Nonna's feeding tactics trait

    Lately I have noticed myself making a concerted effort to hold back on my force feeding tactics. I am the type of person who hates feeling like I am making someone do something they don't want to do, but when I ask, "Would you like a peach?" and the answer is "No," I can't help but want to come back with, "Are you sure?" In my mind I can't understand how someone could say no to a precious peach, and its my DNA (that Sicilian strand) that compels me to not take no for an answer. It takes everything I have to stop myself. No means no, thought and I can't be a food pusher.

     While I was at Nonna's the other day I figured out where I get it from.

     "You hungry Jane (my name is Jen)? You want something to eat?"

     "No thanks, Nonna. I just ate."

     "Jane, you sure?"

     "I'm okay."

     There she pauses. She is not satisfied with my responses. By the furrow in her brow I can tell she is thinking, planning her next move. She figures it out; her faces brightens up. She thinks she's slick.

     "Jane, you wanna just one meatball?"

      One meatball! She knows once you have one the next step is an entire bowl of pasta. And in Nonna's mind there is no turning down meatballs, plus just one cannot hurt. 

     "I'm fine, Nonna."

     "Jane, are you okay?"

     Its trip to the hospital worthy to turn down a meatball. That old Sicilian woman is just too much! I know where I get it from. I am going to really try hard not to be a food nagger. Its so hard though! One meatball!

A Concussion and Dislocated Shoulder, a Typical Day in Coney Island

     Coney Island is by far my favorite place in the entire world. A lot of people think weirdos and degenerates when they think of Coney Island, but take a minute to talk to some of these characters and you might change your mind. Amazing lighting and some of the most New York faces in New York is a feast for my camera. Some of the best photographs I have ever taken were taken here. And then there are the hot dogs and of course the scariest roller coaster hands down, the infamous Cyclone. Fun for the whole family! Riding the cyclone and enduring the week long agony afterward has become an annual birthday tradition. 

     When we arrived, it was as if every New Yorker decided to join us. Parking was dire. We almost gave up, but I spotted a middle aged sun bather with keys in her hand and I jumped out of the car and asked whether she'd be leaving a spot. What came out of her mouth was the most cherished Brooklyn accent I have heard in years. (I spend too much time in Williamsburg!) So I escorted this lovely tanned woman to her car, thinking after she pulled out I would stand in the spot and fend off other parkers. This was a parking war, afterall. 

    "No, I'll wait with ya," she told me, "I'm not goin' anywhere." Even better, more time to enjoy that accent. But when we got to her car a giant tour bus driven by a hasidic driver was turning the corner and nearly hit her car. We ran over screaming. I would protect this lady's car if it was the last thing I did! 

    "Your gonna hit my car!" she said.  He really had no spatial reasoning and yelled at us that he fit, continuing to move closer to denting her pristinely white automobile. So we looked at each other and started banging on the side of the bus. I think maybe a little Queens accent popped out of me, "Ya gonna hit it!" A few other locals got involved, he finally gave up, then I helped guide the giant bus in reverse, giving my lady room to pull out of her spot. "Go," I told her.

    She looked back concerned and not wanting to leave, "You sure?" I think she would have gladly blocked traffic until Mike came, but just in the nick of time he arrived and we got the sweetest parking spot in Coney Island. Such a New York moment.

    So it was Cyclone time and we brought a few Cyclone virgins, who I enticed to come with, "$6 for the ride of your life!" And its always fun to scare newbies and warn of the inevitable whiplash. But Phil took it to a whole other level by searching for how many people died on the Cyclone. I didn't want to find out! 

   When we got there it was $8, but still so worth it. If you haven't gone for a ride on the Cyclone, go at least once before you die, and if it kills you what a great way to go out. The reason why its the scariest roller coaster ever is because you feel like you might go flying out of it. These new roller coasters have you all strapped in. Not the cyclone, one measly lap bar then over that first drop and its questionable whether you won't go flying into the ocean. And its so fast and throws you around like a pin ball. If you can survive the initial drop, which is the craziest feeling ever because, you just have to let go because you feel so out of control. 

    Mike and I did a second ride, in the first row, and the first drop left him with a chipped bone in his elbow and I swear I felt my brain hitting my skull. When we stopped I heard some serious crying and turned around to find the little boy behind us, who was not really tall enough to be on there, with a clearly dislocated shoulder! Mike's elbow got zero sympathy after we saw that teary eyed boy. This roller coaster is NO JOKE!

