Just created a really simple lunch recipe which I wanted to share with you!

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I love eggs – and lately books like GRAIN BRAIN have been lauding the benefit of eggs as great protein and NOT contributing to Cholesterol. Go figure – so many different points of view. So we feed our chickens flax seed so that their eggs are higher in Alpha Omega and enjoy every single mouthful!

In a very last minute lunch recipe, for a couple of hungry kids and husband who came in last minute to eat – I took some of our home made feta, added 4 hard boiled eggs – and some low fat mayo and chopped it all up – toasted some whole wheat bread – and there it was ! A feta egg mayo sandwich which was eaten up in record time! Accompanied by a light green salad with our home grown tomatoes – with freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice – it was a wonderful high protein and filling meal pretty low in fat and not too bad in calories either!

Enjoy!

001EggsfromLittleFarmChicks&Quail

And here is my beautiful daughter in law Donne on the right and my beautiful nieces, Shannon in the middle and Nina on the left. Their children are the center of my life – huge blessings – all 9 of them. How lucky we are!104

 

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Wonderful celebration of the 7 awardees of the Larraine Segil Scholarship – so proud of these women!

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This week we held the inaugural lunch of the 7 Awardees of the scholarships that I have endowed through Southwestern School of Law and Pepperdine’s Graziadio School of Management PKE, Presidential Key Executive and EMBA programs.

I graduated from Pepperdine Graziadio School of Management PKE program with an MBA and from Southwestern School of Law with a JD many years ago – and set up these endowments when I sold my last business in 2007. The women who have earned these awards are stars in different ways – each of them has special attributes and have evidenced interest in Strategic Alliances and relationships of collaboration – another reason why they were chosen. They have formed their own linked-in group of support and encouragement and will be mentored by me for my lifetime. My mission is that their relationships and those with the two women each year who are added to the group in perpetuity, will outlast my lifetime as they pay it forward to each other and future generations of women in business and law.

I am also grateful to Debbie Leathers, Associate Dean of Southwestern and Kay Rosen Senior Advancement Officer of Pepperdine without whom this program could not have launched. They facilitated the promotion of the scholarships, screened the applications and selected the finalists who were presented to me for final selection. This process was arduous and took many months and effort by them and their staff. Thank you Kay and Debbie!

Here the winners are – from left to right:

  • Mehrnaz Hadian MD, JD Candidate Southwestern School of Law, Intensivist Staff Physician, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center,  Fellow of American College of Critical Care Medicine
  • Larraine Segil ( me!)
  • Paulette Pantoja PKE MBA Candidate, CEO BluFocus Inc
  • Linda LoRe PKE MBA Former CEO Giorgio of Beverly Hills, Former CEO Frederick’s of Hollywood, CEO of InJoy Global Inc
  • Phoebe Chang Ph.D, PKE MBA Candidate, Senior Scientist Lotus Clinical Research
  • Esme Williams MBA Candidate, COO, Master and Muse
  • Meredith Lierz JD Southwestern School of Law, MBA from Claremont Drucker School of Management ( a joint program with Southwestern School of Law) ( a star in the making…..)
  • Lauren Plunkett JD Candidate, Former Director of IT Enterprise Architecture, State of Colorado

Larraine Segil Awardees First Lunch Aug 12 2014
We plan to meet four times a year for lunch and will connect many times in between to ensure that the mutual support and encouragement grows.

Do join me in sending your congratulations to all of these fabulous women!

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Cooking with kids – what could be more fun! Some summer recipes for you and yours

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Cooking with my grand kids is the best fun – and what I love to do most. The mess is truly irrelevant – teaching good healthy habits -like cleaning hands before cooking, wearing a clean apron, cleaning all utensils before using them, cleaning up while you are cooking so that there is no big mess when you are done – looking out for  hot surfaces, feeling the different textures of food, smelling and tasting new things – as well as measuring and getting the idea of what a tablespoon or a teaspoon or half or one third cup looks like. So much to be taught – collaboration and team work, sharing – a biggie for two year olds – and then the fun of a delicious meal or dish to be shared with the family. A very worthwhile experience – despite the practicality of answering the question’ what are we having for our meal today?’ – all little ones love the idea that they are HELPING!!!

Here is a really simple recipe to prepare with your kids.

