For those of you not familiar with the traditions of Italian families, there is something called a garden which is the most important thing EVER…in life. And from that garden comes all the produce that will feed you throughout the year, at least that’s how it’s supposed to work. There’s just one tiny stipulation, YOU have to CAN all those fruits and vegetables in order to keep them…
I wanted you to read about something, other than my book: Come on Down! (which is still out there waiting to be bought…hint, hint) so this blog is about sausage making. Yes, sausage making! I apologize in advance to all my vegan and vegetarian friends for saying this, but this Italian had a great time making sausage. I try not to eat meat too often, but this was…
I’ve made you wait long enough! My book, Come on Down, A Little Story About My Italian Mom’s Big Dream is coming out as a paperback, ebook, and audiobook as of February 24, 2026! And (drum roll please) you can win an autographed copy, which could be worth up to a whole 50 cents someday! Seriously though, all you have to do is post on Facebook, Instagram, Linked…
The great thing about getting older is that you forget so much, everything is new! Recently, I made a batch of polenta because I was worried the recipe in my book might not be accurate. I was sure I’d never blogged about polenta, then checked old blogs and realized that, not only did I blog about it, I made four batches to be sure it was good. It…
The wait is over! If you’ve put off buying gifts because everything at the mall costs eight billion dollars, here’s your chance to make up for it. Come On Down! A Little Story About My Italian Mom’s Big Dream, is now out as an audiobook and available to order! (The paperback and ebook should be out in January – sorry to make you wait book lovers.) Ordering is…
Oh man, you knew this day was coming…the day when I won’t shut up about my audiobook coming out. I just found out you can pre-order the audiobook version of Come On Down! A Little Story About My Italian Mom’s Big Dream right now! I am told it should be available to download by December 17th. Order as many as you want. Really, go right ahead! (If you…
Holy smokes, my essay about my mom just went up on the Huffington Post! The link to it is in the highlighted words, just click on them: They’re calling it, “My Mom Dreamed of Getting on The Price is Right, I Never Imagined What Would Happen When She Did.” They may try another name for it too, which I will post if the name changes. I am thrilled…
I am hosting Easter on Sunday. I’ve bought almost everything I could think of, so since Easter is a few days away, and I was feeling both nostalgic and brave, I thought I’d give my mom’s original Easter Bread recipe a try. This meant putting my faith in Mom’s words on a yellowed, grease-spotted paper that’s more than 40 years old. I found the spots reassuring thinking she…
“We were so poor, I was lucky if I got an orange on Christmas,” my father always told me. He seemed to marvel at his good fortune, via hours of bricklaying work, to be able to give his four kids gifts on Christmas. I never thought twice about getting any toy I saw repeatedly advertised on Saturday morning cartoons. I started begging for my desired prize months ahead…
The guilt that consumes a first generation Italian American woman who is gifted a giant bag of home grown tomatoes cannot be overstated. The first thing she thinks is, “Oh God, what will my parents think if I don’t can these?” Never-mind that her parents passed away anywhere from a year to decades ago, the disgrace over not utilizing every fruit, or vegetable down to its nub will…