Mama Knows » celebration

Great Valentines Day Recipes

Hanna Trafford — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 20:30:08 +0000

Making that special meal on Valentines Day is sometimes the best gift you can give. Whether you choose breakfast, lunch or dinner, planning what you will serve is important.

I have put together a list of recipes suitable for what you choose to do – just click on the link or the picture to get the complete ingredients and instructions. Enjoy!

Special Valentines Day Breakfast

Romantic Valentines Day Dinner

Valentines Day Sweets

If you like these recipes, make sure you download my FREE Mama Knows Valentines Day ebook! You will find more recipes, plus crafts and other great ideas for this year’s day of love

All About President’s Day

Hanna Trafford — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 16:20:47 +0000

President’s Day is a Federal holiday celebrated in the United States. It is celebrated the third Monday in February. Originally, this date was known as Washington’s Birthday, but since President Lincoln and Washington’s birthdays are so close together ,this day has been made the official President’s Day.

It is honoring the two great presidents – and there are some very interesting tidbits about it:

George Washington

George Washington was actually born on February 11,1731, but everyone knows that his birthday is listed as February 22^nd. When he was born the colonies were using the Julian calendar, which was 11 days behind the Gregorian calendar. And then when in 1752, Britain and colonies switched to Gregorian calendar, Washington’s birthday was moved to February 22^nd.

George Washington created the Purple heart – medal that recognizing soldiers who have been injured in battle. He was a great leader with tons of courage and that earned him the nickname “The Founder of his Country”.

Abraham Lincoln

During his last year as president, his birthday was declared a holiday and was known as “Washington’s birthday”, until 1885 when then president Chester A. Arthur signed a legislation that made it a federal holiday.

Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12,1809 and his biggest accomplishment is preserving United States during the Civil War. To this day, there are some states that celebrate Lincoln’s birthday as their state holiday – but it was never a holiday elevated to the federal level.

The uniform Monday Holiday Bill was passed by the Congress in 1968, making the third Monday in February “President’s Day” .Subsequent promotions and marketing efforts in 1980′s by businesses really made President’s Day commercial holiday and the public started referring to the holiday by the name of “The President’s Day”.

How To Celebrate President’s Day

If you would like to celebrate and acknowledge this holiday, here are a few ideas:

Read the Gettysburg Address for yourself or read it to your family. Remember that Lincoln was a very powerful writer and orator:

“Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation, so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate…we can not consecrate…we can not hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us-that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion-that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain-that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom-and that government: of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

Visit a Civil War battlefield. Gettysburg is the most well-known, but there are many other national monuments that honor the soldiers who died during the Civil War.

Here is where you can find Civil War Battlefields in your state:

Civil War Battlefields

And:

Bake a Cherry Pie! Or if you don’t feel like baking one, just get one to eat. George Washington may not have ever chopped down that cherry tree, but why waste a good story?

Here is how the legend goes:

When George Washington was about six years old, he was made the wealthy master of a hatchet of which, like most little boys, he was extremely fond. He went about chopping everything that came his way.

One day, as he wandered about the garden amusing himself by hacking his mother’s pea- sticks, he found a beautiful, young English cherry tree, of which his father was most proud. He tried the edge of his hatchet on the trunk of the tree and barked it so that it died.

Some time after this, his father discovered what had happened to his favorite tree. He came into the house in great anger, and demanded to know who the mischievous person was who had cut away the bark. Nobody could tell him anything about it.

Just then George, with his little hatchet, came into the room.

“George,” said his father, “do you know who has killed my beautiful little cherry tree yonder in the garden? I would not have taken five guineas for it!”

This was a hard question to answer, and for a moment George was staggered by it, but quickly recovering himself he cried: –

“I cannot tell a lie, father, you know I cannot tell a lie! I did cut it with my little hatchet.”

The anger died out of his father’s face, and taking the boy tenderly in his arms, he said: –

“My son, that you should not be afraid to tell the truth is more to me than a thousand trees! yes, though they were blossomed with silver and had leaves of the purest gold!”

