Posts categorized as Memories

Doctors and self-professed health experts have touted the benefits of a Mediterranean diet. People living in Greece or Italy are suspected of living with more fresh fruits and vegetables, along with an abundance of extra virgin olive oil. This, along with siestas and lots of good red wine seem to contribute to their longevity — and admirable lifestyles. More than fifty years ago my Italian family lived this fabulous diet without even knowing how smart they were. The genius behind the food eaten at my mother’s table was her father, [...]

The familiar is slowly returning to Rockaway. The dark cold days and nights seem in the distant past. Shoots of flowers are piercing the sand covered soil with the hope of spring.  While we watched this happen, there were flickers of optimism in our hearts.  But the true sign of normalcy and familiarity came last weekend with the sounds of Mister Softee.  An ice-cream truck singing down the street may seem like an ordinary thing, yet it is a constant in all of our lives. Having spent my entire life [...]

Editors Note: The McDonalds bag pictured above contained only Shamrock Shakes. After Hurricane Sandy, this year’s Rockaway St. Paddy’s felt extra special. There were larger crowds, and extra cheer surrounding the parade. As always, 11am we started out at the Honan’s house where Fran hosted breakfast, complete with Irish coffee, shamrock shakes, green mimosas, homemade biscotti, green bagels, and Fran’s  famous brownies. We  filled up on the goodies, chatted and anticipated the parade. Around 12:45 we assembled on the porch for the group photo – a 15 year Honan Family tradition. Everyone grabbed a roadie [...]

“Just throw it in the basement. You never know when we could use it” We did that with things for over 30 years. It’s remarkable how, even in a large house, you find ways to fill it — and we found ways to fill our basement with food, extra clothes, things that belonged to relatives we couldn’t throw away, tools and knick knacks. We had things in there we didn’t even know we had, just happy to know they were there. And then came Sandy.  Our basement, Oct. 30 A [...]

Part 2: “Old School Foods” Editor’s Note: Italians are so food-obsessed that even their insults and racial slurs are food-related. Cucuzza, mulignan, and unfortunately, “fanuk”. To be clear, this article is only about the actual food and there is no Italian food double-speak involved. — Matt W. Fennel and anise always caused confusion in my family. Similar flavors yes, but not the same thing. I’m sure this mix-up happened back in the day when my great-grandparents started speaking broken (Brooklyn) English, instead of their native Italian. If that’s not bad [...]

  One of the things I missed in the weeks after Sandy — besides, heat, hot water and electricity, of course — was the ability to create a delicious meal. Mike and I were in the house for a time in the dark and cold but we still had to eat (although our appetite was diminished a bit due to stress and cold.) Our power was out, but we still had the gas stove to cook food and make coffee  All I had to do was turn the knob and [...]

I remember as a child, that my mom would only make onion soup for her and my dad. I think she did that because my brother Chris was a picky eater and wouldn’t have eaten anything with onions that were visible. Come to think of it, he doesn’t do that today, I once pureed onions in a lasagna I was making because I knew he would pick around them. ( Aren’t I such a nice sister?) Below is my mom’s recipe for onion soup. Enjoy! Moogie’s Onion Soup for Six [...]

From all of us at The Glorified Tomato, we wish you a happy and bountiful New Year! It was difficult to choose the top 10 best posts of 2012. We had so many wonderful accounts written by Fran, Mary, Susanne, Constantina, Katie, Clare, Flo and Maureen. It’s contributions like these that define what The Tomato is all about and acts as a reminder of how much I love what we’re doing here on the blog. These are really special… (No particular order) 1. The comfort of food - Fran “We have all seen the [...]

We’re ringing in the New Year with a few “Best Of 2012″ posts. First up, the best of Instagram. If your not following already and would like too, find The Tomato feed here! (In no particular order) Taken in Ridgewood, Queens. Spotted this “doll” in NYC From my kitchen RD drawing party w/ quarcnyc  Passed this vintage stove many times on Cypress Ave. If only I had a second kitchen… Picked these in late August at my Mother-in-Law’s home in Rockaway. Tasted so sweet! Taken at St Brigids - one of the many [...]

The Italian-American neighborhood of Dyker Heights is famously known for its elaborate Christmas light displays.  I’ve never been, and I LOVE the Christmas season, so for me this was a no-brainer: I dragged my husband (and rent-a-husband / bro-in-law) with me after the Walsh Christmas party last Saturday. “It’s on the way,” I said, with my eyes glazed over with Christmas “cheer”. Obviously, in the car, I insisted we put on the 24/7 Christmas music station. We arrived and the streets were packed with families, tourists with big cameras, multiple Elmos, Frosty, Santa, and [...]