SPECIAL SECTION, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27, 2011 MOMS & DADS
ARCH
COMFORT
Cool redefined
Flash-
back
Where fashion
time. To
20-some
meets comfort odd
years
ago,
when I was a teen cashier
355 MARKET STREET KINGSTON (Next To Rita’s Italian Ice)
at Wilkes-Barre’s now-
570-763-0044 closed Sunshine Market,
the one with the huge
Ivan and Cheri Davidowitz, Certified Pedorthists windows overlooking an
equally huge parking lot.
N ot ice m e,
On work days, I wanted
nothing more than to
drive myself there, park at
not m y the very back and stroll
into work all leisurely like
h ea ring a id
the “cool kids,” their
bright orange smocks
swinging loosely in one
hand and their car keys in
the other.
A revolutiona ry new hea ring I had my license, after
system d esigned to b e invisib le. all, and knew how to
drive. What I did not have
was my own wheels. But I
did have two splendid
parents, who, without
D rive B efo reYo u B u y protest, transported me to
and from work and every-
Don ’tm is s this op p ortu n ity
where else a girl needed
3 0 d a y tria l
to get in life. Only now do
Be on e ofthe firs tto tes td rive
I realize what a nuisance
b e b y R eSo u nd that must have been.
By a p p oin tm en ton ly!
But did I appreciate it?
Well … Let’s just say
O thers d on ’tn eed to k n ow you ha ve hea rin g itis d es ig n ed to be in vis ible in you rea r. be by whenever possible I’d buy
los s , or tha t you w ea r a d evice to help you ReS ou n d help s you hea r better, bu t w on ’t off my older sister, the
hea rbetter. Ta k e a look a tbeTM by ReS ou n d . cha n g e how others s ee you . Don ’t let a first sibling with an actual
It is the firs t (a n d on ly) hea rin g d evice hea rin g a id hid e you rp ers on a lity. car, forking over $5 for the
en g in eered w ith in vis ible O p en Techn olog yTM ; “privilege” of ferrying
ASB Y & ZE IG L E R
myself to work in her
AU D IO L O G Y Mazda GLC. I pulled in
ASSO C IATE S $3.35 per hour, so you can
M eyer M em orial Bldg. Tw in Stack s Cntr. imagine the priorities. My
403 Th ird A ve.,K ingston M em orial H w y,D allas parents thought me silly,
714-2656 w w w.a s byzeig ler.com 675-8113 of course, but stopped
short of prohibiting this
sisterly extortion. (She
Doesn’t Your Mom Deservee defended her exorbitant
A Beautiful Smile? fees by citing loss of her
own vehicular mobility.)
If you want to be “cool”
badly enough …
Give the gift of a For me, the car was an
image thing, and I’d pay to
radiant spring smile! maintain an “image.” God
forbid, you know, any of
Mother’s Day Bleaching, the boys saw me getting
Veneers or Cosmetic Dentures. dropped off by my par-
tal
Carpenter Dental
OUR TEAM WRITERS
Mary Therese Biebel
PROJECT EDITORS
PAGE 2
1086 Wyoming Avenue, Forty Fort Sara Pokorny
Sandra Snyder Rachel VanBlankenship
570-331-0909 Lindsey Jones Sheena DeLazio
OPINION
SANDRA SNYDER
ents. But when my sister
denied me, I had no
choice but to board the
family shuttle.
“Dad,” I asked one day,
“Can you stop in front of
the brick wall before the
big windows and just let
me out there?”
Moment of silence.
“You bugger,” he said,
using a favorite term of
endearment.
“It’s not that I’m asham-
ed of you,” I explained.
Lucky for me, he just
kindly obliged.
But then did he get me
good. As I strolled into
work with nobody, pre-
sumably, the wiser, sud-
denly a horn started honk-
ing, loudly, and I turned
to see Dad waving out the
open window and shout-
ing, “See you at 10, Tawn
(nickname). Love ya!
Have a great night.”
Solidly mortifying!
Good old, bad old dad.
Will parents stop at
nothing to ruin our lives?
•••
Well, if only he knew
how much I’d like that
time back now, would like
him back now …
Flash forward.
Kids today – I won’t say
what you think; I’m not
that old yet – they have it
nice. Why? Mom and Dad
as a species are cool again.
Sure, they might have
been when I was young,
but I was too stupid to
realize it. Lucky are the
kids, of any age, who see
this and take advantage
now.
Truth is cool kids today
are proud to be seen in
public with Mom and
Dad. They even notify
their friends via Facebook!
I see it among my grown
ON THE COVER/TIMES LEADER FILE PHOTOS
Caught in random moments, these
local moms, dads and children
graced Times Leader pages during
the past few years.
friends, too. They relish
time they can spend with
one or both parents.
As a grown-up now, too,
(technically anyway), I’m
only too happy to make
up for lost time. My chauf-
feur Dad has died, so I
can’t as easily publicly
show how proud I am to
be his daughter anymore,
but I can, will and do with
my mom, without an
ounce of embarrassment.
Like so many women,
in fact, I am my mom. I
realize it in so many ways
each passing day. When I
file coupons in my parti-
tioned plastic envelope.
When I can’t bring myself
to wear jeans to church.
When I find myself using
a host of familiar expres-
sions, scolding the man in
my life, for example, in a
sentence that starts with,
“Listen, Mister … ”
(There’s a “Missy” coun-
terpart, sure, but I was an
angel compared with my
two bold brothers and
didn’t hear that as much.)
OK, I bend the truth
there. But here I do not
prevaricate: My mom and
dad were and are certi-
fiably cool. Yours are, too.
Read the stories inside,
and see for yourself.
All of us, the sooner we
realize how fabulous our
parents are, the better off
we’ll be. We may not
always show our gratitude
(God knows I go off the
rails sometimes, and it’s
usually my patience-of-a-
saint mom who pulls me
back.) But if we’re lucky,
time is still on our side.
I’ll shush now. Have to
call Mom. Then maybe I’ll
hound heaven and see
what’s up with Dad. I’d
like to make amends with
that bugger for a day oh
so long ago.
Sandra Snyder is the Times
Leader’s features editor.
 MOMS & DADS

SPECIAL SECTION, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27, 2011

PETE G. WILCOX PHOTOS/THE TIMES LEADER

ABOVE: Deborah Kendra of Rice Township tries to impress upon her children – Zack, 19, Dallas,
14, Noah, 8, and Kevin, 21 – the importance of remaining close as siblings.
TOP: Deborah Kendra and her daughter Dallas, 14, are a close pair.

Mother passes sense of loyalty to children

By MARY THERESE BIEBEL “Every Sunday we went to 7:30 Mass as a fam-
mbiebel@timesleader.com ily, and I would love to say that we sat still and

H
ow can you turn “the four peo-
ple on the planet that you
loathed the most” into four of
your best friends? • Maybe you just
have to grow up. • And, if your Mom
and Dad stressed the importance of
siblings, that helps. • Deborah J. Ken-
dra of Rice Township grew up in a fam-
quietly paid attention, but of course that would
be a lie,” she wrote in a recent essay. “We fidget-
ed, pinched, kicked the kneeler and whispered.”
“Every Sunday, we went home and had to sit
on the couch with our arms around each other,
as punishment. … How torturous it was to sit
next to the four people on the planet that you
loathed the most, with your arms around them,
no less.”
As they sat on the couch together, the five
youngsters “squeezed, pinched and argued.”
Still, their parents, Joe and Marie Moran of
PAGE 3

ily of five children and admits they we-

ren’t always perfect little angels. See BOND, Page 14
SPECIAL SECTION, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27, 2011

Simon & Co.