And here is a recipe for a great Super Simple Cherry Pie for you:

Ingredients:

4 cups of pitted Tart Cherries, well drained

1 tsp of vanilla

1/4 cup of granulated sugar

2 tbsp of cornstarch

Half a package of frozen puff pastry, thawed (1 piece)

1 egg, lightly beaten

Directions:

In large bowl, stir cherries with vanilla.
In another bowl, stir sugar with cornstarch; stir into cherries until blended.
On lightly floured surface, roll puff pastry into thin 14-inch circle. (Edges will not be even.)
Lift onto ungreased baking sheet.
Spoon cherry mixture into centre; gently fold up edges of pastry to partially cover the filling, leaving centre uncovered.
Brush pastry with egg.
Bake on rack below centre of 400°F oven until pastry is golden and filling is bubbly, about 40 minutes.
Let cool before cutting.

Have a great holiday and I hope you have enjoyed receiving all this information. As always, your comments, suggestiong and input is very welcomed!

Best Romantic Movies

Hanna Trafford — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 13:40:34 +0000

Watching a romantic movie is a fun way to celebrate Valentine’s Day, whether you’re celebrating it with your special someone or are having a get-together with your friends and family. And there are lots of lovely movies to choose from.

Here are a few suggestions and movie trailer links to help you choose:

An Affair to Remember (1957)

Director: Leo McCarey Starring: Cary Grant, Deborah Kerr, Richard Denning, Neva Patterson, Cathleen Nesbitt.

Plot: Handsome playboy Nicky Ferrante and beautiful night club singer Terry McKay have a romance while on a cruise from Europe to New York. Despite being engaged to other people, both agree to reunite at the top of the Empire State Building in six months. However, an unfortunate accident keeps Terry from the reunion, and Nicky fears that she has married or does not love him anymore. Will he discover the truth behind her absence and reunite with his one true love, or has fate and destiny passed them by?

Watch trailer for An Affair to Remember

An Officer and a Gentleman (1982)

Director: Taylor Hackford Starring: Richard Gere, Debra Winger, Louis Gossett, Jr., David Keith, Lisa Blount.

Plot: Zack Mayo is a young man who has signed up for Navy Flight School. He is a Navy brat who has a bad attitude problem. Sgt. Foley is there to train and evaluate him and will clearly find Zack wanting. Zack meets Paula, a girl who has little beyond family and must decide what it is he wants to do with his life.

Watch trailer for An Officer and a Gentleman

Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)

Director: Mike Newell Starring: Hugh Grant, Andie MacDowell, Kristin Scott Thomas, Simon Callow, James Fleet.

Plot: The film follows the fortunes of Charles and his friends as they wonder if they will ever find true love and marry. Charles thinks he’s found “Miss Right” in Carrie, an American. This British subtle comedy revolves around Charlie, his friends and the four weddings and one funeral which they attend.

Watch trailer for Four Weddings and a Funeral

Sleepless in Seattle (1993)

Director: Nora Ephron Starring: Dana Ivey, Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, Bill Pullman, Ross Malinger, Rosie O’Donnell.

Plot: Tom Hanks stars in this film as widower and single father Sam. When Sam’s son, Jonah (Ross Malinger), calls into a talk radio program looking for a new mother, Sam ends up getting on the phone and laments about his lost love. Thousands of miles away, Annie (Meg Ryan) hears the program and immediately falls in love with Sam, despite the fact that she has never met him and that she is engaged to humdrum Walter (Bill Pullman). Believing they are meant to be together, Annie sets out for Seattle to meet Sam, who, meanwhile, contends with an onslaught of letters from available women equally touched by his phone call. Will they ever unite?

Watch trailer for Sleepless In Seattle

Titanic (1997)

Director: James Cameron Starring: Dana Ivey, Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, Bill Pullman, Ross Malinger, Rosie O’Donnell.

Plot: This fictional romance features Leonardo DiCaprio as Jack Dawson, and Kate Winslet as Rose DeWitt Bukater, two members of different social classes who fall in love aboard the ‘unsinkable’ ship RMS Titanic. But on 15 April 1912, Titanic meets with an accident on her maiden voyage. What happens to the lovers? Will their love survive?

Watch trailer for the Titanic

The Way We Were (1973)

Director: Sydney Pollack Starring: Barbra Streisand, Robert Redford, Bradford Dillman and Lois Chiles.

Plot: The film tells the story of an intense Jewish woman who marries a carefree WASP following World War II. Fundamental differences in the way they engage the world – as revealed in their responses to the rise of McCarthyism – eventually pull them apart. The film is both a romance of star-crossed lovers and a morality tale about the importance of commitment to both individuals and relationships.

