There was not a morning when I was growing up that my Mom didn’t make a full breakfast. The aroma of something cooking, waking me up even before my alarm clock did and the warmth of starting my day in such a caring way. Even now, when we visit her and stay in my parents home, breakfast is ready and waiting for us each and every day.

Breakfasts start our day- they offer a new beginning to look at the day in a fresh way and greet those you love as well as yourself with warmth and care. We should care about ourselves as much as we care for those we love- we should nourish the bodies and minds that will take us through our day, face challenges and make the most of that which lies waiting. Breakfast is like a security blanket, it stays with us and protects and comforts as we leave the warm covers and enter the cold reality of life outside that front door.

Breakfasts don’t have to be a four course meal- just healthy and nutritious. Our lifestyles unfortunately don’t allow for the joy of sitting down and sharing in those long and wonderful breakfasts-even on weekends. However, making the time to fit those in from time to time and when we cannot, at least having something quick and love-filled in the morning can make all the difference.

There was a time when all three of my kids were in a flurry in the morning- showers, gathering homework, running out the door to catch a bus. Then came all driving in different cars and going different directions and I saw very quickly that our routine had to change. For years they all sat shoulder to shoulder at the kitchen counter waiting for their breakfasts from the short order cook named Mom. Feet barely reaching the stools foot rest and pj’s with hockey players on them and kittens and puppies. Hair everywhere and precious faces waking up slowly. They still have hair going all directions, pjs are now sweats and t-shirts and feet touch the ground. In the summer and on weekends, the short order cook returns and the kitchen counter has customers. However. like most families, breakfasts have evolved into a quick on the run meal. I still bring breakfast to them occasionally and make that extra effort to see that they have something to start their day but for the most part- it is caught on the way through the kitchen to the laundry room or shower.

So, what is the answer? Having great choices available and when able, making the time to sit down and start the day together. Start the day with those you love, share the warmth of good food, prepared with love and put on that security blanket. I am a firm believer that there are some things we never have to give up when we grow up- ever.

**To The Last Drop offers breakfast to go each and every Saturday from 8 a.m.- 11 a.m. Each week there is a special entree and quiche to go by the slice or ordered ahead to take home whole. Fresh baked croissants, scones, muffins and our house granola. Take home warm and fresh for your family- all you have to do is call them to the table! If you prefer, you can eat at the dining room tabel at the shop….if there is room! Complimentary coffee is available and cocoa when it snows. Come in and feel the warmth, feel the best way to start your day…..you can even bring your own security blanket and slippers are welcomed!

This last week has been a particularly difficult week. There have been losses at every turn it seems and challenges to keep a tight hold of hope. People far away from our world here are suffering, asking why tragedy has come upon their lives and doing all in their power not to lose hope. Here in our community, we struggle in the loss of a young life and a loss of his hope for his future. We look into our own hearts and look for the hope in what can be taken from this to again instill hope for his loving family, his friends and our youth. In our own personal lives we struggle with hope which has been taken and disappointment- perhaps in others, perhaps in ourselves.

Yet, hope is resilient. It teaches us that although lives may be taken, dreams shattered or hearts broken- we can continue and move forward. That which seems unbearable becomes a mountain we can climb. That which threatens to break us apart, pulls us together. That is hope. One of my favorite sayings is by Oscar Wilde:

“What seems to us as bitter trials are often blessings in disguise”

To remain hopeful allows us to see those blessings. I wish that for the many many people that have been struggling with hope this week- hold tight, hold fast.

Claudia

I have been thinking a lot about transitions this past week- mostly because I have about ten going on simultaneously in my own life. Some by choice and some thrust upon me. I have come to the conclusion that either way, they feel the same. Those by choice have a bit more forewarning and come a bit more slowly unlike those that appear and suddenly knock the wind from your sails- but both insist upon change.

