For the love of Scraffy; get me a beer!

My grandfather on my dad’s side was quite a guy! He was always cracking jokes and making fun of my grandmother behind her back when my family used to go to their house for dinner on Tuesdays. Every day, he would return home from work, put his pajamas on, put up his tray table and grab a cold Schlitz or Pabst Blue Ribbon from the fridge. He would pour it into his frosty glass with such finesse; making sure there was just the right amount of foam on the top. After the first sip always came that same contented, “AHHHH”… now he was ready to play. Looking back, as much as my grandmother complained about his beer drinking, she would always get him another when his glass was empty. Come to think of it, she always had clean sheets, a pillow and a blanket on the couch for him as well; apparently, snuggling up together in bed was not high up on their priority list… practicality & comfort before affection I guess.



My grandfather never had a car; instead he walked anywhere he had to go and made many friends along his routes. He knew everyone in our small town and they used to call him “Scraffy” which makes no sense to me… his name was Frank! He worked his whole life at the local pocketbook factory and I mysteriously showed up in school with every newly designed bag before they even hit the store shelves! He was a hard worker and always held his head high. He upset me just one time though; he told me there was no Santa Claus. It wasn’t too long afterward that I thanked him for it though… apparently I was WAY too old to believe anymore and he did me a huge favor! He always gave us money for special occasions and also managed to slip some coins to my brothers & me when our parents weren’t looking. He had a scrufty voice and a big smile with a space between his two front teeth. He was always tanned (I later found out it was because he & his friends would sunbathe in the nude but that’s a story for a different day) and he always smelled like a cool, crisp beer. To this day, the smell of beer still reminds me of him; pouring that first cold one of the evening, letting out that unmistakable “AHHHH”, then looking at my brothers and I with laughter in his eyes; coins jingling in his pocket, a new pocketbook behind the couch and a heart full of pride. After all… he worked hard to afford these simplest of pleasures and I loved him immensely.


Time for me to grab a cold one out of the fridge but before I do and in Scraffy’s honor… an easy yet sumptuous recipe that is prepared with beer… CHEERS!

 Coconut Crusted Shrimp with Caribbean Marmalade

1 ½ lb. Large (26-30) Uncooked Shrimp (peeled & deveined)
1 Cup Flour
1 Cup Dry Pancake Mix
½ Can of Beer
1 Large Package of Shredded Coconut
Vegetable or Canola Oil for frying


Make sure to leave the tail on the shrimp after peeling then, with a paring knife, slice each shrimp down its back from the top to the beginning of the tail so they lay almost flat.


Pour flour into a shallow bowl. In a medium bowl, stir pancake mix and beer until smooth. Pour coconut into a medium bowl then set the 3 bowls up as an assembly line.


Heat about an inch or so of the oil in a large frying pan until very hot. Take one shrimp, dredge it in flour, dip it in the pancake batter, roll in the coconut then place in the middle of the hot frying pan; the first one is just to test the oil. Repeat this process working in batches of six or seven and cook just long enough for a crunchy coating to form on the shrimp; remove with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

Caribbean Marmalade

1 Small Jar of Orange Marmalade
¾ Cup of Spiced Rum
Dash of Tabasco Sauce
Sprinkle of Brown Sugar
Lemon & Lime Wedges


Mix marmalade, spiced rum and Tabasco sauce with a spoon in a small bowl; sprinkle with brown sugar.


Arrange the shrimp on a platter with the Caribbean Marmalade in the middle and serve with lemon & lime wedges.

What's in your Stone Soup?

When I was a little girl, I especially liked to read fairytales. Though I was a very happy child, I liked to read books that could take me on colorful journeys to make believe places and insert me into worlds that simply didn’t exist; the more I think of it… the same goes for the too-good-to-be-true romance novels that I read now! The pretense of their titles… “Cold Winter; Hot Nights” or “Sex Garden; the Root of Love”, are so far off from the titles that describe our actual everyday lives like, “Ravishing the Yukon… Jack That Is” or “Sex on a Stick; There is Life after Marriage” or even, “Utilizing the Utility Closet; Romance in the Workplace”!!! Fairytales are just that; TALES and they never do come true… unless you make them, that is!