Watch trailer for The Way We Were

When Harry Met Sally (1989)

Director: Rob Reiner Starring: Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan, Carrie Fisher, Bruno Kirby, Steve Ford.

Plot: This romantic comedy centres around Harry and Sally both of whom search for love, but fail, bumping into each other time and time again. Finally a close friendship blooms between them, and they both like having a friend of the opposite sex. But then they are confronted with the problem: “Can a man and a woman be friends, without sex getting in the way?”

Watch trailer for When Harry Met Sally

While You Were Sleeping (1995)

Director: Jon Turteltaub Starring: Sandra Bullock, Bill Pullman, Peter Gallagher, Peter Boyle, Jack Warden.

Plot: This fairytale romance stars Sandra Bullock as a love-starved subway toll booth operator, Lucy,who pines for regular customer Peter (Peter Gallagher), and rescues him from almost being run over by a train. While he is in a coma in the hospital, his family mistakenly believes Lucu to be Peter’s fiance. In this confusion, Lucy finds true love in Jack (Bill Pullman), Peter’s brother.

Watch trailer for While You Were Sleeping

You’ve Got Mail (1998)

Director: Hallee Hirsh, Michael Palin, Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, Parker Posey, Greg Kinnear, Jean Stapleton

Plot: Kathleen Kelly, owner of a little and famous bookstore for children’s books falls in love with a man over the internet without knowing him in person. Suddenly, her business gets endangered by the opening of Fox Books discount store just “around the corner”. Although getting advice by her anonymous mail-pal, she has to close down her store and is full of hatred for Fox Books. Will she ever know that her anonymous mail-pal is actually Joe Fox, the son of the owner of Fox Books?

Watch trailer for You’ve Got Mail

Two Weeks Notice (2002)

Director: Marc Lawrence Starring: Sandra Bullock, Hugh Grant, Alicia Witt, Dana Ivey, Robert Klein.

Plot: Lucy Kelton (Sandra Bullock) is the Chief Legal Counsel for one of New York’s leading commercial real estate firms, the Wade Corporation. George Wade (Hugh Grant), is the eccentric and remarkably self-centered head of the firm who seems entirely incapable of making a decision without Lucy’s advice. When things start to get too much for Lucy, she gives him two weeks notice, and George reluctantly accepts, under one condition — Lucy has to hire her own replacement. After extensive research, Lucy picks June Carter (Alicia Witt), a Harvard Law graduate determined to make a career for herself. Lucy soon begins to suspect, however, that June plans to hasten her rise up the corporate ladder by winning George’s hand, leaving Lucy to wonder if she should warn George about his beautiful but calculating new attorney — and whether she should tell George that she has finally realized she’s in love with him.

Watch trailer for Two Weeks Notice

Casablanca (1942)

Expatriate Rick Blaine, a cynical nightclub owner in Casablanca, discovers that his ex-lover Ilsa, who abandoned him years before, has arrived in Casablanca with her Resistance leader husband, Victor. With the Germans on Victor’s trail, Ilsa has come to the club to beg Rick for the precious letters of transit that have come into his possession. The documents would allow Victor to escape Casablanca…

Watch trailer for Casablanca

Gone With the Wind (1939)

Scarlett O’Hara is in love with drippy Ashley Wilkes, and is devastated when he announces that he plans to marry his cousin Melanie. She pleads with Ashley to marry her instead, but then, on the first day of the Civil War, she meets mercurial Rhett Butler. A man to match her strength of character and romantic desires, Butler changes the course of her life. Despite hunger, and the burning of Atlanta…

Watch trailer for Gone With the Wind

The Ghost

Sam and Molly are a very happy couple and deeply in love. Walking back to their new apartment after a night out at the theatre, they encounter a thief in a dark alley, and Sam is murdered. He finds himself trapped as a ghost and realizes that his death was no accident. He must warn Molly about the danger that she is in. But as a ghost he can not be seen or heard by the living, and so he tries to communicate with Molly through Oda Mae Brown, a psychic who didn’t even realize that her powers were real.

Watch trailer for The Ghost

Whatever you choose to do to celebrate Valentines Day – have a great day!