JEWELERS
You’ll Always Find
The Perfect Gift.

636 Market St. Take $35 OFF

Wilkes-Barre, PA 18704 Any Purchase of $100 or More
570.718.1268 Good from April 28-May 8, 2011.

Text alerts directly

785 N. Penn. Ave., W-B
to your mobile phone.
(570) 270-6718

Celebrate

Mother’s Day
With Us Breaking news | Sports & Scores
Traffic alerts | Weather | Politics
Serving a Special Menu & so much more!
with Fresh Fish, Lobster, You choose what you want.
Prime Rib, Steaks and
Click on “Sign up for text alerts” under
Much More. the “About Us” tab at
timesleader.com
PAGE 4

Dining Room Open Until 8 p.m.

 MOMS & DADS

SPECIAL SECTION, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27, 2011

A new generation
embraces the D-I-Y life
By MARY THERESE BIEBEL
mbiebel@timesleader.com

J
ane Ketchner and her future husband, Richard, were on their
first date, traveling along on the New Jersey Turnpike, when
the car’s alternator belt broke. • They pulled into a service
center, where prices can be steep. • “Don’t have them fix it,” the
young woman suggested to her date. “Just buy the belt.” • Who
would do the work? • She herself.

The attendant was so surprised rabbit hutch, set up a tent, put a

when Richard Ketchner said his
girlfriend was going to replace the
belt, “He came over and watched,”
Ketchner remembered with a
laugh.
The task wasn’t difficult at all,
she said. It was just one of the many
things her dad, Fred Turner, had
taught her while she was growing
up, said Ketchner, 48, a physical
therapist from Shavertown.
While her mother, Margaret
Turner, imparted such skills as bak-
ing and decorating holiday cookies
– and allowed her to tag along
when she did volunteer work – her
dad introduced her to the realm of
traditionally masculine know-how.
“He never said that I was too
small or too young or that I was a
girl,” she remembered. “He let me
help him, and I learned about a lot
of different things.”
Nowadays Ketchner doesn’t do
all the household repairs, she said,
explaining her husband, Richard, is
roof on a garage, change a spark DON CAREY PHOTOS/
plug or split and stack wood, she THE TIMES LEADER
could.
ABOVE: Jane Ketchner,
Of course, she can fix a flat tire on
left, of Shavertown has
a car or bicycle – and that last skill is been teaching her
one she’s passing along to her own youngest daughter,
children. Greta, and son, Thomas,
“A little boy from the neighbor- such skills as how to
hood comes over and knocks and change a bicycle tire,
says, ‘Is Thomas there? My tire’s which is the kind of
flat,” Ketchner said, explaining her thing her father, Fred
13-year-old son is happy to help the Turner, taught her when
youngster. she was growing up.
Ketchner’s own bicycle exper- LEFT: Jane Ketchner
tise, by the way, extends beyond helps her son, Thomas,
changing flats. reassemble a bike. De-
She can take a “junk bicycle” that scribing her parents as
someone else has thrown away and ‘the greatest teachers I
refurbish it so it’s good to ride. have ever had,’ Ketchner
Describing her parents as “the said she hopes to pass
greatest teachers I have ever had,” along similar lessons to
Ketchner said, “I am grateful to her children.
God that I still have my parents and
that I continue to learn lessons
from them.”
She herself is a mother of four:
PAGE 5

“pretty handy, too.” Debra, 22; Mary, 20; Thomas, 13;

But if you asked her to build a and Greta, 12.
SPECIAL SECTION, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27, 2011

Dunay Jewelers
This Mother’s Day, Give her Gifts from the heart...
428 Hazle Ave.
Wilkes-Barre
(570) 822-5511

Pearls, Mother’s Day Rings & Roses Dipped in 24kt Gold

Specializing in Jewelry and Watch Repair

Tues., Wed., Fri. 9-5 • Thurs. 9-6 • Sat. 9-3

MOTHER’S DAY BUFFET

Treat Mom to a delightful Buffet for Mother’s Day featuring
her favorite menu selections like baked ham, chicken
francaise, roast beef, meatballs, side dishes and dessert bar.

ADULT
$
14.99 CHILDREN (Ages 3-12)
$
8.99
Plus tax & gratuity
Seating starts at 11 A.M. • Reservations recommended but not required

The
SHAWNEE ROOM
at “HAPPY PIZZA “ INC.
40 West Main Street, Plymouth, PA 18651 Phone 719-9999
PAGE 6

‘Master teacher’ taught daughter value of education
By MARY THERESE BIEBEL
mbiebel@timesleader.com
W
hen Mary Ripski was about 5 years
old, her father taught her a simple
economics lesson. The two of them
could take the trolley to downtown Wilkes-
Barre. Or they could walk from their house on
South Empire Street and use the trolley fare to
buy some Planters Peanuts.
Young Mary Lou, as her father called her, en-
joyed the walk and the “redskin” peanuts. She
also realized she was about to begin learning
all sorts of new things, thanks to the world of
adventure her father was about to open.
MOMS & DADS
“As we walked, he told me
this terrific place looked like a
castle but it was even better in-
side. It helps you to go any-
where, learn about many plac-
es, people, things and ideas. It
was the Osterhout Free Li-
brary.”
“What a master teacher!”
Ripski remembered fondly.
Ripski, 74, herself a retired
teacher and mother of four
who now lives in Albrights-
ville, said her father, the late
John Stanaitis, treasured edu-
cation, perhaps because pain-
ful circumstances had forced
him to leave school early.
His own father died when
Stanaitis was in third grade.
He and his older brother,
Mike, had to drop out and get
jobs to help their widowed
mother and six younger sib-
lings.
“He was the third-oldest of
nine children,” Ripski said, ex-
plaining the firstborn had died
at age 2.
Mike, who was a little older
than John, was considered old
enough for the coal mines.
John, at 8 or so, was too
young.
See LESSONS, Page 11
SPECIAL SECTION, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27, 2011
DON CAREY PHOTOS/
THE TIMES LEADER
ABOVE: Mary Ripski of
Albrightsville has shared a
passion for reading with her
father, the late John Stanai-
tis, who introduced her to
the Osterhout Free Library
when she was about 5
years old.
TOP LEFT: In this vintage
photo, Mary Ripski’s father,
John Stanaitis, is standing
at left with some other boys
who, like him, worked in a
dynamite factory.
BOTTOM LEFT: John Sta-
naitis holds his daughter,
Mary Stanaitis Ripski, and
PAGE 7
son, John Jr., in this family
photograph.
SPECIAL SECTION, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27, 2011

The Times Leader

z L
Da z He r!
e
A Mother’s Day Giveaway
Do you know a mom who deserves to be dazzled?
Enter her for a chance to win big this Mother’s Day!
One lucky grand prize mom will win a $500 jewelry shopping spree from:

26 additional moms will receive a $100 gift certificate from one of these sponsors:

Carpenter Dental Dukey’s

Cafe
HAPPY PIZZA Inc. Dunay Jewelers
HEROLDS FARM
MARKET

tring Thing
D I A M O N D S hop

The Times Leader DAZZLE HER Giveaway

To enter, go to timesleader.com and click on “Dazzle Her: A Mother’s Day Giveaway” or return this form to The Times
Leader, Dazzle Her Contest, 15 N. Main St., Wilkes-Barre, PA 18711. All entries must be received by Friday, April 29,
apphire Salon 2011 to qualify. Winners will be announced in The Times Leader on May 4, 2011.

