Italian, family, food – cooking Italian food, with Italian family – the best of all worlds!!!!
I played sous chef to Cousin John’s masterful rendition of
Bolognese Sauce
olive oil, pancetta, Italian sausage, ground turkey, balsamic
celery, carrot, onion, garlic
tomatoes, tomato sauce, red wine
sage, salt, pepper
pecorino, heavy cream, cinnamon, nutmeg, crushed red pepper flakes
basil to serve
and more pecorino
incredibly delicious……..and so much fun!!!!
Mille grazie, John!!!
Filed under Family history, Food
I’ve dreamed of being spontaneous – ready instantly for any eventuality life might bring. Alas, I am not by nature given to acting on sudden impulses. To paraphrase Webster, I am not given to acting without effort and premeditation. Consequently, I am learning to plan to be spontaneous.
I don’t know about your world, but in mine, being spontaneous with family and friends most often involves food. Having ingredients on hand is essential – a complicated recipe is not.
enamel roasting pan
olive oil
onion, sliced
add lemons, cut in wedges and squeezed
garlic cloves, peeled
whole chicken(s)
lemons halved, squeezed into and put in the cavities
seasoned with salt, pepper, and fresh rosemary
partially baked, potatoes added
baked a bit longer, carrots added
asparagus added
served on a big platter in the middle of the table
along with arugula dressed with olive oil and balsamic,
enough to feed and appeal to a crowd of various ages.
Are you naturally spontaneous, or working on it???….I’d love to hear your stories!
Filed under Food
As you can imagine, the pace of life here has slowed considerably since the events of July! What marvelous memories….. and now some sweet time to linger over a meal, perhaps, reminiscing………
I love to cook – well actually I love to feed people (and myself)! And I love to read – cookbooks! I’ve pulled these off the shelf to inspire some late summer meals:
I love family stories and pictures and recipes together.
My sous-chef’s response when she first saw this one in my kitchen: ‘Nona, don’t you know how to boil an egg???’
You already know of my infatuation with this one!
In order to keep the promise I have made to myself not to buy any more cookbooks, I pacify myself each Sunday morning after church at the local deli where we go for coffee. While my husband is at the register, I go to the shelves of cookbooks and have a peek at the latest editions…usually I am strong and walk away…somehow this one recently found its way to the counter with me….
What are you dreaming about for your late summer menus???
Filed under Food, Inspiration
When cooking with my grandmother as a young girl, I always wore an apron chosen from her vast collection.
Seemingly always in the kitchen as a busy mother, I never took time to put on an apron.
Now that I am cooking with my granddaughter, she reminds me (as I taught her) to always put on an apron before we start to cook. In fact, aprons have become an integral part of our times together in the kitchen. Knowing the joy we find in cooking together, we have been the recipients, from family and friends, of aprons – even some matching ones. Which one to wear remains a difficult decision……..we discuss the provenance of each one:
“……….these from Rome when I was a baby, the pink one with the fire dogs from Auntie Sue Sue………..”
The decision made, we are ready to begin our adventure of making:
‘gooey cinnamon squares’
from the Smitten Kitchen Cookbook by Deb Perelman
measuring
whisking
adding
beating
-time out for an apron change-
stirring
spreading
-and yet another apron change for the sous-chef-
dusting
and finally tasting
YUM!!!
Filed under Family history, Fashion, Food, Travel
My sous-chef and I have quite a history: we’ve been cooking together for about seven years – not long by some standards, but for us, nearly a lifetime…….hers.
Today we carried on the tradition:
we assembled the ingredients………..
Coming next: the process and results!!!
Filed under Family history, Food
Susan Wennerstrom | W designs 