Fig, Mint and Feta Cheese Salad

  • 4 ripe black and 4 ripe green figs (we grow our own – remember to have enough for tasting as little ones will need to munch while cooking!)
  • 3 cups of feta pieces crumbled ( we make our own from our goats milk – yum)
  • Four fresh mint leaves torn into small pieces
  • Balsamic Vinegar (1/4 cup) ( adjust to taste)
  • Olive oil ( 1/8 cup) ( adjust to taste)
  • Lemon Juice of one lemon ( no pits)

Directions:

1. You cut the figs into four pieces each – set aside

2. Have the children crumble the feta  ( they will love to squish the pieces into smaller ones)

3. Show the kids how to measure the vinegar and oil into a bowl and cut the lemon, take out the pits and give them each a quarter to squeeze into the bowl. Then give them each a wooden spoon to stir the dressing.

4. Cut the stem out of the mint leaves and give to the children so that they can tear into small pieces.

5. Show the children how to gently add everything to a salad bowl, then spoon the dressing over it.

6. Lay out table mats in brightly colored designs with napkins to match – have each child lay his or her place.

7. Using some of the delightful high quality decorated plastic plates that are now so readily available, spoon some salad onto each child’s plate. Show them how beautiful food will taste better than food thrown on a plate. Then show them how to hold their knife/spoon and fork and eat slowly so as to appreciate the tastes, smells and beauty of freshly prepared natural and organic food!

8. ENJOY!

Below some Little Farm little farm figs and home made feta….delicious!

Half and whole figsPicture of FETA made at little farm 2014

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A most delicious salad with Roasted Home Grown Cherry Tomatoes – isn’t summer great?

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We have an abundance of tomatoes – too much really. Take a look. The baby tomatoes were for the salad for which I have the recipe below – and the large ones were for the tomato soup ( also described below). Same for the yellow tomatoes.IMG_6642 IMG_6644

So this morning I made yellow tomato soup ( roasting the yellow tomatoes first then adding vegetable stock and seasoning, bringing to a boil and blending), red roasted tomato soup (same idea) and also a roasted cherry tomato salad with fresh mint – all  grown at The Little Farm. Here are some of the zucchini, peppers, squash and cucumbers. I am experimenting with Zucchini Jam  ( along with Meyer lemons and fresh ginger all grown on the farm tomorrow )- and will share it with you if it works out! Little Farm produce 2014 Little Farm peppers and eggplant 2014With fresh corn from the farm and baby arugula salad with fresh ricotta from our goats milk – it was a a gourmet feast for lunch! ENJOY!

Roasted Cherry Tomato Salad with Mint

Ingredients:

  • 6 cups of cherry tomatoes cut in half and enough to spread in one layer on a cookie pan
  • 1 tablespoon of olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon of sea salt or to taste
  • 4 shallots thinly sliced
  • Two cloves of garlic thinly sliced
  • A bunch of fresh mint leaves

Optional: sprinkle feta or ricotta onto the salad before serving

Directions:

  1. Heat the oven to 450 degrees
  2. Spread the tomatoes onto a parchment lined cookie sheet
  3. Sprinkle the sliced onions and garlic over the layer
  4. Sprinkle the salt and drizzle the olive oil onto the tomatoes
  5. Place in the oven for about 30 minutes until slightly browned and caramelized
  6. Place in a bowl and snip some fresh mint into it and serve immediately with or without feta and ricotta

Recipes Cherry Tomatoes and Mint Salad July 2013

 

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Another happy year has passed and a birthday comes and goes – never felt better!

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I love birthdays. Lots of friends and cake and health and family. What could be better! And here is our immediate family celebrating with lots of hugs and singing! How blessed I am !Larraine Clive James Donne Jack Jonah Noah Gabriel July 2014 Larraines Birthday 2

 

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Summer Fruit and Forbes Magazine – what do they have in common?

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Forbes on line columnist Gay Gaddis ( also my good friend and the Governing Board Chair of The Committee of 200 (C200) – I am vice chair of the Governing Board) wrote a recent article that compared low hanging fruit in life to that in business. And so much more. Here is her article. Great job Gay!

http://www.forbes.com/sites/gaygaddis/2014/07/10/nature-proves-fruitful-for-business-insights/

 

 

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Pears and Rose Apples – delicious exotic fruits from The Little Farm

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Its Pear Season! And delightful treats from our farm. We also grow Rose Apples – they taste divine – smell and taste like roses. Making pear jam is easy. It just takes time.