P Your name: __________________________________________ Phone number: ________________________

Mailing address: __________________________________________________________________________

l Butler Eyecare
Mother’s name: _________________________________ Mother’s phone number: ________________________
Mother’s mailing address: ___________________________________________________________________
a Your e-mail: _______________________________ Mother’s e-mail: __________________________________
t Mother must be 18 or older to win.

i Simon & Co. No purchase is necessary to participate and there is no charge or fee for contest entry. Prizes cannot be exchanged
for cash and are nontransferable. Prizes cannot be refunded. Prize receipt is the sole responsibility of the winner
ed

n JEWELER
zes
and the advertiser. Winners are solely responsible for any taxes that may be due as a result of the contest. All prizes
must be redeemed within six months of the day the winners are announced. Entries may be examined at our officee
at 15 N. Main Street, Wilkes-Barre. The winners will be determined from all submissions received by Friday, April 29, N
NUMBER

u ONE
2011. Winners names and associated prizes will be drawn at random. Odds of winning are dependent upon the
number of entries received. Winner must be at least 18 years of age and a legal resident of the Commonwealth off
Pennsylvania. Must present proper photo identification in order to redeem prizes. The Wilkes Barre Publishing

m blu
Company, Inc., and/or The Times Leader and/or any of their affiliates, subsidiaries, corporate officers or employees

AUD
AUDITED
are not responsible for supplying any of the prizes or guaranteeing any prize or service offered by any business and/d/
he
or individual as part of the Dazzle Her contest. By participating in the Dazzle Her contest, each person authorizes the
PAGE 8

Wilkes Barre Publishing Company, Inc., The Times Leader and/or any of their affiliates, subsidiaries and/or
subsequent owners and/or operators and/or assigns of any of them to use photographs, video, film and/or other
graphic representations of each contest entrant for any promotional purpose. Sponsors’ employees and their
NEWSPAPER
NEWS
LUZERNE COUNTY
IN LUZERN
immediate family members are not eligible to enter. – AUDIT BUREAU OF CIRCULATIONS (ABC)

Skating with Gramps a treasured memory
By MARY THERESE BIEBEL
mbiebel@timesleader.com
F
or Christmas when she was
5 years old, Jennifer Tho-
mas-Washney received a
pair of double-bladed ice skates
and a promise from her Grandpop
Bill – William Pikutis, also known
as Gramps – that he would teach
her how to use them.
MOMS & DADS
When he fulfilled that
promise – gliding around a
neighborhood pond “like Fred
Astaire” and bringing a ther-
mos of hot chocolate for a
post-lesson snack – it became
one of the West Wyoming
woman’s most cherished me-
mories.
“I remember donning my
snowsuit, scarf, hat, boots and
red mittens. You could barely
see my blue eyes flashing with
excitement. Occasionally, a
strand of white blond hair
would escape from my hat,
and Grandpop would tuck it
inside, hiding it from the
cold,” Thomas-Washney
wrote in an essay that pre-
serves and celebrates the day.
“I grabbed my skates, and
Gramps taught me how to tie
them together and rest them
See LEGACY, Page 11
SPECIAL SECTION, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27, 2011
DON CAREY PHOTOS/THE TIMES LEADER
ABOVE: Thanks to long-ago
lessons from her grandfather,
Jennifer Thomas-Washney,
right, enjoys skating with her
husband, Robert, and 7-year-
old daughter, Grace.
ABOVE LEFT: Robert was
the one who taught Grace to
skate, carrying on a family
tradition.
ABOVE RIGHT: William Piku-
tis, grandfather of Jennifer
PAGE 9
Thomas-Washney, taught her
to skate.
SPECIAL SECTION, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27, 2011 MOMS & DADS
Grandmother Marilyn Crispell and mom Tiffany Crispell Walsh read ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’ to Madison Walsh, almost 2, in their Pittston home.
Daughter finds herself repeating her mother’s helful advice
By MARY THERESE BIEBEL
mbiebel@timesleader.com
N
ever give up.
That was the consistent message Tiffany
Crispell Walsh heard from her parents and
grandparents during her formative years.
Of course, it wasn’t always easy.
“When I was in elementary school I wanted to join a
team that did dance routines at football games. I tried
PAGE 10
out multiple years, unsuccessfully,” said Crispell
Walsh, 27, of Pittston.
“Every year I would practice for weeks
and every time miss the cut by one per-
son. And every time I came home and
cried. And every time my mother encour-
aged me to ‘Get back up and try again.’ ”
Her mom, Marilyn Crispell, did more
than give advice.
“She would actually videotape the
dance group and try to learn the routine
herself and help me learn it.”
Mom and daughter would rehearse the
dance together, and eventually, Crispell
Walsh became a Plains Yankees strutter.
When she sat on the bench through
S. JOHN WILKIN/THE TIMES LEADER
most of the softball season, and when col-
lege courses were difficult, and when the
search for true love proved elusive – every
time life threw her a curve – the parental
advice was consistent: “Get back up and
try again.”
And it always worked.
The one-time benchwarmer practiced
diligently and became a starter for the
high school softball team. She kept study-
ing and graduated from college. She re-
mained open to love, found a nice guy and
See PERSEVERANCE, Page 15
 MOMS & DADS

SPECIAL SECTION, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27, 2011

“Grandpop a chocolate reward for perseve- But what Ripski remem-

LEGACY
Continued from Page 9
on my shoulder. Our journey was
only a block away from my house
on Phillips Street, but it seemed
longer.”
Thomas-Washney grew up in the
Hanover section of Nanticoke, con-
veniently close to a man-made
pond on Front Street.
“The pond was small, about 20
yards in length and 10 yards wide,”
she wrote.
“The untouched ice glistened in
the winter sunlight, like a mirror.
Tufts of weeds peeked through the
ice, strategically placed, and
served as an obstacle course. Skin-
ny trees became an appreciative
audience.
brought a ther-
mos of hot choco-
late. He said that
we would have
some at the END
of my lesson.”
Pikutis After he helped
her put on her
skates, her grandfather demon-
strated a graceful glide, then said it
was her turn.
“He held me up, as I crept across
the ice. The silence of the woods
was replaced with the melodic
sound of a child’s laughter. I fell
several times. One fall really hurt,
and I started to cry.
“Each time I fell, Gramps helped
me up. ‘Jenny, try again!’ I would
hear him say. I can still see him,
brimming with pride, his face red
from the racing wind.
“Finally, we sipped on hot cocoa,
LESSONS
rance. Then we strolled across the bers most strongly about
street to Grammy Sophie’s house her father is the love of read-
for chicken soup that was waiting ing he passed on to her.
to chase away the chill … In his later years, she
Continued from Page 7
“I am grown and times have would send him copies of
changed even in the sleepy town of “It was too dangerous to the same books she was
Nanticoke’s Hanover section. The work in the mines, but he reading so they could dis-
man-made pond was filled in to worked in a dynamite facto- cuss them. “We both read
make a playground, and the rail- ry,” Ripski marveled, add- ‘Andersonville’ about the
road tracks are gone, replaced with ing the factory was in the notorious Civil War camp.
grass. My grandparents passed White Haven area and she We were both so heartbro-
away. I graduated to single-bladed doesn’t know what kind of ken about the situations in
skates, learned to spin, skate back- transportation was in- the prison,” she said.
wards and even stop. volved. “My father was my big-
“Life on the ice will continue to Though he had to work
gest supporter when I said I
be my grandfather’s legacy.” hard, Ripski said, she never
wanted to study mathemat-
Today the writer, 46, is a wife knew her father to be bitter.
and mother who works for the ics,” said Ripski, who
“He was the most posi-
American Cancer Society. earned a scholarship to
tive, pleasant, optimistic
She’s busy creating new memo- what was then College Mi-
person I know, and he was
ries with her husband, Robert, and extremely intelligent,” she sericordia. When the men at
daughter, Grace, who all enjoy said. the local tavern shared their
skating. Stanaitis served in World opinion that a girl should be
War I and II, worked as a po- studying home economics
lice officer and became a co- instead, “He would explain
owner of Empire Oil Co. In to them women can do just

