Just for you...

I got a text this morning from my sister.  My ONE and ONLY sister born from the same mama and daddy.  Ironically, we couldn't be more opposite.  Our entire family knows it and it's become a running joke.  She's always been the rebellious and loud wild child.  I'm more reserved.  I love being in the kitchen cooking and baking while she would much rather be in ANY other room of the house BESIDES the kitchen.  Or better yet, she'd rather not be in the house at all! LOL The list goes on and on.  We both (just like everyone else on this earth) have our good things and bad things.  I can't think of ANYONE else that I've bumped heads with more.  BUT I also can't think of anyone else that I would want to replace her.  She's my only sister which means that she's ALL mine.  The good, the bad and the ugly.  Sadly for me...she's has WAY more of the last two.  HAHA Ok just kidding Kris.  Bottom line, when it comes down to it, she knows I got her back and I know she has mine. 

Now back to that annoying text.  It was annoying because she's probably text'd me 6 times (no exageration) for the SAME thing.  You would think that the girl would have mastered this by now! She wanted my jam pie recipe.  I wasn't going to post this one, ever.  Not because I was hiding it or anything.  Y'all know I don't get down like that.  ;-) But mostly because we ALL have a gma, aunty or mother who makes them PERFECTLY using a recipe that she probably created and altered (with love!) to cater to her families taste buds. 

Yes, I know, it's really not that serious.  BUT being the picky, taste tester eater that I am, I wasn't gonna mess with it.  My recipe is probably not be the same as your family recipe.  I'm sure no matter how good these are, your aunty or mother makes them WAY better.  But just for my crazy, fun loving, over dramatic sister, I'm going to share it.  Here ya go pissy (my nickname given to her after our little bro hati man couldn't pronounce "Krissy" and called her "Pissy" instead lol).  I'm posting this JUST for you boo! Don't say I've never given you anything! ;-)

Jam Pies
7 cups of flour (preferable bread or cake flour, yes it makes a difference)
2 tablespoons of baking powder

Mix those two dry ingredients in a big bowl and set aside.  In a separate bowl, mix the following -

4 eggs
1/2-1 full cup of sugar (depending on how sweet you like them)
2 cups of butter
1-2 cups of milk (I sometimes use heavy cream, it makes them a lot more moist)

Now add the "wets" into the "dry" bowl and combine by hand.  I usually make dough balls about the size of tennis balls and pat them down (on a floured surface) into a circle (about as big as my hand) about 1 inch thick.  Add a heaping spoonfull of jam (our fam likes Strawberry the best) right in the center and spread it into a line from the top to the bottom of the circle.  No need to spread over the surface of the whole circle.  Just a nice thick line of jam right down the middle works.  Fold one side over and then the other and place onto a greased cookie sheet.  Make sure to leave an inch or two between each because they spread and rise.  Bake at 375 for about 15-20 mins depending on how brown you like them.  Let sit for about 10 mins and you're done!



"A Very Special Thank You"

I was sorting through some mail and random papers that were on top of our night stand and I came across an invitation that Joshua brought home from school.  Since their school is always having fun little events for the kids (movie nights, spaghetti dinners, pancake breakfasts etc.) I didn't think much of it.  It was obviously already opened and even wrinkled by the time I saw it.  I almost tossed it out with all of the other stuff that I was putting in the trash can.  But then I noticed Siua's name written on it so I opened it. 

To many, it's probably not that big of a deal.  To Siua even, it's nothing major.  But I think it's pretty cool.  Not the actual invite or the fact that they're having a "Tea" to honor volunteers.  I think it's cool that Siua did enough volunteering to earn his very own special invitation.  Shoot, I didn't get one and I went on a few fieldtrips myself! LOL I need to be clear, I didn't even know that he volunteered to help most of the time.  I usually found out after he had already scheduled the time off for a field trip or actually completed whatever it was he volunteered to do.  He simply made the effort, on his own, to take part in these activities that help our boys and their peers.  It's not uncommon for people to volunteer.  I know that.  But seeing Siua transition from the man he was when we first got married to the awesome dad he's become is pretty cool. 

Siua's cousin Sio, who is a regular at our house, said it best.  During a long car ride he and Siua took to the city with Mackenzie one afternoon, Luvie started to fuss and cry.  After turning up the music didn't work, Siua turned off the radio and started to sing a Barney song with Luvie.  I couldn't help but to start cracking up while Sio told the story.  Picturing Siua singing a Barney song.  That, Sio said, is when he realized that Siua was "father of the year".  LOL He was with his boy, in a car with rims and beat, singing Barney songs with his toddler loud and proud.  It's the little things that Siua does to prove to our kids that there isn't anyone in the world more important to him than they are.  For THAT alone, he deserves "A Very Special Thank You".  I can't wait until my kids are old enough to realize how very lucky they are. 