Did you ever hear the story of “Stone Soup” when you were a kid? According to the story, some weary soldiers come to a poor village, carrying with them a huge empty pot. Upon their arrival, the villagers are unwilling to share what little food they have with the hungry men or even with each other. The undeterred soldiers fill their pot with water, drop a large stone in it, and place it over a fire right in front of everyone in the middle of the village square. One of the villagers becomes curious and asks what they are doing. The soldiers reply that they are making "stone soup", which tastes wonderful, though with some vegetables added would be even better. The villager doesn't mind parting with just a little bit to help them out, so he gives them some cabbage which gets added to the soup. Another villager walks by, inquiring about the pot, and the soldiers again mention their stone soup which hasn't reached its full potential yet. The villager hands them a little bit of seasoning to help them out. More and more villagers walk by, each contributing another ingredient. Later that evening, a hearty, hot & delicious pot of soup, and some long awaited laughter and camaraderie was enjoyed by all.

The very next day, the soldiers continued on their way leaving the villagers behind. They were never to be forgotten though and neither was the lesson that was so subtly presented by them… IF YOU WORK TOGETHER AND SHARE, ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE.

So many people don’t make homemade soup because they presume that it’s a daunting or perhaps intimidating task, besides, opening a can is just so much easier (did you ever read the sodium content in those cans???). The point to my story is that simply combining ingredients that you enjoy into one pot will almost always result in a muddled masterpiece! It’s one nutritious and hearty meal that doesn’t even have to look appealing to your family because the first whiff of your passionate potage will take them prisoner immediately! If you enjoy beefy, cheesy, Mexican food, you can combine cooked burger meat with salsa, black beans, shredded cheddar cheese, heavy cream and taco seasoning. Let it simmer for a little while then, when you serve it, top it off with sour cream and tortilla chips… easy breezy! Do you love mashed potatoes & corn with lots of butter? There’s a soup for that. How about Kielbasa and cabbage? There’s a soup for that too! I guess peanut butter & jelly would be an exception to this rule however… I’d bet it would make for a great fondue… spreading toast points with grape jelly then dipping them into warm, creamy peanut butter… m-m-m-m-m!!! But that’s a recipe for another day!

Below is one of my soup recipes; a favorite of Mio marito bello italiano (my handsome Italian husband), Dominic!  I have included specific measurments but in all honesty... don't bother measuring!  Soup should be made to YOUR liking; not Dominic's!!!

Escarole & Bean Soup with Spicy Sausage

1 lb. of your favorite shaped Pasta

3 T. Olive Oil

½ Head of Garlic (peeled & chopped)

8 Links of Hot Italian Sausage (casings removed)

1 ½ Cups of Dry White Wine

½ tsp. Garlic Powder

¼ tsp. Black Pepper

1 tsp. Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

2 T. Powdered Chicken Bouillon

29 oz. Can of Light Red Kidney Beans

2 Heads of Escarole (torn into pieces)

2 Cups of Water

Block of Pecorino Romano Cheese

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil; add pasta, stir & cook until al dente; toss with just a swirl of olive oil and set aside.

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. When oil is hot, toss in chopped garlic and stir for about 1 minute. Break up the sausage into pieces and add to the pot, stirring constantly. When sausage is browned on the outside, pour in the white wine and add the garlic powder, black pepper, red pepper flakes and chicken bouillon. Stir well to combine until mixture starts to boil. Cover, turn heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.

When the flavors are married, uncover the pot and add the can of beans (including liquid). After mixing thoroughly, toss in all of the pieces of escarole leaves and the water. Turn the heat up to high and stir soup until it starts to boil. Cover again, turn heat to low and simmer for another 10 minutes.

Place a scoopful of pasta into each bowl then ladle soup over the pasta. Using a vegetable peeler, shave your desired amount of cheese on top. Molto un'abbondante (very hearty)… and yummy too!