    After coming to our senses (?) we thought the freak show would be fun but got scammed by the wrong $3 freak show which promised two headed everythings and when we went inside they were in formaldehyde jars! So we drowned our sorrows with a bucket of coronas then headed over to L&B for a really good slice of New York pizza.

    L&B has been there forever, and there are simples rules. You get either a round slice or a square slice, regular or "Sicilian," respectively. The sauce, the cheese, the crust, its all so delicious. If you are ever in Coney Island and you have a car you must pit stop to L&B. Take Stillwell Ave, which is the street under the train, to 86th then make a right. The seating is all outdoor with Brooklyn locals, and after your slice you can enjoy some a cool Italian Ice. 

LUDLOW, VERMONT FARMER'S MARKET

     Walking around Ludlow, Vermont, I noticed a prevalent message, "NO MICKY Ds!" As a kid, McDonald's was one of the best treats and a birthday party haven. Some of the most memorable photographs in our family album are of us sitting with party hats  wearing early 80s shades of brown and orange terry cloth outfits underneath this weird fairy forest tree getting ready to blow out the yellow cake with chocolate frosting birthday cake candles. Its a good thing that these Ludlow tots won't grow up with double hamburger meal nostalgia. 

     It was our first day in Vermont and I was in search of a Farmer's Market and after seeing those signs I had a good feeling one would be lurking nearby. Lucky enough, that afternoon white tents went up on the front lawn of the elementary school. We had just come back from Buttermilk Falls and I was starving. I sampled one of the most delicious broccoli quiches I've ever had. The quiche lady was also selling whoopie pies and chocolate chip cookies. So many food bloggers have been tempting me with photos of their homemade whoopie pies, so I was craving one. I got a banana and a chocolate whoopie pie and a box of cookies for Mike. The banana whoppie pie was the winner. The chocolate was too dense. Whole Foods actually has their whoopie pie skills down. The chocolate chip cookies were delicious and were good at disappearing.

    We bought some Garlic Parmesan Pork Sausages and Grass Fed Hamburger Meat. There was a slight misunderstanding with me and the meat man who I thought instructed me to make the burgers thick, since they are lean, and not cook them for too long so they don't shrink, but he meant thick in diameter not in height, and that night we basically ate steak tartar. It was actually amazing. The sausages were out of this world, too. The raw leftover hamburgers and one odd sausage went into making a delicious hash for breakfast.

    A cool stand was selling clever jewelry made from kitchen utensils. Spoon earrings are all the rage in Vermont apparently.

    There was not a lot of produce up for grabs except some lettuce, but we had CSA veggies to get through. We did get some amazing bread. The whole wheat baguette was something very special. A crisp crust and chewy inside. Perfect. I also got a Kale, Cheddar and Garlic Foccaccia. It was superb.

    We picked up some farm fresh local organic eggs, those light blue ones which I have been dying to try, but in NY they are $8/dozen. These were only $4/dozen. They had the most beautiful yokes I have ever seen and such a distinct egg flavor, not like the poor excuse for eggs you get in the supermarket. I love it when eggs still have dirt and chicken feathers stuck to them because you know how fresh they are.  

   A visit to lemonade stand yielded an unbelievably perfectly sweet and sour glass of cold lemonade and some brioche to make French Toast in the morning. The lemonade man instructed us to slice the bread and let it stale overnight. I would need Maple Syrup and I wanted Grade B. I had seen a Bobby Flay Pancake Throw Down recently versus the owner's of the Clinton Street Bakery, and they preferred Grade B with which they made a Maple Butter. But the maple syrup ladies at the Farmer's Market didn't have their act together, so the next morning I walked to a house a few miles up the road where I had noticed a sign that read, "Maple Syrup For Sale Here." Sweet Rita and her rambunctious grandsons hooked me up with a jug of Grade B and it delivered. Along with all the other local goodies, our stay in Vermont was a delicious one.

AN IRISH FEAST

    Claire found this amazing photo of her mother Claire from maybe the late 60s early 70s. The resemblance between mother and daughter is uncanny. And while Claire's mom is a gorgeous feast for the eyes, I can't help but drool over the spread! What is even on that table? I can make out 4 stacks of bread, some ham and other varieties of rolled cold cuts, all types of mayo salads, a gigantic cake and asparagus with chocolate tips? I think its a sandwich party.

