Festa Italiana

I just spent three days at the Italian Festival in Bloomfield, one of Pittsburg, Pa.’s many ‘little Italy’s’.

I was there seated at the same spot for three days, which was located right beside the center stage, with a display of my book”Always on Sunday”, selling and signing copies to members of that Italian community.  I can still hear Che la luna, Volare, Oh Marie, and the Tatentella ringing in my ears!  It was nonstop music, food, laughing, dancing, kissing, hugging long lost friends….tutti Italiani, everything Italian….and the outfits!!  mama mia!  You don’t have to be a genius to figure out just how proud Italians are of their heritage, judging by the amount of red, green and white outfits were floating around. Even the dogs had Italian flag scarves around their necks and someone was selling a terrible Italian towel!

It was a very festive atmosphere and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.  I especially liked the strolling guitarists Edwardo and Vincenzo, playing their romantic serenades, encouraging couples to dance on the sidewalk, which they did!

It was very interesting talking to those who would stop ata my table, inquiring about my book, which is a story of my childhood in the Italian neighborhood of Sharpsburg located across the river.  You could litereally tell the same stories from my book and just change the names and neighborhoods!  Comparing these stories with total strangers made for an enjoyable afternoon.

And need i talk about the smells of the hot sausage, peppers and onins, the tomato sauce wafting everywhere and those walking around with homemade cannolis with the sweet ricotta filling oozing out…

The shouts of those participating in the ongoing bocce game across the street made for some lively entertainment!  I felt so at home, hearing little snippets of Italian conversations all around.

Viva Italia,  and God BLess America!!  I can’t wait until next year!

Pomme Frites, Anyone?

The other night, my husband and I took our son, Anthony, to his favorite restarunt to indulge in an order of steamed mussels and pomme frites.  I’m not sure if calling french fries ‘pomme frites’ or having them in a little Belgium influenced cafe makes them taste so much better, but boy, were they good!  And the basil flavored mayonnaise served for dipping instead of ketchup…delicious!

We felt as though we were on vacation having a late night supper in a little European sidewalk cafe.  The atmosphere was very friendly, relaxed and interesting with an eclectic group of patrons enjoying a meal in this small eatery located in one of Pittsburgh’s unique neighborhoods, Point Breeze.

Lately, the inner city has been flooded with many of these small cafes opening up in a concentrated effort to revitalize parts of the city’s older  and depressed neighborhoods.

The Point Brugge Cafe, where we ate, has been established since the late 70’s and is still very popular.  The mussels can be ordered in two different sauces, both very distinct and equally good.  We usually order the tomato based sauce flavored with fennel and herbs, but last night we tried the white wine, garlic sauce which was slightly creamy… both excellent for soping up the extra juice with bread ( the best part, for me).

If you love mussels like we do, I highly reccomend this small neighborhood cafe.  You won’t be dissapointed. However, you may have to increase your work out routine,  but it’s a tradeoff well worth it!

Dear and it’s many uses

I don’t know why, but lately I’ve been thinking about the word “dear”.  The ways in which to use this word are numerous.  The most common is a salutation for a letter, Dear _____, which has fallen by the wayside with the demise of snail-mail.  Greeting for e-mails are Hey, Hi, Whats up?… much more informal.  However, I’m not sure, but a “Dear John” letter has stayed pretty constant whether sent via internet or way of the US Postal Dept. 

“Dear Heart” is one of my all time favorites. The woman behind the cheese counter at Penn Mac in the Strip District calls all her customers by that moniker and she likewise is called the same, although her name is Carol.  It just makaes you feel good when you hear her call out,  “What can I get for you, Dear Heart?” 

“Yes Dear”, “No Dear” is heard often in a marriage between spouses  and sometimes I have to think it carries some amount of sarcasism! 

“Oh dear”, and “Dear me” can be either a comment of surprise, disbelief, confusion, fear, desperation…and I’m sure a few more emotions.

“You ar a Dear”!  denotes praise, thanks, and general approval.

And this last one, may not be familiar with many of us, especially the younger crowd…”it’s is just too dear!”  interpretation: too expensive.  I can remember my Italian grandmother, Nana, saying that about almost everything!  But those were the days when everyone was in the same boat, so to speak, poor!