How to Plan Valentine’s Day Party

Hanna Trafford — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 14:33:17 +0000

Valentine’s Day is the occasion to have some fun with your friends, close ones and the love of your life. Check out some exciting tips to arrange a perfect Valentine’s Day Party:

Invitations:
First – make a list of people who you want to invite for your Valentine’s Day party. Send out cards to the intended guests in the shape of a heart or cupid, or with the shape of a heart on the front. It’s even better if you can make some invitation cards yourself for your Valentine’s Day party. You can make them quite attractive by designing them with pictures of famous lovers and putting in some famous love quotes. Tie each card with a red satin ribbon, put inside a small red box filled with candies and stick an invitation note to it. If at all possible, deliver your invites personally. If you are going to mail your invitations, allow extra time for postal delivery – either way you do it, you guests should receive their invites no later than 2 weeks prior to the party.

The Place:
Where you hold your Valentine’s Day Party depends as much on you as on your guests. You can throw a party at your house, provided your celebrations are a family affair and you have the confidence that you can make all the necessary arrangements for it. If you want to make it a little bit different, you can invite your sweetheart/friends to a play at the theatre nearest to your home and have a little get-together before or after. You can also arrange a picnic on the lines of a camp at some good location, one that is safe and nice to spend time at. Getting creative and making a memorable event where everyone is comfortable and having fun is the key.

Decorations:
That depends mostly on the nature of your celebration. If you’re planning a special Valentine’s Day evening for you and your honey, a handful of candles and a bouquet of red roses are enough to set the mood. But if you’re throwing a Valentine’s Day celebration for your friends and family, your will need a good theme and appropriate decorations. Proper decorations go a long way to set the mood for a party and make it an outstanding one. You need to decorate your house according to the theme of the party. You can place heart shaped candle stands and flower vases at different corners and windows.

Decorate the ceilings by hanging heart shape balloons, cupids and paper hearts made of yarn, string or streamers. Red, pink, purple and white are the traditional Valentine’s Day colors. Cut paper hearts of various sizes from construction papers and write messages like “Be Mine”, “My Love” or “I Love You” on them. Add some sequins for that extra colour and sparkle. Scatter the cutouts randomly over tabletops and beds. Cover your table with a white table cloth or sheet and put little candy hearts at one side of the table. These will be your party favours. Fill candy bowls, champagne flutes and martini glasses with colourful treats. And for a special little touch, place a Happy Valentine’s Day banner on the main door.

You can also buy some of vintage Valentine’s Day cards and stand them up across a fireplace mantle or on your drawing room table, or tape them to the bathroom mirror. And last but not the least, to really complete the theme, place a statuette or cardboard cutout of arrow-toting Cupid on your dining table. No Valentine’s Day party is complete without this item. To add to the mood of your party, play some nice romantic songs and spark the mood for romance. Prepare garlands of valentine flowers and place them all over – and your entire home will be saying: “Happy Valentine’s Day”

The Ambiance:
Creating the right ambience for your party is very important – that is what will make the time a memorable one. Dress up your party zone according to the theme of the party. Choose your bed sheets, table covers and curtains in colours like red or pink that goes with the mood of Valentine’s Day. If you are having a private romantic evening with your sweetheart, plan to get some special movie to watch – or select some romantic music to set the mood. If you want to celebrate the time with your friends and family members, groovy numbers or dance tracks will be the best. Make sure, however, that the music for your party suits the taste and preferences of your guests.

The Food:
You will never go wrong if you think hard about pleasing the tastebuds of your guests so what you will select to prepare and serve at your party is an important factor. If you prefer – you could organize a get-together with your friends and family, select your favourite restaurant to meet up with your them and order what you enjoy the best. If you are planning a party in your home, write out the names of your intended guests and think about the selection of foods you will need to prepare based on what you know about them. If your guest list includes vegetarians, make adequate provisions for them. If you want to restrict the celebrations to yourself and your sweetheart, go in for a romantic candlelight dinner. For desserts, chocolate recipes like chocolate-covered strawberries, chocolate truffles, chocolate fondue or chocolate heart-shaped cookies are just great.

The Party Favours
It is always nice to send your guests home with a small gift or party favour. It ends the festivities on a sweet note and keeps the memory of the party alive for your invited ones. These party favours can range from little candy hearts and chocolates to small cupid dolls. Purchase heart shaped boxes to pack sweet treats and heart-shaped chocolates for your guests to take home. It is a good idea to match the party favours to the theme of your party.

