Growing up, all I ever wanted was to be a normal American. The kind who ate sugar cookies and chocolate chip cookies at Christmas. I admit I was a bad Italian.…
I am one of the lucky ones. I get to have two of my three kids for Thanksgiving, and given the state of things today, that’s pretty great. I can’t wait for life to change for the better, but so far, 2020 has been inconvenient, but not tragic. Again, I know I’m lucky. I’ve had time to think, write, and figure out my next steps. I’m so very…
Today is my Uncle Richard’s 89th Birthday. To honor him, I’m posting my most prized possession, my video of him showing me how to make meatballs and sauce. (It’s at the end of this post.) It was the highlight of my year! Most people’s bucket lists are filled with things like: Stay in a Scottish castle, or dance in the sand in Greece. But at the top of…
Have you ever tasted or smelled something that instantly took you back in time? Well, the other night I went back to being a 9-year-old tasting my mom’s homemade cannoli at Christmas time in our flour-dusted kitchen. It was cannoli teleportation. (This was a post from several years ago, but since the holidays are hovering closer, I wanted to share this recipe again.) I am a novice cannoli…
I was at work last week, fighting a nasty bout of bronchitis and kept nodding off at my desk. I thought I was being very sly, but someone walked past, noticed and mentioned it to me. He said it looked like I was in deep thought, but I think he was just being kind. I know what I look like when I’m nodding off and it is definitely…
I’m a great housewife, if I say so myself. Nothing thrills me more than inviting people for dinner and being hostess for an evening. I love gardening, fixing up houses, even cleaning them. Correction — I love how I feel when they’re clean — big difference. Having all day to frame my favorite photos and decorate my living room would be a dream for me, but it ain’t…
What makes a man recover from gallbladder surgery almost instantly? a. The promise of a waiting platter of king crab legs and shrimp b. The promise of pasta with crab sauce c. The promise of scallop pasta with cream sauce d. The promise of an adoring family e. Leftover novenas prayed by his mother. f. All of the above…
I’m still recovering from a week of food preparation and a day of serious hostessing. The heavens smiled on me and food magic happened, which means all my food turned out great, except for the gravy, which was a little iffy. From now on, it’s only flour, no cornstarch in my gravy. My guests were wonderful, there were no awkward pauses in conversation, and my kid’s friends turned…
I can’t believe it’s already November. To make it worse, everywhere I look poor Thanksgiving is being squeezed out by all the holiday stuff. What the hell? It’s too bad because a day devoted to being thankful that includes food overload is my kind of holiday. I’ve always loved it — so much, that in college, we made Thanksgiving dinner and ate on two mattresses on the floor…