I'm Tired Motley Recipe

I'm tired, just plain wore out today. Maybe I just have way too much on my mind and want to turn it off today. So here's the recipe for taking a day off.

1- comfy couch

1- favorite afghan

1 or 2 glasses of wine

1 - good old favorite book

1- afternoon nap

Enjoy

I've Been Thinking About Aunt Carmel

I have been thinking about Aunt Carmel today. I was digging through some old pictures trying to find a certain one for my friend Tammy’s web blog and came across a few pictures of Aunt Carmel. I fondly remember a day that Aunt Carmel picked me up in her light green Chevy Impala to spend the day picnicking and swimming at a local state park. The windows were rolled down, the radio was playing hits from the 60’s, and we were on our way. Wind in our hair, Aunt Carmel, her sons, Kenny and Robert, and I sang along with the tunes on the radio as we chugged along the highway. Chugged being the operative word, because Aunt Carmel always drove below the speed limit. She was driving so slow that we were pulled over by a state policeman and she was issued a ticket for driving under the minimum speed. Ticket or not that did not stop us from our day at the park. What Aunt Carmel lacked in race car driving abilities, she definitely made up for in picnic basket culinary talents.

 

What I loved best about picnicking with Aunt Carmel was her picnic basket lunches. She loved to take us on outings that involved picnics. Her picnic basket was always filled with great home cooked foods. No PB&J sandwiches for Aunt Carmel. She did not even break out the grill for plain old hot dogs and hamburgers. Her basket usually contained cold fried chicken, antipasto, homemade pizzas, or my favorite, rice balls. I think I was the only kid more interested in lunch than swimming. Aunt Carmel could quite honestly put Julia Child to shame. When she made rice balls, every family member devoured them with gusto and fought over the last few left on the table. We could not get enough of them.

 

 In honor of Aunt Carmel, I am posting her rice ball recipe.

 

Aunt Carmel’s Rice Balls

Ingredients:

• ½ lb. each chicken liver and gizzards 
• 1 lb. can crushed tomatoes 
• ½ cup olive oil 
• 1 clove crushed garlic  
• ½ cup chopped parsley 
• 1 tsp. basil 
• Salt & pepper to taste 
• 1 lb. uncooked rice 
• 1 lemon 
• ¾ cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 Tblsp. cinnamon
• 1 beaten egg
• Plain bread crumbs

Directions:

1. In a medium sized pot cover gizzards’ in water and boil one hour.
2. Add livers and simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Save water and set aside.
4. Cut all the meat off the gizzards, discard gummy parts.
5. Finely chop the gizzards and livers.
6. In another pot, combine the chopped meat, tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, parsley, basil, salt, and pepper. Cook sauce for one hour until oil forms on top. And cool.
7. Boil the rice in the set aside meat water for 17 minutes. (Do not rinse, set aside to cool.)
8. To the cooled rice add the meat sauce, juice of one lemon, grated cheese, cinnamon, and egg.
9. Form into oblong shape balls, dip into beaten eggs and then roll in plain bread crumbs.
10. Fry in deep oil.
11. Drain on paper towels and serve.

Aunt Carm sometimes also baked these rice balls but she never explained how long or at what temperature. Then again, almaost everthing she taught me was at 350 degrees? Give it a healthier shot; experiment baking them, I'm sticking to frying.

 

Everyone Likes Macaroni Salad

In every family, at every picnic, someone always brings macaroni salad. The ingredients vary from family to family depending upon who will or won’t eat certain ingredients. Everyone has a favorite macaroni salad concoction usually based on whatever was traditionally served throughout childhood.

In my immediate family household, my brother, Alex, was a fussy, plain eater. So, mom made a separate bowl for him consisting of macaroni, hard boiled egg, celery, and mayo only. I hated the sweet pickles that she chopped up in the salad. She would put them in a little bowl and served them on the side for her and dad. When she had enough of me and Alex complaining about the ingredients, she would just mix it all together, told us to eat it, and it was up to us to pick out the stuff we wouldn’t eat. That drove her nuts too, so most of the time I ate the pickles to keep out of trouble. Not Alex, he could hold out a lot longer than I could. He could spend hours picking out little bits of “unjins” and sweet pickles. When all else failed we could always try the gagging routine, which usually ended up with a “backhander” across the top of the head; then, being sent to bed and no TV.