"Real" Peach Cobbler

We get missionary visits at home pretty regularly.  It's been that way for years.  It's especially nice right now while Mark is out on his mission.  Just hoping that someone in PI is being nice and welcoming to our little brother the same way we are for the elders here. 

For the past seven months, we've been lucky enough to have Elder Brignone over several different times including Thanksgiving dinner.  He's cracked jokes with us and let us (mostly me) give him a hard time over a few things from time to time.  He always has his bag of tootsie rolls on hand for the kids to devour while he's there.  A pretty cool missionary.  Strict, by the book and very blunt, but still cool. 

One weekend I happened to be making a peach cobbler for a few people and called the missionaries over to pick one up.  It was the peach cobbler recipe that my mom had learned from her gma and we've been making it for as long as I can remember.  It's so simple and soooo good! I gave the elders a whole cobbler and sent them on their way. 

The next time they visited Brignone joked "hey the peach CAKE you gave us was delicious".  Oh he SO knows me! LOL Clowning is a regular thing in our home and I knew he was opening the floodgates.  ;-) "Did you say peach CAKE?" I asked.  He proceeded to tell me that the dough on the peach cobbler was so thick that there's no way we could say it was a cobbler.  The cobbler his mom makes (also with a biscuit dough) is an ACTUAL cobbler and not a cake. 

I know the rule.  We ALL know the rule.  NO ONE can make ANYTHING as good as your mom.  EVEN if it does taste REALLY good, you never say it's better than moms.  NEVER.  ;-) So I gave it to him, can't compete with a moms recipe.  But since then, it's been a running joke.  So much so, that I finally told him I wanted to try this "real" cobbler that he was raving about. 

So I sent his mom Kerstin an email along with a picture of her son in our home and asked her for the recipe.  She was SO nice and gave us what is also her gmas recipe. One that they have been making for years in their family.  Don't you just love that? Needless to say, the Brignones Peach Blueberry Cobbler was good.  Like REALLY good! It has more fruit than the one we make, but I think that's because the cobbler we make has changed over time to accommodate the taste buds of our Tongan side.  You know, more of the sweet bread and less of the fruit that traditional peach cobblers have.  Whatever the case, we have a keeper! Elder Brignone was able to taste test the cobbler I made from his mothers recipe and gave it the seal of approval.

I'm so glad that we were able to meet Elder Brignone and get to know him.  Not just for the great peach cobbler but also for the great example of what a good missionary is. 

The Brignone Peach Blueberry Cobbler

Sweet Biscuit Topping :
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 tea salt
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/4-1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
additional milk and sugar, optional

Mix flour, 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder and salt together.  Cut in 1/2 cup butter until crumbly and (like cornmeal).  In a small bowl, mix eggs and 1/4 cup milk until well blended.  Stir milk/egg mixture into flour mixture until blended together.  Add additional milk a little at a time, only if needed to make a stiff dough. On a lightly floured surface roll out dough to 1/2 thick. Fold in half and roll again to 1/2 inch thick. Using 2 inch cookie/biscuit cutter cut out shapes (circles, ovals, hearts, or diamonds all work well).  Set aside to place on top of hot fruit mixture.

Fruit Mixture:
3- 15 oz (6 cups) cans sliced peaches (no sugar added, or canned in fruit juice)
2 cups blueberries (1 pint), fresh or frozen
4 Tablespoons cornstarch

Preheat oven to 425F. Drain the peaches and reserve juice from 2 cans of fruit (approximately 1 cup).  Put peaches in a 3 qt saucepan with 1/2 cup reserved juice (about the same amount as in 1 can of the peaches) Mix cornstarch into remaining 1/2 cup peach juice.  Stir into peaches in the pan. Bring to boiling over medium heat (stir occasionally so it doesn't stick). Cook 1-2 minutes or until juice is clear. Remove from heat and add blueberries (if using frozen blueberries leave on warm burner for a few minutes until mixture is hot again).  Pour into 13x9 (2 1/2 quart) pan. Top with sweet biscuits (directions below). Brush biscuits lightly with milk just to moisten (if desired) and sprinkle biscuits with 2 teaspoons of sugar. Bake at 425F for 10-20 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown and fruit mixture is bubbling around edges.

Take Me Out to the Ballgame...

