Risotto is one of those things I don’t usually make because I always worry about the carbs. But, I just made it on Halloween night and it was creamy, delicious heaven. Not only did I not gain an ounce, I actually lost a pound, so go figure! Maybe it was because this had so many veggies in it — spinach, zucchini, mushrooms and leeks — and it was…
Beef• Family Traditions• Main Courses• Pasta, Polenta and Risotto• Pork
Uncle Richard's Meatballs and Sauce!
September 19, 2018Today 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…
Well, I seem to be surviving the departure of my daughter. At first, I wondered if I’d ever be alone because right after my daughter left, my son came and visited for a couple nights, but I was alone last weekend, which left time for an old friend to come and stay over and for me to finally clean my daughter’s room the way I’ve been dying to…
Summer in Pennsylvania meant stepping downstairs to a kitchen table overflowing with tomatoes. It taught me to both love tomatoes and wonder when they were going to take over the household and squeeze me out of my room. My father could never plant less than 20 tomato plants. Our cousin Tony would start seedlings and bring them over, then dad would go buy plants, then someone else would…
Pasta, Polenta and Risotto• Vegan• Vegetarian
Your Mother's Proud of You, No Matter What You Think – An Election Day Distraction Blog
November 8, 2016
Today’s election day, and you’re going to need a distraction. I’ve got a little story about my mom and a good, easy, Italian, comfort food recipe because we’ll all need some comforting today, and probably for a while. But be sure you vote. Too many people have risked and lost their lives for freedom in this country for you not to vote. Now back to the distraction. I…
Appetizers• Family Traditions• Pasta, Polenta and Risotto
Pasta Sundays are Kicking my Butt
June 17, 2016
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…
Family Traditions• Pasta, Polenta and Risotto• Thoughts on Life• Vegan• Vegetarian
Pasta Sundays
May 27, 2016
I was talking to my Uncle Richard over the weekend. He was telling me how he misses the days when his grandkids were little and he used to cook every Sunday. His lucky daughter, son-in-law and their kids, along with my dad, were invited over every Sunday to eat pasta. He’d make a different pasta every week, including rigatoni, linguini with clams, gnocci, lasagne, aglio olio and others,…
Christmas• Holidays• Pasta, Polenta and Risotto• Seafood• Vegetarian
A Man And His Crabs
December 31, 2015
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…
My kids were gone for a mini-family reunion at their dad’s house for the Fourth of July and I missed them, so I wanted to cook something wonderful when they returned. It was Sunday and my Italian soul longed for lasagne. It was just special enough that my devious plan, to get them (including my daughter’s boyfriend) to stay for a meal, worked. Now that’s success. (See what…
Dipping Sauces, Spreads, Marinades and Salad Dressings• Pasta, Polenta and Risotto• Vegan• Vegetables• Vegetarian
It's Polenta Time!
January 24, 2015
In Pennsylvania, in the depths of January, when it gets so cold you can see ice forming on the insides of windows — it’s time for polenta. Here in California, once it hits 60 or under, we shamelessly jump on the polenta bandwagon.…