Pear Jam or Pear CompotePear Compote

Ingredients:

  • 30 ripe pears
  • 4 cups of sugar
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon
  • Pectin (use the amount advised on the box – probably 2 boxes)

Directions:

  • Peel and core pears, cut them into bite sized pieces, put in a 3 gallon pot and add sugar ( I add less than most recipes since our fruit is all tree ripened and deliciously sweet already) –
  • Simmer at a VERY low heat for as many hours as it takes to create a wonderful juice and soft pears
  • Serve either as pear compote with ice cream or bottle as dessert in the winter months.
  • Or you could take some of the mixture, add pectin, mash the pears and bottle as jam. YUM!

Rose Apples – here they are – a big pit inside but the flesh is divine! I also simmer them with very little sugar and a cup of water and use them as a compote too. Our crop is normally quite small so we use them for our own enjoyment or give a few bottles to friends.

Rose Apples

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Family togetherness – from all over the world

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My son and his wife and children are spending time with my nephew and niece and their spouses and children and my sister and brother in law – a very special time. Here the grandchildren of our family from all over the world ages 2-11 years -at my sister’s home in London. They speak English, American, French, Swiss German and the language of all kids – cake, candy, Ipad’s, video games, sports, toys and movies. Kids are the same everywhere! Adorable!

Jack Jonah Noah Gabriel Jacob Ben Clara Natasha Theo 2 July 2014

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Sir Nicholas Winton saved children during the Holocaust – this video moved me to tears

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A friend facebooked this video and I had to share it. Especially as we celebrate the freedom of summer and family.

Sir Nicholas Winton is a humanitarian who organized a rescue operation that saved the lives of 669 Jewish Czechoslovakian children from Nazi death camps, and brought them to the safety of Great Britain between the years 1938-1939.

After the war, his efforts remained unknown. But in 1988, Winton’s wife Grete found the scrapbook from 1939 with the complete list of children’s names and photos. This is a clip of a video where Sir Nicholas Winton is sitting in an audience of Jewish Czechoslovakian people whom he saved 50 years before. He has no idea who is sitting next to him.

http://www.lifebuzz.com/old-scrapbook/#!batzvM

It moved me to tears. Let me know how it affected you.

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Holiday weekends in the summer – what could be better!

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The Fourth of July Weekend was so much fun with lots of little ones running around, hot weather and huge thanks for the millions of men and women who have given their lives since the inception of the great country of the USA, to keep us free and safe. And those still serving in places far and wide – away from their families – and thanks too to those families whose patience, pain and fortitude at times exceeds that of their family member who guards our independence.

We are so grateful, so blessed, so thankful to live in this amazing land that has given us so much, enabled our family to immigrate and become part of the fabric of the culture, and to all of us who are giving back, paying forward, supporting others less fortunate and more.

We enjoyed much in the way of food and frolic – including some minor small fireworks which the kids and adults loved ( I thoroughly dislike fireworks and find them scary and dangerous but am always outvoted!). Here the cousins are ( Jack Jonah Noah Gabriel and cousins Sara and Alex) all waiting for Daddy to light fireworks!Displaying photo 1.JPG

And the kids were tired – so here is a short rest watching SCOOBY DOO in our bedroom until we all jumped back into the pool!

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Cousin love – Jack and his cousin Sara – same age – 7 ( Sara is one month older)

Jack and Sara Fourth of July 2014

Making Cheesy Eggs and Turkey Bacon with Gabriel ( left) and Noah ( right) using the cooking utensils thoughtfully given to them on their birth by friends Celia and Les. THANK YOU!  They do all the right things – wash their hands before, put on their aprons, get the utensils ready – and off we go! They LOVE cooking with Grandma! And I LOVE cooking with them.

IMG_6586

Jonah milking with our Little Farm Manager Max Arteaga – he helped to milk our whole herd of goats – then made sure all the milk was labeled and stored – with all containers sterilized – he is learning the trade and doing a GREAT job! Way to go Jonah!

IMG_6606

And here is Noah helping to pick up the eggs from our chickens and quail – his Zayda Clive is holding him high enough to get them out and his mom is taking the fragile eggs from him before they drop! Good job Noah – and as you can see from his face he is LOVING it! Noah and Gabriel were both wearing their gloves ( which came from friends Celia and Les with the cooking utensils from Williams Sonoma – meant for peeling potatoes – but the twins loved wearing them for all farm chores!)

