We believe your home should be a haven for your family and a retreat for your guests. ~Wren & Willow
Home and family have always been important to Wren & Willow. That is why we work so hard to help you make your home beautiful and the perfect haven for you and your family. Our goal is to help you create a lovely and calm space that will give you years of sweet and happy memories.
We are currently in an unprecedented season of life that will go down in history. After months of sheltering at home, we continue to endure this pandemic. For a culture that thrives on business and productivity, this has been a hard reality for all of us.
Yet, we want to encourage you to see this time as a gift. How many times over the years has someone asked you how you are doing, and you responded with, “busy.” How many times have you told yourself that you need to get working on that home project, or you would love to garden one day, but just don’t have the time? What about those closets that need organizing or that over-filled garage? Many of us have lists of things that always get pushed to the back burner because there is never "enough time."
Between school, sports, friends, and work, how often do you get to spend time with family, in one house without someone coming or going? How have you used this time at home to be together? Whether it is game night or cooking together, or even creating a funny music video, these are the moments that you and your children will remember when you think back on this season.
When all of this is over and we return to our daily lives, will you be happy with the way you spent your quarantine? Will you have sweet memories of laughter and time together? Ask yourself what your children will tell their children about Spring of 2020. Today, look for a way to create another special memory for your family and embrace the slow pace of life before things return to the busy normal routine.
Pasta Fagioli
Feeding a family during the Great Depression was a challenge. Laureen's Grandmother Josephine used to serve Pasta Fagioli, or pasta with beans, as a good, yet necessary way to stretch their humble income. Even though he ate it at least three nights a week as a child, Pasta Fagioli was still Laureen's dad's favorite meal as an adult, because it brought him right back to his mother's kitchen in the Bronx, New York.
Josephine Miliziano kept her family well fed during the Great Depression, and created special memories for her children.
Ingredients:
1 Large Onion, chopped
Olive Oil
2 Garlic Cloves, chopped
Pinch of Red Pepper Flakes
2 Roma Tomatoes, crushed with juice
2 C. Fresh Cannellini Beans Salt and Pepper
1 Tbsp. Basil
1 Tbsp. Parsley
1 tsp. Oregano
Salt and Pepper
3 C. Chicken Broth
1 C. Water
1 lb. Ditalini or small shell pasta
Pecorino Romano Cheese
Directions: In a large pot, heat oil and add chopped onion. Once onion is translucent, add garlic and a pinch of red pepper. Add beans to pot. Cook for five minutes. Add chicken broth, water, crushed tomatoes, basil, parsley, oregano, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add pasta and cook pasta until al dente. Top with Pecorino Romano cheese as desired.
Found in our cookbook, One-Hundred Italian Eats by Wren & Willow
Recipe contributed by Alyssa Campagna
Family Night via Zoom
Saturday night is family night for the Skrivans. After a long week, we love getting the kids and grandkids together over a meal and fun conversation. Family night is one of the things we have missed the most about being quarantined, so we decided to have family night virtually. It worked out much better than we could have expected! We ordered food for each family and we met on a Zoom chat and the conversation lasted well into the night. It was a great way for us to connect, still share a meal, and not feel so far apart from one another. How have you creatively stayed connected with loved ones during this time? We would love to hear your ideas!
Photos by: Nathaniel Gutierrez & Aleks Akinshev
