Spring Sale!

My *Asterisk* Life

Recipes

  • Cape May and Fairy Gardens

    I’m kind of sad that summer is unofficial lye over, but I can’t complain. I’ve spent the last few weekends of summer happily. A few weeks ago, Matt and I decided to go on a mini road trip down memory lane to our old Stockton stomping grounds. Normally our trips to our old college town…

  • Backyard Camping

    It’s been a crazy August in our house. I’ve been wanting to start the baby room, but right now it’s still a storage space. We have to water proof the basement first so our things don’t get ruined. It’s been feeling a bit cluttered, but not cluttered enough to cancel our backyard camping with my…

  • April Fool’s Day/Chicken Day for Mom!

    In case you didn’t know, one of my many jobs is an English Professor, so I love the fact that April Fool’s Day could be traced back to one of Chaucer’s most popular Canterbury Tales, The Nun’s Priest’s Tale, about a fox who plays a trick on a rooster.  You can check out the real…

  • Irish Potato Candies: Happy St Patrick’s Day!

    Happy St Patrick’s Day! Today my mom is making some corned beef and cabbage and I made some Irish potato candies for dessert. They aren’t actual potatoes, but cream cheese and coconut candies rolled in cinnamon to look like tiny potatoes just dug up from the ground. Irish potato candies are super-fast and easy festive…

  • Birthdays and Weight Cake

    Last weekend we celebrated Dad’s birthday, and after weeks of keeping quiet we celebrated my brother-in-law’s surprise 40th birthday. Nancy was able to plan the surprise party without Ben having any idea. She themed the party “Fit and Forty,” and we designed invitations and favor labels to match. For centerpieces, Nancy used foam circles and…

  • Home Is Where My Pumpkin Is

    It’s finally December, and that means fall is officially over (in my book anyway). I started to pack up all my pumpkins, leaves, scarecrows, and various autumnal decor to replace them with pine trees, holly berries and all my winter decorations. But before I finished I had to use my pumpkin soup bowl. When I…

  • Labor Day Luau Cake

    It’s only Wednesday, and I’m already missing my Labor day off. The long weekend was both fun and restful, with boat rides, BBQs and pool time. My Aunt Roe had a BBQ on Sunday for the holiday, and I was in charge of bringing a dessert. My cousin Cretia gave me the idea to make…

  • “Gorgapalooza”

    My grandparents came from the same small Italian town, Gorga. I’ve been there once, and it is a beautiful, quaint place. I would love to post photos of when I went to Gorga, but I went 10 years ago (before digital cameras and before my parents’ house fire). I have to work on restoring the…

  • Spiced Rum Mojitos

      My sisters birthday was last weekend, and it has inspired me to make my own mojitos. We went down to Atlantic City to dance the night away at Boogie Nights and eat like slobs at Cuba Libre. We successfully did both. (You can read my reviews on both places on Yelp) I happen to…

  • My mom, the Leo

    Happy Birthday, Mom! I don’t live and die by the zodiac signs, but I do find it very interesting when they are accurate. My Mom’s birthday was this past Sunday, and she is a Leo in every sense. There is no one as straightforward and frank as my mom. You never EVER have to wonder…