IMG_6618As you can see – it was a wonderful time for everyone. And so important that the children learn about where organic and fresh food comes from – and picking an egg from a chicken, then cooking it yourself! WOW what a thrill!

Hope your holiday was equally joyful and grateful?

 

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More great things happening – life is so exciting! How blessed I am to be healthy and loved too – and able to spread the goodness around

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My dear friend and social media guru Fay Feeney wrote a great article and gave me a platform to mention some governance views in it. Thank you Fay!

Here it is  – do pass it on if there are Board of Director topics in it that interest you – one of the most enjoyable non-profit positions that I hold,  is as a member of the Board of the National Association of Corporate Directors for the Southern California Region ( including Nevada, Orange County, San Diego and Santa Barbara). Since I chair the Nominating and Governance committee, this role allows me to put thoughtful evaluation into considering substantive additions to our board – and we have just nominated and voted on two new members. Both are women of accomplishment from Los Angeles and Nevada – and we are thrilled to have them join our group. They will be mentioned in our next newsletter.

http://bit.ly/NACDSummerNewsletter

And in case you were pining for a recipe or two – keeping balance in my life is key at this time – here is a favorite one for summer parties and a good one to make with children. We grow many different kinds of berries – blackberries, blueberries and my very favorite, mulberries – which we grew in my home in South Africa as a child – and I used to keep silkworms who LOVE to eat the mulberry leaves and then spin away and come out as butterflies. The whole process of metamorphosis was magical to me as a little girl – indeed it still is now.

Enjoy!

MULBERRY PIE

Ingredients:

  • 2 pie crust
  • 3/4 cup of sugar
  • 3 TBSP Cornstarch
  • 1/4 tsp Salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 4 cups of fresh mulberries ( you could use strawberries, or blueberries or blackberries -raspberries get mushy)

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F
  2. Mix sugar, cornstarch, salt, and cinnamon, and sprinkle over mulberries.
  3. Line pie dish with one pie crust. Pour berry mixture into the crust, and dot with butter. Cut remaining pastry into 1/2 – 3/4 inch wide strips, and make lattice top. Crimp and flute edges.
  4. Bake pie on lower shelf of oven for about 50 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.

EASY PEASY! And SOOO delicious with Haagen Dazs Dulce de Leche ice cream ( DO NOT COUNT CALORIES – ENJOY!!)

Mulberry Pie whole

 

 

 

 

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Lots of exciting events in the last month – a picture gallery of a few highlights

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It has been a very busy and wonderful month – a visit to Israel leading the first delegation of the Committee of 200 Global Women’s CEO’s group who first visited Kuwait hosted by our member there Sara Akbar and then Israel. Also another C200 event for donors to our C200 Foundation which I Chair, in Vail as well as travel to board meetings in New York – and some amazing honors bestowed – how grateful I am!

A picture gallery…..

Below – with the President of Technion University Peretz Lavie and Professor Miriam Eretz – I am on the left of Peretz Lavie – in Haifa"                               "

Below at the Knesset of Israel ( Israel’s Parliament) with Aliza Lavie, member of the Knesset and Chair of the Committee on the Status of Women

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With our amazing new C200 Scholars – 7 of which are chosen from many outstanding entrants at Technion – along with C200 members and Faculty of Technion

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With the Former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Israel – Dorit Beinisch and the head of Intel, Israel, Maxine Fassberg. Did you know that more than 85% of Intel’s global R&D comes from Israel?

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Here we are at INTEL in Israel – with the President of Intel, Renee James, my dear friend and C200 member along with other C200 members hearing about the incredible research and development being pioneered there – as well as chatting with the most senior Intel women in Israel -under the leadership there of Maxine Fassberg – a former South African as am I – we had much to discuss!

 

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At the office of Shari Arison of the Arison Group and her CEO Efrat Peled along with C200 members in Israel

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The president of Ben Gurion University of the Negev at dinner, Dr Rivka Karmi."                               "

With our amazing three new C200 Scholars at Tel Aviv University chosen from a group of equally amazing young women, along with some C200 members .

IMG_6528

And then I was so honored to be named TOP WOMAN OF INFLUENCE IN LOS ANGELES as a Board member – voted on by 4000 business women in Los Angeles. I was surprised and am humbled and thank all who voted for me!

