For millennia, mankind has found reason to celebrate each year in late December – or more precisely, near or shortly after the winter solstice.  If nothing else, the period of the solstice in the northern hemisphere was a logical opportunity for ancients to celebrate because it was a time of respite from agricultural chores, and as the daylight hours began to increase again, became the first sign of the warmer months ahead. 

In pre-Christian times, several cultures marked the solstice with rituals and celebrations.  Romans held a festival called Saturnalia to honor the sun god Saturn.  Saturnalia began each year on December 17 and consisted of 8 days of feasting, sacrifices, and gift-giving.  On the solstice, Egyptians celebrated the birth of Ra, god of the sun; Celts in the British Isles collected mistletoe; and Scandinavians celebrated the Feast of Juul, from which, Yule is derived.  In the 4th century, Christians began celebrating the birth of Jesus on December 25, which, since the mid-11th century, has been called Christmas (originally Crīstesmæsse).  

As I read about these ancient celebratory events while preparing for this blog, I learned that each of them involved people joining together to enjoy each other, and more significantly for my purposes here, preparing and sharing food!  Not surprisingly, little has changed over the centuries.  People everywhere still gather with family and friends to celebrate what we now call “holidays” – and always with plenty of food.  

I’ve written before about my childhood experiences with holiday feasts, specifically Thanksgiving, but our Christmas table was even more abundant.  I’ve also mentioned that Grandma Karen and I, in our own way, have attempted to preserve and continue many of our collective family traditions – thereby creating new traditions for our children and grandchildren.  

Our family Christmas celebrations have all been memorable, but typically for different reasons from year to year.  The reason this year, however, will be just as memorable as the celebration itself.  Our three eldest grandchildren (high school age) “took over”!  They planned a multi-course meal and then made major contributions to its preparation.  They had help, of course, but they deserve full credit for getting everything to the table on time.  Our (almost) two-year old grandson was involved, too.  He was always standing on a chair ready to help with stirring and pouring, or any other task fit for tiny hands.

Cranberries have always been one of my favorite foods, although until I began preparing the material for this blog my idea of enjoying cranberries was limited to a dollop of sauce to accompany almost any roasted meat – but especially turkey!

To get a little background information, I “Googled” cranberries and quickly realized I could write a book on this amazing fruit.  Here are just a few of the fun facts about cranberries that might prompt you to try one of the recipes featured here.

First, there really is a Cranberry Season.  Cranberries are grown primarily in the Northeastern United States and Southeastern Canada, and are harvested in September and October.  They are generally only available as fresh berries from September through December – which is why we only get to enjoy them around Thanksgiving and Christmas.

American Indians enjoyed cranberries cooked and sweetened with honey or maple syrup. They also used cranberries as a source of red dye, and as a poultice for wounds, having discovered the astringent tannins in the berries contract tissues and help to stop bleeding.  We now know that compounds in cranberries also have antibiotic effects.

In fact, the health benefits of cranberries are most impressive.   They begin with vitamin C and fiber – both familiar nutrients, but cranberries also contain five categories of phytonutrients – chemical compounds known for their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer properties.  Consequently, cranberries provide protection against urinary tract infections, immune support, as well as cardiovascular and digestive tract benefits.  You can read much more about the health benefits of cranberries on The World’s Healthiest Foods web site page for Cranberries.

Oh yes, the recipes!  My first offering is a Cranberry Sauce that I believe tastes very close to what comes out of a can – without actually coming out of a can.  This is important in our household because old habits die hard (especially mine).  I have enjoyed Ocean Spray Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce for seven decades, so while I much prefer the fresh berries, I still enjoy the “traditional” taste.

Cranberries also mix well with other fruits – especially cherries and oranges.  As I’ve mentioned before, tart cherries (especially Michigan Balaton cherries) are number one on my favorite foods list, so creating a cherry and cranberry sauce was a high priority.  The result, cleverly titled Cherry Cranberry Sauce, has been in my recipe collection for many years.  I also mentioned it in a blog last November.

