italian christmas facts and recipe!

want to learn how to say 'merry christmas' in italian?

buon natale!

(means happy christmas)

and how to say santa clause?

babbo natalie

(this is my uncle earl and my great grandmother angelina on christmas eve in her home. i wonder what she is thinking.)

and did you know that christmas started in italy?

(ever notice that the flag is the same colors as christmas?)

(yes-you are all welcome.)

want to know the best thing about being an italian on christmas eve?

no, it isn't the 7 fish dishes on christmas eve for good luck.

or your drunk uncle double parking in front of the house and blocking traffic.
no, it wasn't the 3 times your great grandpop came downstairs to yell at you for being too close to his wine barrels.
(for the record, we weren't even near them!)

or staying up all night on christmas eve, only to go to midnight mass when all YOU want to do is sleep and have santa visit!

the joy of being italian is eating.

seriously, could anything be better than that?

one of my favorite cookies are pizzelles. they look like waffles, but flatter, smaller and sweeter.

and italian.

some history on pizzelles...

they were made in the abruzzo region of south-central italy, which is where my great grandma came from. over time it became tradition to use pizzelles to celebrate any/all holiday or festive occasion, but they are especially common in italian homes at christmas and easter.

the name "pizzelle" comes from the italian word for "round" and "flat" (pizze); this is also the meaning of the word pizza.

(yes-you are welcome for pizza too!)

my friend, sandi, who I SWEAR is related to me gave her her recipe for a cookie party and i wanted to share with you.

(this is sandi while she was touring italy this year.)

3 eggs, beaten

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup melted butter

1 1/2 cups flour

1 t baking powder

2 t vanilla

1t anise

add ingredients in order listed mixing well after each. spoon batter into middle of each section of pizzelle iron.

and the finished product looks like this!

(this tin used to be my nana's, so even though it is beat up, i love it!)

i got crabs!

well,  maybe not those kind of crabs!

and, actually here in utah, i dont even know if there are crabs...(although, i have met quite a few crabby people)

but here is my familys way of making them fresh from the ocean.

1 dozen fresh crabs (we always used blue crabs)

3 cups water

3 cups white vinegar

1/2 cup salt

gravy

wash the crabs, being careful not to let them grab you! place half of them in a pot WITH A VERY TIGHT FITTING LID. pour water,  white vinegar and salt over the top. fit as many crabs as you can. steam them (and no, they dont scream) for about 20-30 minutes. throw the cooked crabs into the gravy for about 15 minutes (it will flavor the gravy). and eat!

we always had these with pasta.
and lots of napkins.

image from press of atlantic city

im pretty sure i should have ordered this for chris for fathers day...

if i would have found this sooner, chris would be opening this on sunday.

 if you want to order one for him, click here.

although, i think he might need more than just prayers...

(found at cafepress.com)

three cheers for the red white and blue...

when i was a little girl, we spent most of the summer at the beach house in new jersey. on all flag related holidays, i remember my great grandma would always out out these little american flags in the flower boxes. the little tiny ones that kids used to get at parades. she was so proud to be an american.

in this photo, there is my aunt kathy (my godmother), grandma angelina and nana. it was taken in front of the neighbors beach house.

this year i wanted to be patrotic in the back yard and made these sweet little flag banners. they are alot like my birthday banner, but i didnt put writing on them. we have a little canopy in the back yard for the deck and i strung them around 3 sides. i had the fabric in my scraps, so this cost me nothing but about a hour of my time.

of course, that meant that i didnt nap that day.

what i give up to make my house a home! linking to craftaholics anonymous

remember on memorial day

i just wanted to share some memories of some of the soldiers from my childhood. first is my pop pop. (my moms dad) i could go on for 47 posts about how much i love and miss him. everyone knew 'pat' (his real names was pasquale) and if he didnt know you, he would become your friend just by being in line at the acme to buy milk. this photo, which im sure i have posted so many times before on differnt posts on my family blog, is from ww2. on the back he wrote, 'johnny, pat and ted with a jap gun'. i can see how 20 year old boys would find this to be the best thing ever! my pop never talked about the war, at least not to me, but i do know he was in the army. he had a scar that went across his one shoulder, and i always heard the story to be that in the war he had gotten hurt and since he was the medic, he had sew himself back up. what a brave man! i have no idea where that story came from because the REAL story was that he injured himself playing football as a teenager and the scar was from when the doctors took care of it.

