Sheer Dumb Luck and Brown Mascara

How I hosed this Blog - and am rebuilding it

2011-07-10T17:28:00.000-07:00

Basically, I was playing with my photo albums in Picasa via Google+ and decided I didn't want this blog's images viewable via that entry point and thinking I was just hiding it there, I actually deleted the last 3 years of images.

I think I can rebuild it all.

Sigh...

A Couple in the Kitchen - The Great Ravioli Revival

2011-04-03T10:01:00.000-07:00

When I was a very little girl, select Sundays required immediate bed-making as ordered by "The Aunts." The made beds were then covered with clean white bed sheets - used only for this purpose - in anticipation of sheets of pasta dough, laid gently to dry.

Today, my Aunt Angie takes my husband to school on this process - ignoring any training he has had over the past 30 years in German, French and Italian cuisine. "It's all wrong," she says, "Today you'll do it the right way."

We'll make Ravioli Aunt Angie's way. Or else.

Mangiate in buona salute!

The Aunt

The "Student Hubby"

Step 1: Put Paul Simon on

Prepare the pasta dough

Argue over amounts. Settle on below
2 Cups all-purpose flour
1 Cup water- room temp
Argue over whether a small amount of EVOO should be added to water
Leave out EVOO or die
Pinches of salt

Make a well in flour
Sprinkle salt
Argue over the proper way to use a fork

Slowly add water to well and knead to mix until dough becomes soft and elastic

Argue with any other Italians in the room over proper size of well, pressure while kneading, speed at which water is added, the weather.


	Let dough rest half to an hour.

Step Two: Filling

While dough is resting:
One 15 oz Container Ricotta Cheese or good fresh as available
Romano to taste
Grind, chop and mix together spices from window box: Basil, Parsley, Oregano, Fennel, Salt, Pepper & add to cheese mixture
Spinach - fresh or frozen - if fresh, quick saute in pan with garlic and EVOO
If frozen, thaw and drain all moisture

Set cheese mixture to the side

Step 3: Gravy

Start Gravy while pasta resting
Parboil 3-4 Hot Italian Sausage
2 tbsp EVOO added to large pot
1 large onion diced
6 cloves cleaned garlic minced
Handful of mushrooms quartered
Hot Pepper flakes, salt & pepper to taste
1/4 cup red wine
Brown Garlic, Onion in bottom of large Pot
Add red pepper flakes, salt & pepper to taste
Add Italian sausage
Cook for 5 minutes or so until onion and garlic nicely caramelized
Add Mushrooms and red wine
Cook an additional 10 minutes over medium high heat until wine reduces
add: 1 16 oz Tomato Puree
1 16 oz crushed tomatoes
1 8 oz small can sauce
4 oz tomato paste
Stir, lower heat, let simmer uncovered for 4 hours

Oil, Onion, Garlic

Red Pepper, Sausages

Mushrooms, red wine

Argue with the Gravy. Let simmer uncovered for 4 hours, stirring occasionally

Step 4: Roll dough sheets

We use an older hand-crank pasta machine

Cut dough into smaller manageable pieces - about 8
Feed through Pasta maker - gently to avoid tearing
Lay-out and let dry ten minutes
When we have more dough than needed for ravioli, we make some Fettuccine too, and use or freeze for another meal

We Dried these on kitchen towels on the dining room table

Step 6: Cut and Fill the Ravioli

We like a good sized ravioli, but make to your liking
Flour your work surface
Grab the cheese filling
Cut dried pasta into 2-3 inch strips, place tsp filling in middle of strip (don't overfill), fold strip over and crimp and seal edges with a fork

At this point, the Ravioli team has decided to take a break - drink 'em if you got 'em.

Last Step

We made a nice arugula salad with roasted red peppers and artichokes as a starter

Next boil the water, and drop the ravioli in after the water comes to a full boil - cooking time varies on size and thickness of pasta, and taste preference - ours took about 7 minutes to rise to the top of the water.

