Stories Served Around The Table
take a seat, eat something and join in
Blogging A-Z 2018 Challenge was my first blogging challenge. I was so pleased with myself when the twenty-sixth day arrived, and there were twenty-six posts! Usually, my attention span to daily tasks that do not impact anyone but myself tends to be short-lived. Therefore, diets and exercise routines easily fall away. This success was a big boost to… Continue reading Blogging A-Z Reflections
The New York World’s Fair came to the Queens Fairgrounds in 1964. I hold memories of crowds, seeing the Abraham Lincoln hologram exhibit, and being in awe of the huge Observatory towers and the Unisphere. It was a hot summer day. I shared an ice cream cone and lemonade with a cousin. I was reminded… Continue reading Z Is For Zeppolis
Y proved to be the toughest letter. I also ran out of charming anecdotes. Instead of racking my memory, I decided to make a list of YUCKY food memories. I eat just about everything. There are foods I do not prefer and would not bother putting in my shopping cart. Swiss chard and whole wheat… Continue reading Y Is For YUCKY Food Memories
I searched my memory and my people for a food memory that begins with the letter X. There were none. I did find a recipe for Xavier Soup and decided to make it a new memory. Xavier Soup is named for Saint Francis Xavier. It is prepared on his feast day, December 3rd. Saint Xavier… Continue reading X Is For Xavier Soup
I have lived alongside wine drinkers and winemakers. My Great Grandfather was a champagne grape grower in Sicily toiling for the landlord. Although he did not farm in America, he did have a barrel in his basement. He made wine for home and bartering purposes. I have vague memories of my Great Grandfather. The aroma… Continue reading W Is For Wine
Great Grandma was a reckoning force. She held a firm grasp on her matriarchal status through her long adult life. She left Sicily as a young mother, raised her family— five daughters, in a Mott Street tenement. She had a controlling hand in managing her home, her daughter's homes, and some neighbors as well. She… Continue reading V Is For The Veal Cutlet Story
When my mom was a young mother with a brood of 5 kids, she would have my aunts over for the afternoon. All of us kids would run amok while our moms chatted, sipped coffee, and ate cake. My mom would “doctor” box cake mixes for the company. Most of her ideas came from the… Continue reading U Is For Upside Down Pineapple Cake
I came across a recipe for tomato pie a few summers ago. Tomatoes had been my top favorite vegetable/fruit—the one I happily tend to in my garden. From August to October, tomatoes cluttered my kitchen. I cooked some down for sauce, sliced them for tomato and cheese sandwiches, tossed together tomatoes and red onion… Continue reading T Is For Tomato Pie
It's sauce - not gravy. I grew up on sauce. Tomato sauce simmers on Sundays. A big pot is set up so that there is plenty of sauce left over for the week. First, onions and garlic are sautéed in olive oil, surrounding the kitchen with cozy warmth. Crushed tomatoes are added, salted and seasoned. No… Continue reading S Is For Sauce
I was not familiar with rhubarb. My mom never ventured with the tart and fibrous vegetable that needed an abundance of sugar and fuss. I discovered rhubarb from my mother-in-law, Helga Martin. She grew it! There was a big cluster of the purply red stalks growing happily on the edge of her garden. She planted one… Continue reading R Is For Rhubarb
