Recession Recipe - Spaghetti Aglio Olio E' Peperoncino

I'm too hungry to go shopping and there's nothing in the house. What to do? Make Spaghetti Aglio Olio E' Peperoncino.

In the late 60's and 70's in Italy, we would go out in groups and stayed out till the wee hours of the morning. Hungry, we would gather at someones home and make spaghetti Aglio Olio e Peperoncino. It was easy, simple and delicious. We'd open up a bottle of wine, Red, White or Rose', whatever was available and we continued our partying at the kitchen table.

This is what I'm having for lunch today. Even though I have parsley growing on my balcony and Pecorino Romano and Parmigiano Reggiano in the fridge. I'm going to eat it as it was intended and bring back some of those fun memories.

The advantage of this pasta is that Aglio Olio e Peperoncino are the basic ingredients for just about all the traditional Italian sauces, the ingredients are easily found in Italian kitchens, but most of all it can be made cheaply without seasonal or store-bought ingredients,

What's needed:

1 lb of spaghetti or (fettucini)
4 cloves of garlic (minced)
2 hot peppers (to taste)
1/4 cup olive oil ( virgin olive oil)

How to do it:

In a large pasta pan, bring lightly salted water to a boil; add the spaghetti and don't overcook them, cook them "AL Dente". While the spaghetti are cooking, in a large saute' pan warm the olive oil, then add the minced garlic and crushed hot peppers. Sauté them together until the garlic turns lightly golden. Turn off the heat (the garlic will continue to brown, make sure it's not to brown as we don't want it to be bitter.

Drain the cooked spaghetti and transfer them to the sauté pan. Stir the spaghetti into the sauce, mixing well, about 1 minute. Serve immediately. If needed or desired, fresh olive oil can be added after it's prepared. The predominant flavor Peperoncino is what makes all three ingredients mix together well to give it that special taste, however the most important ingredient is sharing this with your loved ones and special friends.

Now that you have the base of most of the Italian sauces. You can have fun and be creative, you can add anything to it that you like as long as it is in season and fresh... tomatoes, fish, meat, panchetta, artichockes.... another great recipe is ricotta with pepper and basil.

Stay tuned for the next simple recipe.

Realigning The Prospective

I received an email from my friend Marcy asking me to forward a link of my blog to her friend. Her friend's husband recently left her and their child for another woman. But before he left he cleared the checking accounts.

To all of you who have been deserted by former loved ones, and left in a state of shock, I'd like to reassure you that there is a bright light at the end of that tunnel.

Try to remember that the person you loved, was not at all the person you THOUGHT you knew! just a figment of your imagination! For the one you loved would not have betrayed you..accept this and prepare to move on, to something so much better.. open yourself up to the many adventures ahead...

There's movie that I saw back in the 70's that deals with just what you are going through, you might want to rent it. "An Unmarried Woman" describes the loss, ,the hurt of being rejected, the pain suffered from the betrayal but most importantly, it shows how she redifines who she is and becomes a stronger and more independent person.

An Unmarried Woman (1978) More at IMDbPro »

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Erica is unmarried only temporarily in that her successful, wealthy husband of seventeen years has just left her for a girl he met while buying a shirt in Bloomingdale's. The film shows Erica coming to terms with the break-up while revising her opinions of herself, redefining that self in its own right rather than as an extension of somebody else's personality, and finally going out with another man. Erica refuses to drop everything for Saul, an abstract expressionist painter, simply out of love for him because
he expects her to. It is not so much loneliness that is her problem, and the problems that men, flitting around this newly "available" woman like moths round a flame, bring to her sense of independence. Written by alfiehitchier

The same kind of thing happened to Toto, (Italian actor, comedian, playright, poet, songwriter), and Look how he dealt with it. this story is a little different. Toto' and his ex-wife Diana Bandini made an agreement to stay together until their daughter Liliana left the house. She didn't keep her promise, and remarried. Heartbroken Toto' wrote a heart wrenching song and dedicated it to her. "Malafemmena" is considered one of the best neapolitan pop songs covered by many artists worldwide, including Elvis Presley. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3f9bKPZH14&feature=related
"Malafemmena" is written in the neapolitan dialect http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZnOmjj_Suw&feature=related

"Malafemmena" "Evil Woman"

Si avisse fatto a n'ato If you did to someone else
chello ch'e fatto a mme what you did to me
st'ommo t'avesse acciso, this man would have killed you,
tu vuò sapé pecché? Do you want to know why?

