their clothing reflected this. By the 1920's, the flapper girl had cut her hair into a bob style. She wore very few undergarments, no corsets, shapeless dresses that had lots of swing to them.

Closed up undies began to appear in the 1920's. In the 20's, a bandeau could be had to wear under the teddie but it had no shaping. Stockings were held up by garters. A cloche was the hat style, pulled down over the bob hair do.

The Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site looks like a lovely destination for a girlz day out........

Part II of Girlz Day Out

Part II of GIRLZ DAY OUT was a tour of the LeRoy (NY) Historical Society Museum.

Most towns have a historical museum. My own town does. I love to learn about the history of the early days and beginnings of towns, villages and cities across the U.S.

On our GIRLZ DAY OUT, after touring the Jell-o Museum, we visited the LeRoy Historical Museum which was on the same property as the Jell-o Museum, separated only by a garden.

Since my favorite thing in the whole world is discovering old, unused, discarded household items, rescuing them, repurposing them into something useful and beautiful and "current", I was in my glory in this house which was the museum. The high ceilings, the extravagant woodwork, the wavy glass of the windows, the broad porches, the nooks and crannies.......................ohhhhhhhhh (swooning)

There were two docents there who made sure we didn't miss a thing. The home had a center entrance with a huge reception area with seating, paintings of ancestors, hat and umbrella rack, library table. To the left was a room that housed the "land office", full of surveyer's tools, roll top desk, many glass enclosed bookshelves, maps of settlement divisions. And to the right of the entrance hall was a parlor, with music room behind that.

It was in the parlor that we discovered that this house once was part of a seminary for women. In one of the nooks between the parlor and the music room was a historical display from Ingham University. The first exclusively women's university established in the U.S. Founded in 1835 as the LeRoy Female Seminary, chartered by the N.Y. State Board of Regents in 1852 as Ingham Collegiate Institute. The thing that struck me as most sweetly sentimental was a tiny class ring. Not a big showy ring like today's class rings but a dainty gold filigreed, pearl centered ring. Many of the women who matriculated at Ingham went on to make their mark on history. One, Sarah Frances Whiting founded the physics department and established the astronomical observatory at Wellesley College.

There were two kitchens in the museum. One, a 1930's kitchen and the other, an 1830's kitchen. That hundred year span produced astronmical advances in kitchen technology. The housewives went from scrubbing laundry in a wash tub with her hands to an electric wringer washing machine. From making meals in the fireplace over a wood fire to preparing meals on a gas powered stove. From having no refrigeration to an electric refrigerator, from candlelight to electric light, from personal visits and letters to a telephone.............

100 years before - 1830

All in all, GIRLZ DAY OUT was a totally precious day filled with beautiful memories.

Girlz Day Out

Girlz Day Out is something that a couple friends and myself do every so often. Sometimes it's just a lunch date. Other times it's a long distance adventure. We don't have a set time to do this like once a month or every other month. Just whenever we're in the mood. This past Saturday was the day. We had planned a visit to a thrift shop in a YWCA in a town about 30 miles west of here. This shop is a fund raiser for the local domestic violence ministry. My friends and I all found items we couldn't live without. Of course it helped that the black and red plaid wool jacket I bought was $2.50 and the voile pink and black floral big shirt I liked was $3.00. My friends also bought jackets and blouses. It happened also to be a beautiful, sunshiny day. Our next stop was the Jello-o museum. Though this is relatively close to us (30 miles) but none of us had ever been there. The museum is a small unassuming building but the history of Jell-o is magnificent. We had a guided tour by a Jell-o expert who led us into the museum, bid us to sit down on a bench, like school children, while he regaled us with Jell-o history.

The product had a very difficult birth. The first couple owners could not make it a commercial success. The company was sold a couple times for very small amounts - like 35.00 one time and 450.00 another time. Finally it became the property of a gentleman with VISION. The year was 1899 and most American housewives had never heard of a jelled dessert. Also - just add water - was a totally new concept to them. Many did not have refrigeration but did have methods for cooling (like ice) and Ice Boxes, springhouses, etc. A MARKETING STRATEGY was initiated. The Jell-o executive hired and trained a sales crew, dressed them in business attire, provided transportaion for them to go on the road with samples. His directions to his salesmen: give the product away for free. Visit every home. At one, give a packet of Jell-o. At the next, give away a recipe book.

He paid sales calls to the grocers and encouraged them to stock Jell-O on their shelves. Then it went viral. And the rest is history. The museum had advertising campaigns to show us. Large original oil paintings which were reproduced in newspapers and magazines. By the time radio and television arrived on the scene, all the biggest celebrities got in on the Jell-O buzz. Jack Benny, Bob Hope, Kate Smith, Lucille Ball plugged Jell-O on their programs. Bill Cosby was Jell-O spokesman for thirty years.

The early packaging was designed by the the Kewpie Doll founder. Therefore, it was very Kewpie Doll-ish. See picture above. Jell-O has a long and industrious history with many, many products following the original jelled dessert. Next came Jell-O pudding, then both instant Jell-O and pudding, then sugarless, pudding pops, jigglers and, the latest - Jell-O shots (made like a jiggler but with vodka instead of water) (for adults only). We thoroughly enjoyed our jaunt to Jell-O Land but we were only at the half-way mark on our Girlz Day Out. The Town's Historical Museum was our next stop. That will be the subject of next weeks blog.