Letter: 'Stamp Out Hunger' Volunteers Appreciated

This letter was submitted by Needham residents.

On behalf of the Needham Community Council, we would like to thank Needham residents and letter carriers for their generous donations to the 2012 National Association of Letter Carriers Food Drive “Stamp Out Hunger,” which occurred on Saturday, May 12. We would also like to thank the following people for donating their time and services with sorting, boxing, and storing the donations: Babs, Bob, Mike, and Jessye Moss; Jeanie and Larry Martin; Ted Ballard; Bob Dermody; Nicole Sprenger; Matthew Cote; Thomas Berry; Josh, Rachel, and Carol Kallus; and Jesse, Will, Sam, and Mimi Taylor. A special acknowledgement to Dan McMann, who works so hard to support this project as he does for all of the Needham Community Council events throughout the …

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Cooking with Sheila

A Trifle Fit For a Queen

Looking to make a crowd pleasing dessert for your next gathering? Look no further. This easy to make trifle is sure to satisfy everyone's sweet tooth.

"It would be spiteful to put a Jellyfish in a trifle." ~Karl Pilkington I love my trifle bowl but don't often get to use it, so I typically offer to make a dessert when invited to a party. So when Mother's Day rolled around last weekend I knew I would have to make a trifle. The trifle I make is some combination of cake, chocolate, crushed candy bar and whipped cream but I wanted to try something a little different. I stumbled upon a recipe that used the standard cake and candy but to add a new note of flavor instant coffee was added to the mix. The grocery store had hazelnut instant coffee on sale so I chose that instead of regular, substitued vanilla pudding for chocolate and in lieu of yellow cake I bought pound cake. I'm sure my trifle …

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Raising Needham

Raising Needham: The Evolution of a Soccer Mom

Whether it is soccer, t-ball or football, every parent goes through an evolution as they watch their child participate in team sports.

I’m a soccer mom. There, I said it. I am the same soccer mom I used to talk about when I was twentysomething and swore I’d never become. Although, I am a cool soccer mom, as are many of us out there, and I am sure we could teach those twentysomethings a thing or two about moving on with your life and still having a life. Now that I am the mom taxi, taking my kids to all of their various extracurricular activities, I thought I would at least do it with style. But what kind of style would that be? My evolution started gradually with my daughter playing soccer as a four-year-old in a very kid friendly, no game, all activities sort of way. I have to say, I almost felt cheated. Where were the folding chairs, hot coffee, uniforms and daddy …

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Cooking with Sheila

Mom's Curried Chicken Salad With Fruit

This lovely chicken salad makes a great topping for crackers or in a sandwich. It fits in perfectly with a Mother's Day brunch.

"Love, like a chicken salad a restaurant has, must be taken with blind faith or it loses its flavor." ~Helen Rowland It's Mother's Day and like most of us I'm sure your plans revolve around visiting with the women in your life. And eating. Don't most of our plans revolve around food? I am having my family over tomorrow for an afternoon of laughs, food and celebrating the moms in the family (we have big family so there are quite a few). Since the weather is going to be so beautiful we'll be outdoors, grilling. The usual suspects will be in attendance; hot dogs, hamburgers, various salads, chips and dips. I am also making a great curried chicken salad to serve with crackers. This chicken salad is light and tasty, with just a bit of punch …

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Raising Needham

Raising Needham: My Mommy Legacy

There are all kinds of moms in the world, but figuring out the kind of mom you want to be can take you on a fun ride.

The first few years I celebrated Mother’s Day, it was all about the TLC. In other words: it was all about me. I looked forward to it with such anticipation you’d think nobody ever did anything nice for me. I couldn’t wait to see what my husband would cook up when the kids were tiny. Cute cards, a special breakfast and a day off from everything a mother does in a day. As the kids got older, we took the day a bit further and went out to brunch where the kids would show off their best manners and Mommy would sip champagne and look at their beautiful, handmade gifts. Now as I sit here wondering what tricks the kids and their dad have up their sleeve for this Mother’s Day, I start to think about what they are celebrating. What kind of mom do …

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Letter: Citizens United Issue Does Concern Needham

This letter to the editor was submitted by a Needham resident.