Pecché 'ncopp'a sta terra Because on this earth
femmene comme a te women like you
non ce hanna sta pé n'ommo should not be here for a man
onesto comme a me!... honest like me!...

Femmena Woman
Tu si na malafemmena You are an evil woman
Chist'uocchie 'e fatto chiagnere.. You made these eyes cry..
Lacreme e 'nfamità. tears and infamy.

Femmena, Woman
Si tu peggio 'e na vipera, You are worse than a viper,
m'e 'ntussecata l'anema, You intoxicated my soul,
nun pozzo cchiù campà. I can't live anymore,

Femmena Woman
Si ddoce comme 'o zucchero Your sweet just like sugar
però sta faccia d'angelo But this angel face
te serve pe 'ngannà... is made to deceive...

Femmena, Woman
tu si 'a cchiù bella femmena, You are the most beautiful woman,
te voglio bene e t'odio I love you and I hate you
nun te pozzo scurdà... I can't forget you...

Te voglio ancora bene I still love you
Ma tu nun saie pecchè But you don't know why
pecchè l'unico ammore Because you have been
si stata tu pe me... the only love for me...
E tu pe nu capriccio And for one fancy of yours
tutto 'e distrutto,ojnè, all has been destroyed
Ma Dio nun t'o perdone But God will not forgive you
chello ch'e fatto a mme!... What you have done to me!...

These are just two stories out of millions, There are lots of possibilities for us to keep growing, learning and creating. We have to seize the moment and have fun. We have to find the solution that fits with who we are. As John Lennon says "Whatever gets you through the night is all right". You will find your own path and deal with it in your own way. I wish you lots of luck. Writing in my journal is what got me trough the night.

"A NEW UNDERSTANDING" By Heloise Lissauer

About 5 months ago I accepted a job working for the US Census Bureau it was not something I had planned on.

I had spent my entire working career in fashion, but the world had turned upside down, jobs had disappeared and I wanted to work.

I suddenly found myself in a strange alien world of many forms and initials.. Nothing was ever called what it was. The office was the LCO my boss was a CL his boss was an FOS. To my complete surprise I loved what I was doing and went to work with a happy attitude that I did not have in the fashion industry. Yes I was making 75 percent less a week, but people were grateful that I was doing an excellent job and I had more thanks you's in five months then I had in my 20 year career in fashion.

My job was to interview households. I worked in two very different categories the first was in the multi million dollar homes of Fifth Ave. The second category was in tenements in some very poor sections of East Harlem. At first I was a little scared to go into an area I had never been, but I discovered another strange thing.

The residents of the million dollar homes were on the whole not very easy to deal with, but when I got to the less fortunate tenants in East Harlem everyone and I mean everyone was so nice. I came home telling my friends this, and this past Sunday in the NY Times an article appeared on how when it comes to charity the poor are much more proportionally generous then the rich. Of course it is the rich who can give the big donations but it turned out percent wise charity to earnings the poor win.

I started watching begging on the subway and realized it was the poorly dressed who would give money not the riders in their designer clothing.

Because I was so happy at my job, when the Census recently terminated 150,000 employees and kept 60 employees, (not a typo) I was one of the 60. So I discovered what I never had realized before that making big money is not the only key to happiness.

I certainly no longer have the buying power I used to have but like the residents in the tenements I am happier and more generous in my life then when I was bringing home the big bucks.

Heloise Lissauer

Land of Mine

Sidney and I were headed to the beach; since we missed the direct train to Terracina, we took the one to Monte San Biagio. Theoretically the bus was to be waiting for us, but as customary in Italy, this was just a theory, the bus wasn't there. So we waited under the hot sun, we waited, and waited. I called my friend Rossella, she had gone back to her hometown and was telling me all about the people she had met up with, people she had not seen for over 40 years. She was happy.  I started thinking about an old song that always made me cry "Paese Mio" by Jose Feliciano http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJP3gQxpeNg

Hot and impatient I start to look around and to my delight, I see an elderly man picking figs from a tree, I immediately made my way over,  the gentle man started sharing his pickings with me.   And so here I am feeling 8 years old all over again and the song “Paese Mio” rang even louder in my ears. Then I started thinking of the little town I moved to in the states and thought of the song "My little town" by Simon and Garfunkel http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZmhg-ntiXQ.  Two different worlds, two different cultures, two different towns.