Larraine Segil Winner TOP WOMAN OF INFLUENCE IN LOS ANGELES on CorporateBoards

 

And one of the many lights in my life – our eldest grandson Jack. And I feel like I am reliving my life again – as he is the spitting image of his daddy our son James.

Jack at Little Farm June 2014 looks like james

Flying back from a C200 event with a friend in her plane – wow what a treat!

Larraine flying in Ginas jet home from funraiser 2014 in Vail

Taking a jeep tour with another C200 friend Laura – bundled up and having a blast!

Larraine and Laura at Funraiser C200 2014Clive eating oranges goofing around with the grandsons – two of them anyway! And of course Sunny Dog is there too!

Jack Jonah Clive with oranges in mouth June 2014

And one of my proudest accomplishments – re-creating, designing, writing, getting approval for and launching the C200 Protege Program for The Committee of 200 Global Women CEO’s Group along with Laura Herring and members of our protege committee, amazing C200 women who donated significant funds to this effort to make it possible, dedicated staff and approving board and executive committee members, multiple other C200 members who agreed to organize mentors ( Susan Nethero), be mentors and advisers, chair Protege and Faculty Evaluation committees, and so much more. I feel thrilled that at the end of my term as chair this year 2014, I am leaving a legacy for the up and coming business women of the future -which fulfills our mission and my personal one too. Here is the first class this June – 15 amazing women entrepreneurs from all over the world – Beijing China, to Nazareth Israel and throughout the USA – whom C200 members will educate and mentor to help them grow their businesses through a 2 year program. Heartfelt thanks to all the C200 members who made this possible and will carry this program forward.

C200 First Class of Protege Program June 2014

Speaking with a group of dedicated young professionals in Century City Los Angeles in June, about how to Reinvent your life and Career – a favorite topic!
Larraine giving speech to young professionals in Century City 2014And then, speaking to a group of 80 women chosen by Banco Santander to be the future business women and board members of the next generation as well as the future leaders of educational institutions of learning –  at a program designed specifically for them at UCLA  -and I was fortunate to be able to invite along with me, Gina Barroso, a C200 member and dear friend and a recent addition to the Banco Santander Board – what a great group from Poland, Russia, China, Latin America, Australia, Europe Africa and North America. They told me that we inspired them – but truly they inspired us!

Larraine and Gina Banco Santander W50 and W30 at UCLA 2014.jpg-large

Oh by the way, did I mention that the food in Israel was world quality? Here is a dessert that looked exactly like a FABERGE EGG!! Inside was vanilla mousse….

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And not to be forgotten – we spent an evening at the GENESIS AWARDS – given by Israel Prime Minister Netanyahu to Michael Bloomberg with the help of Jay Leno – and funded by some prescient Russian Oligarchs who decided – rightly – that the Nobel Prize has been given to so many unworthy recipients that Israel needed to create its own Nobel Prize – and Mayor Bloomberg was the first recipient. What an evening – luminaries from all over the world including our C200 CEO group due to the influence of our member Margery Kraus who obtained invitations for all of us. What a night!

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And the topper for the month – our son is awarded the EY Entrepreneur of the Year award for the Greater Los Angeles Region ( Including Hawaii!). We are so very very proud.

James winning EY award for LA 2014

And here James is with his beautiful wife Donne – two very happy people!

James and Donne at EY 2014 Winner!

 

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Living in the moment

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Last week we were driving very slowly through an intersection after the light turned green when a 19 year old kid in a brand new Mercedes ( which his dad bought for him, of course) went straight through the traffic light and narrowly missed two young girls who had just stepped off the sidewalk on the same green light and nearly died under his wheels. He smashed the front side of my husband’s car and just missed broadsiding the passenger seat in which I was sitting. We were fine. The teenager was fine and the girls were fine. Yet in that moment –  all of our lives and those of the people we love and who love us could have changed forever. All because some stupid indulged spoilt kid was not paying attention ( he admitted as much ) probably texting while driving.