So experiment a little; make it a fun family activity on a snowy day. If you have trouble getting the kids interested, you can always divert back to the story of a couple of hungry soldiers, a big, empty pot and a stone!

All wonderful memories are not necessarily homemade...

 This past Saturday, February 13, 2010, my paternal grandmother passed away quietly at the age of 96. She had not been well for quite some time and had lived in a nursing home for many years. Physical disabilities aside, her mind was as sharp as a tack until a couple of years ago. On her 95th birthday, September 13, 2008, my husband and I were married. That afternoon, before the ceremony, my nieces; her great-grand daughters, my step-daughter & I went to the home to visit her so she could see us all dressed up for the wedding. She was clearly overwhelmed and so genuinely touched that she started to cry. We had pictures taken with her that day and I will cherish them forever.

I’ll always remember how beautiful she was when she was young; her skin was like silk, her hair was always done, she was extremely stylish and she NEVER left the house without lipstick. She used to take me on shopping sprees downtown… JJ Newberry’s, Tompkins and the Keds store by the train tracks then, on every occasion we would go to Woolworth’s to sit at the counter and have lunch together. Even back then it was no secret to me how she kept herself so young, slim and gorgeous… she was very disciplined with her eating habits. She would almost always order a hamburger and when the waitress brought it she would take the bun off of the top, reach into the old, metal napkin dispenser for a firm handful then pat as much of the grease off of her burger as possible. Sometimes she would order tuna salad on dry toast, promptly instructing the waitress, “No extra mayo please”. She would always let me order dessert though; I should have taken a cue from her then and maybe I wouldn’t always have had to battle the bulge! Tied onto the coat racks attached to the booths there were lots of balloons. Each balloon had a little piece of paper inside of it. The waitress would pop a balloon for me and whatever price was written on the slip would be the amount that Nana would pay for my banana split… sometimes it was free! Then she'd finish her coffee, re-apply her lipstick, pop a Sen-sen into her mouth, and we'd be on our way!

She knew the importance of vegetables as well and made sure that my brothers and I ate them… whether we knew it or not! She used to puree carrots or spinach then mix the pureed veggies in with pastina & butter… we loved our “colored macaroni” and ate as much as we could.  Come to think of it... she did smoke cigarettes way back in the day but she never inhaled and besides... she looked so "Vogue" doing it that I have to let her slide on that one! 

It’s amazing to me that so many memories come flooding back when someone you love passes away. I can remember the smells and the distinct echoes in the hallways where she & my grandfather lived. I remember the light scent of her cherry & almond Jergens moisturizer and also the Dove soap that she used. Every Tuesday we would pick her up from work and take her home where she would cook dinner for my family. Nana was my “Italian” grandmother however, since she was among the workforce, she rarely made anything homemade. She used jarred sauce and made a quick meatloaf with ketchup baked on top. She served Italian bread from the corner store and mashed potatoes out of a box. And if you can believe it… those were some of the best dinners I ever had; we were together, she fussed, and she loved me!

Nana had two sons; my uncle Frank and my dad, who had two and three kids respectively. I think the boys in our family were horrified to go to the nursing home to visit; the smells and sounds experienced while walking down those long corridors were poignant and heartbreaking to say the least. I used to go as often as I could however, I always knew it wasn't often enough. It just hurt so much. Then in 2004 I moved away and visited her almost everytime I returned home. My dad and uncle insured that she had everything she possibly needed and would alternate visiting her so she would have someone with her at least once a week.

My beautiful cousin, Leslie however remained the never faultering constant through Nana's years in the home. She not only visited often but her visits always brought some degree of unpleasant caregiving which she endured with the gentle compassion, consideration and love that no nurse could ever bring to our grandmother and I know that Nana was always warmed and comforted by her kind and tender heart. I hope she knows that all of the time that she spent and every piece of her heart that she gave has never gone unnoticed by me; she is an amazing person; a true angel and I love her very much... She is the sister I never had. Thanks, Les... for everything...

I have to stop now; the Kleenex are gone and there are too many memories to count; Nana always had one tucked in her sleeve for just this reason. In honor of my grandmother, I wanted to share a healthy recipe with you... something light, fresh, easy and delish... something Nana would be proud of and also something that I think Leslie would love...