My son went back to college and I am also preparing to send off my second child as we speak….applications, graduation plans, special trips this summer to gather as much of “family” time that I am able. Changes and transitions- I suppose it is best to just dive in because they will come anyway.

I had a transition at the shop last weekend and one that will continue to come on slowly as this one was planned. The Saturday morning breakfasts have been an idea for awhile so I saw it coming and it is a great addition. I am looking forward to next Saturday already- a change in routine, an extra chance to do what I love to do which is cook for others, and a nice transition to a new part of my business. I hope you will stop by some Saturday for a warm breakfast to go- it is a cozy start to your day and I would love to share it with you.

This comfortable transition will undoubtedly help with all the others going on- perhaps in your life as well. Sometimes that comfort food, a warm cup of goodness and a smile can do wonders!! Winter months can be cold as can change- but they too shall pass! Saturdays at To The Last Drop may be a small ticket on that road!

Here we are, another year ahead and the many experiences awaiting us all! I always look back and try to reflect upon all the many new people, experiences and discoveries I have made over the past year. It is always a very humbling experience as I make to “plan” and organize my life and time. I love to get out my fresh datebook, clear of my scribbles, scratch outs and notes and begin filling in dates, trips, birthdays…. For some odd reason, it gives me a good feeling and I sit back thinking I am in control. That is usually the last moment of the New Year that I feel that way!

Soon, life creeps in and what I thought was a plan becomes a blur of new scribbles, notes and for the most part, anything but control. It is usually then that I take the time to reflect upon all that I didn’t see coming in the past year that surprised me unannounced and made its way into my datebook. While there are a handful of the unfortunate, the heart breaking or the “rug out from under you” moments and events, for the most part, all the surprise and unplanned entries in my datebook are ones that I would never trade away or erase if they were by chance “penciled in”. I realize that those are what brings life into the days of the week as they trudge by, they bring a reason for thought, laughter, discovery and human realism.

So, I start this year as I do every other one- with high hopes, with a trusting heart, a clean slate and ready to fill in the blanks of my datebook and days.

Hope to see you in the shop, hope to perhaps mark you down in my datebook and will look forward to all the entries this year!

A brief but heartfelt blog this week!

Many blessings to all of you and your families for a beautiful Holiday season. We all come from different backgrounds, share many different faiths and walk unique and varied paths in our lives. Our differences do not divide us but give us all the opportunity to practice understanding. tolerance and kindness. We share that which does unite us- a desire to be loved and love in return and a yearning to be a part of something much bigger than ourselves.

With that in mind, I wish you a season of joy, goodwill, loving kindness and understanding.

We will be closed from December 20-January 5th. Best wishes for the New Year as well and I will see you in 2010!!

With Blessings-

Claudia

I am counting down the days- 10 to be exact! Not the days left to mail packages and haver them arrive in time for Christmas. Not the days left until Christmas . Not the days left in the year 2009.

I am counting down the days until my son returns from his first semester at college. To hear that familiar door slam and “Mom!” called will be the best Christmas present of all- nothing else required. To go to sleep at night knowing he is in his bed upstairs and to wake every morning to him sauntering into the kitchen for some breakfast is all I want/all I need. I can’t wait to have him put the last few ornaments we have saved for him on the tree. Can’t wait to hear him laugh with his sisters. Can’t wait to see his crooked smile and have one of the enormous hugs. And my heart will be full and overflowing when he comes down those stairs with his sisters on Christmas morning just as they have done for many many years.

His sisters and I are not the only ones who will be very happy he is home- Maddie will be so happy that “her boy” is here. When they lock eyes and he says “hello girl” she, too, will feel that overwhelming joy. Maddie is our fifteen year old rescue dog. We have had her fourteen of those years and when she had aged enough and earned her place inside the house, she became Todd’s roomate. For years they have slept together and awakened together and when she became so weak and arthritic that it seemed impossible to go up the stairs to his room- she did it. There was no keeping her from Todd.