I like dissecting and digging into the meanings and usage of the English language, we have such an expansive vocabulary and to me as a writer, I find it very interesting and useful.  I sometimes read a thesaurus like a novel.  Strange but true! 

But if I have left out any other uses for the word “dear”, please let me know.

She’s Here!!!

On Tuesday,  August 26, 2008  at 3:07 p.m.,  God’s newest creation arrived into this world.  Her name is Ali Kristen Waters.  And she is beautiful,  as God new she would be all along.

Proverbs 17: 6 says, “Children’s children are a crown to the aged…”;  that being said, I am royalty, I am a Grandmother again for the second time.  All is good in the world today.

Waiting is Never Easy!

The clock ticks slower,  the days drag on I swear, while you wait.  Especially waiting for something in which we have no control.  Like the birth of a grand baby!!!  My daughter, Danielle, is ready to deliver her second child any day now!!

Oh, precious little one,  what are you doing in there?  Is it too cozy and warm, do you love being lulled to sleep by your mommy’s heartbeat, are you scared?  Don’t be!!  There are too many people out here waiting to hold and kiss and love you!  And you would not believe the most fantastic older brother you have just waiting to hold your hand, pet you sweet head and tell you all his funny stories!  His name is Aiden.  You two will have so much fun playing, laughing singing songs…

Your Mommy and Daddy can barely stand it anymore!  They want to finally meet you and hold you.  It’s getting harder for Mommy to do anything, you are just growing and growing so nicely. Are you done yet? Isn’t it kind of cramped in there?  When you are ready to come out, you will be able to stretch out you little arms and legs, you’ll see how good that feels.  And you’ll be fed some yummy milk, much better than that same old yucky fluid you’ve been swimming around in the past nine months.

Your days will be filled with new and exciting things, sights and sounds.  But I promise, we’ll try not to hold you too much so you can get you beauty sleep in your pretty new crib in your room with the pale lilac and yellow walls.  And you’ll see your name in big purple and white polka dot letters  ALI.  I love you name!

So, Ali, please come soon.  We love you so much, already without even laying eyes on you!

And another thing,  Ali, God, who created you, has great plans for your life.  You’ll grow to see how much He loves you, too.

The Best Summer Pasta Sauce…and no cooking, honest!!

Every summer I wait till we are able to pick the first of our juicy ripe tomatoes to make this dish, which I dream about all winter long!  It can only be made with fresh tomatoes and fresh basil leaves…believe me canned or dried will simply not do.

It is so simple and delicious you will probably make it from now until Sept. at least twice a week! ( if you’re not worried about your waistline). Ha!

Here is the much anticipated, number one summer recipe in my book!

In a large bowl, place four ripe tomatoes, cubed (any kind but plum, they aren’t juicy enough)

1 # of brie (remove skin if you like) chopped in one inch cubes

1 cup of fresh basil leaves

1 cup olive oil

2 teas. salt

1 teas pepper

1 # linguine

Let all ingredients except pasta, of course, marinate in the bowl for at least two hours.  Cook the pasta, you can use any kind you like, I prefer linguine, till al dente.  Drain pasta and combine with sauce in a larger serving bowl until the brie melts and everything is well mixed.

Serve with Parmesan cheese and lots of Italian bread to soak up the sauce.

You’ll love this!

Matthew 10:29

I was watering my hanging baskets the other day with the garden hose, and the force of the water caused quite a surprise.  I noticed a newly hatched bird poke his little head out and after several hops fell out of what was a nest and onto the ground.  I freaked!!!  Oh my, what did I do?

I immediately turned the water off and started looking for the poor little thing among the hostas right below the hanging basket.  I saw him hopping around, lost, wet, scared; I felt terrible and certain that his mother would abandon him now.

So I ran into the house, grabbed a paper towel, picked him up as gently as I could and placed him back into the nest, all the while praying that the mother would come back and continue to feed him until he could fly on his own.

Ten minutes later she did come back with something in her beak, lunch no doubt, but was fluttering around chirping frantically as though she just knew something was awry.  She stayed perched on the back of a chair turning her head left to right for a few minutes.  I kept watching and waiting for her to fly up into the nest which she finally did.