Warm Spinach Salad w/Shrimp, Bacon & Honey Dijon

3 Shallots (sliced)

¼ C. Extra Virgin Olive Oil + 3 T. for sautéing Shrimp

½ C. Red Wine Vinegar

¼ C. Dijon Mustard

¼ C. Honey

Salt & Pepper to taste

½ pkg. Pre-Cooked Bacon (or Turkey Bacon)

1 lb. Large Shrimp (uncooked, peeled & deveined)

1 Lg. bag of pre-washed Baby Spinach Leaves

1 Medium container of crumbled Feta Cheese

In a blender, combine the Shallots, ¼ cup of the Olive Oil, the Vinegar, Dijon Mustard and the honey. Cover and blend for about 1 or 2 minutes. Add Salt & Pepper to taste. Pour dressing into a medium saucepan, heat on medium until it bubbles then simmer on low.

Lay the bacon on a paper towel lined plate and microwave on high until very well done; about 1 minute. Remove bacon, let cool so it crisps even more then crumble.

Meanwhile, heat the 3 T. Olive Oil in a medium skillet; add the Shrimp and cook for about 2 minutes per side. Give the Shrimp a good stir to make sure they are cooked through then pour the Shrimp into the saucepan with the warm dressing. Turn off the heat under the saucepan immediately.

Lay the Spinach Leaves on a large platter. With a slotted spoon, carefully transfer the Shrimp to the platter and scatter on top of the Spinach. Drizzle on the dressing then top with crumbled Bacon and Feta Cheese. Serve any extra dressing on the side.

Rest in peace, Nana... I am grateful that the suffering has ended and that you are once again young, healthy & happy!

How to “Brown-Nose the Boss”; NOT like the Dead Milkmen!

In my never ending quest to gain useless knowledge, I ran across some interesting song lyrics. Way back when (so long ago I had never heard of them before now), a band called the Dead Milkmen recorded a song titled, “Do the Brown-Nose”. The oh-so-catchy little chorus aroused my attention and I thought I’d share it with you; it goes something like this:

Bend yo’ knees (ooh LaLaLa...)
Move yo’ head like this… ♪
♪ Pucker dem lips up (ooh LaLaLa...)
Give dat butt a kiss!

This little ditty, though slightly abrasive, got me thinking about the long time moral debate… is it okay to brown-nose or butter-up your boss? Can a little extra stroking help you climb the corporate ladder or is it an ethical indiscretion all together?

While many folks think that it’s totally wrong to try and advance their careers in this way, others are washing cars, babysitting during vacations & walking dogs on their lunch hours or picking up their manager’s dry cleaning on their way into the office in the morning. Does gathering up the steamy & squishy load of poop of the CED (chief executive dog) sound enticing to you?!!! I didn’t think so. Well fear no more my stinky-fingered friends; it’s time to pull some pork!

My boss is a wonderful man; he’s kind, funny, compassionate and very generous; although… you can never be TOO generous! Every year around bonus time, (and Christmas, and his birthday, and when he’s stressed out, and for potluck lunch, etc.), I just whip him up a batch of my “Jack Daniels BBQ Pulled Pork”. I present it to the, I’m-dieting-no-really, old guy (but younger than me) with some nice crusty bread and a smile and before you know it… “Cha ching”!!!... I’m seeing dollar signs! I’ve even overheard him bragging about how good it is to his colleagues!

So many people don’t make pulled pork because they think that it’s difficult… not mine… the crock pot does all of the work and I reap all of the rewards. Check it out:

“Jack Daniels BBQ Pulled Pork”


1 6-7 lb. Pork Butt
Water
2 Large Sliced Yellow or Vidalia Onions
6 Cloves Chopped Garlic
Salt & Pepper to Taste
2 Bottles of your favorite BBQ Sauce
Garlic Powder to Taste
½ Cup Hot Sauce
1 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Cup Jack Daniels

Place sliced onions and garlic on the bottom of a crock pot. Set pork butt on top and pour enough water over pork to amount to 1 inch on bottom of crock pot. Season with salt and pepper. Set crock pot to “low” and cook approximately 10 hours (don’t worry, you cannot over cook this). Using 2 large spoons, gently lift pork out of pot (it will be falling apart). Discard onions, garlic & all liquid from the pot then place pork back in. Gently stir in BBQ sauce, garlic powder, hot sauce, brown sugar and Jack Daniels while pulling the meat apart. Cover and finish cooking on “low” for additional 20 minutes. Serve immediately or let cool, refrigerate and reheat for later.