“Each time I fell, Gramps helped me up. ‘Jenny, try his spare time, he taught his
daughter how to paint the
house, in a methodical and
again!’ I would hear him say. I can still see him, brim- organized fashion.
“He’d say, ‘Mary Lou, this
is the way we’re going to do
ming with pride, his face red from the racing wind.” this. Remember, a lazy man
always does his work
— Jennifer Thomas-Washney twice.”
as many things as men can.”
Stanaitis was proud of his
daughter for becoming a
teacher – she taught in
Woodbridge, N.J., for many
years – and she was proud of
him for educating himself
and passing on the zest for
learning.

What makes Ollie’s unique?

High
H quality and tasty food at really good prices,
served in a casual, friendly atmosphere.
W
WEST SIDE MALL • EDWARDSVILLE • 288-6609
Open Daily 7 AM - 11 PM
An American Restaurant Lunch
Dinners Join Us For (Served all day)
All our sandwiches include choice of soup, salad or french fries

MOTHER’S
(All served with soup or salad, potato and vegetable)
Our steaks are USDA choice, hand cut on the premises. We offer creative sandwiches on Ciabatta rolls, Gyro, Melts,

DAY
Our fish is fresh and our comfort food is homemade. Black Angus Burgers and Wraps, plus a variety of Specialty Salads.
Filet Mignon (8 oz.)............................................................... $14.75 At Lunch time we offer 8 Dinner Platters at Reduced Price of
Prime Rib (12 oz.).................................................................. $15.35 $8.35 ~ $8.75.
Delmonico Steak (12 oz.) ...................................................... $15.35
London Broil.......................................................................... $11.45 Breakfast Salad Bar
Broiled Seafood (shrimp, scallops, haddock) ........................ $13.25 (Served all day) Our Salad bar includes Homemade Salads, 4 Homemade
Stuffed Shrimp ....................................................................... $13.15 We are famous for our made from scratch Pancakes. Soups and 4 Freshly Baked Breads.
Broiled Salmon ...................................................................... $12.15 We offer Weekday Breakfast Specials at Reduced Prices.
Potato Crusted Haddock........................................................ $11.95
Pecan Crusted Tilapia............................................................ $10.45
Sauteed Chicken (Francaise, Scampi or Marsala) ................ $12.25
Desserts Liquor
Freshly baked Fruit and Cream Pies, Variety of Cakes and We Serve a Variety of Beers, Wines and Cocktails.
Meatloaf ................................................................................. $9.95
Ice Cream Creations.
Roast Turkey Breast ............................................................... $10.75
Yankee Pot Roast ................................................................... $10.75

Join Our Frequent Diner Club and Receive Special Offers for Your Birthday and
PAGE 11

Anniversary and Loyalty Discounts

SPECIAL SECTION, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27, 2011 MOMS &

Cooking together a tasty way to make memories

By SARA POKORNY Danny attended the Culinary
spokorny@timesleader.com

A
very Krogulski
whisked eggs
with a plastic
fork. He threw some
flour on his face, tangled
up a big pile of home-
made noodles, and then
sat comfortably in his fa-
ther Danny’s arms while
the chicken for the chick-
en parmigiana was drop-
ped into the pan.
Avery is not afraid to
get his hands dirty when
it comes to cooking. In
fact, he’s not afraid to get
the entire kitchen dirty.
Lucky for him, dad
Danny, a chef of presti-
gious educational cre-
dentials, welcomes the
culinary assistance of a
15-month-old.
Danny, Missie and Avery Kro-
gulski are like a three-compo-
nent, well-oiled machine in the
family kitchen. Avery’s favor-
ite spot is in his father’s arms.
Danny is a chef, and Avery is
on track to become one.
Sure, his age might limit what
he can actually do, but that
doesn’t mean it’s too early to
start him on the path to becom-
ing a great cook.
“He absolutely loves it when
Danny holds him while he
cooks,” said Missie Krogulski,
24, Avery’s mom and Danny’s
wife. “Danny loves it, too. He
talks to him like Julia Child
when they cook together.”
Institute of America in New
York and has loved to cook since
he was young, due in large part
to his mom, Diana Lee.
“I have two brothers and a sis-
ter, but I always seemed to be the
one to hang around and help my
mom cook,” he said.
One of his fondest memories
is “pork-chop night.”
“My mom would have to buy
two value packs of pork chops
for all of us,” Danny said. “We’d
have a smorgasbord of breaded
and fried pork chops that I’d help
make.”
To this day, Danny still makes
his mom’s meatloaf and sweet
potatoes.
Of course, Avery helps. Danny
can see he already has a star chef
on his hands.
“I think we’ve got a new cook-
ing show, ‘Cooking with Avery,
How to Make the Biggest Mess
in the Kitchen,’ ” he joked.
Perhaps thanks to the prolifer-
ation of cooking shows, cooking
as a family affair is more popular
than ever, but plenty of area folks
See FOOD, Page 20

In a recent essay contest organized by the Family Service Association and The Times Leader, several area elementary-schoolers
It had been “a terrible day” at school, “and it was just me “My grandmothers are sweet as “The thing I learned most from my mother was how to cook. She “My grandmother on
and my mom because my sister went home with her sugarplums. … I love them so has been teaching me since I was little and still is. I can cook my mother’s side of
friend. My mom said she laid out some ingredients to bake very much and love everything summer courses like grilled chicken Caesar salad. I also make the family taught me
sugar cookies. … We cracked the eggs, melted the butter, that they have taught me, espe- winter dishes like chicken soup. … I make desserts and appetizers, how to make good
and we mixed the cookie mix. When they came out of the cially how to make great food! My too. My favorite dessert is definitely blueberry pie. We pick the eggnog. My grand-
oven, we decorated them with sprinkles. This made my grandmothers are amazing cooks, berries ourselves fresh in the summer. That makes it extra yummy. mother on my dad’s
terrible day at school a whole lot better. My mom taught and they are happy to share their We also make jam. During hunting season, my dad takes me out for side taught me how
me to cook, and that makes me feel like a million bucks.” recipes with me.” deer. … I love making deer jerky. My favorite kind is peppered. It is to make spaghetti.”
really hard to make but in the end, it is worth it.”
PAGE 12

Kaitlyn Metz Emily Sims Thomas Engle

fifth-grader at Wyoming Seminary Lower School in Forty fifth-grader at Wyoming Seminary Lauren Austin St. Nicholas-St. Mary’s
Fort Lower School in Forty Fort sixth-grader at Bear Creek Community Charter School School, Wilkes-Barre
& DADS

SPECIAL SECTION, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27, 2011

DON CAREY PHOTOS/
THE TIMES LEADER

1. Fifteen-month
old Avery Krogul-
ski is a dough
roller in training,
under the watchful
eye of his father,
Danny.
2. Avery plays the
role of sauce mas-
ter during the
chicken-parmigia-
na prep phase.
3. Avery helps
prepare family
meals often. His
favorite helping-
spot is from dad
Danny’s arms.