Once again I find myself with something of a dilemma.  On one hand, I would very much like to write this blog about bread making to explain how easy it is to do, and how rewarding and delicious the end result can be.  On the other hand, I will be the first to admit that bread making does not always work as advertised the first time you try it!  Clearly, my first hand won the day (or you wouldn’t be reading this), but I decided I should begin at the very beginning to explain why I now believe bread making is something everyone should try at least twice!

According to my “infallible” information source, Wikipedia, archaeological evidence of bread making – albeit unleavened bread making – has been found in parts of Europe that dates back to the Upper Paleolithic Period of 30,000 years ago.  Further research shows that bread making machines weren’t available until many years later, so one conclusion could be that making bread shouldn’t be that difficult!  Bread making shops appeared in Athens in the 5th century B.C.E., and Greeks reportedly opened bread shops in Rome about 300 years later – again, presumably without bread machines!  More valuable evidence that bread making should be easy.

In the early 20th century, my maternal grandmother – mother of 12 growing offspring – (also reportedly) baked bread daily for her family, friends, and the occasional hungry soul that managed to find his way to her backyard wood-fired oven.  I arrived on the scene much too late to experience her bread, or even to see her oven, but I remember vividly the (most likely exaggerated) family stories of her baking prowess – yet again, without using a bread making machine.

Although I lacked evidence that bread making skills were genetic, I confidently attempted to bake my first loaf many years ago.  What could go wrong?  Only three ingredients are required:  flour, yeast, and water.  Nevertheless, my initial foray into the world of leavened bread making was not quite what I expected.  The taste was acceptable, but the appearance and texture were definitely works in progress.

One of the most rewarding aspects of creating this web site and writing these blogs has been watching the growth of the subscriber list for this site.  To all of you who have subscribed, “Thank you!  I sincerely appreciate your interest and support.”  [NOTE:  The subscriber list to which I have access contains only e-mail addresses – no names.  So unless your e-mail address contains your full name, your anonymity (to me) is preserved.]

[Another Note:  If you are reading this and have not yet subscribed, I urge you to consider doing so.  Subscribing is easy and simply means you will receive an e-mail whenever a new blog is posted – about 12 to 15 times a year.  Subscribing is a three-part process.  You first enter your e-mail address in the Subscribe box on either the Home or Blogs page.  Second, you enter the squiggly code that appears in the pop-up window to “prove you are not a computer” and to please the Google folks who run this service.  Third, you must return an e-mail that will be sent to you automatically confirming that it is actually you doing the subscribing.  Unfortunately, this verification e-mail sometimes is directed to your junk mailbox, so if you don’t see it in your inbox within a minute or two, look for it with your junk mail.]

Some of you have been reading my blogs from the beginning, while many others have come aboard more recently and perhaps have read only the last few posts.  Either is okay, of course, and I certainly would not expect anyone to go back and read them all.  Even I would have difficulty doing that!  On the other hand, there are several topics covered in some of the earliest blogs that I consider important to understanding what I am attempting to achieve with this site, and why I think my choices of recipes and ingredients are worth sharing in this way.

So, mostly to satisfy my desire to communicate all this to as many of you as possible, I have created a new web page I am calling Blog History.  The link to the Blog History page now appears in the green banner near the top of every page.  The Blog History page contains a chronological list of active links to all the blogs posted on this site since its inception in January 2014, together with a brief description of each blog's primary subject.  Oh, and there are some of my favorite pictures to further tempt you to read on!!

Most important, I have identified six blogs that best explain my motives, intentions, biases, and overall attitudes toward cooking – especially Italian cooking.  If you have not read the early blogs, I recommend that you read at least these six.  (They are identified on the Blog History page with three preceding asterisks.)  I should also mention that while I think the others also are worth reading, I realize many of them contain information that may not be of equal interest to everyone.  Whether or not you read those is, of course, your choice.

From the beginning, this web site has been about preparing simple and delicious foods Italian style.  In my second blog – in January 2014 – I further explained that my primary focus would be “classic” Italian foods – that is, foods originating in the Italy of my grandparents and their ancestors, or 19th century Italy.  While I will be the first to admit I have drifted from this focus on occasion, historic authenticity is still very important to me – not because I think those recipes are inherently better, but because I wish to preserve their authenticity.