It’s all clear to me now. I came to Rome because I needed to get back to my roots, just like Rossella, who in the past few years has been going back to her paese. I was trying to reconnect with the person that I was, the person that I am, who I will be. My life was changing, my daughters were becoming adults and no longer needed me. My accounting profession was over, it had been taken over by my ex. I had lost my identity and it was time for a change. I knew it had to be a change in my career, but what was I going to do? The last time I had needed a big change I came to Italy for almost a year and found my answer.

NYC is where my life has been, and in familiar places it’s as if I can see my footprints. I recognize them as I walk through the streets and they give me comfort and a feeling of security. New York City is my only home. There are no footprints imbedded in the cobble stones here in Rome but at times I see my family in my mind, I see them walking in the streets, drinking coffee in the bars, I see them everywhere and I miss them. Here in Italy is where my roots are. Sometime I go to the cemetery and visit with them and it gives me time to cry and it reminds me of who I am. Strangely enough, my daughters feel similarly about this cemetery in Italy, they feel a connection to their roots. I remember the first time Alanna saw my father’s grave, a little mausoleum, with the name Cavaricci in the front with pictures of him and his mother and his sister. These are people she never got to meet or know directly. She began to cry. She too felt the connection with her roots.

For the first time I realize that there is a difference between home and roots. I couldn’t understand why I kept coming here when my home sweet home is NYC. My daughters have also understood this fundamental balance, in completely different ways. Alanna, like me, sees Italy as the place where her roots lie. Her sister, Sidney, born and raised in the same house, feels quite the opposite. Her roots are in New York, but her true home is here in Rome.

As Sidney and I walk along the seashore, we watch all the Italian families laugh and yell at each other, eating their various trays of home-made lunches; the quiet tourists gently wading into the water. We see the vendors, almost all immigrants from Africa, India, the Middle East, they weave in between these families, selling their trinkets and cheap clothes so that they can send some money back to their families. Lugging heavy bags back and forth across the hot sand. We always try to buy something from them every year, they are always grateful and thankful when we do and they are friendly and inquisitive (especially about NYC), the kind of people that America was built by: hard working, sincere, with a purpose. My heart goes out to them, I imagine how hard it must be for them to be in a foreign land, far away from their family and friends with no roots and no footprints, other than the ones washed away by the waves.

Lyrics to Paese Mio :
Paese mio che stai sulla collina (My little town that’s on the hill)
disteso come un vecchio addormentato (stretched out like a sleeping old man)
la noia l'abbandono (the boredom, abandonment)
niente son la tua malattia (nothing I am your illness)
paese mio ti lascio e vado via (my town I’m leaving you and I’m going away)
che sarà che sarà che sarà (what will be what will be what will be)
che sarà della mia vita chi lo sa (what will be of my life who knows)
so far tutto o forse niente (I can do everything or maybe nothing)
da domani si vedrà (as of tomorrow we will see)
e sarà sarà quel che sarà (and it will be, it will be what it will be)
amore mio ti bacio sulla bocca (my love I kiss you on the lips)
che fu la fonte del mio primo amore (that was the source of my first love)
ti do l'appuntamento (I’m giving you a date)
come e quando non lo so (how and when I don’t know)
ma so soltanto che ritornerò (but I only know that I will return)
che sarà che sarà che sarà (what will be, what will be, what will be)
che sarà della mia vita chi lo sa (what will be of my life who will know)
con me porto la chitarra (with me I will bring my guitar)
e se la notte piangerò (and if at night I cry)
una nenia di paese suonerò (I will play a folk song of the town)
Gli amici miei son quasi tutti via (my friends have almost all gone away)
e gli altri partiranno dopo me (and the others will be leaving after me)
peccato perché stavo bene in loro compagnia (It’s a shame because I liked being in their company)
ma tutto passa tutto se ne va (But everything passes, everything goes away)
che sarà che sarà che sarà (what will be, what will be, what will be)
che sarà della mia vita chi lo sa (what will be of my life who knows)
so far tutto o forse niente (I can do everything or maybe nothing)
da domani si vedrà (as of tomorrow we will see)
e sarà sarà quel che sarà (and it will be, it will be that which will be)
che sarà che sarà che sarà (what will be, what will be, what will be)
che sarà della mia vita chi lo sa (what will be of my life who knows)
so far tutto o forse niente (I can do everything or maybe nothing)
da domani si vedrà (as of tomorrow we will see)
e sarà sarà quel che sarà (and will be will be that which will be)
Che sarà sarà (what will be will be)