I am learning to live in the moment and not worry about silly stuff. I am getting better at it. I am much better than when I was younger. I suppose wisdom does come with age. But incidents like this one reaffirm my commitment NOT to sweat the small stuff and rather to enjoy all the joyful things that are with us every day – great weather, dogwoods in the East coast that fill Connecticut with pink, purples and white in the springtime, good food, affectionate pets, and best of all, loving family. Go and hug yours – after this accident we celebrated our annual Family Week – a perfect antidote to the shakes and aches that followed the shock of this event with lots of hugs and kisses all around. Below is a plant called ‘yesterday, today and tomorrow’ for the different shades of lavender – gorgeous isn’t it? From our Little Farm – how blessed I am.

yesterday today tomorrow plant

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Hair loss is so aggravating – curing this would be a huge business opportunity

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Losing one’s hair is a malady suffered by men and women alike. But bald men are sexy – bald women are not.  Surely if we can keep humans in space we can solve this problem? It is not just cosmetic – although that certainly is part of it – it is about self esteem. For many women their hair is their crowning glory and losing it is devastating.

I had always been blessed with luxuriously thick hair and although I have more than most I see the difference. Talking with friends and family I realize it is a common problem . When will a brilliant woman scientist come up with a remedy or cure? The guys haven’t done it yet….so it is up to us!!

Here I am with our golden haired twins. Delicious !!!

Larraine reading to Noah and gabe dec 2013

 

 

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A couple of great ideas – enjoy!

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Like to bake muffins? So do I but I found an unusual use of muffin tins

Banana MuffinAbove is a traditional use of muffin tins. But there are some unorthodox ways to use them too that are very useful.

Here are a couple of good tips – so simple but they really work!!
Use a large muffin tin to cook stuffed peppers in the oven – it will help keep them upright.
Add half a teaspoon of baking soda to the water when hard-boiling eggs to make the shells incredibly easy to peel off.
Use bread tags to label power cords.
WD40 can be used to remove crayon marks from any surface! And

Finally; To prevent potatoes budding, add an apple in the bag.

 

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Belonging

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This is the title of the novel that I wrote and was published by Penguin Books. It is a story about two courageous women, one a child of poverty and the other a child of plenty who are born on the same day in Johannesburg South Africa. They become lifelong friends against the backdrop of apartheid in its early then waning days. But it is more than that. It is about people who want so much to belong and yet because of the accident of birth – cannot. Perhaps the reason they are excluded is because they are black, or brown, or even white, or Jewish or Catholic – wars have been fought and continue to be fought for these reasons or less. Or because they are fat, or disabled, or poor or just different.

I was sent this video by a friend. It brought me to tears – did it do the same for you ? Even those who are different can belong. Inside we are all the same.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZC42c8lMqg

And if you have further interest in supporting this worthy project which was first set up 10  years ago and has now graduated multiple young people into independent lives go to:

Http://goo.gl.rfMmRB

To obtain a copy of my novel ‘Belonging’ by Larraine Segil go to Amazon.comimage

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Loving Mothers Day – how blessed I am – a Strawberry Bread Recipe for cooking with the kids

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How blessed I am – I had an amazing mother – here she is with my dad just before he passed away from a massive heart attack – I was 18, he was 56 and my mother was 46. So long ago….My parents Jack (56)and Norma Estelle Wolfowitz(nee Cohen)(46)My grandmothers were pretty special too – both immigrants – one from London and one from Lithuania; I am enormously blessed to have a daughter in law who is a great mother too as is her mom and sister, and as are all my nieces and their moms, as well as my sister in law who is mom to our nephews, my own sister and her daughter and daughter in law – it is truly remarkable how amazingly fortunate we all are!

This is the best thing I love to do – hang out with the grandkids! Larraine Jack Jonah Noah Gabe 2014 Mothers Day And cooking with them is what we did – to make a strawberry bread for their Mom as our gift for Mothers Day! IMG_6506 Jack and Jonah are getting really good at cracking eggs, cutting things ( not their fingers) and generally are mini chefs in training! IMG_6507 Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups of fresh sliced strawberries
  • 3 1/8 cups of All purpose Flour
  • 2 cups of white sugar
  • 1 Tbsp of Ground Cinnamon
  • I tsp salt
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 1/4 cups of vegetable oil
  • 4 eggs beaten

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees and butter and flour two loaf pans

2. Sprinkle 3 TBSP of sugar over the strawberries, mix and set aside

3. Mix dry ingredients and set aside

4. Mix oil and eggs together and add to the strawberries

5. Add the dry ingredients to the strawberry mixture and stir until moistened only.

6. Add to the pans and bake for 45-55 minutes until light brown on top and a toothpick comes out dry if tested in the middle of the loaf. Let cool for 10 minutes and turn onto cake plate.