Writing these blogs, however, has helped me appreciate other foods that were unknown 100 years ago in Italy, but are, nonetheless, arguably Italian.  Three foods come immediately to mind:  Pasta Carbonara, Penne alla Vodka, and Chicago Deep Dish Pizza.  The first was created for Americans, the second popularized by Americans, and the last created by Italians in America.  Looking for a common denominator, I selected American – Italian Foods as the theme for this blog.

Thanks to my long-time friend, business colleague, and fellow hobby chef, David in Austin, I recently learned the origin of Pasta Carbonara.  As reported by Marcella Hazan, celebrated chef and author, Pasta Carbonara dates back to the end of World War II when American soldiers living in and around Rome brought bacon and eggs to local families and requested they use them in a pasta sauce.  Ms. Hazan suggests the dish came to be known as carbonara because of the earthy flavors of the smoked pork.  (Carbonara translates roughly to carbon or charcoal.)  In Italy today, pasta carbonara is most frequently prepared with pancetta or salted pork jowl, both being unsmoked meats.  As Chef Hazan notes, pork jowl and pancetta are “so much sweeter than bacon, whose smoky accents tend to weary the palate.”  I tasted Pasta Carbonara for the first time many years ago at a family reunion.  Two cousins (one a trained chef, and both exceptionally talented in the kitchen) prepared the dish using their own recipe – the recipe posted on this site.  As you can see, their recipe calls for pancetta.  I recommend it highly.

Penne alla Vodka was essentially unknown outside Italian households until it won a national recipe contest in Italy in the 1970s.  Now it is a familiar menu item in Italian restaurants everywhere.  Penne alla Vodka begins with a sauce of tomatoes, onions, garlic, herbs, heavy cream, and of course, vodka.  The alcohol in the vodka releases flavor compounds in the tomatoes that are alcohol soluble, but not water soluble.  (In reality, wine or any other alcoholic beverage could be used as a substitute for the vodka, but that would spoil all the fun!  Plus, vodka adds limited extra flavors to the sauce.)  The alcohol also helps to emulsify the cream.  The sauce is often blended or pureed to make it smooth and silky before being served with penne pasta.  The recipe posted here is my version and uses what has become my favorite tomato product – 6 IN 1 brand All Purpose Ground Tomatoes in Extra Heavy Puree (if your grocer doesn't carry them, they are available online at escalon.net).

One of the objectives for this website has always been to share recipes I consider special in some way.  Some recipes are special by being an integral part of my family history, some because they involve my favorite ingredients (read cherries or blackberries here, but my favorites list is very long), and others just for being simple to prepare and elegant to serve.  I particularly enjoy serving foods in this third category.  With minimal effort, you can provide your family and guests with delicious, as well as visually appealing, culinary experiences.

Strawberry Soup is at or near the top of my list of simple and elegant dishes.  I briefly noted this recipe once before, but it deserves mention again – especially as fresh strawberries are abundant everywhere this time of year.  It is a delicious blend of freshly pureed berries, milk, heavy cream, and sour cream.  Served cold with a strawberry and mint leaf or two, it is as visually appealing as it is tasty.  (It is also special to me because it was originally requested by my three oldest grandchildren!)

Then there is something I call Fruit Salad Greek Style – actually a Grandma Karen specialty.  Dice a honeydew melon and a cantaloupe, add some Feta cheese and fresh blackberries, sprinkle with crushed red pepper flakes, and finish with a liberal drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.  It provides an impressive presentation and is unforgettably delicious.

Simple and fancy desserts are fun, too.  I’ve mentioned Roasted Pears before, although again just briefly.  Italian cuisine contains myriads of desserts, but many Italians prefer to end their meals simply with fresh fruit, cheese, and red wine.  This recipe combines all three.  While you and your diners are enjoying the main course, you roast whole pears in Chianti (with sugar added to make a simple syrup).  The pears are served warm in a “puddle” of Chianti Sauce with shards of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.

I’ve discovered that the Chianti Sauce used to prepare Roasted Pears works well with other recipes, too, especially when fresh fruit is involved.  Consequently, I have added it as a separate recipe.