wrote of the fond food memories they already have and the lessons they learned from cooking with their parents or grandparents.
“In the summer, my grandmother asked me to squeeze some lemons
and oranges. I asked her what they were for, and she told me she
was making lemonade. I stuck around to see how she made it, and
ever since I have been making homemade lemonade every weekend.
Then she taught me how to make scrambled eggs, meatballs, Easter
cheese and burgers old-fashioned style. She taught me to make the
burgers so well I actually entered a burger contest. I am grateful
that my grandmother taught me to cook because now I can be a chef
at a restaurant and teach my kids to cook the way she taught me.”
“My maternal grama taught me how to
cook. Let me tell you she is a great
cook! … She makes the best apple pie,
cupcakes and other goodies. When we
go up to her house on Easter, I can’t
wait for dessert. Boy, do I love her
food! When I make apple pie with her, I
eat the sugar apples, and sometimes
there aren’t any left.”
“I love to spend time with my family. One of the things I love to do is
with my mom. My mom taught me how to bake. … The way I got in-
terested is watching television shows. The shows I would watch are
‘Cake Boss,’ ‘The Next Great Baker’ and ‘Ultimate Cake-Off.’ I got all the
things I needed and started right away. Ever since I made my first
cupcake, I can’t stop baking. I feel that my mom and I have come closer
because of baking. Baking also helps me in school. … The measuring
helps me in math. … Spend more time with your family, get a little dirty
and have some sweets because it’s worth it in the end.”
PAGE 13

Paul Jason Amanda Curcio Isabella Greer

sixth-grader at Wilkes-Barre Academy St. Nicholas-St. Mary’s School, Wilkes-Barre fifth-grader at Wilkes-Barre Academy
SPECIAL SECTION, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27, 2011
BOND
Continued from Page 3
Mountain Top, were brave
enough to rent a Winnebago and
take the whole crew to Yellow-
stone National Park. They stayed
in campgrounds along the way,
and if they occasionally stopped
in a restaurant, the parents were
sure to jokingly tell the waitress
they were “on our honeymoon.”
All kidding aside, their dad ex-
plained to the children how he
and their mother hoped the sib-
lings’ relationship would evolve.
“One day your mother and I
will be gone,” he said. “Hopefully,
by that time you’ll be grown with
lives of your own, but there are
going to be times when you need
someone to help you, and the on-
ly people you’ll ever truly be able
to count on are your brother and
sisters, and I’ve got to know that
the five of you will be able to
count on each other, no matter
what.”
“Yeah, right,” Kendra said. “We
were kids, and he didn’t know
what he was talking about.”
Except, he was right.
Kendra’s three boys, Zack, 19, Noah, 8, and Kevin, 21, ham it up at home.
Thirty years later, in 2006, Ken-
dra herself was a mom of five chil-
dren. One night around 11, when
her husband was working third
shift and she was falling asleep,
exhausted, she suddenly heard a
commotion.
Daughter Dallas, then 9, had
MOMS & DADS
had a seizure, her older brother,
Zach, was carrying her, and
someone had called 911.
“Children crying. Ambulance
coming. Talk calmly to my baby.
Everything is happening in snap-
shots,” Kendra wrote. “I turn and
there with uncombed hair, in her
PETE G. WILCOX/THE TIMES LEADER
pajamas, is my sister. Relief. I go
to the hospital with my daughter,
knowing that she (my sister) will
take care of everything else.”
“I’m gonna tear up,” Kendra
said as she recalled the emergen-
cy during an interview. “Just the
emotion of the whole night.”
“Children crying.
Ambulance coming.
Talk calmly to my
baby. Everything is
happening in snap-
shots. I turn and
there with un-
combed hair, in her
pajamas, is my
sister. Relief.”
Deborah Kendra,
recalling a night several years ago
where her sister came to her aid
Indeed, the hospital staff did
take care of Dallas, and Kendra’s
sister, Mary, who lived nearby,
took care of everything else.
So now Kendra has a slightly
updated version of her father’s
words to pass along to her own
children:
“Friends may come and go in
your life, but family will show up
in the middle of the night in their
pajamas, if you need them.”

OM YOU LOVE
TE L L M
WITH A SWEET
HER M SUGAR PL GIFT
FRO UM
C H OC OL AT E S
THE BLOOMING
CHOCOLATE BOUQUET
$
2495
• Local & Nationwide Delivery Available
• Visit our showroom or visit us online at
r plum.com to
www.sugar-plum.com o see other M
Mother’s Day Gift Ideas

Mon.-Fri. 9-6 • Sat & Sun 10-2

88 Dilley St. • Forty Fort
288-0559
www.sugar-plum.com
PAGE 14
 MOMS & DADS

SPECIAL SECTION, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27, 2011

Crispell Walsh said she benefits a great

PERSEVERANCE
Continued from Page 10
married him.
Just a few months ago, Crispell Walsh was
watching her 1-year-old daughter, Madison,
learn to walk.
“She would get so frustrated when she’d
fall, just as I’m sure I did when I was learning
deal from living close to her parents. She’s
gratefultoherfather,StephenCrispell,forall All the girls
theworkhe’sdoneremodelingherbasement TOGETHER
MAKE IT UNFORGETTABLE...
and to her mother, Marilyn, for being a great
babysitter.
“She was a teacher and retired nine days
before my daughter was born,” Crispell
Walsh said. “When I said ‘You’re going to be a
Grandma,’ she said, ‘That settles it.’ ”
CrispellWalsh.whoworksasasecuritysu-
pervisor at Wilkes-Barre General Hospital, Sterling Silver Charms from $25

how to walk,” Crispell Walsh said. Suddenly,
sheheardherselfencouragingherlittlegirlin
a familiar way: “Get back up. Put one foot in
frontoftheother’causeyou’realmostthere.’”
That’s when it hit her.
She was giving the same kind of advice
about persevering that she’d always heard.
and her husband, Michael Walsh, are expect-
ing a son in May, and little Maddie, now al-
most 2, seems excited about becoming a big
sister. 115 Laurel Mall
“I don’t know if she fully understands,”
Hazle Township, PA 18202
Crispell Walsh said. “She points to my tum-
my and says, ‘Jack!’ ” 570.454.1872

Now Accepting Reservations for

N
Your
Mother’s
Day
MOTHER’S DAY BRUNCH
Store Sunday, May 8th ~ Seatings at 12:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m.
Buffet for $19.95 pp plus tax & gratuity
• Ca
Carving
arving
rv Station • Cole Slaw • Chicken Marsala
(R
Ro Turkey B
Roast
(Roast Breast, • French Toast • Assorted Pastry
This Mother’s Day Surprise Her With P ork Tenderloi
Pork Tenderloin) • Tossed Spring Salad • Shrimp Salad
•B reakfast Fritta
Breakfast Frittata • Roasted Red • Vegetable Medley
The Gift That Shows Her How Much You Love Her! • Sweet Italian SSausage Baby Potatoes • Fresh Fruit Display
Lladro porcelain creations are the fruit of a living artistic tradition whose • Penne w/ vod dk sauce
vodka • Assorted Breads • Coffee
secrets have fascinated appreciators of beauty down through the centuries. • Dessert Display • Soft Drinks

ONE DAY ONLY! REMOUNT SALE

Saturday, May 7th Noon-8PM
517 Pierce Street
Kingston
The
Gallery
Pierce Plaza
at
Reservations Required!
(570) 283-3354
All major credit cards accepted.
Laurel Mall, Hazleton • 454-1872 www.howards-jewelers.com www.piercestreetdeli.com

Gift With Purchase

April 22nd–May 7th
Receive a PANDORA
PA Ring Holder
(a $35 US retail value) with your purchase of
$100 or more of PANDORA jewelry.*
*Charms and bracelet shown on ring holder are sold separately.
Good while supplies last, limit one per customer.