i like the war story better.

then there was my great uncle earl. he lived down the street from nana and pop pop with my great aunt mary (my nanas sister). these 4 did tons together-vacations, eating, parties, a beach house in jersey, eating...the important stuff! this photo is of him and my nana eating dinner at my great grandmas home. from the tablecloth and cards, i will assume christmas eve dinner. (that is a big food day for italians!) now uncle earl also went to war, but i have no idea which branch he served in, but he brought back a real scar...he had no bellybutton! yup-whatever happened to his stomach while away left him bellybutton-less! it was good times with the kids to see uncle earls belly! we were so easily amused!

there are just 2 of the many men in my family who served and procted our country! (im not counting my little brother aaron who is in the reserves while going to school. he doesnt have a uniform and has no idea how to even do a push up or shoot a gun. but he gets a pay check from uncle sam every 2 weeks! now you know why i dont count him!)

when the world seems to shine like you've had too much wine, that amore...

(now im working my way into dean martin!)
did you ever eat at a nice italian resturant?
we arent talking olive garden.
or....gasp...fazolis.
usually places like johnny carino's (which is a step above olive garden, but still not nearly as good as say MY PASTA!), they bring out some yummy bread and balsamic vinegar and olive oil. and really, why do you need a meal after that?

but have you ever tried balsamic syrup? i get chills thinking about how yummy it is.

it is thick like maple syrup, but oh vinegary!

1.5 cups balsamic vinegar
4 T sugar
boil vinegar and sugar in small saucepan on med-high heat until reduced to ½ cup…about 20 minutes. stirring occasionally.

yup-that is IT!
when my friend brenda went to italy, france and germany, she had it for the very first time and fell in love. (if her husband would have upset her while there, i bet she would have taken the syrup (and the canoli) and left the husband (and the gun! oh, maybe you havent seen the godfather movie...) i hadn't had made it in a long time, but when she reminded me of how unbeliveable it was, i quickly made a batch and got some bread to put on the side.

 im linking to santas gift shoppe

the foods of my youth...

i hope you all remember nicole from here. this is (sadly) the most recent photo we have of each other together. we were in philly visiting my nana who was sick with cancer. it was a hard time for me and i really love her for coming to visit.

(ok ba-what are you thinking with those jeans?!)

thankfully now we both look a bit better.

or at least more 2010 and not so much 1994.

my second mom her mom joyce made THE BEST PEPPERONI ROLLS! maybe because i never had them anywhere else before or after. but whatever the reason, i loved parties at their home because they would for sure be there! (that and chex mix)

i am certain she made her roll dough from scratch when we were kids,

but here is a fast easy way to make them.
(and joyce said it was ok to do it this way. if she said it is ok-then it is!)

4 rolls of pillsbury refrigerated biscuits
(yes-you will eat all FOURTY of them)

1 pound pepperoni

now you want to cut your pepperoni so they look like fries, NOT like the way they serve them on pizza.
again, that is how joyce did it. don't mess with perfection.

roll each biscuit to make a flat oval, place pepperoni stick in the middle and roll dough around it.

place on cookie sheet and bake at 400 for 10-15 minutes.

very best when they are hot from the oven, but if bob and joyce sent me a box from pa and they were cold, i'd still take them!
**ps, bob and joyce were in an aweful accident thursday night/friday morning. bob has a cracked vertabrae in his neck, but it's not near the spinal cord and won't cause any nerve damage. his hand is pretty swollen from the air bag & he has a bad mark on his chest form the seatbelt. joyce has a broken wrist and will had a sucessful surgery friday and the drs put a steel plate and some screws in her wrist. she also has 2 cracked ribs & her knee is pretty bruised up. (this was an email i received from nicole friday)
i am keeping them in my prayers, because as you know,
old people take a long time to get over stuff like this!
(XOXOX  headed  your way bob and joyce)
****another update...bob and joyce are home resting!****

sink or swim with nunnee!

