Special Ingredients Added

I always make spaghetti and meatballs when I don't feel like being creative. It is comforting and gets the job done. My brother gave me the "jar" in 1996, for Christmas. I cherish it. Here's the story:

Our family was moving into a house in Yukon, Oklahoma. We had cleaned, unpacked, and it was time for dinner. My oldest sis and I decided to make spaghetti. We didn't have a colander, so when draining the noodles, we held the lid on..so that the water would slowly drain from the pot and into the sink (which we hadn't cleaned yet). Well, the steam hit our arms and we dropped the noodles into the sink. We scooped em up quickly, before anyone saw what happened. We added a few cans of tomatoe sauce, a few shakes of Italian seasoning..and that was it. Hey, I was 12 and she was 16.

My brother was the first to discover a small nail, and then my youngest sis discovered a few matches..and then there were those annoying balls of dried paint. Well, we did end up laughing about it..and I am pretty sure my mom made more spaghetti. I can't make it though, without thinking of the "special ingredients" I once added.

Marlena Replies to Post Comments

the
> comments are so sweet, and so touching, and have really lifted my
spirits
> so much! i'm in new york at jfk waiting for my flight to chicago,
decided
> to check my email, and now feel like a million bucks. so sweet.
>
> and yes, i do believe that fred's last name is spelled exactly like
that:
> luzzi! he used to raise bees, and put up jars of honey, labeled:
honey by
> fred. my husband still calls him: honey by fred, even though the bees
are
> long gone.
>
> fred is such a lovely guy. such a lovely guy. and it makes me happy
indeed
> to think that summer--and tomato season--are coming up!
>
> tomatoes! peaches! blogs, and very nice people! its all just so
darned
> good!
>
> and i've never been to chicago, am meeting up with a bunch of
neapolitans
> promoting their pasta, tomatoes and olive oil, it should be a lot of
fun,
> in that neapolitan southern italian way. then its back to new york,
dinner
> with robert seitsma of the village voice which should be a hoot.
we're
> going to queens with a group of hungry young things, destination:
> something ethnic and obscure and savory. i can hardly wait.
>
> x marlena


[She said it was okay to post her recent email. Thanks Miss Lori Hahn for spreading the news and thanks to all who commented on the interview. You guys made her day..and mine] Mel
>
Marlena Spieler
>>

I Can't Frickin Bake..and other rants!

Okay...so I can't bake. I can cook, but can't bake. I've tried to bake...like 20 years ago, but it just never worked out for me.

So, today I decided to make a strawberry/rhubarb pie for my husband. I used the recipe from http://www.simplyrecipes.com. Problem #1..I can't make crust..so I bought em. Problem #2...no instant tapioca mix. I used 1/2 cup of flour instead.

I went outside to water my roses and other stuff...and smoke was coming out of my patio doors! The entire inside of the pie was dripping onto the baking sheet and then onto the bottom of my oven! This causes burning and then smoke. I turn down my oven and turn on the fans and open the windows.

Dave comes home and says, "something smells sort of good". The smoke was gone by then. The pie turned into a cobbler...a very "loose" interpretation of a cobbler. Dave said it was delicious..but then he would say that.


Okay, and so I am also disappointed that my interview with Marlena Spieler didn't get any feedback at the Sacramento Food Forums. Hell, she is no slouch..and it took me over a year to get the interview! I see that over 90 people have read it..but not one person has commented on it. BTW...she asks the same thing. "Have you gotten any feedback?"

I am also pissed that I keep trying to get the link for my forums to come up..and it won't! GRRRRRR. I am frustrated. I should never, ever bake! If you want to go to the forums..look over to the left and click on em. The interview is under "chit chat with the professionals". Heck, I am so frustrated I can't even spell.

I am also pissed about the fact the porn-type spam has invaded the forums to the point that I have to "approve" anyone who registers...so that people who find the site and want to see what is happening, have to NOW register to even read the forums.

Okay...I will never bake again. It makes me angry.

Here is another thing that just chaps my ass: Gay partners not being able to marry and access benefits. That is just an outrage! It has nothing to do with not being able to bake...but it is something that I find outrageous. As if heterosexuals have done such a great job at being married. Gays should have as much right to being married, being divorced, and fighting over settlements as much as anyone else! Let's say they do as well as we do at the marriage thing, which ain't saying much...then let their partners recieve the benefits they deserve. I am sick of the religion card being thrown in to defend heterosexual marriages..."the sanctity of marriage". Dave and I are not religious...and we got married so that I could recieve his insurance and pension benefits. No other reason. It should be the same for EVERYONE! It works for us.

P.S. Next time I bake, look forward to another rant on the injustice most illegal immigrants are going thru, consumerism, and the evils of high fructose corn syrup.

Tyler Florence and his daddy's meatloaf..and sides

I watched Tyler today..his "ultimate meatloaf recipe". I made it exactly as he presented it today on his Food Network show. One thing he screwed up on, IMO, was not telling the audience to let the pepper/onion/tomato mixture 'chill' before adding it to the meat. Before I added the very hot pepper mixture to the beef and pork mixture, I incorporated ice cubes to lower the temp..before adding it to the meatloaf.

I made the beans with the onions and bacon, and I made the Yukon Gold potatoes which were mashed with butter and cream. It was " The Ultimate Meatloaf Dinner"...even though my husband thought there were way too many peppers in the meatloaf. My husband said, "it was so delicious...just fantastic". As he went to bed he said, "I think the peppers overpowered the meatloaf..but I loved the potatoes and green beans with the bacon.