Hope these tips were helpful to you – please send in your comments, suggestions and experiences! You input is always very much appreciated!

All About Groundhog Day

Hanna Trafford — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 22:56:41 +0000

I think this is one the nicest traditions around! Especially since it breaks up the monotony of grey, snowy and cold days for some of us living in the climate that gives us reasons to get excited about spring coming possibly soon.

If you are not sure what Groundhog day is – or if you haven’t seen the 1993 movie with Bill Murray, the concept is pretty simple: Groundhog comes of his burrow – is he doesn’t see his shadow, winter will end soon. And on the other side – if he does see his shadow, winter will last for 6 more weeks. You have to like how this is structured:

No shadow = spring will be here soon.

Yes shadow = 6 more weeks of winter.

Looking out of my window right now, 6 more weeks of winter is not so bad!

I have a feeling that this tradition is a good reason to have a party and celebrate – and there is nothing wrong with that. But I did look into the history of the Groundhog day and I found out some interesting facts:

Groundhog Days is celebrated on February 2^nd and held in United States and Canada.
The tradition comes from on old folklore that states: if a groundhog emerges from its burrow on this day and fails to see its shadow, the groundhog will leave its burrow and winter will end soon.
This celebration began as a Pennsylvania German custom in southeastern and central Pennsylvania in the 18^th century and has its origins in ancient European weather lore, where the main characters were either a badger or a bear as opposed to a groundhog.
This holiday also bears some similarities to the medieval catholic holiday of Candlemas andto Pagan festival of Imbolc, the seasonal turning point of the Celtic calendar, which was celebrated on February 2^nd and involved weather prognostication.
The most famous Groundhog day celebration are held in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, where as many as 40,000 celebrate the holiday and wait for the appearance of the famous Punxsutawney Phil. This celebration started in 1886.
Punxsutawney is located in Western Pennsylvania, about 80 miles northeast of Pittsburg.

About Punxsutawney Phil

The groundhog’s full name is actually “Punxsutawney Phil, Seer of Seers, Sage of Sages, Prognosticator of Prognosticators and Weather Prophet Extraordinary.” It was so proclaimed by the “Punxsutawney Groundhog Club” in 1887, the same year they declared Punxsutawney to be the weather capital of the world.

For most of the year, Phil lives in a climate-controlled home at the Punxsutawney Library. He is taken to Gobbler’s Knob and placed in a heated burrow underneath a simulated tree stump on stage before being pulled out at 7:25 am on Groundhog Day, February 2, to make his prediction.
Most major television stations across the country, as well as the big screen in Times Square, broadcast the official Groundhog Day ceremony.

About Wiarton Willie.

Wiarton Willie is an albino groundhog, which means he is pure white, who, every February 2nd, climbs out of his hole, and predicts the weather. If Wiarton Willie sees his shadow, we will have six more weeks of winter. However, if he doesn’t see his shadow, we will have an early spring.
Wonder how Wiarton got to be the Groundhog Capitol on Canada?

Well, 54 years ago, in January of 1956, a local by the name of Mac Mackenzie was trying to stir up a little fun in Wiarton, because back then, it wasn’t a very active place in wintertime. So, Mac decided to have a party. He sent out invitations to his friends, calling for a ‘Groundhog Day’ celebration, and set the date for February 2nd. Somehow, one of these invitations fell into the hands of a Toronto Star reporter.

This reporter traveled to Wiarton, hoping to write a story on the bog festival. However, when he got here, nothing was going on; it was just Mac and a few of his friends having a drink at the local pub. The reporter told Mac that he just couldn’t go back home without a story so Mac, thinking quickly, grabbed one of his friend’s wife’s hats (which was white and furry), dug a hole in the snow, popped the hat into the hole, and made a weather prediction. The reporter took the photo, and the next day the story ran in the Toronto Star as ‘Groundhog Day’. The next year, about 50 people showed up for the festival, and the legend was born.

Nowadays, the festival attracts close to 10,000 people a year, with such activities and events as parades, dances, ice hockey tournaments, pancake breakfasts and the fabled Wiarton Willie Weather prediction.

I hope you have fun day on the Groundhog Day and that either one of those furry creatures will see his shadow!