Pasta Sundays

 As Sophia Loren is credited for once saying... "I would much rather eat pasta and drink wine than be a size zero".... I must say like most other women who grew up Italian, I would have to agree. To an outsider, it may seem odd to eat the same meal every Sunday and have the same argument over gravy or sauce week after week (we call it sauce, by the way) but for me this Sunday ritual means family, tradition, and stability. It is such a simple gesture of love to place that salad, large bowl of pasta and garlic bread on the table and is certainly a meal that does not break the bank.

Just like most things in Italian culture, this as well stems from tradition. Ask any Italian and we probably cannot answer where this tradition began.... was it from the necessity to feed large families on a dime? was it from the need to use the abundance of fresh tomatoes grown over the summer in a way that can be preserved for the entire year (many can their own sauce still)? Was it that it paired so well with the wine (even the children were given a thimble of the bitter grape juice at the Sunday meal)?

Regardless of the origins, it has sustained through the generations. I can remember stories from my Grandfather where they were so poor during the depression that they used robin meat to still have meatballs even. Today in modern times we have transferred back to beef but it was still interesting to hear the lengths to which people will go to preserve their traditions even in the hardest of times. Why? Why do we fight so hard to keep the stability of who we are at our souls? It's a stability to maintain our culture, a constant in an every changing world we cannot always control, and a link to bring us back to our roots and our family. 

This Sunday meal also wasn't limited to the women only cooking for once during the week as well. It was my Grandfather who was famous for his sauce. He would start early and the smell would fill his kitchen all day. I can still picture him there with his short stature and a mapine (slang It. for dishtowel) hanging at his waist hitting away any hand trying to dip a slice of Italian bread too soon into his creation. He had many meats in his sauce to add flavor such as Italian sausage and meatballs as well as a slice of capicola, this abundance probably stemmed from the fact he no longer had to slingshot robins in the yard to add meat to his meal. 

I wish I had learned every trick he had in preparing his sauce in the exact same way. There are some tricks I incorporate, such as rolling my meatballs in season salt, but there are also many that are lost. He was gone several years already before I tried my hand at creating my own sauce. This first attempt also came out as a disaster due to the fact that my Dad convinced me a clove of garlic was the whole head! Below is the closest I have come to Grandpa Joe's sauce. I hope you can enjoy the tradition as well. If you make it let me know how it comes out. What traditions do you have?

Grandpa Joe's Sauce ( the modern version)

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 lb Italian sausage (rope)

couple slices capicola

3 cloves garlic

1/4 cup tomato paste

3- 35 oz cans Italian peeled tomatoes 

2 cups water

salt and pepper to taste

6 fresh basil leaves torn small

Directions:

Heat oil in large stock pot over medium heat. Cut sausage to smaller pieces and cook stirring until browned. Add in capicola to brown as well, will be quicker. Remove the cooked meat and discard about the 1/2 the fat created from cooking.

Add the garlic into oil and left fat until golden then remove garlic leaving the flavor before adding the tomato paste. Puree the tomatoes with their canned juices into the pot. Add the water, salt, pepper, and basil and bring to boil. Add back in the meats and lower to simmer over low heat. Stir with love occasionally for at least 2 hours. If sauce thickens too much more water can be added. 

Holiday Kick Off Parade

 It was a brisk December night and I was tired of being cooped up in the house working. I clicked and I clacked through all of Facebook's events... only to find to my wondering eyes that there was to be a Christmas parade! 

There was fanfare and fantastic lights! The church choir sang carols all in key in rejoice of the season.

The Jeeps aligned and strobed out their lights!

A mini Empire State building rolled down the road as well with fanciful lights!

Not to be outdone, the Nutcracker had to make a display.....

But it was the green train that brought all the delight!

The Grinch made an appearance to steal the delight but soon found out it was heartwarming measures that couldn't be dimmed!

                                        

With Santa's appearance, we could all call it a night!

Weekend Warriors- Claw Foot Tub Edition!

 I live in a 1200 sq ft town home built in 1918 in a suburb of Youngstown. While any modern home needs modern functionality, as I remodel I have always tried to stay true to the era of the home. I have restored and added bead board into my décor, removed carpeting back to the hardwood floors, and tried to choose light fixtures with the home's age in mind as well. 

One of the most coveted original aspects of the home has always been the claw foot tub. For many years, I did not even have a shower.... I lavished in soaking in the deep tub nightly and the lack of a shower never crossed my mind. One thing that did cross my mind though was that that tub was showing its age. It was dingy and needed some love.

I decided to undertake this major DIY home renovation to sand down the tub and refinish it, as well as add a shower extension. The products I used can be found at the links above. If you have never sanded anything down... wood, tub, doesn't matter... be forwarded, it makes a mess of dust!