A few weeks back Lani was asked to take pictures of Alice and Seni on their anniversary.  Seni planned to take Alice out to dinner and ballgame and wanted to surprise her by taking a few really good pictures in the city.  Lani, being the photog that she is, was game (pun intended lol) and asked me to tag along to help drive.  She even offered to buy me dinner.  Who'd refuse dinner and an impromptu trip into the city? Needless to say, I agreed.  Knowing that Lani would be busy taking pictures and not wanting to look like a side buster, I asked Papa if he wanted to tag along to keep me company.  As soon as he heard we were going to the city and dinner was involved, he was stoked! Oh he MUST be MY son.  ;-) After grabbing some take out at Fish Market, we were on our way!

We dropped Lani off so that she could surprise Alice with their mini photo shoot while Papa and I went to park the car.  After devouring our yummy dinner (Thanks again Lani!), we decided to take a walk around AT&T park.  It was dusk and soooo nice out! We could hear the crowd roaring with excitement from blocks away.  The closer we got to the park, the louder the crowd was and Papa grew more and more anxious to see what the hype was about.  We don't attend very many sporting events because I'm not a huge fan of any sport.  Siua LOVES sports so he goes with friends but the times we went as a family the boys were too young to remember.

Once we got close enough to the ballpark, we could see the HUGE crowd.  Papa's face lit up with excitement as they cheered with music in the background and the various announcements were made.  I knew it was coming and I was ready for it.  "Can we go to the game Mom?!"  Darn it! I was no where near ready to attend the game RIGHT then and there but I promised him that we would go to one soon.  Being the sweet understanding boy that he is, Papa agreed to wait and offered to help me plan our day out to the park with his siblings.  I knew then that he wasn't going to let me forget. 

Coincidentally, at work the following week, I learned that a trip to a Giants game for the entire firm was coming up.  They sent out a company wide email invite with the details of the game.  I didn't think much of it because there was no invitation to bring a guest.  I don't care for baseball, so I was just going to pass it up.  People started to ask who was going and every time I said I wasn't, I got the same response "You HAVE to go with us. There's nothing like it." At first I thought it was the typical response from die hard baseball fans, but as it turns out, the firm goes ALL OUT for the company game.  So I gave in and decided to go. 

Shortly after, I got word that there were a few extra tickets and IF you had a "plus 1" you were encouraged to let them know.  I was ALL OVER IT.  Since that trip to the city with Lani, Papa hadn't stopped asking about the baseball game and I knew this was going to be a good one.  So I asked if I could bring him.  Since I'm still a temp, I was low on the totem poll as far as guests were concerned so I didn't find out until the DAY OF about wether or not Papa could go.  I was SOOOOO hoping I could bring him! Sure enough, just an hour before heading out, I got the ok. 

I made arrangements with my mom (THANK GOODNESS for Gma's!) the night before so that if Papa did get the ok, she could drop him off on her way to work.  I quickly called her, pulled him out of class and grabbed the sweater and hat I brought in hopes of his attendance.  Shortly after, we were on our way.  Papa thought he was getting pulled out of school for a doctors appointment so as soon as I saw him, he asked if he was getting a shot.  LOL I told him that there was no appointment and that he was coming with me and my co-workers to a Giants game.  He was SUPER excited.  I gave him his Giants hat and we headed to the train. 

The weather sucked that morning.  It was raining and cold! Thank goodness it cleared up and we were able to enjoy the game without getting rained on.  Papa was ECSTATIC.  My co-workers were right, if there was ANY time to go, THIS was it.  It was like we sat ON the field.  Literally shouting distance to the players.  Since Papa was the only kid for the first 1/2 hour, some of my co-workers yelled out for the catchers to "toss the kid a ball".  They were kind enough to throw a ball to Papa and he LOVED it.  The suite was stocked with hot dogs, burgers, candy, drinks, chips and the ballgame staples - peanuts and crackerjacks.  He SOAKED it all up! On the way home he kept talking about how much fun he had and mentioned that he got two of everything so he could share with his brother.  Sure enough he pulled out an extra backpack that they were giving away stocked with peanuts, crackerjacks and other fun game goodies.  He totally deserved the fun trip, he's such a good big brother. 

Siua and I try to do individual fun things with the kids so that they get one on one time with us.  It's hard to do when you have three but it's important to us to have individual relationships with each of them.  It was so sweet to be able to spend an entire day with my oldest child while he got the chance to do something he had been anxiously looking forward to.  Siua has something in the works for Joshy soon, let's hope it's just as good. :-) I LOVE the idea of making sweet memories with my babies.  I'm sure they won't forget them and neither will I.


                          My Papa Man and I on the train ride to the park.

                               Snapshot of my big boy on the train.

                      He wanted to make sure I got a picture of our tickets.  :-)

                                            View from Papa's seat. 

                                               "Toss the kid a ball!"

                                        Dozing off on the way home.

                                         "Put the camera away mom!"