Maddie, by all medical logic, should not be here today but her sheer will to live and her desire to remain with us has sustained her an additional 1 1/2 years beyond the day we considered putting her to sleep after seeing the reports. Having done that before with other dogs, we chose to give Maddie the choice to tell us when it was time- we are still waiting for that day. There are signs and some days we listen more carefully but the message has not been spoken. Ten days until Todd’s return and I pray I don’t hear it.

We now have a baby gate at the stairwell so that Maddie will not attempt to climb the stairs (she also loves the girls and wants to always be with us no matter where we go). I know that the gate will be moved aside and Maddie will follow step by step each night with “her boy”- slowly and surely. The return trip down may need some strong arms to carry her but she will do the ascent on her own for the prize at the end will keep her going.

Homecomings are precious- the moment of reuniting is beyond words. I know that one dog in particular will not need words- her tail and eyes will do the talking and it will speak volumes.

May all your homecomings this season be filled with joy and the reuniting of loved ones in your lives. I will be closed from December 20-January 5th so as not to miss all those precious moments. When we re-open in January we will have warm breakfasts to go, new items in our coolers to bring home for dinner or share at gatherings with friends, classes to join and cooking to do!  Check out all the many places on our website and visit the shop- we will be there until the 19th cooking and watching “It’s A wonderful Life”. Sfter that….I will be savoring a truly wonderful life at home.

Until next week-

Thanksgiving has now past and we are moving ahead to the next holiday to share in and savor. This year, the memory of Thanksgiving will stay with me all year through and more. I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday with families and friends.

From the time we landed in Florida last Wednesday and returned last night late, our hours were filled with the enjoyment of sharing meals and preparation together. I just spent the holiday with my three children, my siblings, their children and my parents and a very special person who endured the initiation into our family life. Together, for five days, we cooked, ate, cooked, ate and laughed until our stomachs were either too full or too tired from the laughing.

Wednesday we shared a dinner and cooked pies,potatoes, appetizers until the wee hours of the night. Thanksgiving was of course filled with more early morning cooking and baking and then the sharing of one enormous dinner a movie and lots of stories. Friday was a very special celebration and dinner out for my parents 60th anniversary followed by more desserts and home movies dating back to 1923. (I was only in the ones from 1960 on thank you very!) Saturday was filled with decorating my Mom and Dad’s home for Christmas and of course, more food and yesterday we dragged ourselves to the airport very thankful they were only weighing our suitcases and not us!

Throughout the entire weekend I could not help but notice how the creating and sharing of food was a bond and a place of meeting for us to engage with one another, share and work together and relax and laugh. One brother was terribly missed at the table but not in spirit and the stories, food and drink flowed freely.

Gatherings do not have to be formal, do not have to be planned with perfection and do not have to be “gourmet” whatever that word has come to mean in this culture. They need to be planned and shared with joy, meaningful emotion and a desier to share much more than what is on the plate. The nourishment that I gained over the past five days was far more in my heart than in my stomach. I am filled up in more ways than one.

So, plan a gathering with some friends, neighbors, co-workers. Skip the crowded restaurants and choose a small and intimate place or home. Create together, share more than the meal, and start a new movement of bringing people back to the table. You will be happy you did and your heart will be full….as well as your stomach!

Happy Holidays!

On Thursday there will be a slowing down, a sharing of stories, laughter and hugs. Tables will be adorned with home cooked meals prepared with love and holding many secrets of years past and families and friends will share time together- something we should all do more often.

My children and I and will be traveling to share the holiday with my parents, all of my siblings and most of their children and some special others in our lives. My son will join us from his first year at college- I can hardly wait to see him. We will cook together, watch old movies, tell our stories and treasure the time with one another. Through a year of dealing with many struggles such as Alzheimers, cancer and challenges of the economy we will put all that aside and remember the many many blessings we have and all for which we should be thankful.

I wish all of you a day and want you to know I am truly thankful for the opportunities you have given me, the events in which you have allowed me to share, and for your support, encouragement and generosity.