You have to earn that

I was out on my morning walk with Nike the other day, my hair uncombed, my face unwashed, when out of nowhere this young man looks directly into my eyes and tells me "I love your hair!" and than adds "You had to earn that". I loved the phrase, I had never thought of my gray hair that way. But he was right, I did earn it. It took 62 years to get this way and every strand has a story. All the stories that have made me who I am today, all the stories that have given me the confidence and the strength to go on even when things seem to be falling apart.

When I was growing up it was a fact that graying men were distinguished and graying woman were just plain old. In my early 40's my hair started going grey and with that I had a decision to make. I thought about my options; should I become a slave to my hair, subject myself to a time consuming exercise to keep up the pretence of youth? Many of my friends would tell me, "Color your hair and you will lose 10 years, easy". It was a difficult decision. There had been incidents; one where a man thought I was my then life partner's mother, and another when a woman took me for my youngest daughter's grandmother. I asked my little Sidney if it bothered her that her friend's mother thought I was her grandmother, and being the wonderful little encourager that she was, looked up at me and said, "Mommy, you don't look old. It's just that people see the white hair and most of the time only grandmothers have white hair. I like your white hair."

Today 20 years later I am so happy to see, that women 50+ in Hollywood are changing the image. Women with grey hair are not only distinguished, but also sexy, beautiful, and secure. Helen Mirren, Judy Dench, Vanessa Redgrave, Meryl Streep, Glen Close, and many others have earned their grey hair.

Because Kelly Osbourne, Pixie Geldorf and many more are sporting their grey hair, I have been noticing lots of young women on the NYC streets following the trend by dying their hair grey. Grey has become the new fashion statement. If you are a young fashionista grey hair is what's in. These woman in their 20's are choosing to go grey. Much more subtle than the green, orange, blue and purple of past days.

I would never have thought this day would come. A big step for women, we have gained the right to vote, we have burned our bras, we can be single rather than spinsters, we can be mothers without being wives, and now we've gone grey. I love it.

Some Of My favorite Summer Recipes

Everyone is talking about Diet. The Nutritional Value of Diet and that eating properly keeps you healthy and slim. Nutritionists say that the Mediterranean diet is one of the healthiest. All this talk made me think of my favorite Italian Minestra - Minestrone "The Big Soup". It's delicious and healthy. My friend Rossella's father thought so too. He lived to be 101. He attributed his good health and longevity to eating fresh minestrone every day of his life. This soup is so good with so many different possible recipes that it's a crime to repeat it. Every time you make it it's different and every time it's delicious.


As a little girl I would go to the market with my mother and everyday and every season the vegetables were different and therefore so was the soup. I used to look forward to the new season that brought my favorite vegetables; while some children anxiously awaited their summer vacation, all I was waiting for were the tomatoes and the fava beans; when classes resumed in the Fall, roasted Chestnuts were always a favorite but cauliflower and pumpkin made that minestrone oh so sweet;

At Christmas, the traditional sweets were definitely on my list but the artichokes took first place, during Easter break I feasted on asparagus and beets.

This, like many other Italian traditions,I passed on to my daughters, and they enjoyed it just as much as I did. While living in Italy with my daughter and her dog, Nike I was able to give her that same experience I had had. Living near Campo d' Fiori going to the fresh food market in the morning meant no more than a short stroll with Nike. By the time Sidney came home from school there would be a bowl of hot minestrone on the table? in the winter, and a cold bowl in the summer. Nike enjoyed the minestrone just as much as we did and always begged for seconds!