Mom varied the ingredients over the years; with or without grated carrots, sometimes the hardboiled eggs were sliced, paprika-ed and laid on the top, sometimes they were chopped up and mixed in. The dressing varied too. At times, sour cream or even yellow mustard was added to the mayonnaise. But, the three basic ingredients remained the same; elbow macaroni, chopped celery, and onions. She sometimes experimented with adding olives, shrimp, peas, or green peppers. Dad would eat anything she put in her macaroni salad. Alex and I dreaded any variation from the norm.

Over the years, I’ve eaten many versions of macaroni salad with every kind of crazy additional ingredients. What it all boils down to is this; we eat what we like and pretty much don’t care for the exotic additions. We’ll worry about the calories consumed at the family picnic tomorrow. I made macaroni salad today because it is traditionally on the Labor Day, end of summer, picnic menu. This is what I concocted.

Macaroni Salad

• 1# box of small sea shell pasta (because that’s what I had in the pantry) cook according to package directions

• 4 roughly chopped stalks of celery

• ½ of a large vadalia onion, minced

• 6 chopped hard boiled eggs

• 1 finely grated carrot

• ½ # salad shrimp

• 2 tblsp. dry parsley

Dressing: (all ingredients are equal - per Mom-Mom)

• 6 heaping tblsp. light mayonnaise (any mayo will do too)

• 6 tblsp. sugar

• 6 tblsp. evaporated milk (any milk will do too)

• 6 tblsp. wine vinegar ( I like to mix both wine and tarragon)

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and sprinkle top with paprika. Chill and serve.

I Need a Sweet Treat

It has been nine weeks since I lost my job. I didn’t want my blog to be about my job hunt but then again I need to vent. It has been pretty discouraging. I looked at losing my job as the perfect opportunity to do something new. I wanted to take the skills, experience, and my new, proudly obtained degree in marketing to prove to the world that I could be more than just a packaging customer service rep. But, it seems that the world doesn’t have the same attitude that I do. Oh, friends, family, people I meet on the street, at networking functions, and at the Tampa Workforce Alliance agree with me; that I am an ideal candidate. But, it seems hiring managers either are not willing to give a 56 year old woman a chance or my resume gets lost in the mountains of replies for job postings. E mail stalking, calling, and networking tactics haven’t been working either. My next step is to actually plant myself on a hiring manager’s doorstep to see if I can get my foot in the door without getting arrested.

Needless to say I need to indulgence myself in a sweet treat today. Since I am an emotional eater and my comfort foods choices usually contain a sugary treat to make me feel better, I wracked my brains to come up with something that I could make out of the ingredients in my pantry. My logic today is that I needed to make a treat that wouldn’t cost me any money or gas by having to run out to the grocery store. Although my mood today is to end a craving and I do need to watch the calories, I am more concerned with process of actually making something and writing about it. Based on what I found in the pantry, I decided to make what my Mom calls Icebox Cake.

Growing up, Mom’s daily dinners always included an entrée, salad, and dessert. Dinner was served at the dinner table promptly at 5 pm. My brother and I helped to both set the table and clear away the dishes. Mom did all the food shopping, meal planning, and preparation. Dad did the eating, bringing home the paycheck, and dinnertime joke telling. I guess we were the typical small town, nuclear family.

I do not know where this recipe originated. My maternal grandmother also made Icebox Cake. Both Mom and Gramma Olexy loved pineapple; to them pineapple was a real exotic treat. Unfortunately, my brother and I were not big fans of pineapple, but if it was put on the table you had to eat it. I learned to like Icebox Cake because I would sneak the pineapple on to my Dad’s plate when Mom wasn’t looking and just eat all the other sweet ingredients. It was our secret. My brother would just pick it out, refuse to eat it, and had to sit at the table until Mom would give up and send him to bed.