I look forward to sharing the holiday season with you- we will have the new class list for January-June 2010 available online and in the shop December 1.  Gift certificates are available for classes, meals or private dinners. We will also have special holiday treats, spreads and items to purchase at the shop for your holiday entertaining. Stop in and visit, have a cup of cocoa on a snowy day and watch a minute or two of “It’s a Wonderful Life”…you know it will be playing!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Claudia

I am cooking more turkeys this week than I ever done within a years time. Lots and lots of turkeys, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes and gravy!! I still get a moment of anxiety over my gravy because of my older brothers teasing me about it one year long long ago. Altrhough it has now been 40 years since the word “lumpy” sent me into tears and onto my bed, it still haunts me!

I hope you don’t have that type of scarring with any portion of your meal this holiday. I have long since conquered the lumps but also know that turkeys, stuffing, sides can all give a person some worry especially when a table full of family and friends is waiting for that perfect meal that will bring back old and create new memories. That’s a lot of pressure on the cook!

If you find yourself in need of some advice or some sides, spreads wtc. that will help- just call. I will be cooking turkeys all week and taking orders for Thanksgiving dishes. Check out my website and the menu and call or stop in to place an order. All orders need to be picked up on November 24th- just keep that in mind.

Thanks to all who stopped by at the Open House on Saturday- it was a nice day and I appreciate your sacrifice of thie unbelieveable weather outside to come inside and try some food, sign-up for classes and see what was cooking- literally! It was a great day and I really enjoyed seeing you-

Until next week….

If any of you have read any of my previous blogs or know me personally- you know this is a subject close to me. I am a very traditional person and have roots with parts of my life that run very deep. I think to some, looking at some of these things which I am rooted to would seem trivial, perhaps a bit superficial, and even a bit odd. So be it. I have along with the people in my life, a deep connection to and attachment to things and actions.

Tradition is there as I still keep in contact with several of my childhood friends, college friends, post college New York friends, and past neighbors. I still write letters and send birthday cards (although my memory is a bit taxed in the past two years or so), still love to make homemade Christmas cards and send a picture of the kids (they hate me for it) and count as my most favorite moments those which are shared with old friends, siblings and of course, my kids. I have belongings that will never ever leave my side-momentos, books, furniture, jewlery that has been loved for many many years by members of my generational family. I was sorting through many things this past weekend and realized that such items are not just stuff or things- they are a part of me. I know some may disagree and say we should not allow ourselves to become attached to material things. I don’t love these things, however, because they create a persona, gain superficial and social respect or because I “need” them to make me whole. I love them because they are me as they are a part of my story, a part of where I have come from and  part of those who have loved these things in the past. They make me feel I belong to something more that today and that I have stories and memories that are important and can continue on to my children and their children……

I also love the events and behaviors that are traditional for me. Waking my kids every morning and bringing them breakfast (I know, you are struggling to believe that one), allowing one “outside” dog at a time in the house as they become the oldest and in need of extra TLC. We have done this three times and sadly are about to follow this tradition again as Maddie enters her last weeks with us. I love watching “It’s a Wonderful Life” for the first time every Thanksgiving night, watching “I love Lucy” whenever I cook, and Sundays in the winter, in the kitchen with a classic old movie, making a comfort food dinner to enjoy.

Traditions- they only have to make sense to you and that is what counts. However, the richness of those traditions deepens with every loved one, friend and even sometimes stranger, with whom you share them.

I hope as we enter the holiday seasons and all the traditions that we each have- you will find someone new to share them with and grow deeper those special memories.

I would love to hear from everyone, their favorite traditions of the holiday season. I would love to hear of some of your special meals, creations in the kitchen and family gatherings. Look for my email newsletter next month for some of my favorite holiday meals- maybe even a story or two!

Stop in on December 1st for some home cooking and the first run of “Its A Wonderful Life” fp the season!!