United Penn Plaza

Kingston, PA
570.288.3147
PAGE 15

www.3sisters.com
SPECIAL SECTION, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27, 2011 MOMS & DADS

Hanging with the parentals is easy, fun

FOR THE TIMES LEADER/SARA POKORNY By SARA POKORNY
Months ago she had no idea she could make a cake like this, but spokorny@timesleader.com
thanks to the classes she took with her mom, Karen, Sara Po-

I
korny now has the skills to pull this off. f my mom asked me to hang out with her 10 years ago, her request would have been
met with an eye roll and a “seriously?” But at 25, I find myself looking for ways to
spend time with her.
We’ve always been close, but as I’ve grown older I have started looking at her as a
friend even more and have come to appreciate her company.
My mom, Karen, loves to dec-
orate cakes, so we decided to
enroll in classes at Michael’s in
Wilkes-Barre Township.
Every Wednesday for three
months we got together to eat
dinner before class, then spend
the next two hours with unin-
terrupted, no-pressure time to-
gether.
She sharpened her skills, and
Pretty cakes are now in reporter Sara Pokorny’s skill set after
I surprised her with my new-
she and her mother took a class together locally at Michael’s in
Wilkes-Barre Township. found ones. (Most people in my
family believe I’m in no way do-
mestic).
We found more common
ground as we simply enjoyed
each other’s company.
Michael’s has a variety of oth-
er classes to offer, such as cro-
cheting and jewelry making,
but if those don’t pique your in-
terest there are plenty of things
to do with mom or dad that go
beyond dinner or a movie.
Why not take the time to do
something you’ll both enjoy
while relaxing and learning
new things, perhaps about each
other?
Here’s a cake mom Karen Pokorny made after taking a class Besides, we kind of owe our
with her reporter daughter, Sara. parents for all the headaches we
PAGE 16
caused when we were little.
(Dad, I’m still sorry I drew all
over the kitchen wall with
crayons that one time.)
If you’re looking for a fun new
way to spend time with mom or
dad, here are a few suggestions:
• The season of flea markets
and yard sales is just beginning.
Not only can you walk away
with great deals, but a sale is
the perfect place for someone,
like myself, who might have
just moved into his or her own
place and needs cheap décor, or
someone like my mom, who
loves a good bargain and is pret-
ty skilled at haggling.
Grab a newspaper on a Friday
and plan your attack on a round
of Saturday-morning yard sales,
or hit up one of the many week-
end flea markets in the area.
The Discount Warehouse
Flea Market, 1950 Wyoming
Ave., Exeter (7 a.m.-3 p.m. Sun-
days) and the Sixth Street Ven-
dors Outlet , 231 West Sixth St.,
Wyoming (10 a.m.-2 p.m. Satur-
days and 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Sundays)
are two good choices. The Gar-
den Drive-In, Route 11 in Hun-
lock Creek, also is a great place
to stop by, especially on a nice
day, because the entire market,
open from 6 a.m. until 3 p.m.
Sundays, is outside.
• Wine or beer sampling is a
tasty way to spend an intergen-
erational day.
For those of us over 21, there
are plenty of great places in the
area to try wines and beers
made locally. At Bartolai Win-
ery, on Route 92 and Coolidge
Avenue in Harding, for exam-
ple, bands often play on the
weekends, and wine and beer
kits are available to take home,
which can be a whole other en-
deavor for parental bonding
time. Pavlick Hill Vineyard,
3250 Route 118 in Dallas, and
Nimble Hill Vineyard & Win-
ery, 426 Route 6 in Tunkhan-
nock, are two other spots worth
a visit. The well-known Lion
Brewery is right in Wilkes-
Barre on North Pennsylvania
Avenue and runs tours as well.
See BONDING, Page 17

BONDING
Continued from Page 16
May 5 and May 21 are the next
dates to see the home of Lion-
shead beer, at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
on both days. The tour is only $2
per person, plus tax.
How can you beat that?
• This area is big on communi-
ty, and plenty of volunteer oppor-
tunities are available. Spend an
afternoon at the St. Vincent De-
Paul Soup Kitchen in Wilkes-
Barre or take a couple of week-
ends and help out with Habitat
for Humanity, which has home
bases in Scranton and Wilkes-
Barre.
The valley also has the Amer-
ican Heart Association and
American Cancer Society in
Wilkes-Barre, United Way of
Wyoming Valley and plenty of
other non-profits to choose
from. Many of the organiza-
tions have fundraising events
throughout the year that re-
quire volunteers. Check web-
sites such as www.volunteer-
Anniversary
Rings
Gemstone Rings
and Bracelets
Diamond
Bracelets
Hoop
Earrings
Mother’s
Pendants
MOMS & DADS
SPECIAL SECTION, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27, 2011
match.org or www.servene-
Michael’s has a
t.org to see what’s available.
• As we get older, many of us variety of other
come to appreciate a variety of
things that have always been a classes to offer,
part of our lives.
Sometimes that includes the such as crochet-
very place in which we live.
Northeastern Pennsylvania is rife
ing and jewelry
with history and ways to learn
about it.
making, but if
Eckley Miners Village in
Weatherly is an original anthra-
those don’t pique
cite mining town that is now a
museum and open every day of
your interest
the week. The Lackawanna Coal
Mine in Scranton, which original-
there are plenty
ly opened in 1860, puts you in a of things to do
mine car that descends 300 feet
below ground. The Frederick with mom or dad
Stegmaier Mansion in Wilkes-
Barre was once home to Charles that go beyond
Stegmaier, a famous beer brewer
whose creations can still be dinner or a
tasted at the Lion Brewery today.
The mansion has been re- movie.
stored and offers Victorian au-
thenticity for a trip back in time.
Other local historical attractions
include the Nathan Denison
House in Forty Fort, the Swet- SARA POKORNY/FOR THE TIMES LEADER
land Homestead in Wyoming and Button flowers adorn the top of the cake Sara Pokorny made dur-
the Wyoming Monument. ing cake classes she took with her mom, Karen.
Remember Mother’s Day
Larg
Of S e Selec
terli tion
Jew ng Silve
elry r
Sterling Silver Beads That Fit Almost Every Bracelet
Steve Hydock Diamonds
150 SOUTH WYOMING AVENUE, KINGSTON, PA.
(Across From Jack Willams Tire and Auto) 283-0651
PAGE 17
SPECIAL SECTION, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27, 2011 MOMS & DADS

Facebook
“When I started
using my hands
when I talk.”

