I was talking to my sister-in-law, Patty, who is on crutches this holiday. Nothing makes a woman crazier than not being able to whirl around in a frenzy of Christmas preparation insanity, so she was already apologizing for her house probably not being up to snuff. I told her not to worry, I’m not coming to visit the decorations or the house. I’m coming to see my family.…
You can either live life, or write about it. This year for Christmas, I lived it. The great thing about living is you notice things like little Christmas miracles you might have overlooked. (The bad thing is your blog is late.) I lived it so well that I now have one mother of a head-cold that only responds to hot tea with lemon, honey and Rock n’Rye. I’m…
I just read an article in the LA Times about an Austrian chef who re-creates Christmas dinners like those in his homeland because he has such great memories. I loved that, instead of sinking into a depression over what he’s missing, he’s re-creating it with braised duck and roasted chestnuts. I remember forcing myself to do that the first year I spent Christmas Eve away from my large,…
I love you guys — for reading these posts, responding and telling me how much you enjoy my stories and recipes. You’re all awesome and, if I had the time and the money, I’d bake biscotti for every one of you. I can’t do that, but I can give you a gift from GettaSommaDis, my new online store! Go check it out right now! Here’s a link: http://www.zazzle.com/gettasommadis*…
My most vivid memory of my mom takes me back to Saint Joseph’s Elementary School and the cultural event of the year, the Christmas play. In first grade, Jan Rigatoni (not her real name) got to portray a “cute toy doll” sitting in Santa’s lap. She wore a beautiful light blue dress with a big bow in the back and a very fluffy petticoat AND she had a…