Now, I actually am starting to like pineapple and even have some canned pineapple in my pantry; along with all the other needed ingredients too. So, it’s Icebox Cake for dessert tonight.

Dorothy M. Rinaldi’s Icebox Cake

Ingredients:

• 2 (6 ounce) packages black cherry flavored gelatin mix (or your favorite flavor)

• 2 cups boiling water

• 2 cups cold water

• 1 (16 ounce) package graham crackers

• 2 (8 ounce) cans crushed pineapple

• 1 (12 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed (Mom always made fresh whipped cream)

Directions:

1. Pour the gelatin mix into a large bowl, and stir in the boiling water until the gelatin has dissolved, add cold water. Refrigerate until set, about 3 hours.

2. Make a layer of graham crackers in the bottom of a glass 9x13 inch baking dish. Spoon a layer of gelatin over the graham crackers, and top with a layer of crushed pineapple. Cover with a layer of whipped topping. Repeat the layers all the way to the top of the pan, ending with whipped topping on top.

3. Refrigerate for a few hours before serving to let the graham crackers absorb the flavors of gelatin and pineapple.

Mommy Make Me Some Tuga Fish

Comfort food is supposed to be food that is easily prepared, inexpensive, and provide a pleasant emotional tie associated with childhood. Some of my favorites include PB&J on white bread, macaroni and cheese, fried chicken, real mashed potatoes, pizza, meatballs, fish sticks, and tuna fish. To me, they’re comforting and the most important factor is they’re inexpensive. As a single, working Mom, I was always more concerned with having something to eat and didn’t worry too much about serving healthy foods. I thought it more important to have food around that was quick to prepare, cheap, and tasted good. Things that both my daughter and I would eat and still feel satisfied.

Whenever I asked my daughter, Libby, what she wanted to eat, most of the time her answer was “tuga” salad sandwiches. At first “tuga” salad consisted of canned tuna fish, hard boiled egg, celery, and mayonnaise on white bread. As she got a little older, I was allowed to put other ingredients in the dish to make it not so bland. Plus, we no longer had to just put tuna salad in between two slices of plain white bread. I could now add a little onion and lemon juice to the salad mixture and some lettuce leaves to the sandwich.

Over the years, we’ve experimented with a multitude of ingredients to add to the tuna salad mixture; curry, dill, cranberries, grapes, green onions, red onions, no mayo, flavored mayo, or mustard. We’ve tried it cold, heated, on a bun, in a wrap, inside a pita pocket, or with crackers; you name it, we tried it. I could write a book; “One hundred and one ways to make and eat tuna salad.”

In the end, the old tried and true, simple ingredients have proven to be the best.

Dorothy and Libby’s Favorite Tuna Salad

Ingredients:
4 cans of White Albacore Tuna
4 Hard Boiled Eggs
2 Stalks of Chopped Celery
2 Finely Chopped Green Onions
½ Tsp. Dill Weed
1 Tblsp. Lemon Juice
2-3 Heaping Tblsp. Mayonnaise
Pepper to taste

Mix well, chill, and sandwich it up between your favorite bread slices with lettuce leaves, sliced tomatoes, and American cheese. (I personally like it on crackers.)

Whose Recipe Is It Anyway?

Mom Mom, my ex mother-in-law, called us today and asked if we would send written copies of her recipes. I needed to clarify just what she meant by “her” recipes. Over the years, every dish that anyone in the family said that they liked suddenly became one of “her” recipes. When confronted by the originator of the recipe, she would then admit that the recipe was originally not hers but she made it better. Usually better meant that she added a few tablespoons of butter or her favorite herb; dill.

