Author: foodjules

Happy Birthday Julian!

On Monday, November 8, 2010, Michael and I were at Bridgeport Hospital, welcoming our new baby boy, Julian.

Thinking of him today and everyday. Forever in our hearts and in our memories. Just look at him, he’s just beautiful and so sweet!

Julian's first moments here on earth.

I remember this day like it was just this morning… the anticipation of his arrival and then seeing him as they pulled him out of inside my body. I was so excited, I wanted (want) him soooo very much. I will never forget that moment. They took him right away to the NICU though and I didn’t get to hold him or kiss him right when he was born. That was so sad as I looked forward to laying him on my chest as they wheeled me out of surgery. I tried to be positive and looked forward until the moment that I did hold him, later that day and prayed that everything would be ok.

Holding his hand for the very first time….

We will never forget the moment we walked into the NICU and as soon as I said “Hi Julian”… he called out for me, yearning for me just as much as I was yearning for him. I still yearn for him every moment of every day. I can still feel the softness of his little tiny fingers and his smooth head and I can still look into those big, beautiful eyes and see into his beautiful soul. He has so much love and knowledge inside of him. He has so much to give us.

Just a few days after Julian was born…
Julian... the sweetest baby in the whole world

We are so thankful that after all the challenges he faced when he was born, we were able to bring him home with us. He worked so hard and we are so thankful to him for allowing us the privilege of having him home with us, even if it was just a few short weeks, we were able to hold him, sleep with him, bathe him and I was able to nurse him, the one connection that I always enjoyed with all of my children. He did it. He was a fighter and he left this world fighting hard to be with him mommy, daddy, brother and sister. He wanted to be with us as much as we wanted to be with him. Oh how much I wish we could still be with him right now, the only thing that I have to look forward to is to be together with him again some day. That’s all that keeps me going. I want to see you again my sweet boy. I want to look into those beautiful, sweet eyes again.

Mommy and Daddy love you and that is forever!
Julian in our home, looking at us.

Today, we will be celebrating that glorious, special day when you changed our lives forever. When you changed the lives of so many around you because you are just that special. I love you. I miss you. Daddy loves you. Daddy misses you. Lilliana loves you. Lilliana misses you. Lucas loves you. Lucas misses you. We all really miss holding you Julian. Thank you sweetheart. Thank you for giving us your love.

My three beautiful children, as they should be, "in love with each other"
Me and my baby, always in my arms
The five of us.... our first family photo!

Happy ONE YEAR Birthday Julian Michael Cerrato….. See you again some day my handsome man.

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Attention Adults!

The kids cooking classes at the library have been a huge hit. So much so, that they’ve asked me to conduct an adult and a teen cooking class.

The first ever adult cooking class will be held at the EWML library on Sunday, December 4th from 2-3:30. The theme for the class will be Holiday Hors  d’oeuvres. You will learn how to make delicious appetizers for your holiday gatherings or any other parties, while enjoying the company of friends.

Classes fill up very quickly so sign up online TODAY!

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RIP Hammerhead

To those of you that have read about our fish, Hammerhead, we have some sad news. He passed away today. It makes me so very sad that he is gone. He was here throughout all of Julian’s life and he survived so many close to death episodes, but he couldn’t keep going on any longer. Yes, it’s a fish, but I took care of that fish all the time, I revived him so many times but I couldn’t do it anymore and now he is gone. It’s so sad that this happened right at this sad time.

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We’re back!

Well, I just can’t believe it. It really snowed here in New England and took out power for so many… reminiscent of our Hurricane Irene days, except it’s really cold outside this time so many are finding shelter at local hotels or with friends and family. We were one of the lucky ones and got our power back on Tuesday night. We were all very excited to get power back, as it is very difficult being in chaos during this extremely sensitive and rough time. I need as much normalcy as possible right now, whatever is considered normal at this point in our life.

Well, I wanted to update you on few things that are still happening even with the snow storm.

1. NEW RETAIL LOCATION: Food Jules Organic Jams and Granola is now available for purchase at our local Purdy Hill Bakery in Monroe. The girls there are very sweet and they have included Food Jules in their space. We are very grateful to them. So now you can pick up your jam when you go buy your fresh bread or croissants.