SURVEY
Amy Kaspriskie, 25,
Exeter
Daughter of Gloria
Kaspriskie

We put this question out into cyberspace via social networking:

Can you share with us an exact

moment when you realized you had “When I shouted at my kids, ‘You children
become your mother or father? leave me out of BREATH!!!’ ”
Katherine Kier, 42, West Wyoming,
Mother of Phaedra and Thaddeus

“When I started
saying ‘like you
know’ or ‘like you
say’ ... I say it, my
mother does, my
sisters do and my
grandmother.”
Jillian Rosser, 22,
Wapwallopen
Daughter of Lisa Rosser

“When I caught myself vacuuming a room I

had just vacuumed. The transformation
“The first time I told my daughter happens to all of us.”
‘Because I said so!’ ” Eileen Sweeney-Zamboni, “27 and holding. Or ageless.
Timeless really.” Garner, N.C. (Wilkes-Barre native)
Kathleen Smith, Wilkes-Barre
Mother of Laura and Madeline

“When I started to “The first time I screamed, ‘Mary Eliza-

call everyone a beth Balut, what do you think you’re do-
‘gypsy’ or when I ing?!!!! … Then after the other two girls
started getting all joined the family and I screamed, ‘Regina
OCD about how my Marie, Mary Elizabeth, Bridget Ann …
bed was made!” whatever your name is … what do you
Sarah Daywood, 26,
Pittston
think you’re doing?’ ”
Daughter of Deborah Donna Balut, Wilkes-Barre,
Andruscavage Mother of Mary Beth, Bridget and Regina
PAGE 18
 MOMS & DADS

SPECIAL SECTION, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27, 2011

“When I caught
myself peeling off
layers of price tags
to check out the
original price.”
Danielle Smallcomb, 39,
Takoma Park, Md. (Fairview
Township native)
Daughter of Bernadine
Smallcomb

“When I yelled, ‘Don’t go upstairs swinging

your arms; take something up with you!’ ”
Jennifer Keller, 38, Lee Park
Mother of Tyler, left, and Sydney

“When I first said

‘If you don’t stop
crying I will give
you something to
“The moment I became a mother. The young wom- cry about.’
an who wanted to go skydiving was now getting Marlene Mangan, 39, Bear
Creek
more life insurance, purchasing a minivan and Mother of Mariel
wanting to wear comfortable (a.k.a. sensible)
shoes. I remember my mother always being up. She
was the first one up in the morning and the last
one in bed. I, of course, loved to sleep in. WHAM …
Guess what ? I am now the first one up and the last
one to bed. Cleaning the kitchen at 6 a.m. and fold-
ing the laundry at 10 p.m. The circle of life, and I
wouldn’t change it for the world!”
Lisa Fronzoni Malcolm, 42, Dallas
Mother of Marina, center, and daughter of Frances Fronzoni, at right

“When I went to yell

at my stepdaughter
and said every “My kids will ask me, ‘How come you get
name but hers.” to have Coca-Cola for dinner, Mom, and we
Tammy Bergold Wenger, 40, can’t?’ and I say, ‘Because I’m Mommy,
Kingston
Daughter of Anne Bergold that’s why.’ Or my kids will ask me to get
them a snack or drink while they are
watching TV, and I reply, ‘Are your legs
broken?’ ”
Molly Richardson, 39, Harleysville (Hunlock Creek native).
Mother of Carly, Nora and Reese
PAGE 19
SPECIAL SECTION, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27, 2011
Monkey Bread is a sugary, sweet and simple dessert and a family
tradition in the DeLazio household.
MONKEY BREAD
a sweet memory
SHEENA DELAZIO
sdelazio@timesleader.com
G
rowing up, I was sur-
rounded by wonder-
ful cooks. My mother
and two grandmothers have
taught me everything I know.
Most of my childhood me-
mories circle around Sunday
dinners, first at my Nana’s
house for pasta, then at my
Granny’s house for whatever
she whipped up for her large
brood of children and grand-
children.
As I write this, it will be about
three weeks until I get married,
and now I must prepare meals
I’ve learned from them for my fu-
ture husband.
I’ve been using recipes given to
me by my mother, in a handwrit-
ten cookbook she gave me at my
bridal shower.
As I paged through the recipes,
several stood out – several I CAN-
NOT WAIT to make, such as my
Granny’s potato pancakes, and
others that brought back awe-
some memories of helping my
mom in the kitchen.
One of those was monkey
bread.
As a tiny Sheena (and, some
might say I’m still tiny, just a bit
older) I remember rolling the
dough for this recipe into balls,
rolling it in the sugar-and-cinna-
mon mixture and eagerly waiting
PAGE 20
for it to come out of the oven.
I’m not all that sure why this is
called monkey bread. I can only
FOR THE TIMES LEADER/SHEENA DELAZIO
MONKEY BREAD
Ingredients:
1 loaf frozen bread dough, thawed
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cinnamon
1 stick butter, melted
Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix sugar and cinnamon together.
Rip off pieces of the thawed dough
and roll in to 1-inch balls.
Roll the dough balls into melted
butter, and then into the sugar/
cinnamon mixture.
Place balls in pan and bake for
about 12 to 14 minutes.
You can use a regular loaf pan or a
Bundt pan. I used a regular loaf-
size pan.
assume because monkeys pick lit-
tle bugs off each other, and you
are able to pull this bread apart to
eat.
My future husband and I re-
cently had a Stromboli Sunday,
and I had a leftover loaf of frozen
bread dough. Because that’s
needed for this recipe, I decided
to make it. As I did, I felt like a
little kid again, and the smell that
came from the oven brought me
right back to my mother’s kitch-
en.
At the bottom of the recipe, my
mother, Donna, wrote, “A quick
dessert you’ll love.”
Little did she know, not only is
this quick to make, but it was
quickly eaten and the pan
cleaned just a few hours later.
I’m happy to share this recipe.
The one thing my future hus-
band said could make it even bet-
ter would have been a confection-
er’s-sugar icing for dipping. I
think that will be my tweak to the
recipe I pass on to my children.
MOMS & DADS
Which comes first, the chicken or the egg mix? Avery Krogulski learns the chicken-parmigiana
process from his father, Danny.
FOOD
Continued from Page 12
have been engaged in the art of
food as family legacy long before
our television screens only ener-
gized our interest.
Nancy Smith, 49, of Pittston
Township also learned to cook
at a young age, but from her
grandmother, Josephine Alex-
ander, also known as Onna.
“Every Good Friday she
would come to our house and
make Easter pizza,” Smith said.
“She would tell me, ‘I want you
here when I make this because
when I’m gone you’re going to
be the one to take over.’ ”
Each year offered a lesson in
Easter pizza that had to be fol-
lowed down to every detail. The
pizza consists of ham, Muenster
and American cheeses and al-
most two dozen eggs. The ingre-
dients are mixed together and
poured into a pan lined with
dough, then covered with anoth-
er layer of dough.“We used to
weave the dough on the top,”
Smith said. “I had to pay very
close attention to everything
she did to make it just a certain
way so that it would come out
right every time.”
She never took what her
grandmother said lightly.
“At my young age I thought
my grandmother would be
Avery Krogulski, in his fa-
ther’s arms as usual, sprinkles
the all-important cheese on
the chicken parmigiana.
around forever. I would just
smile and nod, but I would al-
ways stand there and watch
closely because, hey, you didn’t
dare not listen to your grand-
mother.”
Alexander died in 1995, and,
sure enough, the Easter-pizza
tradition fell to Smith.
“Every year, until this day, I
can feel her watching over me
while I make the pizza,” Smith
said. “It always comes out pretty
close to hers. I think she’d be
proud.”
While Smith’s grandmother
taught her a step-by-step meth-
od, Amy Alpaugh, 73, of Hugh-
estown has almost never fol-
DON CAREY/TIMES LEADER STAFF PHOTO
lowed a recipe thanks to her
mother’s teachings.
“Everything is a pinch of this,
a handful of that,” Alpaugh said.
Alpaugh’s mom, Faustina Ni-
nassi, never once used a measur-
ing cup or spoon. Alpaugh
learned how to make bread, des-
serts, sauce and various pasta
creations, such as raviolis and
cappellettis.
“I remember that the cappel-
lettis looked like little hats,” she
said. “They were very hard to
make. I would have five done at
the same time she had 10 done.”
Not only does Alpaugh not
use measurements, she has no
written recipe of any kind for ref-
erence.
“Everything I do is from mem-
ory,” she said.
One of Alpaugh’s most vivid
memories is the way her mother
would roll dough.
“She could roll it out into a
perfect circle,” she said. “She
could pretty much roll it to how-
ever she wanted. She used to
make that rolling pin sing.”
Alpaugh still has her mother’s
rolling pin, though she doesn’t
use it because of the wear and
tear that comes with age.
Another tradition she holds
on to is the way her mother
dressed in the kitchen.
“My mother always wore a
kerchief on her head and an
apron,” she said. “I do that to
this day. I feel like I’m walking in
her footsteps.”
 MOMS & DADS
ENGAGING
It’s often said that we look to marry our mother or our father,
figuratively speaking, of course. It’s a familiarity thing. We asked
some local engaged or recently married couples if they’ve discov-
ered this is true in their own relationships.
Shannon and Matt Saporito, 24, Forty Fort
Dad - Ken Zekoski.
Shannon: “I wanted to marry someone as strong, hardworking and family-
oriented as my dad, and I definitely see those characteristics in Matt.”
Diane, 25, and Lee Tracey, 31,
Allentown (formerly of Harding)
Diane’s mom - Karen Vavrek, Exeter Township
Lee’s mom - Sherry Tracey, Hanover Township
“I think when people say they marry someone who is similar to their parent it
holds some form of validity. Take for example my loving husband, Lee Tracey.
This gentle soul is 31 years young and likes to continuously let me know that his
mother and I are alike all the time. He reminds me every time I take too long
getting out of a vehicle, or when I butter his bread for him because I think he
may not be capable of doing it on his own, which he gives me reason to think,
due to him rolling his Lebanon bologna up and then biting it into snowflakes. It
helps that this wonderful man I said “I do” to is a chef, because I get home-
cooked meals just like my mother used to make for me when I was growing up.
I suppose it should be noted that they’re both obsessed with ‘Ghost Hunters’ as
well.”
SPECIAL SECTION, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27, 2011
Elizabeth Galat, 24, Nanticoke, and Chris Tigue, 34,
Dunmore, to wed in June 2012
Dad – Millard Galat Jr., Mom – Anne Marie Tigue
Chris: “Both Elizabeth and my mom are loving and caring people, always
looking out for others. They’re both strong women. When I was younger, my
Mom made sure I was always well dressed for whatever occasion we were
going to. Elizabeth took over that job now. She OKs every outfit.”
Elizabeth: “Both Chris and my dad are leaders in education and their commu-
nities. It’s rare that a week goes by where neither of them have some type of
committee meeting or event to plan. They are both go-getters and love to keep
busy. I believe that their similar interest is one of the reasons that they get
along so well, but most important, I believe they get along so well because
they both love me.”
Samantha, 25, and Frank Good, 32, Pittston
Dad - Gerald Falvo
Mom - Verna Good
Samantha: “My father always knows how to calm me down without realizing
he’s doing it, and Frank is the same way. They’re also both dedicated fathers
with a soft way of handling their children.”
Frank: “My mother and Samantha both remember and hold on to everything,
both good and bad. It’s right down to the smallest detail or date that most
people wouldn’t remember. It’s something that can sometimes drive me crazy,
but I also really admire it.”
PAGE 21
SPECIAL SECTION, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27, 2011 MOMS & DADS