Our guest brought some lovely flowers for the table and a nice Pinot Noir, and we enjoyed!

Next up, Italian Fried Cauliflower!

I'm here, I'm here. Just been busy.

2010-07-26T17:07:00.000-07:00

Something to Think About

2009-12-24T20:32:00.000-08:00

"Just 'cause you've got the monkey off your back, doesn't mean the circus has left town"
George Carlin

Auntie teaching Lynn to make fried Cauliflower

2009-11-26T09:24:00.000-08:00

They are having conceptual differences. She's wearing him down.

The Best Friend a Gal Could Have

2009-10-26T12:10:00.001-07:00

Rip Sweetheart. Dot Masullo Carroll 1996-2009

Fill in the Blank

2009-10-25T20:37:00.000-07:00

Life's too short to be: [comment]

On Tallulah Bankhead

2009-10-25T18:04:00.000-07:00

Twice this year, I have been told I sound like Tallulah Bankhead. I don't know whether to have another Mimosa, or have another Mimosa.

If I could Tell you

2009-10-25T17:56:00.000-07:00

Wanting attention is one thing; getting it another.

The story of my Aunt's Husband's First Wife

2009-10-25T17:12:00.000-07:00

Uncle George worked for the New Haven Railroad, and on the side, to make more money, he owned a pet store. While he was working nights for the railroad, his then wife (Aunt Angie says we'll call her "Jezebel"), ran the pet store.

One day Uncle George came home at 8:00 in the morning as he did five-days a week, and said to his 4-year old son as he said five-days a week; "Hey honey, where's mommy?"

And the son, his name was Lew, said, as he often did, "She's still in bed." Uncle George smiled at his son and ran up the stairs to kiss his good wife good morning. He opened the door and turned on his heel and never walked that way again.

It's a hellava story.

What I have Learned

2009-09-25T16:48:00.000-07:00

Contentment + humor2 divided by sorrow = wisdom

absolute tripe.

Teaching Aunt Angie

2009-09-25T15:47:00.000-07:00

Chicken with Tarragon and Artichoke

Gauche Rain

2009-09-06T17:22:00.000-07:00

(for Jane Austen)

It spit at us as we ran.
It mocked us
as we tried to take cover.

Chicken BelGioioso (Romano & Cappicola stuffed Chicken breasts) w/apple gravy scrapings over garlic potato mash & sauteed brussels

2009-08-30T13:33:00.000-07:00

Lynn's turn to show Aunt Angie a dish:

Chicken BelGioioso (Romano & Cappicola stuffed Chicken breasts) w/apple gravy scrapings over garlic potato mash & sauteed brussels.

Lynn chopping shallot:

How a bird might see the Brussels sprouts:

le bird
le bird a voo sauce

Service:

scaryrobotspider

2009-08-30T13:10:00.000-07:00

Find the cute doggy face in this photo. Or the scaryrobotspider. Either one. #scaryrobotspider #cutedoggyface

8 Famous Last Words to my Aunt from the Album of the same name

2009-08-30T09:31:00.000-07:00

Also from the Play "Throw Away your Wigs" (the Lost Recordings)

"You realize I've never done this before, right?"

Before:

I didn't ask her to make this face, she did it all on her own. Hire her for your next film. Or commercial. Just come by, take her to WalMart. (Don't touch the shopping-cart if you do. It's hers. Trust me I learned the hard way).

After (again, no coaching. I think she looks fabulous).

Author's note: No Aunts were harmed in the making of this blog post. Views and opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of the catholic-guilt conflicted-Buddhist-Italian niece of Angelina Masullo Girtell. Mrs. Girtell declined to be interviewed for this comment.

Stories about My Husband: Another Way of Looking at it Altogether

2009-08-29T16:59:00.000-07:00

Aunt Angie has reminded my husband, who teases her incessantly, that:

A: She is Italian

B: Since she moved in two months ago, he has almost lost two fingers

C: She knows how to get bloodstains out of everything

It's been very quiet here this evening. Very quiet.