Serve with crusty bread & coleslaw or on a Bulkie roll with roasted potatoes & green salad, by itself or with a slice of cheddar cheese and grilled onions on top; Mr. Daniels would be proud!

So if you’d like to soar through that corporate hierarchy, please take my advice… bring in a batch of this down-home, succulent feast; complete with the bread and the smile, and you will soon be indispensable to all of those above you. And... as you sit there day after day processing words on that keyboard, talking to International clients on your Blackberry and gathering ‘round the water cooler with your coworkers, always remind yourself that Jack Daniels BBQ under your fingernails smells much better than dog poop!

Woof!!!

A Lovin’ Spoonful for You, Little Cousin…

On January 15, 2009 my beautiful cousin, Lanette was sent to live amongst the angels in Heaven. To this day we still don’t have an exact explanation of what happened and why; just that her heart had stopped beating. Lanette was a wonderful mother, wife, daughter, sister, cousin, niece and aunt who always had time to lend an ear or a shoulder and her death has devastated our family profoundly.


Aside from her beautiful family, her biggest passion was cake decorating. She took classes and became quite good at it. Before long her creative juices kicked in and she made gorgeous cakes trimmed with exquisite flowers and delightful characters. Out of inspiration from Lanette, I asked my husband for a complete cake decorating set for Christmas this year… I received it a month ago, I have all of the tips, bags, colors & do-dads in place… locked, loaded & ready to go… I’ve just got to actually “do it”. I think my procrastination comes from a fear of failing however, I know that with a face full of frosting and flour from head to toe, she will be with me, wine in hand; encouraging me, guiding my hand and giggling softly like she always did when we were kids and like her little girls do now. I will do this for her and no matter what the outcome… it will be good.

The loss of a loved one brings such sorrow however, it also stirs up a big batch of memories and sometimes the littlest spoonful of these memories can make us all feel much better; like warm chocolate chip cookies on a cold winter day or the sound of the Ice Cream Truck rounding the corner just before your mom called you in at dusk on a school night. My memories of Lanette make me smile; how her dad called her “Chickie”, her absolutely adorable and gentle lisp, how we used to have sleepovers with her sister, Niecey at their house on Hill Street, the yearly clambakes in the backyard… so many… too many to count. So I decided that I would honor her memory by sharing a recipe with you that she loved for me to make for her, something that I would bring to a family gathering and she would hide from everyone or steal before anyone else would see it was on the table. Every time that I called her out on it, she would seek out our much “bigger” cousin and would shout out, “Julie… Toni Lynn’s pickin’ on me!”… okay, now I’m crying.

Please find below my recipe for Nette’s Baked Brie with Hot Buttered Rum and when you taste it, you’ll know for sure that there truly are beautiful angels watching over us all.

Nette’s Baked Brie with Hot Buttered Rum

½ stick of Butter

1 small “Airplane Bottle” of Spiced Rum

½ cup of Brown Sugar plus more for sprinkling

¾ cup of Chopped Pecans

1 large wheel of Brie Cheese with casing intact

Preheat oven to 350°.


In a medium sauce pan, melt butter over low heat. When the butter is melted, stir in Spiced Rum and brown sugar and heat on a low flame; stirring constantly until mixture just starts to bubble. Remove from heat immediately (we do not want the alcohol to cook off now; do we?!!).


Place the wheel of Brie in the middle of a baking dish or pie plate. Pour the butter & rum mixture over the wheel of brie, top with the chopped nuts and sprinkle with a little more brown sugar.