It’s not that Mom Mom isn’t a good cook. Hands down she makes the best pies I’ve ever eaten and we certainly love her Bum Stew and Green Bean Soup. But, we’re not sure whether or not to give her credit for some of her other recipes. For example, Mom Mom’s sister-in-law and rival, Aunt Jean, made delicious crab au gratin for us on many occasions. Mom Mom would ask her over and over for the recipe but Aunt Jean would not give it to her. For years, she bugged Aunt Jean for that recipe. Finally, Aunt Jean gave in and handed over the recipe. The first time Mom Mom made the crab dish for us, she asked, “ Didn’t mine come out better than Jean’s?” In unison we all answered, “Yes, Mom Mom yours is better.” If we didn’t agree, she would hound you into submission. The only way to enjoy the meal was agree that her version was better. After making the crab recipe over and over it became hers. Aunt Jean never again got credit for the crab au gratin recipe.

Maybe every family has their recipe divas, mine is no exception. I once found a Campbell Soup recipe for meatball stew which I made when my parents came over for dinner. They liked the meal very much and my mom asked me to write down the recipe for her. Much later, my cousin Richard went to visit my mom; he told me that she made this really great meatball stew. He asked her where she learned to make such a tasty dish and she said she couldn’t remember where she got the recipe since she’s been making it for years. I guess both me and the Campbell Soup Company will never get the credit for giving my mom the recipe.

I’m no exception. My mother taught me how to make clams and linguini in a white garlic butter sauce. Every time I make the dish everyone asks for the recipe. I even put the recipe on allrecipes.com and it’s received 5 star ratings from many reviewers. I never gave my mom credit for the recipe either. And, Mom Mom tells everyone that the clams and “lou-guini” recipe is hers! I don’t know if my mom was the originator of the recipe of if someone else taught her how to make the dish. So to honor my mom, here is her version of clams and linguini in a white sauce.

Clams and Linguini

Ingredients:
2 (6.5 ounce) cans minced clams, with juice
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon dried parsley
ground black pepper to taste
1/4 tablespoon dried basil
1 (16 ounce) package linguini pasta

Directions:
1. Cook pasta according to package directions.
2. Meanwhile prepare the sauce. Combine clams with juice, butter or margarine, vegetable oil, minced garlic, parsley, basil, and pepper in a large saucepan. Place over medium heat until boiling. Serve warm over pasta.

What'd Ya Do With An Eggplant

Well, I have been without a job for a week now; so much for my never being out of work for more than a week comment. In keeping with my new mission of planning meals on a now a very tight budget, I thought of a question that one of the girls at the office asked when one of the salesmen brought in eggplants. “What’d ya do with an eggplant?”

My grandparents grew eggplants in the backyard garden. Gramma Rinaldi used eggplants in many different recipes. She used them in vegetable stews, minestrone soup, and just plain fried. Gramma taught me that the perfect eggplant is not the biggest one; it’s the medium size because the bigger ones are too seedy. At first, I wouldn’t eat eggplants because I didn’t like the seedy part. But after I took my private cooking classes in Gramma’s kitchen, I learned to appreciate the eggplant. Now, the first thing that comes to my mind when I see a nice sized purple eggplant is eggplant parmigiana. I always make sure to buy an extra one because it is just to tempting not to munch on them while they’re frying. I can make a meal out of just eating them during the frying stage of preparation, which would save a few bucks too.

Eggplant Parmigiana

Ingredients:

2 medium eggplants
4 eggs, beaten
2 cups bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt/pepper to taste
¼ tsp. Garlic Powder
Marinara sauce (preferably your own homemade sauce – or 1 jar of store bought sauce)
16 oz. mozzarella, sliced thin or thickly grated
olive oil for frying

Directions:

Slice eggplant into slices about 1/4" thick. Mix bread crumbs with grated cheese, salt/pepper and garlic powder. Dip eggplant in egg and then roll in bread crumb mixture. Fry until light brown. Drain on paper towel. In baking pan, put a layer of eggplant, sauce and mozzarella cheese, make layers until pan is full. Top with mozzarella, more grated parmesan cheese and sauce. Bake in 350 degree oven for 35 minutes until cheese melts.