April 2009 Newsletter

April, 2009
CookiesItalian.com NEWSLETTER

Mother's Day is May 10th

Did you know

There are 84 million mothers in the U.S.

There are more phone calls made on Mother's Day than on any other day of the year.

The number of people calling their moms on Mother's Day has declined in recent years due to e-mail and other electronic means of communication.

While nearly 80 percent of Americans will buy a card for mom this year, 83 percent of the cards will be purchased by daughters.

Mother's Day is the third-largest card-sending holiday.

Mother's Day is the busiest day of the year for restaurants.

Mother's Day is a great day to send Italian cookies to your mom and grandma.

Daughters keep in closer contact with their mothers than do sons.

What the Bible says about Mothers...

Gen 3:20 Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living.

Exo 20:12 Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.

Lev 19:3 Each of you must respect his mother and father, and you must observe my Sabbaths. I am the LORD your God.

Deu 5:16 Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the LORD your God is giving you.

2 Ki 4:30 But the child's mother said, "As surely as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave you." So he got up and followed her.

Prov 10:1 The proverbs of Solomon: A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish son brings grief to his mother.

Isa 66:13 As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you; and you will be comforted over Jerusalem.

Ezek 16:44 Everyone who quotes proverbs will quote this proverb about you: "Like mother, like daughter."

Luke 1:43 But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

Luke 2:51 Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart.

John 19:26-27 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son," and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.

Mass for your mom on Mother's Day
On Mother's Day - May 10th - I will be celebrating Mass for my mom and grandmothers. If you would like me to include your mother and/or grandmother just e-mail me her name and I will remember her by name at Sunday Mass on May 10th. Also let me know if she is living on earth or in heaven.
CLICK HERE TO EMAIL ME or FrMichael@BuildMySpirit.com

Una buona mamma vale cento maestre.
(A good mother is worth a hundred teachers.)

Special for
Mother’s Day
Give Mom a Hand Painted
Mug from Italy
Complete with
Italian Coffee or
Italian Sipping Chocolate
and an assortment
of Italian Cookies

Special for Mother’s Day $54.38
Save $13.59 - $14.09

CLICK HERE TO SEE ALL SELECTIONS

Last Day to Order is May 2nd for delivery by Mother’s Day.
All orders will be shipped the week of May 4^th unless otherwise requested.

THIS MONTH'S COOKIE RECIPE
This is one of my favorite cookies. It's a little work but worth the trouble if you like filled cookies.

Fruit & Nut Filled Cookies
Ingredients:
1/2 lb. Crisco
1-1/2 cups sugar
6 tsp baking powder
2 Tbsp vanilla
1-1/2 to 2 lb. flour (2 cups to a pound)
6 eggs, beaten

Directions:
Cream shortening and sugar.
Beat eggs and add to first miuxture.
Add vanilla, baking powder and flour.
Keep adding flour gradually until dough reaches pie crust consistency.
Mix well. Knead with hands to make a smooth dough.

Filling:
6 oz peach preserves
4 oz orange marmalade
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup raisins
1 tsp. cinnamon

Mix filling ingredients together in a separate bowl.

Roll out dough to about 1/4 inch thickness on lightly floured surface.
Cut in strips 3 inches by 10 inches long.
On half of each pastry strip, drop one teaspoon of filling at two-inch intervals.
Fold over the top half and cut each cookiel with a round glass.
Seal edges with a fork.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Place cookies on a greased cookie sheet and bake for ten to fifteen minutes until bottoms and tops are golden brown.

NOTE: you can shape cookies into squares, circles, half circles, or rectangles. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired

Makes 6-8 dozen cookies.

DID YOU KNOW?
Why Italian cuisine is so popular.
The secret is in the art of Mamma Pincino: un pizzico qua, un pizzico la (a pinch here and a pinch there). The variety of foods can accommodate everyone's tastebuds. The cuisine varies from the fritti misti (mix of fried fish) and fegato alla veneziana (liver) of Venice, to the costoletta alla milanese (breaded veal) of Milan, to the bistecca alla florentina (grilled steak) of Florence, to the saltimbocca (veal with prosciutto) of Rome. The list could continue on and on.

Nowadays, even lean cuisine is available in Italy. Some of this emphasis on the lean taps into traditional casalinga (home-style) cooking. This cuisine includes dishes such as pasta e fagioli (pasta and beans), pasta con sarde (pasta with fish), and risotto con seppie (rice with cuttlefish) and further complements it with un bel bicchiere di vino (a good glass of wine).

Till next time - have happy days.
Thanks much for your interest in Italian cookies and Italian traditions.
Come visit us soon or send a note. http://www.cookiesitalian.com