Friday, March 21, 2014

For all of you city dwellers...

I just stopped into Shaws Supermarket in Orleans, Cape Cod (around 7:15 on a Friday evening) and this is what it looked like. It was waaayyyy creepy. But Mr. B. pointed out that 1) it is Orleans, 2) in the off season, 3) on a chilly Friday night. Everyone's at The Land Ho! or The Yardarm drinking themselves silly. Ahh... The Cape "off-season"!

Shaws Market, Orleans, MA. Friday, March 21, 2014 at 7:15PM

Thursday, March 20, 2014

GOP birdbrain Scott Brown (R-Where do I live?) confounded over Republican who benefited from Obamacare

Former male nude GOP Senator Scott Brown (R-Airhead) of Massachusetts, who is now running for Senator from New Hampshire because the voters in Massachusetts threw his stupid-ass out, was having a conversation with a fellow GOP'er about Obamacare when 'Shit-for-Brains' Brownie had a brain fart because the guy was benefiting big-time from the Affordable Care Act. From TPM.com:


It's Throwback Thursday!

From Frenchy's House Party Wayback Machine:

This photo was taken at The Cranberry Moose during a birthday dinner for Doris Schepps in 1986


Linda in P-Town (c. Some time ago)

My friend 'Stuff' with a striper caught after (apparently) a long day of cooking 
This was the birth announcement I sent out when my (both deceased now) kitty boys were born just after my 40th birthday. They were a gift from Sarah Holl after my previous pussy (Blackmale) passed away. 
This is Leo, just a week or so old

And here's Preston. They are named after my grandfathers. 

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Happy Birthday Jackie 'Moms' Mabley

Born March 19th, 1894


Buona Festa! Spring Food Holidays, continued

Since 1916, zeppole central
Buona Festa! 

A couple of days ago I posted a photo of something I was making for the Festa di San Giuseppe (St. Joseph's Day). There is a pastry sold in areas with large Italian immigrant populations like NYC and Providence, RI called zeppole. They are rounds of puff pastry (pâte à choux), which most people recognize from eclairs, cream puffs, etc. The can be filled with a custard-type pastry cream or sweetened ricotta cheese, which is the type I make. They are then topped with either cherry filling or a maraschino cherry. 

When we were kids we would go to Scialo Brother's Bakery (recently featured on Lidia's Italy in America) for our zeppole but the drive into Providence for cream pastry is fraught with problems, the least of which is taking a chance on poisoning my friends with pastry that has been rolling around my car for the trip home so now I make my own. Lois Scialo, the owner with her sister, was my 4th grade teacher in elementary school. She was not making the pastry then but when I went in I introduced myself and was not at all surprised to learn she didn't recognize me. Well, it was a very long time ago. Below are some photos of when I last went to Scialo Brother's for zeppole which was in 2011. 

Outside Scialo Brothers... can't wait!
The round glass-fronted bins are full of those wonderful Italian sweets wrapped in cellophane
These are Scialo's zeppole. Perfetto
These are the ones I made last year. I didn't drain the ricotta long enough and the result was a "loose" filling. Not pretty.
This time, two days before I made the zeppole, I put the cheese into a sieve with coffee filters and set it in the fridge to drain
The shells baked up nice and crisp
These are the ones I made this year. Draining the cheese makes all the difference. 
If you would like the recipe ask for it in the comments and I will email it to you. Buona Festa!!

Spring Food Holidays, continued

Well, the next two Spring Food Holidays have come in rapid succession. On Monday evening our "Gay Gang", as my husband calls us, celebrated St Paddy's Day at The Hyannis Yacht Club with special guest attendees, Anne Levine and Michael Hill. We had simply a hoot of a time. The evening was beautiful, the company was charming and the conversation was "étincelant". We have been going out for St. Paddy's Day, off and on, since before I landed on Cape Cod as a permanent resident (over 25 years ago). The dinner at the HYC has turned out to be the best one we have had so that's why we have been coming back. I just want to say that I had just the best time this year because the people there were my dear friends and I love them all. Thanks so much for all of the fun. 

Taken with a panorama app on Michael Hill's iPhone. Anne, Tobin, Buzzy, Me, Bob and Sal
Sorry about the poorly lit, flash photo here. After two scotches it's hard to get a good photo of Corned Beef and Cabbage.
Stay tuned for St. Joseph's Day photos!

Sunday, March 16, 2014

Guess what I'm making!

Buona Festa di San Giuseppe!

Cuckoo!


The food holidays are upon us!

This week and next in March, in some years, is the Food-a-Palooza of my favorite holidays. Starting today and through the 19th we have Purim (Hamantaschen), Saint Patrick's Day (Corned Beef and Cabbage or Boiled Dinner), The Festa di San Giuseppe (Zeppole) and sometime, but not this year Easter (Ham, Leg 'o Lamb, Ricotta Pie). I love this time of year for that. I am so looking forward to our annual visit to "The Club" for our annual St. Patty's Day dinner tomorrow night. So let's get the ball rolling with our first holiday...

Happy Purim!


"האָבן צוויי האַממענטאַסטשען ליבלינג. זיי ניטאָ קליין."