  When our 2012 Annual Town Meeting convenes on May 7 next, it will find an unusual article on its warrant, inserted by the selectmen on a citizen's petition under state law. Warrant Article 23 calls upon the Town Meeting to support an amendment to the U.S. Constitution which would overturn a decision of the United States Supreme Court relative to corporate and union spending on elections. It would also petition our state legislature to endorse such a constitutional amendment. The citizen's petition addresses the rights of “persons” under the First, Fifth, and 14th Amendments of our federal Constitution, as interpreted by opinions of the United States Supreme Court over nearly two centuries. It concerns basic rights of all Americans, …

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Cooking with Sheila

Easy and Elegant Chicken Marsala

Chicken Marsala is a delicious, easy to make at home dish. A little chicken, a few mushrooms, some wine...piece of cake.

"One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating."  ~Luciano Pavarotti One of my favorite Italian dishes is Chicken Marsala. For some reason though, nine out of ten times I end up ordering something else when I go out. The same scene plays out every time; I whittle my choices down to the Marsala and one other dish and that other dish always wins out. Because of this, I tend to make Chicken Marsala quite a bit at home. Don't let the fancy pants name deter you from trying your hand at it...the dish is quick enough to whip up on a weeknight, yet elegant enough to serve at a dinner party. It is also easy to change up. Add some cream to the sauce or throw …

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Raising Needham

Raising Needham: It's Family Meeting Time

In this day of texts and e-mails, having time carved out to talk as a family is increasingly important.

  We held our first family meeting recently, and my kids groaned at the mere mention of it. I was taken aback by their lack of enthusiasm because I didn’t think they knew it to be anything more than a gathering of family members. For all they knew, we could be meeting around the outdoor fireplace making S'mores. Then I realized the context in which I declared it and thus realized family meeting mistake No. 1: Don’t demand one while sending a kid to time out. Next time, I will make it when everyone is calm and happy and hope for a better response. Until then, I was stuck with sour puss faced kids and a husband that was just going with the flow. “What are we talking about, Mom?” declared my daughter. A laundry list of things came to mind, …

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Letter: Appreciation for Community Week

This letter was submitted by a Needham resident.

Last week, the Pollard/High Rock PTC sponsored a series of Community Week events, which were wonderful. Our family was able to attend the Monday film presentation, "Including Samuel," which we found heartwarming and enlightening. On Friday evening, we heard Travis Roy give an eloquent talk followed by an educational Q&A.  Thank you very much to the middle school PTC folks, SEPAC, Jennifer Kirby, Dee Springer, Tee Stock and others for their hard work in putting the past week's events together and make Community Week a reality. Thanks also goes to the Needham Education Foundation, which helped fund the events with a spring 2012 small grant. Georgina Arrieta-Ruetenik Greendale Avenue

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Cooking with Sheila

Sausage, Tomato and Cream Sauce...Oh My!

Give this creamy tomato sauce a whirl on your next pasta night.

"Everything you see I owe to spaghetti." ~Sophia Loren I was tired of the same spaghetti and meatballs dinner last week so I searched around for a new pasta recipe to try. I wanted it to be pretty basic and easy to make and still be based around tomatoes. After weeding through dozens of pasta salad recipes and about a million spaghetti and meatballs recipes, I came across one that sounded pretty darn interesting. It called for a bit of spice, a bit of sweetness and a bunch of cream. I was sold. I've never met a cream sauce I didn't like. We were pretty happy with the outcome and it'll now get thrown into the dinner rotation. If you prefer a spicier sauce use hot sausages and more red pepper flakes. Or you can leave the hot flakes out …

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