The Picnic Table

This week has been long.....  the WHOLE family was around.  That is 19 of us!

My table has been full these last few days!  

From breakfast to dinner...... snacks to dessert......lunch to Tea Parties!

We have  laughed and played and laughed some more!

One thing that the Grandchildren look forward to is "The Tea Party"!  

Whenever we all gather together, I have a Tea Party for the children and they

now expect it!  (which is fine with me) This time my table for the Tea Party was

outside!  surprised everyone......We were at the picnic table!  

We had little Cucumber Sandwiches, Piroulines,  Peanut Butter Balls, 

Animal Crackers, and the favorite of everyone this time was:

Marshmallow Pops!!!

Of course, we had Tea, Apple Cinnamon Tea in wine glasses!

We learned about St. Patrick and the snakes of Ireland; 

played "Mother May I", Red Light/Green Light; and Chase!

As the coolness of the evening set in we all went inside, to eat our dinner, 

which was prepared by my lovely daughter-in-love, Kristen!  How nice

it was to not have to cook but just to enjoy the grandchildren! 

(Thanks Kristen!)

So as this week ends, I will remember all the "table" fun we had!  

I hope that you all have a fun time as you Share Your Table!

Another Table

Another Table

This week end I shared another table............ kind of mine..... I had all of my children  (except Jason) and grandchildren there.  It is always a blessing when we ALL get together.  Although the house is getting smaller, we still sit together at The Table!  This time it was at El Amigo's!  We had eighteen -- 18 -- for lunch!!!!  I am so blessed!  We ate, chatted, discussed, talked, laughed, and had an amazing time together!!!  The Table was full! We were all full! After lunch, we all went our separate ways for the rest of the afternoon..... some took a nap.....some played games.....some watched TV.....some visited....and etc....  Later on that evening, we all met at Joel's house for a cook out!   Again, a time around The Table, this time it was Ayla's. She opened her home for all of us to feel
 "at home"!   Such a sweet hostess!  What a lovely time we all had!  I relish these times with my family....... I only wish they happened more often!  At least, I have had my fix for this week! :) 

A Family Recipe -- Filled Cabbage

•     Filled Cabbage (Töltött Káposzta)

•     I have had a few people who asked for this recipe. It is a family recipe from my Daddy's mother. It has roots  from Hungary. I hope you will try it and enjoy a part of my family!

•      Ingredients:

2 to 3 medium heads cabbage

1-2 cup cooked long grain white rice

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 lb. ground pork

1 lb. ground beef

1-1/2 to 2 teaspoons salt**

3/4 teaspoon black pepper**

2 cans sauerkraut

3 to 4 cups tomato juice

3-5 bays leaves

Remove core from cabbage. Place whole head in a large pot filled with boiling water. Cover and cook 3 minutes, or until softened enough to pull off individual leaves. When leaves are cool enough to handle, use a paring knife to cut away the thick center stem from each leaf, without cutting all the way through. (I don’t do this)Place remaining cabbage in the bottom of a large pot.

Mix beef, pork, rice, garlic, salt and pepper, (I do not salt and pepper here I let each one do for themselves at the table.)  until well combined. 

Place about 1/2 cup (depending on the size of the cabbage leaf) of meat on each cabbage leaf. Roll away from you to encase the meat. Flip the right side of the leaf to the middle, then flip the left side. You will have something that looks like an envelope. Once again, roll away from you to create a neat little roll. (fold like you would a burrito)

Place the cabbage rolls on top of the cabbage in the pot. Layering as you go with the sauerkraut and bay leaves.  Pour tomato juice over rolls, cover and cook on LOW for 4-5 hours.  You could use a slow cooker for this.

Cabbage rolls freeze well before or after cooking, and can be made in a slow cooker (see your manufacturer's instructions).

This is best when served with homemade bread and butter.

**I do not use salt and pepper........ I let everyone do as he wishes at the table.

Hot Soup for a Cold Night!

Sharing my table with two of my boys and their families. The weather has knocked out their power so they have come home! 

The table was full tonight.... Homemade Vegetable Beef Soup and My Granny's Fried Cornbread! A GREAT meal for such a cold evening and a big group! There are nine of us here sharing this table and house and bathroom!  :D  Hope you all are safe and warm with your family too!

(This was February 12, 2014 ........ sleet, snow, and ice covered most of Georgia ........ power lines were knocked down, along with trees and branches, thankfully not too many accidents.)

The Special Plate

The plate wasn’t really special, it was just different that all of the other plates that I had. Everyone of my boys, four of them, wanted that plate but how could I give it to just one of them? So, my solution was that when it was their birthday or when they did something at school that was exceptional or when I noticed that they were trying really hard to be good..... whatever it was; I made them special for that day! They got to use the “Special” plate!!! As they grew older, the plate got set aside, now what I did to make them feel special, was I would let them pick their favorite meal for their birthday, including dessert! On other special achievements, we would celebrate with special meals that included time spent with the family! No plate was necessary anymore, they each knew that they were SPECIAL! I encourage each one of you to find something that you can do within your own family to make them feel! This includes your spouse! Love is so powerful and so necessary, let those you love, know that you love them. Now go out and find that special plate!

I am back .............. Sharing My Table with you!

Dear Friends,

Wow!  It has been a long time since I have visited this blog!  A friend of mine reminded me today that I use to blog about Sharing My Table and that she missed it.  I didn't realize that it had been more than a year since I last wrote!  So, here I am..... sitting........ at the end of a long day....... reading some of the blogs that I had written.  Amazingly, it is my life!  Hence, I will begin to write again.  That really felt good to say!  Things have been SO VERY busy that I had forgotten how much I enjoyed this blog.  I hope that you will join me as we sit at the Table Sharing our lives!  Blessings of Peace and Rest to you and yours.

Until tomorrow.......

Debbie