My husband and I have always been avid readers. I'm not sure exactly how many books (hardcover and paperbacks) we've collected over the 25 years we've been married, because that would involve digging them out, dusting them off and actually counting them and, well, ain't nobody got time for that, but I'm pretty sure the number is in the hundreds. And I have a confession to make. Ready? Okay! Here it is: I am a historical romance novel addict, from way back. Date night with my oldest and youngest girls. If anyone needs me, I'll be right here...immersed in one... Read more →

So, yesterday I shared my secret stash of REAL paprika (seriously, I totally felt as if it should have been illegal) today I'm super-excited to be able to post one of my favorite go to Hungarian family recipes -- Pörkölt, made in a pressure cooker! I needed to wait for it to finish cooking and then make sure to make it look all Pinterest-worthy and stuff, but mostly because I'm a little afraid of the pressure cooker and it sort of needed my full attention. Good news is, the Pörkölt came out fantastic and I didn't blow anything up! I... Read more →

My parents worked two (sometimes three) jobs -- we lived in a 4-room apartment, upstairs in my Grandmother's house, at the time -- so my brother and I grew up eating a lot of t.v. dinners -- remember those?!? The salisbury steak with the chocolate pudding-ish cake was my favorite. Or was it the dinner that came with the hot apple lava? I forget. Either way, I almost NEVER ate the veggies -- they were just too squishy for, my taste. Aaaaanyway, dinner planning during week nights and Saturdays (a.k.a. scrub the apartment, from top to bottom, or until everything... Read more →

My dad has been on "the Facebook" for a little over a year and it's been fun to watch him reconnect with friends and family here and in Hungary, but he was a little worried about leaving comments for his English-speaking friends...in English...so, of course, I tried to encourage him (because I am ALL about social media engagement, yo) by insisting that Bing translator would help them out. Aaaaand, seeing some of the crazy stuff that Bing said, that he said, is yet ANOTHER reason why I do not, and should probably never be encouraged to, teach social media classes.... Read more →

My maternal grandparents were married on June 9, 1935 in UjDombovar (pronounced oo-yuh-dome-bo-vah-r) Hungary. My grandfather Istvan was the oldest of 7 children and my grandmother Maria was born on a farmstead in a small Hungarian village bordering present day Croatia, Serbia and Slovenia. Through my father's own childhood memories, I now know my grandfather became the patriarch of his family, following the sudden death of his father, and (albeit, very unwillingly) took on the responsibility of supporting his mother and his 6 siblings: 2 years into World War I, my grandfather was 16 years-old, at the time. My grandmother... Read more →

He's drinking out of the dog's water bowl, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?!? I remember the first time I got "my cards read," I was my youngest girl's age (12 going on 42) and it freaked me out, big time. Her name was Charlotte, she was a friend of my Aunt Theresa's and she practiced cartomancy, which sounds an awful lot like gastromancy, but has nothing to do with being romantically involved with someone who works for the gas company -- although, considering today's economy, it certainly would be a perk. "You will marry a man, with 5 letters in his... Read more →

My dad and me, as seen on Facebook. My 3 oldest kids are on Facebook; once my youngest turns 13, I will probably allow her to create a Facebook account, too. Aaaaand, just like her older siblings, I will also insist that she "friend" me on Facebook, because I believe in being a fair and equally annoying parent to ALL of my children. Then, my parents got online and it wasn't long before I introduced my dad to Facebook. It's been fun watching my Dad reconnect with family members (who mostly live in Hungary and Austria) and he really enjoys... Read more →