Sunday, April 26, 2009

Are You My (Italian Grand) Mother?

Don't get SSG wrong.  She loves her grandmothers.


One had mad skillz in spreading peanut butter and jelly on graham crackers and would let little SSG trip upstairs to the neighbors so SSG could indulge on the neigbors' candy dish full of lemon drops.  (And you wonder why SSG loves Grey Goose Lemon Drops so much.)

The other grandmother had a penchant for a nightly glass of "Chablis" and baguettes slathered in butter.

Lately however, SSG has been lamenting the fact that she doesn't have an ITALIAN grandmother in her family tree.  Not only because that might make tanning this pasty British/German/Northwest skin of hers a little easier, but also because SSG has become fixated on finding a good spaghetti and meatballs recipe.   The kind she imagines an Italian grandmother would have in her repertoire.  The kind that simmers on the stove for hours.  The kind that everyone can't wait to get their paws on.  


So while SSG was hunkered down on the couch yesterday afternoon nursing a little cold and recuperating from a rare but nonetheless spectacularly craptastic week at work, she wondered if she could adopt an Italian grandmother.  One who would come over to SSG's house wearing an apron to cook from recipes so entrenched in family history that they aren't even written down but cooked straight from memory ... and heart.

And Italian Grandma ... if you're out there, could you give SSG a recipe for Chicken Parmesan and Baked Ziti while you're at it?  

Grazie. 

(Photo from ellenfork.com.  Who SSG just discovered and might have a little girl crush on.)

5 comments:

Unknown said...

I will not be your grandmother, but I will share my beloved northern italian hand me down recipes with you. I will email them to you tomorrow sometime.

The sauce IS that good. My carbonara is rocking...and my focaccia is OFF THE CHAIN.

Predo said...

Ah, and fried cheese! Don't forget fried cheese! Mmmmmmmm!

Also, you know the italians came up with Lemon-chello! I think I have found something here! And those Italian men, hmmmmm...or should I say, Mmmmmmm.

I Am Woody said...

When you find her, can she be my nonna too? But until then, I'm going to live with Marlene!

Molly said...

Hope you feel better soon! And I loved the Fisher story.

I wish I had an Italian grandmother, too. I've settled for planting tomatoes, basil and oregano instead.

Frita said...

I wish we lived closer... I'd come over and take care of my little bambina... :)