Rita Watson: Remembering Grandma’s Easter baking during a musical afternoon – Published 3/21/2015 in Entertainment & Life Read the original in the newspaper to see the priceless photo of my grandparents. Within a concert hall of oil portraits, overlooking a snow-covered cemetery, I saw myself frolicking through the water at Grandma and Grandpa’s beach house. Commentary in a…
Category: Italian Kisses
Visits with Grandma are delicious memories
Rita Watson: Visits with Grandma made delicious memories – Published 2/21/2015 in Entertainment & Life Memories of celebrations at Grandma and Grandpa’s big house on the water still bring a smile to my face. They lived at 221 Beach St., which had a large wraparound porch and a widow’s walk at the top. As I was going through…
Italian Kisses: Sugar Roses on a Wintery Day, Projo
Special to The Journal While most of the little town on the water was sighing from the winter doldrums, Grandma had a January birthday and a smile on her face. Although she liked to say, “No fusses about this; it’s just another day,” she always looked forward to the Italian cream and rum cake decorated…
An Italian Family Tradition: Struffoli Day
On the Sunday between Christmas and New Year’s Day we had a tradition that came to be called Struffoli Day. It was the Italian family Christmas for all of our relatives. No one asked what foods they should bring; they simply cooked a favorite recipe. But one year, in addition to a main dish, everyone…
The Italian Christmas Tree Challenge, ProJo
The upside down wedding cake chandelier adorned the entrance parlor in Gram and Grandpa’s house on the water. Each year on the first week of December, Grandma would send us to the attic to bring down boxes of Christmas ornaments so she could decide how many new snowflakes to crochet for the tree, which was…
Grandma's Politics and Puttanesca, ProJo
Because she never learned to read in English, Grandma appeared to be uninterested in politics. Nonetheless, politicians frequently stopped by for her Friday night puttanesca, an Italian dish of spaghetti, anchovies, olives and capers. During election season, she made this meal in huge vats. On Saturday, neighbors would stop by to ask her opinions. Little…
The Fiorentina Pears and a Bridal Bag were Family Traditions – ProJo
Grandma spoke of “Papa’s pears” with reverence. The fruit trees that lined the walkway to Grandpa’s garden created a canopy that overheard family secrets and stories including our favorite — the pears for newlyweds. Grandma said that in her Italian village when young people married and moved from the farms “to set up house,” her…
Italian kisses: Celebrating the feast of family and food, Projo
Our grandmother disliked crowds, even those that gathered to honor the saints. When September’s “la festa de San Gennaro” approached — a large Italian street festival of music, games and food — Gram planned a gathering of some 30 relatives for cooking, eating, playing bocce and building sand castles. She said we could not attend…
Summer afternoon under the grape arbor, ProJo
The grape arbor at Gram and Grandpa’s house was a welcome retreat at the end of the day. The rich royal-purple Concord grapes were plump and succulent. Grandpa’s grapes became his wine, which he enjoyed every afternoon at 4 o’clock. While neighbors complained about the August heat, Grandma reminded us to think about what we…
Clamming and zucchini flowers of love, ProJo
Periwinkle snails, clams, and batter-fried zucchini flowers might seem like an odd combination, but in the world of Grandma and Grandpa, these spelled summer love. The front lawn of their house bordered a rock pile wall with a small dock. The back yard beyond the grape arbor was a huge garden of vegetables. On days…