Place in the oven and heat on 350° for approximately 30-40 minutes. Serve with plain bagel chips or buttery crackers.

Rest in peace, little cousin; I love you and think of you every day…

A thousand times we needed you,

A thousand times we cried.

If love alone could have saved you,

You never would have died.

A heart of gold stopped beating,

Two twinkling eyes closed to rest,

God broke our hearts that day to prove

He only takes the best.

(Author Unknown)

The Perfect Nosh for the Perfect Day!!!

Did you know that any day can be a holiday? Take February 20th for example… it’s “Hoodie-Hoo Day”! This holiday is celebrated in an interesting way… at high noon everyone yells "Hoodie-Hoo" to chase away winter and make way for spring… silly, I know but I'm trying to get a point across here.  January 27th is the anniversary of the death of Thomas Crapper; the man who invented the flush toilet and the day is so dubbed, “Thomas Crapper Day”! (I am not making this up, trust me!).


For me, a holiday is any day that I can gather with friends and family for some good conversation, a couple of laughs and numerous journeys down Memory Lane.  Most holidays, bizarre or not, are associated with certain foods; the feast of the 7 fishes on Christmas Eve, baked ham on Easter Sunday, corned beef & cabbage on St. Patrick’s Day, etc., etc., etc.  So, the question is just aching to be asked, “What will I serve on ‘Thomas Crapper Day’; what mouth-watering morsel could possibly be worthy of a man who woke up every day thinking about the derriere of all mankind?” My answer… ANYTHING made with Phyllo dough! What could be more perfect than an ingredient so clearly akin to the ever-so-delicate texture of one of God’s greatest creations; toilet paper!!! I’m on a roll now!!! Sorry… had to throw that in!!!

Normally, my fear of Phyllo dough would prohibit me from taking on a task of such magnitude; the union of a perfect provision with a worldwide holiday is very important and is likely to make the history books; so in this case I’ll have to face my fear head on!!!

I’ve immediately jumped to it and have come up with the perfect fare… Italian-Style Spanikopita! Spanikopita is a classic Greek indulgence made with spinach, feta cheese, eggs and Phyllo dough but my version has that all-so-important injection of Italian influence; Parmesan cheese, sun-dried tomatoes and garlic! Let’s give it a whirl…

Italian-Style Spanikopita

2 - 8 oz. rolls of Phyllo dough (2 come in 1 pkg.)
7 eggs beaten
2 medium onions
3 cloves garlic
2 - 10 oz. pkgs of frozen spinach
1 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes coarsely chopped
8 oz. shredded Mozzarella cheese
1 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
1 stick (or more) of melted butter
Butter flavored cooking spray


Chop onions & garlic and sauté in approximately 1/4 stick of melted butter until caramelized (yummy, brown and sweet).  Thaw spinach and squeeze all the excess water out of it. Mix spinach, eggs, both cheeses and onions & garlic together to make filling.


Generously spray the bottom of a 12”x17” pan with cooking spray and top with first layer of the Phyllo dough.  Layer 1/2 the sheets of Phyllo dough in the pan, brushing every few layers with melted butter and spraying every few layers lightly with the cooking spray (DO NOT BE AFRAID… THERE IS NO EXACT WAY TO DO THIS AND YOU CAN NOT HURT IT! IF LAYERS ARE TOO LARGE FOR YOUR PAN JUST FOLD THE EDGES OVER AND SPRAY).


Spread the spinach filling over Phyllo and sprinkle with chopped sun-dried tomatoes.  Layer remaining Phyllo over the filling; brushing each layer with butter or coating with cooking spray.  Brush top layer with melted butter.


Using a pizza cutter or a very sharp knife carefully cut into squares then each square into triangles before cooking (without pulling the pieces apart).


Bake at 350° for 30 min or until top is flakey and golden brown.  Let cool slightly then pull the pieces apart for serving.

There are many versions of Spanikopita; some easy, some difficult, some tasty, some... not so much.  My version, however, is easy and tasty and will someday be as historic as Americans and Apple Pie!  Don't you wish that every day was Thomas Crapper Day???