2. FOOD WORKS: Tomorrow, November 4th, Food Jules products will launch at Food Works Natural Market in Monroe. I will be there from 9:30-11:30 or so giving out some free samples of Jam, Hot Fudge and Muffins… so stop over to visit us, get warm and enjoy free samples!

3. MASS FOR JULIAN: The Mass of Remembrance on Saturday, November 5th has been confirmed. We will be at St Jude Parish at 5:30pm thinking about our baby Julian as we approach his first birthday.

Look at this picture… look at that sweet, little boy with his beautiful face and those soft hands. You can’t even imagine how much I miss him and how I would do anything, I mean anything, to have him back in my arms. My beautiful baby Julian, laying in our bed all snuggled up with his blanket. This blanket was made by my mother for Lilliana when she was a baby, but our little Julian used it every day. He loved it so much that he is still covered to this day with it, along with his favorite black and white book they gave him at Bpt Hospital and pictures and letters from us.  This time last year, we were anxiously awaiting his arrival, in just a few days. Our bags were packed, our house was full of baby stuff and our mini-van with an infant car seat…. but today, all of that is gone and it is so lonely without him. I wish I could close my eyes and wake up with him in our bed again!

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BIG NEWS!

It’s official. As of next Friday, November 4th, Food Jules will be available at its very first retail store, Foodworks on Route 25 in Monroe, CT.

Foodworks will be featuring our Organic Jams, which include Apple Pie, Blueberry Peach, Triple Berry and Strawberry Blackberry, our famous Organic Hot Fudge and Organic Muffins!

I will be there on November 4th from 9:30-11:30am giving away free samples so feel free to stop by to check out our display!

Foodworks is located at 477 Main Street (Route 25) in Monroe, the old location for Simply Baby and Kids. Doors open at 9:30am!

Hope to see you all there.

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Food Challenge #4: Italian Wedding Soup

One of our recipes at the Arts & Imagination class today was Italian Wedding Soup. It was a big hit with the kids so I’d thought I’d share the recipe with you so you can try it at home with your kids. For all of you that are vegetarians, you can skip on the turkey meatballs or substitute with vegetarian meatballs. So, give it a try and let me know what you think! It is a perfect, hearty and nutritious meal for any cold day!

Also, don’t forget you can add the remainder of a block of parmesan cheese for extra flavor! I freshly grate the parmesan cheese for our meals and save the end of the block in the freezer to throw into all of my soups. Just my own little trick to kick it up a notch.

Italian Wedding Soup

Ingredients:

Meatballs:

  • 1 lb. all-natural ground turkey
  • 1 small onion, grated
  • 1 carrot, peeled and grated
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 cup Italian style bread crumbs
  • ½ cup parmesan cheese, grated
  • ½ cup fresh parsley, minced
  • ½ cup fresh basil, minced
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • 1 egg, beaten

Soup:

  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 2 organic carrots, peeled and chopped
  • 2 organic celery stalks, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 cans cannellini beans, rinsed
  • 2 (32oz) containers organic chicken or vegetable broth
  • 1 1/2 cups organic crushed tomatoes
  • 10 oz. frozen organic spinach, thawed
  • ½ lb. small pasta such as ditalini
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1 tsp dried oregano

Instructions:

  1. To make meatballs, combine all ingredients in large bowl and mix with your hands until combined well.
  2. Scoop one tablespoon of turkey mixture into the palm of your hand and roll into mini-size meatballs.
  3. In sauté pan, cook meatballs in olive oil until slightly browned on all sides. Set aside.
  4. To make soup, cover bottom of large pot with olive oil and sauté onion, carrots, celery and garlic for 5-10 minutes or until softened.
  5. Add cannellini beans, chicken broth, crushed tomatoes and block of parmesan cheese, if using. Bring to a boil.
  6. Reduce heat to medium and add spinach, pasta and reserved turkey meatballs to soup. Season with salt, pepper and oregano and simmer for 20 minutes or until fully cooked. Serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

Grade: A

Join us in our Cookbook Challenge and send us your grade!

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