When an
Oklahoma
mom and a
Pennsylvania
daughter meet
in the heart of
the nation

F
eatures page designer and
photographer by hobby Rachel
Van Blankenship pays tribute
to the value of some good, old-fash-
ioned mom time in a photo essay.
•••••
How often do you see your par-
ents? Once a week? Twice a
month?
For my family, spread out across
Oklahoma, California and Idaho,
seeing them more than once a year,
if not once every two years, can be
downright impossible. So when the
opportunity arose to drive five
hours to Washington, D.C., to
spend an extended weekend with
my mom, I was there in, well, four
and a half hours.
You could say I got my sense of
exploration from my mom. Seeing
the old and the new, wandering
neighborhoods we had never heard
of before, eating food we’d never
tried. And by the time it was over,
after all the sights we could
squeeze in were seen, my mom
said, “I wish I could spend a
hundred hours in a coffee shop
with you.”

ONE: I thoroughly enjoy a Cherry Wheat beer from the District Chophouse & Brewery’s beer sampler. The Cherry Wheat, a seasonal beer, is brewed specifically for the Cher-
ry Blossom time of year in Washington, D.C. For dinner: homemade corn bread, sesame-encrusted calamari with an apricot ginger glaze, crab bisque and two orders of the
gorgonzola filet, paired with shiitake mushrooms and topped with gorgonzola and Worcestershire sauce. Mom and I shared; the second order was for my stepdad, Mark.
TWO: Mom, a.k.a. Debbie Aldridge, makes her third attempt at an iced-mocha mustache at Tryst in the Adam’s Morgan district. THREE: The Capitol city is hopping and full
of life as we take a nighttime stroll after dinner. FOUR: Even though the Cherry Blossom Festival was winding down, plenty of delicate buds could still be seen — like these
framing the Jefferson Monument.
PAGE 22
 MOMS & DADS

SPECIAL SECTION, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27, 2011

ONE: At La Tasca, a lovely tapas restaurant in Alexandria, Va., what started as a quick bite to eat turned into a decadent feast. Pictured here is the Paella de Chorizo: mini-
ature paella with diced chorizo sausage and an assortment of seasonal vegetables. TWO: Two mochaccinos share a window seat at Le Pain Quotidien in the Easter Market
district of Washington, D.C. THREE: A fruit tart becomes an afternoon snack at Tryst in the Adam’s Morgan district. FOUR: Coffee, coffee and more coffee (it still counts if
it’s iced). Mom orders an iced mocha at Tryst. FIVE: Black-bean soup and homemade bread from Le Pain Quotidien creates a warm haven from the rain.

ONE: Spring’s in full bloom at the Smithsonian Castle building. During our time on the mall we saw the Washington Monument, the Holocaust Museum and witnessed an
honest-to-goodness political rally in front of the Capitol building. TWO: Next stop Adam’s Morgan, then Georgetown. Mom, a.k.a Debbie Aldridge, becomes the ultimate
tourist in the nation’s Capitol as she tries to find the closest metro stop. THREE: After four long days of touring the city, we take one last photo opp at a family friend’s
apartment in Arlington, Va. FOUR: Heels are not advised when traveling with us. Nor are they advised, as this mural states, at the ’Torpedo Factory.’ Formerly a WWII
Torpedo Factory, the space has been refurbished to accommodate artists and their studios. Buy, wander or ooh and ahh at the three stories of painters, photographers,
weavers, teachers and sculptors who make their artistic homes here. http://www.torpedofactory.org/
PAGE 23
SPECIAL SECTION, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27, 2011

Give Mom Something She

Deserves This Mother’s
Day... A New Pair of UGG
Sandals or Boots!

158 Memorial Hwy. Shavertown

1.800.49.SHOES

FLOWER HER WITH

LOVE ON MOTHER’S DAY
• Hanging Baskets
Perfect for Mom!
• Large Selection of
Flowering Pots
• Cemetery Logs
• Potted Perennials
• Vegetable Plants

Daily 9-7
1/8 Mile Past Hanover Mall
HEROLD’S FARM
MARKET Sans Souci Pkwy, Hanover
735-2918
PAGE 24

FAMILY RUN FOR OVER 100 YEARS