SICILIAN HAND GESTURES: PART 2

    After this "series" of photographs, I am convinced that my Nonna is a cartoon character. I really have to give Mommy credit for getting Nonna on a crazy rant about Josephine, her daily caretaker. Josephine is a really nice, middle aged, round and a bit pushy Sicilian woman (that explains the pushiness) who probably doesn't have a lot of game. But in Nonna's mind, which doesn't always line up with reality, Josephine is in fact a big time player. I should note that Josephine deserves sainthood for putting up with Nonna's antics. Nonna thinks that Mr. Columbo, the old fruit man, who has the personality of a zucchini has a thing for Josephine, whom Nonna has personally witnessed flaunting it while browsing his produce. That last statement can be read lewdly, so I am leaving it just how it is. Nonna has nothing to do all day but stew about every single thing that Josephine says and does and she has no problem telling you these stories over and over, even when there is a likelihood Josephine can hear, which is very uncomfortable. Its like her own living soap opera, episodes replaying in Nonna's head. She also thinks that Josephine has the hots for the doctor, whose name is, not kidding, Dr. Stallone. Now Nonna has become very secretive about her calls and visits to the doctor to prevent Josephine from getting her hands on him. 

    Mommy and I can't quite remember exactly what Nonna was on a tirade about during this sequence, but it was definitely one of the two forbidden love affairs she created in her Sicilian brain about Josephine. Next time I will make sure to get sound bites. 

     Here, Nonna is doing a 2 part hand gesture. The first obvious, "to the moon" or hitler impersonation, is Nonna expressing "get out of here with your crazy self" because she is outraged by Josephine's seemingly loose behavior. The second more subtle aspect of this Sicilian hand gesture is, if you look closely, Nonna is giving the horns or "fare le corna." 

    Giving the horns has two meanings. First it wards off bad luck.  When someone dies you give the horns. Rocco can be seen giving the horns while riding by cemeteries, which are plentiful in Queens. Makes sense. Giving the horns is also an insult to a man who is being cuckolded, and that man is called a "cornuto." You do not want to be called a cornuto; its very embarassing. Maybe here Nonna is referring to Josephine's boyfriend, whom Josephine is "cheating on" in Nonna's mind with either the fruit man or the doctor.

An East End Culinary Tour, "I'm not hungry but I'll eat!"

   This week marked the first Hamptons trip for Erik and I since Yui (my former work spouse as Mike called her) moved to Japan. Before embarking Erik, a vegetarian, complained that on his previous Hamptons trips he had not enjoyed one good meal! I was shocked and felt a personal culinary challenge brewing: I would engorge Erik on amazing food. I succeeded. Here is our overindulgently fat itinerary broken down by day and meal.

   

   Day 1 (lunch): Before we left, we were famished (a good start) so I decided we pick up some olives and cheese from Valentino's Cash and Carry, a great shop on Metropolitan Avenue with great imported Italian cheeses. Nonna is a regular there. We got a loaf of semolina, 2 types of cheese, a prima sale and a ricotta salata, and two types of olives, small black little ones and big green fresh ones. That is how I distinguish them in the giant white buckets. We also got some tasty sun dried tomatoes. I think Erik was a little skeptical, so I offered him a slice from Rosa's Pizzeria. He got the Sicilian, the best slice they offer. 

    We brought out treasures to Rocco's, where we picked up Charlie, the Catahoula Dog, our 3rd traveler on our Hamptons journey, and at a nice lunch there. Rocco cut up some fresh tomatoes with olive oil to freshen up the meal. Erik seemed to enjoy his lunch while listening to Rocco's mumblings with his mouth full. He remarked on how delicious the bread was, so soft on the inside and crusty on the outside. We headed east with the leftover cheese, olives and sundried tomatoes, satisfied but ready for more.

    Day 1 (snack): Arrived and settled, we headed over to the photo shoot, figuring we might as well pick up a snack to hold us over. We stopped by at La Fondita, a small Mexican place in Amagansett on Montauk Highway. Its the first I've seen it open, and I was intrigued. I got two baja style fish tacos and wished I ordered fifty. They were outstanding. Everything a fish taco should be, a warm and crispy but not oily batter with fresh soft warm fish on the inside, covered in a creamy chipotle mayo, topped with shredded cabbage and wrapped in two perfect soft tacos. I also got a Hibiscus Flower Aqua Fresca. Erik ordered a vegetarian burrito that he loved and a Horchata, an Aqua Fresca made with rice milk, cinnamon and almond. For a dessert "snack" we got some $0.35 each Mexica Wedding Cookies, both kinds, chocolate and vanilla. They are like a light and less buttery and nutty short bread with a cinnamon edge and doused in powdered sugar. Fantastic. Erik and I were split, I dug the chocolate, he the vanilla. We swore we'd bring Carrie, Erik's wife who would arrive the following day.