Stories about My Husband

2009-08-28T17:05:00.000-07:00

Chapter one: Why My Husband's Work Clothes will always have Bloodstains

One night, I posted this on Twitter: "My husband bought a chainsaw and is cutting down a healthy tree. I don't know why."

The overwhelming male response was: "Because he bought a chainsaw."

Tonight, while sorting laundry, I came across one of my husband's t-shirts, non unlike many t-shirts I have seen before it, and rather than shout-a-stain-out, I thought to leave it.

I thought then to ask my husband if he wanted to keep the stain, because after all, it is his shirt. He smiled and said "Yes, leave it."

I was reminded in that moment of his father. The first day I met his father my thought was "good Lord I have never seen that much paint on a person."

My husband's father worked and he worked hard. He was a tile man. He cut tile by hand and grouted on his knees. Later, he cut with a water saw. The spots and splatters on his pants were not only paint, but floor glue and plaster and grout and so on.

He taught his son to cut tile and his son taught me, and I have to say, it's very messy.

To that, my husband's father taught me "Dirt is the badge of the workingman."

Well, if dirt is the Badge, blood is the Medal.

I think when my husband is out; getting gas, banking, going to the parts store to get another part that won't fit and if it does it'll break the 4th time he uses it, he passes other workingmen, and they nod at each other.

They wait in line together or throw back a cold one after a good day, sit next to each other in Hospital Emergency Rooms and say to one another, "Looks like ya' cut yourself."

"Yup. Damn [insert the name of any tool or process]."

"Man, I hate when that happens."

It's a moment.

Recently, there was a woman who was in a Bi-Lo parking-lot. She quickened her pace, stole glances behind her to gauge the distance between her car and a wild-looking, dirt and bloodstained man, calling to her waving his hands.

If she could have heard him, she would know that she dropped something out of her cart. (Your "personal" grocery item is at the service counter by the way.)

If she could hear me, I'd say “Ma'am, if I didn't know that man was my husband, I’d run too,” "but he's a workingman, and that blood is code."

So that's why I won't get the bloodstains out of my husband's work clothes.

That, and because it's a royal pain in the ass to do.

Next: Chapter Two: Another Way of Looking at it Altogether

Author's Note: Husband states: "We do not go to the emergency room; we go to Lowe's & get duct tape & rags. "

Please correct your copies. Thank you.

From TED - Talks Golan Levin makes art that looks back at you

2009-07-30T07:07:00.000-07:00

Take a break with Art from TED

Golan Levin, an artist and engineer, uses modern tools -- robotics, new software, cognitive research -- to make artworks that surprise and delight. Watch as sounds become shapes, bodies create paintings, and a curious eye looks back at the curious viewer.

Half performance artist, half software engineer, Golan Levin manipulates the computer to create improvised soundscapes with dazzling corresponding visuals. He is at the forefront of defining new parameters for art. For more: Golan Levin

Yankovikc does the Doors - it's just fun

2009-06-29T17:02:00.000-07:00

I just love this :)

Sigh....

2009-06-22T11:20:00.000-07:00

Because I cannot resist

See more at FilmJunk

Carmela Continues to Enthrall her Audience

2009-06-21T14:59:00.000-07:00

See, Carmela was a little uppity, you know, she thought she was better than everyone else.

Happy Father's Day Nick

2009-06-21T14:30:00.001-07:00

Nick Masullo's "Everything You've Got

Nick Masullo, 1952-2008

Why Carmela lived in Philadelphia

2009-06-21T14:14:00.000-07:00

Turns out, 'cause her husband was from there, and that's where the work was in WWII.

Now We're also writing a song

2009-06-21T13:38:00.001-07:00

Called, "You Keep your Broom on your Porch, and I'll Keep my Broom on Mine."

Aunt Angie's hoping for a Grammy.