Stay Tuned!
THE HOME COMINGS
Certain kitchen smells always evoke the deepest, warmest feelings and memories for me. Every time I smell brasciola, meatballs and gravy I think of my Grandfather- warm Irish soda bread reminds me of my Grandmother, and the smell of star anise simmering in a big pot of Pho always reminds me of Mom. When I was away at college my first year (my first time away for an extended period of time) - I remember coming home on my school breaks, walking into the house and just taking in the smells of home. Such a comforting feeling for a homesick college freshman.
Fast forward 20+ years and unknowingly I created the same comfort smells for my own boys. Not too long ago, my boys started to spend weekends away from home. I would miss them terribly and every other Sunday while I awaited their arrival, I would make them their favorite treats for their home-coming. After several weeks, upon walking through the front door they both yelled.. "I SMELL SOMETHING GOOOOOD!! "After hugs and kisses were finished, they asked me.. "Momma, do you always make our favorite muffins and brownies for when we come home?".
I was over joyed to hear that I created this tradition for them... just like my family did for me. One day, when they come home from college, I'll have Banana Cream Cheese Cakes waiting for them (+ their college roommates). I hope you enjoy these muffin/cakes as much as they do!
mom's Vietnamese Spring Rolls
Thanks for the invite! What can I bring? 90 % of the time I already know the answer whenever I ask this question. My Mom makes the best Vietnamese spring rolls and by practicing through the years, I've almost mastered her recipe. I absolutely love getting together with friends and family to make these tasty treats. They can be time consuming to make so having a helping hand certainly speeds up the process.
I've taught many friends through the years how to make these and love hearing their feedback when they attempt it on their own. Why is my spring roll cigar shaped? Why is my spring roll so oily? Why is my spring roll bursting apart when I fry them?
One of the most amusing stories involves my college roommate Nicole and her husband Luke. I visited them one Christmas and left a bag of frozen spring rolls as I know Luke really enjoys them. The next time I saw Nicole she mentioned that apparently spring rolls are good even in a half raw and microwaved state. I shuttered at the thought of this as spring rolls are best served piping hot! I suppose this is why they are often served with lettuce, cucumbers and cilantro. If you wrap the spring roll in lettuce you won't burn your fingers! Anyway, late one night Luke really had a spring roll craving and while in a sleepy slumber, microwaved the frozen rolls and ate them up. The next morning Nicole informed him that they weren't fried yet and probably still half raw. His response was that they were delicious anyway! It's nice to know that even soggy half raw spring rolls are still quite tasty! But please, for a more traditional flavor..follow my directions. Enjoy and let me know how they turn out!
MISSING MONDO
This morning I woke up missing my Grandfather, affectionately known as "Mondo". So, I decided to take a walk down memory lane. I went back to my hometown of Bloomfield and grabbed his favorite roll from Gencarelli's bakery and then drove down the shore (so north jersey) to one of our favorite places for tomatoes- Sickels Market in Little Silver, NJ. Mondo could take a few simple ingredients and make it taste and look like we just purchased it right from the streets of Italy. One of my fondest memories is going to Sickels as a child and loading up on tomatoes. We would make a simple tomato salad or sandwich and then jar the rest for use during the fall/winter. Today I'm making his simple sandwich with my Gencarelli's roll, jersey tomato, home grown basil and a drizzle of really good olive oil. Sprinkle with a little S&P. For me and my family, summer begins with tomatoes and of course, the jersey shore.