A couple issues that I had with this:

  • The cake would not come out without some help from a spatula – and running the knife around the sides as the sugar caramelizes and sticks to the pan.
  • I had to bake for 10 minutes longer
  • The cake was not sweet enough for my grandson Jonah – but my daughter in law loved it! And only one of the twins ( Noah) could have eaten the whole thing – Gabriel – not so much.
  • I would frost it with cream cheese frosting next time. Did not have any – and ran out of grandkid-time and patience – but that would add the difference I believe.
  • This recipe was adapted from an All Recipes posting – but I left out the pecans ( don’t like nuts in my cakes) and recommend the changes above.

strawberry-bread2

ENJOY!

 

 

 

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Gluten Free Flan – the best dessert – and being gluten free is an added bonus!

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Gluten Free FlanDessert Flan Gluten Free

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 cup white sugar
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 6 egg whites
  • 1 3/4 cups of water
  • 1 (14 ounce) can low-fat sweetened condensed milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 pinch of salt

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
  2. In a heavy skillet over medium-low heat, cook and stir sugar until melted and light brown.
  3. Pour into a 9-inch round baking dish, tilting the dish to coat the bottom completely.In a medium bowl, beat egg yolks and egg whites.
  4. Stir in water, condensed milk, vanilla and salt until smooth.
  5. Pour into prepared dish.
  6. Line a roasting pan with a damp kitchen towel.
  7. Place baking dish on towel, inside roasting pan, and place roasting pan on oven rack.
  8. Fill roasting pan with boiling water to reach halfway up the sides of the baking dish.Bake in preheated oven 1 hour, until center is just set (still a bit jiggly).
  9. Remove dish to a wire rack to cool for one hour.
  10. Then refrigerate several hours or overnight.
  11. To un mold, run a knife around the edge of the pan and invert onto a rimmed serving platter.
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Posted in Blog, Desserts, Family, Gluten Free, Recipes, Recipes to Make with Children | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Tried a new recipe – tasted really good although a bit bland – so needed dressing up so I added more lemons -MUCH better! SO simple the kids can do it!

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chickens live close little farmSlow Cooker Chicken

This was sooo easy – the grandkids could have cooked it. So next time  I will make it with them! It needed some more kick – so I added a bit to it – you may wish to put some hot sauce on yours – but the flavor was yummy. And the ease of cooking made up for the mild taste!

Ingredients: Here they are ( before I chopped the garlic!)IMG_6454

 

IMG_6456

  • 1 organic chicken
  • 3 Meyer lemons
  • 4 Tbsp of Olive oil
  • 1/4 lb of Butter
  • Fresh chopped garlic
  • Fresh Rosemary – chopped
  • Lemon Pepper

Directions:

  1. Mix butter lemon pepper rosemary garlic and zest of the three lemons along with the juice of half a lemon together.
  2. Slide your fingers under the skin of the chicken and push the mixture under the skin wherever you can
  3. Season the outside of the chicken with lemon pepper
  4. Squeeze the remaining juice of the lemons into the slow cooker.
  5. Put what remains of the three lemons into the cavity of the chicken along with a few tablespoons of the butter/garlic/chopped rosemary mixture.
  6. Place the chicken in the slow cooker and drizzle the olive oil over it
  7. Cook on low heat for 6-8 hours or until the chicken is falling off the bone ( I didn’t have 8 hours so I put it into the slow cooker for two and then into the oven in the same cooking casserole for another 1.25 hours at 395 degrees – delicious!
  8. Serve with basmati rice fried with yellow tomatoes and olive oil and a nice green salad
  9. YUM!

 

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Posted in Blog, Family, Poultry, Recipes, Recipes to Make with Children, Rice, Salad, Slow Cooker | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Being a Grandma is the best job of my whole life – by far – and in every way. You too?

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Being Grandma is the best role by far in my life. In every way.

Here are some recent pictures of me with our twin grandsons  – Gabriel on the left and Noah on the right – and then all four grandsons with their mom at the beach and finally all the California cousins – my cup runneth over with joy – playing on our back lawn. How blessed am I! All that is missing are our family in London and Basel – and the cousins there too. Sigh. One day perhaps we will all be together again….

Noah Gabe and Larraine April 2014 Noah Gabe and Larraine on Swing 2014 Jack jonah noah Gabe at beach April 2014 Jack Jonah Noah Gabe Sara Alex Jameson Natalie Flynn April 2014 Pesach on lawn

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