Bruculinu, America

    This is truly an amazing book. Bruculinu, America, written by the late Vincent Schiavelli,* has many recipes and traditions from when he grew up in Brooklyn. The book really "clicked" with me because I recognize many of the recipes and some of the traditions. The book can be purchased on Amazon.com. The original price was $24, however, I had to pay close to $40. When my book came in the mail, I was totally thrilled. Although it was a used copy it was in excellent condition and autographed. My middle son is really getting into Italian/Sicilian cooking and researching his Italian roots. (I can see a big smile on my late mother's face. Priceless... as they say.) I decided to treat him to an autographed copy of this book. Mind you it has jumped in price again... big time. But he's worth it.

    One of the recipes that I never got around to getting from my mother was Green Bean and Potato Salad. My husband thought I was going to do cartwheels when I found the recipe in this book. I may get myself into a bit of trouble, but I will share the recipe with you.
    Schiavelli writes that this salad is usually served warm but it can be served chilled as well. My mother would agree as we might eat it warm and the leftover served chilled. Either way it is wonderful.

Nsalata 'i Fasoleddi Virdi e Patati

For 6 servings

3 lbs. small red new potatoes, about the size of small limes
Sea salt
2 lbs. flat Italian or round Blue Lake green beans (which is what we used)
1 large red onion
1/3 c. extra-virgin olive oil
Black pepper

    Scrub the potatoes and put them in a pot with lightly salted cold water to cover over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, and cook until the potatoes offer little resistance when pierced with a fork, 20-30 minutes.
    Meanwhile, clean and snap off the ends of the green beans. Place a steamer over the stove. When the water comes to a boil, put the beans in the steamer basket. Steam the beans until tender, 8 to 10 minutes, depending on their thickness.
    Halve the onion, thinly slice it, separate the pieces and put them in a large serving bowl. Mix in the vinegar. When the green beans are cooked, drain and put them in the bowl. Season with salt and toss.
    When the potatoes are cooked, run cold water into the pot to stop the cooking process and drain them thoroughly. When cool enough to handle, slip them out of their jackets.
    Put the potatoes in the serving bowl, season with salt and toss. Add the olive oil and toss again. Finish with a few grindings of black pepper. Serve warm.

*Yes, you might recognize him from the movie Ghost... so therefore, Patrick Swayze had an old friend waiting for him in heaven.)

Jo Anne

Not everyone is fortunate to have an aunt who never ages. She really doesn't. This picture of Jo Anne was probably taken in about 1957 at our home in College Station, Texas. This is the age my aunt will always be... at least to me. My younger sister is on the left in the picture and I am on the right. (You will always know it's a picture of me because of the squint. I think everyone used to think that you were supposed to look into the sun for a picture.)

Jo Anne is a travel agent and has been for over fifty years. She has been just about everywhere. I asked her once when she treated me to a trip to London, "How many times have you been to London?" Replied that she really did not know.. many times.

Jo Anne is my late father's little sister. He even helped to name her. There was about nine years difference between my father and Jo Anne. He watched over her and lived up to the image everyone has of an older brother. I know. Jo Anne saved almost all of her letters throughout the years and I have just about typed them all to put in a journal for her. My father wrote letters of encouragement as my aunt progressed through her college years. Then there was the man who hired Jo Anne to work in his travel agency. Jo Anne needed a pep talk from time to time just to deal with a very demanding boss who secretly had a lot of confidence in Jo Anne.

Jo Anne has never married. Not that she didn't have the chance. She's been courted often and proposed to several times. The timing was just never right.

My aunt is always up for a trip around the world or an excursion to a museum or art gallery. (She loves Monet.) She enjoys people and her social life is very full. Recently she traveled to Maine with a friend and upon her arrival home left for Houston with another friend.

Her best friend these days is her cat, a Turkish Van named BuddyBoy. We haven't clued Jo Anne in yet that he rules her life but we suspect she may already know that.


Jo Anne makes me laugh. Her down to earth view on life is sobering, yet her light-heartedness teaches us to take advantage of the fun things in life. She is absolutely one of the very best people in my life. Consider me very fortunate.

My First Cookbook

This is absolutely one of my all-time favorite pure American easy, but good cookbook... and it was my first. It is all tattered and falling apart... and if I could find another one like it I would buy it. There are several recipes in there I still use.

The gingerbread recipe is so very good.

When my mother was close to having my youngest brother in 1962 I was almost 15 years old. My mother being the organizer she was had a "meeting" with my younger sister and me and explained how she would rely on us to prepare the meals and keep the house going while she was in the hospital. We had another brother who was already 7 years old. My father would be busy working and making trips to the hospital.. as I had it figured out.

My mother wrote our schedule in the back of the cookbook.

My assignment was to make Saucy Hamburger Crumble, mashed potatoes, cabbage and raisin salad and peas. I was to peel the potatoes to boil at 11:00 A.M. Fix the meat at 11:30 A.M. Fix the salad at 11:45 A.M. Then I was to cook the peas at 11:45 A.M. Lunch was to be served at 12:15 P.M. It all went according to my mother's schedule... and it was a no-fail situation.

SAUCY HAMBURGER CRUMBLE

Melt in frying pan     1 tablespoon fat

Add and brown lightly     1 small onion, chopped

Then add and brown     1 pound ground beef

   1 teaspoon of salt

Break the meat into small pieces.

Stir in     1/4 cup Gold Medal Flour

Then stir in     2 cups water or milk (I always use milk)

Heat until gravy bubbles.

Serve over mashed potatoes

4 servings

My little note in my own handwriting, "Everyone liked this alot."

Now if you choose to make this and your man has done military time, he may snicker and state under his breath that there is another name for this dish.

I always wondered why my dad would always smile in a funny way when we announced we were having Saucy Hamburger Crumble for dinner.

Can you guess what this was called??

Ahhhhhh...

The mess....

Ugh!

The mess begins....

The tile people should be here any minute. We are replacing this old (25 years to be exact) linoleum with this tile... In the picture it is the largest tile. So, the mess begins. The linoleum will be ripped out and donated to Smithsonian... kidding of course... and then the tile will be laid in the utility room, small hallway and powder room. Tomorrow the men will return to put the grout in. Excited but I am a nervous wreck. Wish us luck.