    

    Day 1 (dinner): After the shoot, it was time for more, "snacks." After all, it was a long tiring shoot. We went right around the corner to Citta Nuova. Not only is it a really nice Italian restaurant, its usually open late night, even during the off season, which is perfect for us. We started out with Fava Bruschetta covered in Pecorino Romano and a Shaved Fennel Beet Salad. For sides we got broccoli rabe, which was good and straightforward with olive oil and garlic, but the winner was the Fingerling Rosemary Potatoes which seemed like they were doused in butter (not compling.) They were caramelized to perfection. And lest we forget about dessert, an arborio rice pudding creme brulee. Yes, it was delicious. We were on to some great eating and had only been there one day.

   Day 2 (breakfast): The next morning Carrie had arrived, she's the sweetest girl and a vegan, another challenge, but I think she ended up happy before leaving that day. We ate breakfast at my favorite spot, Hampton Chutney Co. Carrie and I ordered the #7 (seasonal grilled corn, roasted peppers, roasted onions, arugula and jack cheese). Carrie got it in dosa form without cheese and a watermelon juice. I ordered mine in Uttapa form. It was like a pizza and had two much cheese for my liking, but the corn was fantastic. I will only opt for dosas from now on. Erik got the #5 (avocado, fresh tomato, arugula and cheese.) and the Mango Lassi and Double Chocolate Chunk Cookie. I also got a Chai Tea which is always superb. Next, a walk to the beach. The waves were big, the sun was strong. Enough, more food awaits.

   

    Day 2 (lunch): We hadn't quite walked off our breakfast but we saw the Jitney go by and had to squeeze a vegetarian burrito into Carrie before she left. Two more vegetarian burritos, for the lovely couple and some Hibiscus Flower Juice, a fish taco and a chorizo taco for me and the Tamarind Aqua Fresca. And don't forget to fill a bag with more of those cookies. The catch phrase for the Hamptons was taking form, "I'm not hungry, but I'll eat!"

   Day 2 (dinner): The second evening we figured we'd eat before the shoot. We dined at the 1770s House, one of East Hamptons' finer eating establishments. Looking at our attire, they hinted that maybe we should sit in the garden as the dining room is "more formal." Maybe we didn't look Hamptons chic, (thank god!) but with a prixe fix, we were right on budget and maybe slightly hungry? I got a Seared Scallop on a Vichycoisse of pureed potatoes and leeks, and Erik started with an arugula salad, which he later admitted was overdressed. For course two, I got a orvietta pasta with fresh lobster and Erik the fettucini with trumpet mushrooms and farm peas. I would have rather my sauce to be a little fresher and lighter to complement the lobster but it was tasty still. Erik's pasta was the real winner. I secretly wanted to order it, but more wanted him to try the lobster. I won't divulge whether he did. At this point, dessert was excessive, but included so ... Molten Chocolate Cake for Erik, and for me the Date Toffee Cake drowning in Caramel Sauce. (this one's for you, Yui!) After this meal, I realized this place is good, but a little decadent for my agida prone 1/2 Sicilian stomach. Its been a long time but I actually bought some Tums! The butter was to blame, not the extravagant over eating! 

    Day 3 (breakfast): At this point all I wanted was some fresh fruit, but Erik was in the mood for waffles, so before our hike in Montauk, we at at John's Pancake House. It was a great place, full of character and characters, from the giant marlon plaque hanging on wood paneling over the old school diner bar fashioned with a Jerry Seinfeld cut-out picture frame to the straight out of an 80s sitcom waitress who described my blueberry buckwheat pancakes as "dark, heavy, grainy and really healthy for you." They were good and all of the above. Erik got a gigantic Whole Wheat Waffle with Strawberries on top. This place was serious about their batter. 

   We headed off to Camp Hero and hiked to the lighthouse on a really lovely secluded stretch of rocky beach. Charlie the dog was on a different and far more disgusting culinary tour during this trip, too. I had thought he was partial to deer poop, the likes of which he scarfs on the lawn of the Gansett Green Manor, where we were staying. On the beach that day we learned he has a poop tooth for sea gull terds, the shells of dead horse shoe crabs, Erik introduced him to sting ray eggs, and he pranced around with a 3 foot long dead fish carcass in his mouth. Appetizing. On to lunch. 

