Community and creativity are what comes to mind after talking with Temera Strather. She is a wife, mother to young kids, and small business owner. She is passionate about creating experiences for those around her, whether it be an ordinary day or an important celebration.
Temera and her husband Jonathan are high school sweethearts going on 12 years of marriage. He is in IT, serving in the US Navy.
“In our early years of marriage, we had a little apartment and a tub of games. Every day, I’d be waiting at home with a new board game ready to play when John got off duty,” Temera reminisced. “This grew into a love for throwing a good game night with friends and family. Being a military family, we’ve made some unbreakable connections and it’s just so beautiful to have such an extended family.”
Together, Jonathan and Temera have two children – Kali (6) and Jamari (4). Kali is spunky and creative, just like her mother. She loves being outside and can tell you all the interesting facts about animals, bugs, and nature. She enjoys school, arts and crafts, dancing, and tumbling. Jamari, on the other hand, just earned himself the nickname ‘Jamario’ because he has a newfound love for the Nintendo character Mario. He also enjoys being outside and is very silly.
“We love to go to the beach and, of course, play board games,” Temera said. “I think our all-time favorite thing to do as a family right now is have an indoor movie night. Our go-to snack for that is a fresh bag of AMC popcorn EXTRA butter and s’mores!”
The family has full days of work and school, but they always eat dinner together.
“We do eat out a bit, but will also do a quick Publix run to put dinner together! We eat around the kitchen table, and cooking is pretty split in half,” said Temera. “I’ll be honest; my husband has been doing more cooking than me lately since I started my business. We’ve grilled out 4 weekends in a row this month! He’s really perfected his ribs on the smoker.”
Temera recently opened the doors to her own business called ‘A Sweet Party’. She says that many people think she is a bakery, but actually, she is a venue and creative studio offering everything from creative play to children’s camps and workshops to fun-themed parties.
“I love putting together fun parties and seeing the joy on kids’ faces while they create beautiful things,” she shared.
Kali’s favorite meal that Temera makes is a quick weeknight lasagna. It is affordable, and dinner can be on the table in under an hour. They usually enjoy it with a side of corn on the cob or broccoli and buttery rolls.
Quick Crowd Pleasing Lasagna
Ingredients:
- 1 cup Frozen Seasoning Vegetables (frozen chopped onions & peppers)
- 1 lb Ground beef
- 1 jar of Ragu chunky tomato, garlic, and onion tomato sauce
- 2 cups Ricotta cheese
- 2 cups Shredded Mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup Shredded four cheese blend
- Various seasonings: like garlic & onion powder, Italian seasoning, and season all
- 1/2 box Lasagna noodles
- 1-2 tbsp Minced garlic
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400.
- Boil noodles until al dente.
- Ground beef in a skillet with vegetable seasoning blend; season with various seasonings.
- Drain grease from the beef and add the Ragu sauce.
- Season again with various seasonings and add salt to taste.
- Simmer for about 15 minutes.
- In a small bowl add ricotta, minced garlic, and Italian seasoning blend and mix.
- Now layer noodles, meat sauce, and ricotta cheese, and mozzarella cheese. Finish the final layer with a 4-cheese blend.
- Bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until cheese on top is nice and melty.