You can see above the difference and just how dingy my tub was... but let's give some love that the poor thing is stamped as made in 1917 underneath... Once sanded the next step was to follow the multistep directions refinish kit that I found at Lowe's. (Side Note: Follow the directions exactly including time frames.... I got distracted in the process and let the one step harden longer than it should've which resulted in having to re-sand and buy another kit to redo this step.) Once completed though it definitely made a notable difference and brought new life back into my 100 yr old tub. 

Another side note: yes it is better to remove all the existing hardware prior to this process to prevent rust even if not replacing it. However, since I was already committed to this project, I was also replacing the hardware to add the shower extension. Another side note: I knew someone who was able to help me with the plumbing portion- if you do not this could add to the expense. I also added a massaging shower head after the fact and found that an expander adaptor was also required. Granted this little piece found at Ace was under $1, had I not known this, I would've spent hundreds trying to figure it out. (Apparently older plumbing fixtures do not equate to modern by 1/4"- who knew!?!)

Once all of the hard work and mathematical plumbing issues were solved, I focused on the functionality and bought a pretty shower curtain and caddy that also looked true to the era. 

Now while I have absolutely come to love and appreciate the efficiency of having a shower and finally moving into that aspect of the 21st century, I still relish a good soak in the tub. So while I have adapted showering most days, I have held true to my Sunday evening ritual. On any given Sunday night you will most likely to find me preparing for the week ahead soaking in my claw foot tub with an Avo Bath Balm from Lush and a glass of wine with a sheet mask on my face.

Poe Themed Halloween Party

 Every year I am in charge of hosting and planning the Halloween Party for our Ladies Mt Carmel Society Italian Women's Club. I plan this in conjunction with my mom and my aunt and this year we chose an Edgar Allen Poe theme. Many would daunted but planning such an event annually but it really isn't that hard to do.

We placed crows into all the displays along with Halloween décor we already had that would look as if it came from an old library. Use disposable table coverings from the Dollar Tree or part supply store that go with the theme, this year we used black and white. Add in some "creepy cloth" also from the Dollar Tree or party supply store and you have a look that's chilling but yet classier than some cartoony decorations. 

You don't need to overthink the supplies you need. These crows were from the Dollar Tree, the bottles were from various other antique displays around the house, and the sticks of course were from outside.

Creating elegant-like centerpieces for such an event is just as easy. The white pumpkins were from the local farmers market, the black frames were from the Dollar Tree, and the Poe themed art work was simply printed from Pintrest. 

The same can go for your costume. This year I googled ideas for unique women's Halloween costume and decided on a silent film star. The wig was reused from a previous year as a flapper, the dress was from NYE a few years back, shoes and hose were from my closet as well, and the chalkboard was also from the Dollar Tree. 

With a little imagination and reuse of some already owned objects you can also plan an more elegant looking event and costume for Halloween without breaking the bank. What other tips do you have from events or costumes you have planned?

Witches on the Prowl!

Once again this year,  the sleepy Amish town of Volant, Pa to life for its annual Witch's Night out. All the witches came out on the prowl and again the normally dying off tourist town was bustling with life!

After feeling under dressed last year I decided to don the full array this year and go all out. Again the town did not disappoint and the event seemed to be even larger in its second year.... shops were open after hours this night... there were specialty drinks at the winery, a cackling contest and a parade! Truly a WITCH'S NIGHT OUT and a must to experience if you find yourself in the area during fall!

Welcome Coco!

The most wonderful thing happened this past weekend. It was actually somewhat of a surprise that began with a text that led to curiosity....
I received a text asking if I would be interested in taking in a small chihuahua since I had lost Eddie. After some thought, I agreed to see if Dante would get along with the potential new dog and the current owner and I sat a meet up. I had no idea that I would end up with Coco (previously Casey) when we met but it seemed the lady knew all along she was leaving the pup with me.
Coco took to me right from the beginning and got along with Dante famously.

She promptly took over her corner of the couch as well as her favorite throw.

She even moved right in on taking over Dante's bed but was kind enough to share with her new brother as well.

While she came into my life unexpectedly, I already couldn't imagine life without her. Coco moved into my heart as fast as she moved into my home. 💓

Farewell Blue Waters!

Despite the fact that I cannot swim, I absolutely love being near the water in the summer. I did get to visit the lake area several times this summer but it still didn't feel like enough and I was sad to say goodbye to the warmer months.  With the arrival of Labor Day, it seemed only fitting to visit the shores of Lake Erie one more time for the year, so I spent the day in a lazy coastal town of Fairport Harbor browsing unique boutiques and visiting their historical lighthouse.

Couldn't think of a better way to end the summer! How did you say Good Bye to summer?

It was an absolutely gorgeous day up by the water..... Clear skies and 72! My sweater was a find last spring (similar here from LL Bean), my Chinos are JCrew, and I sported some canvas Sperry's.