    Day 3 (lunch): I could not leave the Montauk without eating a Lobster Roll, so we went to Lobster Roll, also known as Lunch, where they served us some really delicious traditional fresh lobster rolls on a hot dog bun, with a side of cole slaw. And as if we didn't already eat batter filled pancakes for breakfast Erik ordered beer battered onion rings. Wise choice my friend. They were perfectly fried. I didn't even need to use the Tums again, surprisingly.

   Day 3 (dinner): By now we were fully disgusted with ourselves and I was feeling like my challenge was successfully executed. We shot our last shoot and headed home, but were hungry, again, and it was pouring and we didn't feel like sitting down at a restaurant as the Catahoula dog had been in the car for most of the day, like a well-behaved doggy boy. So we got a loaf of bread and reminisced about our East End Culinary Journey while driving home and messily shoving cheese and sun dried tomato sandwiches into our mouths along with the olives, all leftovers from the first meal we kicked off the food tour with. For dessert, I found some leftover Mexican Wedding Cookies and Erik managed to down a bag of Sweet Potato Chips, a bottle of green vegetable juice, and a donut!?!? remarking that after 3 days of overeating, its great to end it with some junk food. Touche'.  He asked, "When you and Yui used to come out here, did you eat this much?" Answer: Yes!

After hours at Una Pizza

   Ever wonder what the chef and wait staff at your favorite restaurant eat? Mike and I were honored to join our friends, the staff of Una Pizza Napoletana, the best pizzeria in the world, for a spectacular after hours meal. Apparently they don't eat pizza for breakfast, lunch and dinner like we imagined, although that would be perfectly acceptable because of how divine it is.

    Owner, pizzaiuolo and great friend Anthony Mangieri bought fresh produce, meat and cheese that day from the Union Square Farmer's Market and cooked most of the meal in his 900 degree custom built wood burning pizza oven.

    On any give night Una Pizza runs like a well-oiled machine, so we were laughing while watching Anthony and Greg having "meetings" each time they put a new dish in the oven. 

    They prepared amazing local asparagus and bok choy in the oven and two types of chorizo, a hot chorizo David brought and a chorizo from Flying Pigs Farm. That day I also bought some unbelievable bacon at Flying Pigs Farm in Union Square and after asking if they were nice to their pigs, they explained that the pigs are well-treated and spend their days outdoors, pastured in fields and in the woods. Nice.

    We enjoyed the freshest hard boiled eggs from the Queens County Farm Museum. After eating local farm fresh eggs, its really hard to enjoy store bought eggs. The yolks were so vibrantly orange, rich and delectable.

    David's girlfriend, who lives in Queens (I always have to point out anything Queens), prepared authentic Mexican tortillas. They were so good I didn't get a chance to photograph them before we ate them all, but he did bring them in a dedicated tortilla tupperware.

   And, I single handedly polished off the cheese plate, which included an amazing buffalo ricotta. 

     For dessert I brought this Mixed Berry Cobbler with a Short Bread Crust, which from the way it turned out, is not worth mentioning. I decided to go with this dessert because its made in a cast iron skillet and in line with  pizza oven theme. 

     Its not that it was that bad, but not as amazingly magical as the the original recipe that I modified that evening to make it less buttery. Paul Dean would strangle me if she heard! Its not because I didn't want it buttery, I just didn't have enough butter in the house (the recipe calls for 2 sticks!) so I used some earth balance. I also didn't have enough granulated sugar so I substituted some powdered sugar. And the flour I had was a weird "White Whole Wheat Flour" (I don't even know what that means?). The berries, spiked with Jim Beam were really tasty but the crust suffered a bit and bringing a bad crust to a place that specializes in making outstanding pizza crust is a mala figura. Next time I will walk the 1 block to the store to get the missing ingredients.

    The reason I mention the Berry Cobbler is because the recipe surfaced after we discovered a grove of wild blueberry bushes while hiking in Pennsylvania with Yui and Miguel. We collected all the berries we could carry and I looked up this Berry Cobbler recipe of Emeril's. It came out unbelievable. I can still remember how it tastes. I made it a second time, and it was even better. So I didn't think there would be a problem a third time.

    After warming it in the pizza oven and serving it with fresh vanilla ice cream, everyone seemed to enjoy it and there were second helpings involved so thats a good sign. And Anthony saved the leftovers for the little old Sicilian ladies who live upstairs. I have never met them but I know I love them. 

    What made this a truly remarkable and memorable meal aside from the outstanding quality, freshness and taste of all the local fare served family style right out of the pizza oven was the great company, our wonderful friends, whom we were relieved to sitting down and enjoying a great meal after a long night on their feet serving the best pizza in the world. Did I already say that? Well, its true!