Posts Tagged ‘memories’

Fran Honan has been contributing her writings to theglorifiedtomato.com for the past 13 years, and her stories have always resonated with me. I’m excited to share this heartwarming piece with you. – Paula Recently I was in my kitchen getting ready to saute some canned tomatoes to make a little marinara for dinner and I grabbed an old pot from the cabinet – my mother’s pot, part of a Farberware collection she received at her engagement party in 1947. I have lifted and held and cooked in that pot for […]

Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, birthdays, and Sunday dinners at my grandparents’ house – the nuts and fanuk (fennel) were put on the table after supper. This was a “break” period from eating, before the dessert came out (even though you were still eating). It gave the women time to clean up in the kitchen and get the nice dishes out for the finale. When I say nuts, I mean shelled walnuts, almonds, pecans, and hazelnuts. At this time, 35 years ago, I don’t think supermarkets even sold de-shelled nuts, and if they did, […]

Tomorrow is my 40th birthday. I’ve been using the line “I’m pushin’ 40” for the past two years because it’s hilarious. You can essentially say any off-the-cuff or inappropriate comment followed by, “I’m pushin’ 40” and somehow it makes anything okay, and provides a nice jeuje to almost any joke. It’s the gift that keeps on giving. If you’re in your mid to late 30s, I highly recommend you try it. The only thing that bothers me about turning 40 is that I can’t say “I’m pushin’ 40” anymore. A […]

Last week my husband and I celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary. I can’t believe it’s been a decade, and on top of that, we’ve known each other for 18 years. Gosh, we were just kids! It was my sophomore year in college at Pratt when my friend Susie suggested we go to Rockaway to see her friend’s band, A Hundred Thousand play at Patrick’s on Beach 113th. Matt was on drums. There’s a video of this night floating around somewhere, believe it or not! Fast forward to 2009. I […]

I have happy memories of Halloween as a child. My mother always helped my sisters and I with imaginative costumes, hand-making them to encourage our creativity. She would only buy an accessory if it was too hard to construct or we ran out of time! I remember I was Miss Piggy one year in grammar school. I had a beautiful shimmery pink dress on and I was allowed to wear a full face of makeup to school. I borrowed my grandmother’s faux pearls but the rabbit fur stole she lent […]

I’m beside myself! Previously published in The Wave. She’s fabulous from head to toe. She’s hilarious, caring, successful, inspiring and everything in between. And she’s from Queens. I want to be just like her. My father-in-law Jerry gifted me Fran Drescher’s 1996 autobiography Enter Whining. It reminded me of my two extremely fortunate encounters with the flashy girl from Flushing. My friend Katie Honan and I were out to lunch in the city at [undisclosed location]. We heard whispers that Fran Drescher was scheduled to have lunch there. Wild luck! We […]

Previously published in The Wave. I walked in Zingara Vintage the other day and my eye was drawn to a sparkling multicolored sequined blouse from the 80’s. The wide sleeves were shaped like the wings of a butterfly. An image of my Grandmother Pauline flashed in my head and I had a comforting feeling. Many items at Zingara Vintage remind me of my Grandma’s closet, filled with all its treasures. She had a wonderfully impactful, eclectic style– gold costume jewelry, lace shawls, retro sunglasses, big brimmed hats, long beautiful dresses.  […]

Previously published in The Wave. I was selling some stuff on eBay last week, and in a little slip of the tongue, I asked my husband if the money was “in escarole”, which sent him into a hysterical laughing fit. “I think that might be the Sicilian-est malaprop possible.” he said. In any case, it gave me the idea to share with you an old family recipe for Zuppa di Scarola e Fagioli, or escarole and bean soup. “Uhh, but what’s escarole?” you ask? It’s a leafy green that sort […]

  Previously Published in The Wave. I believe I was 8 years old. We were at my Aunt Katherine’s annual block party on Herbert St. in Greenpoint. I was running for dear life down the middle of the block screaming because my cousin Tommy was chasing me. He had a bucket of ice in tow. Tommy was 5 years older than me, so naturally, he caught up quick, even with the ice bucket. He grabbed me tight around the waist and threw the ice down the back of my shirt. Ice […]

My sister Maria and I were creative kids. I know everyone says they were too, but we were really out there. We didn’t need toys to play with – gosh, the thought of having an ipad would be unworldly to us. When we did receive a new toy, it wouldn’t last a week. It’s hair would be chopped off or the board game pieces would be sacrificed for a secret time capsule burial ceremony in the backyard (just two examples off the top of my head). I recall playing “tent world” – making a massive tent structure […]