nicole and i were bestest friends growing up. i even have the 'best friends' necklace to prove it! we did so much together, we figured that we were sisters.

except she can sing and dance. me...well, im cute.

and somedays that is all i had going for me.

one of nicole's favorite things that her nunnee (grandma) made was/is sinkers. aka gnocchi. our home rarely got them, but nunnee must have loved making them. i remember eating them at nicole's home after her first communion. (ok-why do i remember that??) nunnee made them more in a soup, while the few times we had them i remember them with gravy. my italian blogging friend sandi had them with a meat sauce. i read that some people sprinkle sugar on top or just add butter. so i guess any of these ways would work.

i asked nicole to get nunnee's reciepe and here it is-straight from the gnocchi making queen herself-nunnee.
(yes that cute photo is of nicole!)

10 cups flour
and

2 cups instant mashed potatoes (follow the box and make as directed)
or*
3 lbs. of Ricotta

*Nunnee says they are both good, easier with the mashed pots because usually available in your cupboard.

2 eggs
cold water (mix all of the above ingredients and add water to mix and handle as though you are making bread, but a little dryer.)
After mixing, you need to make long strips and roll in your hands about pencil thickness. Cut about one inch lengths and take your first and second finger and roll dough toward you to get that little indentation. Use a little flour to make it easier. While you are cutting the others, sprinkle a little flour on your counter for a base. If you are going to freeze them, use a cookie sheet (no flour on bottom) and place gnocchi in single layer to flash freeze. When gnocchi is firm, you can put them in ziploc freezer bags and freeze!
when cooking gnocchis, you put a small batch in boiling, salted water. they will sink. when they are done (you may have to stir them to keep the pasta from sticking to the bottom), they will float to the top. you can scoop them out with a slotted spoon.

let me know if you tried these. i will be sure to pass onto nunnee that her sinkers arent a stinker!

ps-i made these gnocchi's friday night (3.12.10). that is them drying a bit before i cooked them. the wood thing in the left hand corner is an actual gnocchi roller. im not sure how i scored that one, but once i started rolling with it, i totally had a flash back to my great grandmother. i could see hands flying over the dough with this, popping out gnocchis. im more of a slow motion version of her.

and my kids loved them!

well, not parker. he said that they were ok. (really?! just ok?!) natey and chris ate up a few helpings before dinner was done.

Buona Pasqua! (happy easter to all you americans)

so many things to love about easter! the most obvious is spring is right around the corner. but you also have my birthday (38 days people). an the real reason why easter is celebrated...easter bread. (ok, that is a joke!)

if you havent had easter bread (cosuppa), well then i feel sorry for you.

this is one of the best breads ever! ok-and i will say it-it rivals jeansoyke bread!

which, when you think about it, it really isnt a fair contest. being that this bread IS italian and all.

i remember growing up and rolling the dough on the table at nana's home. i also remember the adults getting to eat it with breakfast with their coffee/tea. but the kids had to eat a real breakfast first.

let me put this out in the universe right now-

if my kids want easter bread for breakfast-

they shall have it!

(the top photo is of my cousin jackie, she was maybe 5 or 6, rolling the dough on nana's table. you can see some of the bread resting on the counter. the bottom photo is of her now with snookie from the show 'jersey shore'. she has grown up quite a bit.)

1 package Rapid Rise yeast

1.25 cups scalded milk, cooled to room temperature

pinch of salt

1/3 cup butter, softened

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup sugar

3.5 cups flour-maybe more, maybe less
1 egg, beaten with 1 teaspoon of water

in a large mixer bowl, combine yeast, warm  milk, salt, butter, eggs and sugar. add about half the flour and beat until smooth with dough hook. (fyi-this will get really high in your kitchen aid mixer!)

add the remaining flour to form a stiff dough. just keep adding until the dough is not sticky anymore. keep mixing is smooth (like silk my great grandma used to say) with either dough hook attachment. im sure you could knead by hand, i remember nana doing that. put in a greased bowl, cut a cross on the top of the bread with a knife cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about an hour. (the whole cutting a cross in it is from my greatgrandma, and although im no longer catholic, i have done that. im NOT messing with tradition!)punch dough down, divide into 12 pieces. roll each piece to form a 1 inch thick rope about 12-14 inches long and, taking three (or 2) pieces, braid. you can make a circle or just lay in a loaf.  you can also put an egg (UNCOOKED) in it. (ok, summer, it WILL cook while the bread is cooking. trust me!)