What I heard next was a chorus of continuous chirping and twittering for a minute or so.  I can imagine the scolding that ensued by the mother spiked with fear and relief. I continued  to watch  undercover, of course, and saw that she left and came back several times with food in her beak possibly for the baby bird”s other siblings.

This whole scenario reminded me of the scripture Matthew 10 v. 29…”Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father.”

This tells us that our Heavenly Father knows even when the tiniest bird falls to the ground.  If he cares about the smallest creatures, how much more does He care about you and me, His precious children?  He provides all of our needs no matter how large or small.

I hope you are smiling, I am!!!

Christmas in July…HO HO HO

I still moan and groan every year around this time when all the department and greeting card stores start their “Christmas in July Sales”.  As my friend Daffy Duck would say,  “THufferin’ THuccotash!”  Just can’t the retail business let us enjoy the rest of the summer at least,  before tying our stomachs in knots about getting those dang Christmas lists out and scouting out the bargains pre-Labor Day even?!!!

Every year I say the same thing, like a mantra…..I’m not getting caught up in this flurry of Christmas shopping madness, I’m not getting caught up in this flurry of Christmas shopping madness…etc.

And I mean it this time!

Instead , on July 25, (yes, that is exactly six months until shopping D-Day),  I plan to do many summer things, like heading to a pool, eating outdoors, making a huge pitcher of ice tea, using up all of my mint in the garden, picking some basil and making pesto to freeze for this winter, go to North Park and feed the ducks with my grandson Aiden, maybe even go on his slip n’ slide, who knows, and finally sit outside on my back deck in the evening and listen to the family of frogs that have decided to populate my little pond.

Delightful!  Can’t wait!  How do you like that?,  retailers and robbers of summer!

I sure hope everyone else plans to do likewise.

What are some of your favorite summer things to do?

Fresh Fruit Cobbler

Well, after the coin toss , the cobbler won.

I found three lonely nectarines in my fridge so they were quickly sliced and mingled with the fresh picked black raspberries, a marriage made in heaven!

As promised, here is the recipe for the biscuit dough placed over the fruit mixture, which is basically 5 to 6 cups of berries and/or other fruit plus grated zest and juice of lemon, a couple of pats of butter, and a dusting of granulated sugar, all placed in a shallow baking pan.

2 cups flour

1 teas. salt

1 tablesp. baking powder

1 tablesp. sugar

4 tablesp. chilled butter cut in small pieces

1 cup either heavy or light cream (you choose your calories)

Stir all dry ingred. together then rapidly blend butter into flour mixture using fingertips.  Gradually add cream, stirring with fork till dough holds together, forming a ball.  Do not overwork mixture!

Roll out dough on lightly floured surface until 1/4 inch thick.  Set aside.

Place fruit mixture in baking dish.  Scatter with lemon zest, lemon juice, butter sugar.  Lay rolled out dough over fruit so edges do not quite touch sides of dish.  Cut if necessary.  Also cut a few steam vents at least 1/4 inch wide.

In preheated 400 degree oven bake for 30 to 35 minutes, till dough is browned.  Set on rack to cool for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar and spoon onto plates.  I can’t imagine eating a piece of cobbler without a huge dollop of whipped cream, but that’s just me.

Enjoy!!

Black Raspberries, Summer’s Best

Nothing shouts summer to me more than fresh picked, juicy, still warm from the sun berries.  Doesn’t matter what kind, strawberries, red raspberries, black raspberries, blueberries any kind of berry will do.  My neighbor, Marsha, same name–different spelling, called me yesterday to let me know her black raspberry bushes were ripe for the picken’.    So I dashed over right after my morning coffee with my empty basket ready to reap the harvest of her and her husband’s labor.  Such nice neighbors! !

I had to compete with about 100 buzzing bees, some irritating flies, and branches with very razor-sharp thorns that just attacked me out of nowhere.  Not to mention the rapidly climbing temperature of the already hot and humid morning.  I didn’t mind, all I could think of was the warm, tasty cobbler  that  I would be pulling out of my oven in a few short hours.

Well, I returned with my nearly full basket of glistening, deep purple gems and quite a few bloody scratches on my hands and arms.  I can’t decide on which I will make today,  the cobbler or a shortcake…..mmm, maybe both.   If you mouth is watering, so is mine.   I’m going to have to end now to get started.  I promise a recipe next post.