I still have not quite figured out how to post pictures, but some should be coming from John's and Katherine's soccer triumphs. As some know, I went to Levenworth for the funeral of Mary Jo Steiger, one half a couple that was very hospitable to Sandra and me. Mary Jo and George introduced us to the ministry in the prison and we spent many a happy and restful hour at their house. Father Ed Hayes (he's quite famous, and is the painter of the glorious picture of St. Nicolas that we hang over our fireplace every yuletide). He gave a very wonderous eulogy that spoke movingly about their fifty plus marriage and her unflinching faith in the adversity's face. Despite the hassles involved in flying to Leavenworth, renting a car, and the rest of it, I am grateful that I made (and was convinced by Sandra to make) the decision to go.

August in Washington, D.C.

Here are a few pictures from my visit to Laura during my break. We had a nice time. Laura got us tickets to a free performance of Twelfth Night. The production value was very high and the acting was thoroughly funny. We also went to Arlington Cemetery on a very hot day ...

... and to visit Ford's Theater.

Happy Birthday, Sandra!

I wouldn't really suggest letting the hamsters have cake. It may make them a little crazy.

Shells Stuffed with Spinach, Mushroom, and Ground Pork

Here are some pasta shells that I made a few weeks ago. I froze some of them and just enjoyed them again this week. I used several recipes from the Joy of Cooking to make them. Below is approximately what I did. What I have written below is about half of the original stuffing recipe modified. This made enough stuffing for a whole box of shells which filled one 9x13 baking dish and one 9x9 baking dish. I think I was more generous with the tomato sauce and cheese than the recipe calls for.



Stuffing

Heat in a very large skillet over medium-high heat until the foam subsides:
3 tbsp butter

Add and cook, stirring, until wilted:
1/2 lb. mushrooms, finely chopped

Squeeze almost dry:
One 10-oz package of frozen chopped spinach, thawed
Stir into the vegetable mixture and cook until all the liquid is evaporated and the pan looks dry.

Turn the mixture into a large bowl and stir in:
3/4 pound ground pork, cooked
1 c. fine bread crumbs
1/2 c. finely chopped parsley
3/4 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 large egg, beaten
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese


Jumbo Shells

Have ready:
3 c. Tomato Sauce
Stuffing Filling

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a baking dish. Cook in a large pot of boiling salted water until barely tender:
8-10 oz. of jumbo shells

Drain. Using a small spoon, fill the pasta with the filling. Arrange the pieces side by side in the baking dish. (At this point, the dish can be covered and refridgerated for up to 24 hours.) Spoon the tomato sauce over the pasta and sprinkle with:
1 c. shredded mozzarella
6 tbsp grated Parmesan

Cover with aluminum foil and bake until heated through, about 40 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

The Living Room is done

Well,it is complete and I am enjoying the comfyness of the new furniture and rug. I have had two breaking ins of the room. This weekend the boys will come and camp out over night. We'll see how it holds up to 3 boys.

Italianamerican

I had a good time visiting Laura and I will try to post some pictures of that soon. Laura reminded me of a documentary that I have told many of you about, and we found it on YouTube. It is of Martin Scorsese's parents in 1974. You will all really enjoy it.

It is 49 minutes long and the first part is embedded below. There are links below to the next 4 parts, but you will probably just be able to find part 2 along the bottom of the video when the first part ends.



Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzVGuCUj4yY

Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gonQKFbtec&feature=related

Part 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlBVeHIFsbE&feature=related

Part 5: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JZX71w2DOA&feature=related

Claire in her letter jacket

Claire came home with her jacket today so I took some pics so you could all see. Sounds like the kids trip to Boston was fun. Laura the Panama pics are very nice. Tonight we are going to celebrate Marie's 9th birthday!