place on a greased baking sheet. cover and let rise until double, about an hour again. brush each bread with beaten egg wash. n the middle of each bread ring, gently place an Easter egg, making an indentation with the egg. the egg needs to be UNCOOKED. (ok, summer, it WILL cook while the bread is cooking. trust me! i know how you are!)
bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. let cool.

we always ate with a layer of thick butter. mmmm....
DISCLOSURE! this isnt one i made! i found this photo of the interwebs.

no soup for you!

growing up, all holidays had food involved. i don't know if it is an italian thing or not, but anytime there was a get together...the food came with!

on easter, christmas and thanksgiving-there was ALWAYS escarole soup (aka wedding soup. although we never remember eating it at a wedding.) the thrill of escarole soup was the mini meatballs. they were just so cute and small! all the kids wanted the bowl with the most meatballs in it!

well, i always ended up winning because my pop pop would always sneak me his. and since i knew he would do this-i was at his side at ALL dinners!

these 2 photos are of pop pop. the top was in world war II. he sent this photo to my nana while he was out finding jap guns.

the second was about a year before he died in our home on tree street. so many memories of that kitchen. (i made him that shirt with little toot on it. it was his favorite story to tell us kids when he was trying to get us to nap) most of which have food, women playing cards, coffee brewing and everyone smoking. the smoking part is part of my good memories because of who was smoking, not because i enjoy the smell of cigarettes.

so here is a recipe for escarole soup.

46 ounces of chicken broth (from a can or homemade)

1 head of escarole or 3/4 of a box of chopped spinach

1/2 cup pastina (tiny, star shaped pasta)

1/2 of a chicken breast, shredded

1 lb of mini meatballs

make the meatballs first (see above link). heat up chicken broth. if you are using spinach, you can add it now with the pastina and the meatballs. if you are useing escarole, wash it VERY WELL (it is bitter) and boil it in a separate pot in about 1 cup of water. keep the lid on and steam for about 5-8 minutes. drain well and cool. rinse again then add to soup. let the soup cook down a bit, but not for more than an hour.

and if there is a kid sitting by you, be sure to give them a few of your meatballs!

mangia bene, vivi felice (eat well, live happy)

this photo is a typical sunday dinner growing up in an italian family. you have the men in the 'wife beater' undershirts (of course they weren't called that then!), you have pasta and salad. you have homemade wine for everyone (even the kids-which surprisingly isn't considered child abuse). you can't see the couches which are ALWAYS covered in plastic.

aaahhh-the good old days!

in this photo the little girl is my mom and my pop pop is next to her. the handsome young man in the front in the tshirt is my uncle anthony, who i had a HUGE crush on when i was little!

i thought i'd share our family recipe for 'gravy and meatballs'...

which to americans is 'spaghetti and meatballs'.

***these are in NO WAY a light healthy version. these taste GOOD!***

meatballs

4 eggs

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

1T parsley

1 garlic clove

3/4 cup breadcrumbs

mix

add EITHER 2 lbs ground beef, or any mixture of ground beef/veal/sausage.

in frying pan put 1/2"of oil and one onion sliced in 2, flat side down on medium heat. when onion is brown, start putting the meatballs in.

**don't throw away the oil when you are done!**

gravy

3,28oz cans of crushed tomatoes

oil from meatballs

1T basil

1T salt

dash of garlic and oregano

keep on low, stirring now and then for a few hours.

MUNGIA!

mungia!

seriously-someone who must be suffering from a mental disease dropped off 6 of these perfect pasta bowls!
we were in desperate need of new pasta dishes as my set of 4 was now down to 3, and i wasn't letting the kids use them anymore when we had pasta (plastic plates for you!).
they were $1 each-such a steal! there isn't a chip or a scratch on them! even chris was impressed.
see baby-saving you money...