Archive for the ‘family’ Category
love thursday: a mouse in my cappuccino
A little while ago, Cherrye of My Bella Vita wrote a Love Thursday post with Mickey Mouse love. Little did I know I’d soon have some of my own to share via a package from la Mamma.
I’ve never been to Disney World or Disneyland; heck, I actually avoid going into Disney stores to be honest with you. But there are some Disney things I do love, and one of those happens to be something that’s been around for as long as I can remember:
Faithful readers, this is my actual plastic plate and cup combo that I absolutely *loved* when I was just a wee espresso bean and not yet allowed to play with ceramic dishes. I had kind of forgotten all about it, but thank goodness moms do no such thing.
So thank you, Mom, for bringing a little childhood mouse love back into my life. I haven’t used the plate yet, but you can bet your ears that I’ve been using the cup.
Whodathot cappuccino would taste even sweeter with a mouse?
Happy Love Thursday everyone!
Be sure to come back tomorrow for the O Foods round-up!
la buona cucina americana: insalata di patate della mamma
One of my favorite “Made by Mom” dishes is potato salad.
Indeed, I love all kinds of potato salad, including the one that Mary of The Flavors of Abruzzo posted two weeks ago. But my mom’s, well, it’s just my all-time favorite. It’s great for a summer picnic, but we also have it as a side dish for Thanksgiving, and even at Christmas and Easter time to go along with baked ham.
Needless to say, it’s a delicious taste of home, and it’s this week’s La Buona Cucina Americana recipe.
You see, when my mom was here over the summer, I specifically requested potato salad, but I didn’t realize at the time that it would be perfect for the O Foods for Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month (potatO salad, get it?). So here it is.
By the way, remember to get in your recipes and entries for the O Foods Contest–details here!
Two notes on this potato salad: do play with the measurements until you get the exact taste you want. Also, onions go great in this, but be careful not to add too much as they will overpower the other flavors.
Mom’s Potato Salad
- 3 medium potatoes
- 2 eggs, hard-boiled
- 2 ribs of celery, chopped finely
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp vinegar (distilled or cider)
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/4 tsp mustard
- salt and pepper to taste
1. Hard boil the eggs. Remove from water and set aside. When cool, peel and cut into cubes.
2. Boil potatoes in salted water until just tender. Remove from water and set aside. When cool, peel and cut into cubes.
3. Prepare celery.
4. In a bowl, mix together mayonnaise, vinegar, and mustard, and add potatoes, eggs, and celery. Mix well.
5. Taste for salt and pepper.
6. Put potato salad in the refrigerator to chill for about a half hour before serving.
Insalata di patate della Mamma
- 3 patate medie
- 2 uova bollite
- 2 gambe di sedano tritate
- 1 bicchiere di maionese
- 1 cucchiaio di aceto di mele
- 1 cucchiaino di zucchero
- 1/4 cucchiaino di senape
- sale e pepe qb
1. Fate bollire le uova, lasciatele raffreddare, sgusciatele e tagliatele a pezzi non troppo grande.
2. Fate bollire le patate in acqua salata (non devono essere troppo morbide), lasciatele raffreddare, sgusciatele e tagliatele a pezzi di circa 3 cm.
3. Tritate il sedano non troppo sottile.
4. Mettete le uova, le patate e il sedano in una ciotola e aggiungete il maionese, l’aceto, e il senape. Mescolate bene.
5. Aggiungete sale e pepe a piacere.
6. Mettete l’insalata nel frigorifero per circa 30 minuti prima di servire.
Buon appetito e buon weekend!
meet the newest about.com guide!
When my mom came to visit in June, she brought my “good” jewelry that I had left behind. One item was my law school ring, pictured at left, which I actually only got because my grandmother begged me to let her buy it for me as a graduation gift.
I told her I wouldn’t wear it much, but she didn’t care. She just wanted me to have it.
So I agreed, and then I saw how much they cost. Yikes!