Here are some of the recipes from my Italian childhood that are both healthy and delicious. Of course I am no chef and have never followed a recipe, as a true Italian I make it up as I go along, therefore I will give you the base ingredients and the rest is up to you. First I give you, Minestrone. It can be one of the most creative and inventive minestre. A minestra that gives you a chance to be an artist.

You start by boiling water in a deep pan, to this water you add onions, garlic, carrots, celery, potato, and beans. After about 15 minutes add tomatoes and all the wonderful fresh and in-season vegetables you can find. The more the merrier. I always include chile peppers, not only do they help your circulation but you may never need to spend another penny on viagra. http://www.academiabarilla.com/italian-culinary-tradition/spice-herbs-dressings/peperoncino.aspx. Once all of your vegetables are in the pot, cover it and let it cook for another 15 minutes or until it's done to your liking. Spices are optional and encouraged.

Before serving put a little "first cold pressed olive oil" in the bottom of your bowl and add fresh parsley on top. Sometimes I also grate some Parmigiano Reggiano on top. You can have it over pasta, rice, barley or toasted bread. Toasted bread should be added at the bottom of the bowl with the olive oil. Any combination you choose is delicious and this is one plate that never gets boring. It so much resembles life and all the changes that it brings. 10cc thought so too as they wrote a song about it "Life is a Minestrone" 1975 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKG6CJWISVo

You my ask yoursef what does this have to do with life changes. Everything, changing your diet for the better is always a step forward.

Stay tuned for the next recipe.

Acceptance

After reading "Unbreak My Heart" in Ann Munday's Musing http://annmundaymusing.blogspot.com/2010/06/unbreak-my-heart.html?, about the Five Stages of Grieving, I started thinking about these stages; Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance, and what they really mean to me. The first four stages seem to be automatic, a natural process and easily recognizable. The final stage is the most ambiguous as well as the most difficult to arrive at.

I have had many friends who have suffered the loss of a loved one, through their stories, ones that I have heard, and my own experience, I realized that Acceptance is the most difficult of these stages and for some totally unattainable. That's why there are so many songs sung, so many poems and books and blogs written, so many movies produced. We need to adjust to the loss, make it a part of our life. If we don't go through the last stage all the other stages keep coming back. it's like being on a treadmill unable to get off.

So what do we do, we try meditation, we read what Buddah and the Dalai Lama have to say, we try new interests, we surround ourselves with family and friends. We try everything possible, but to no avail. We still miss our losses, they will always stay with us. We have to find a way to incorporate them into our lives. These experiences make us richer, more understanding and compassionate people. I grew to understand that Acceptance is not stopping the pain, it's merely learning to live with the pain and the loss.

So how do we deal with the loss of a loved one, the loss of our home, the loss of our careers, the loss of our finances and the pain that comes along with it. Of course we all have our different ways of dealing with them. John Lennon conveyed it well - that 'Whatever Gets You Through The Night', 'is all right',meaning that we must do whatever works for us to get us through our pain, and from my mother's generation a similar directive from Eduardo di filippo, Italian playwright and philosopher, who ends one of his plays with "Ha da passa' 'a nuttata," which translated is, you got to get through the nights.


For example, my Zia Mara, lost her daughter through leukemia over 30 years ago, when Ines was still in her teens. Every night from the day of her death to this day, she writes beautiful letters to Ines, telling her all that is happening in her life and in the world, she tells her how much she and everyone loves her. My aunt saves these letters and she is convinced that through these letters she is communicating with Ines. This is how my zia deals with the loss of her daughter. Is this acceptance?

Growing up I have had several friends who lost their mothers at a young age and yet all of them felt that their mothers were right there protecting them. Still, these women today, in their sixties, are missing their mothers. Yes, they have had happy lives, have succeeded in their careers and had wonderful families of their own. Yes, they all spent many many years in therapy. So, is this Acceptance?

As I have learned through my life experience, our loved ones will never be forgotten, we have a special place reserved inside of us for the special people who have touched us. Our life is still beautiful, but there will always be that empty space that no one can fill; that space reserved for that special person. This to me is Acceptance.