I couldn’t possibly let her spend that much on a ring (think law school ring versus household bills for a couple months–on a fixed income), so I told her the price was half of what it was, and I chipped in the rest. By the way, she passed away two weeks after I found out that I had passed the bar exam in October of that year, and I’ve always felt she waited to hear the good news (which, incidentally, arrived on my 25th birthday) before leaving us.
When I saw the ring this summer, I was reminded of all that surrounded it–my grandmother; her love, support, and generosity; my many years of hard work; and lots and lots of stress overcome–so I decided to wear it. Seeing it there on my hand every day reminds me of where I’ve been, the love and support I’ve had and continue to have, and also what I’ve accomplished.
And it feels darn good.
A couple weeks after I started wearing it this summer, I saw an opening at About.com for the Guide to Law School. Ah, law school . . . been there, done that, and confident that I could write about it and help others like me who had *zero* frame of reference for what they were about to encounter, I applied.
Literally a few hours later, I was thrust into the About.com “training,” which is really a several-week long interview process during which applicants put together a site hoping to be chosen at the end.
Well they picked me! You’re now reading the personal blog of the About.com Guide to Law School.
And yes, I continue to wear my ring. Since my grandmother passed away, I’ve thought of her every day anyway, but now I feel just a little bit closer too.
Do you have a good luck charm?
what’s cooking wednesday: pepper steak over white rice
I *loved* my grandmother’s steak hoagies. They weren’t exactly Philly cheesesteaks–they were better. Yeah, I said it.
The thing is, though, she used “Minute steaks,” which we don’t have here. Do you know them? Frozen, really super-thin slices of meat? Yes, it’s one of those things you can kinda sorta substitute, but still . . . it will just never be exactly the same.
Anyway, I made today’s What’s Cooking Wednesday recipe based on my grandmother’s original recipe, and we’ll get to that in a moment, but for those interested, let me tell you quickly how she made steak hoagies (no measurements because that’s the way she rolled):
- Steam broken up pieces of Minute Steaks in a pan, remove and cover them.
- Heat olive oil and butter in a pan and sauté peppers, then add onions as well.
- Add meat and sprinkle everything with garlic salt.
- Add a small can of tomato sauce and let cook until tomatoes no longer taste raw.
- Stir in cheese (she used slices of Kraft American).
- Serve on a big ole Italian roll. YUM!
Now, fast forward to my craving steak and peppers one night but having no tomatoes (fresh or sauce) or rolls in the house. This is what I made, a simpler, healthier, but still delicious version of an old classic:
Pepper steak over white rice
(serves 2)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3-4 thin steaks, in bite-sized pieces
- 1 green pepper, cut into strips
- 1 medium onion, cut into strips
- a few shakes of garlic salt
- 1 cup prepared white rice
1. Prepare rice according to package directions.
2. Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in pan, and then add meat, cooking until brown. Remove from pan and cover.
3. Add other tablespoon of olive oil and peppers. Sauté for a few minutes until starting to become tender and then add onions and sauté until tender.
4. Add meat and sprinkle everything with garlic salt, combining well.
5. Let flavors mix together for a minute or so, and then serve over white rice.
Buon appetito!
love thursday:
happy birthday mia!
Yes my niece and nephew were born just a week (and three years) apart, so that meant combined birthday parties in their younger days. I’ve been in the reminiscing mood lately, thinking about those fun family times, and I remembered that I actually had some photos stored on the computer.
I thought it was about time to get them up on Flickr, and since I know my niece takes after her Aunt Shell in loving to look at family photos, I’ll share them here too for her birthday today.
This is the three of us at their 2002 birthday party:
And here is Mia with my mom, her Nana, around the same time:
Definitely one of my favorite photos of all time.
And these are all from the last time I was home between February and June 2004, during which we played around with the webcam quite a bit:
Happy Birthday Mia!
I hope to be there for more eskimo kisses and fishy faces very soon.
Happy Love Thursday everyone!
Michelle Kaminsky is an American attorney-turned-freelance writer who lived in her family's ancestral village in Calabria, Italy for 15 years. This blog is now archived.
Calabria Guidebook
Recipes
