Looking back at my youth, I was blessed and cherished. I still am, but I realize now how lucky I was to grow up in the family I did.  Each day I live, I realize more and more the wonderful spot I have in life.  But, as a young Italian girl, the granddaughter of immigrants to this country, I got to experience the prize and treasure of a close knit family.  I didn’t know then that I was being groomed to carry on the very important role of “uniter” of those that have no place, of “includer” to those that feel excluded, of giver to those that don’t have enough.  I learned those traits by watching my grandparents.   They were giving to no end, even when they had little, they were always inviting people for dinner, especially for the holidays and they loved and hugged everyone they met, no matter what.   I remember many summers in Lake Tahoe, they would host elaborate parties for all their friends, I would dress up in fun clothes and be the waitress, getting people drinks and snacks.  They would make a big deal about my outfit, and leave tips on the tables for me.  It was great.  I was the only grandchild and I loved the attention, we were very close and I felt so loved and so special that my grandparents and their friends tolerated my presence and even enjoyed having me around.  But the times that were truly special, after the parties were over and the friends would leave, were the times when it was just the three of us, usually me and Nonna in the garden, and Nonno and I learning how to sew.  After a long day of pruning, weeding, gathering, and sunning, we would sit down to a bountiful harvest of fresh organic (thought we didn’t realize it at the time) fruits and veggies from the garden and a beautiful grilled steak.  Nonno was an expert griller, he took it very seriously.  He was also an expert button sewer-oner! He taught me how to sew and I owe all my natural talent to his tutelage.  One day after mending all the popped belly buttons on Nonno’s shirts, I wandered out to the garden to find Nonna near the cherry tree. It had exploded with fruit overnight and she was giddy!  We started gathering the juicy little fruits, tasting a few along the way.  I don’t remember when we actually stopped putting them in the bucket, but about 1 hour later, we were sick from eating so many cherries at one time!  I will never forget the way I felt, laughing and crying because it was so funny but my belly hurt so bad!   We stayed away from eating anymore of those cherries for the rest of the summer, but we gave away enough to expect the neighbors to get bellyaches too!  Hopefully they paced themselves. 

I am blessed to have so many wonderful memories of my Nonna and Nonno as a young girl.  Those formative years are so important and I know they helped raise me right.  Nonno was taken from us far too soon and I still remember everything about his passing and the emptiness I still feel for his loss is monumental.  I miss him with every fiber of my being, but I know that he and Jesus are watching me as they sew on his buttons, guiding me in raising my own 4 beautiful daughters, helping me know how to love and encourage them the way he and Nonna so wonderfully did.   I’m lucky to still be able to talk to Nonna everyday, I call her because I can and I see her as often as I can because you never know what tomorrow holds.  Her great-granddaughters know her like I do, and I am so happy about that. 

Good things have always started in our gardens; they are cultivated there and thrive there.  What kind of gardens are you planting for your family?  Are children encouraged to participate?  Let them help anyway they can, it makes they much more confident adults.  Until next time, I’ll be keepin’ it Original!   Gina 

Growing up as an only child, I had to be pretty creative to stay busy.  My mom would have to work all summer, so I got to spend a lot of time at friend’s houses. My best friend from 2nd to 6th grade (when I moved away)  was Kristen Dewitt.  She was an only child too, and together we played and fought like sisters.  We would spend the hot summer days swimming, playing games, playing fetch her dog, listening to music, and chasing the Ice Cream truck down the street.  We would hear the chimes of that telltale music, grab coinage out of a huge old water barrel that her dad would empty his pockets into every night, and race down the street.  Hopefully we grabbed enough big money, (quarters) to not only get ice cream but also maybe a toy if they had any.  I remember walking back to her house thinking I was THE luckiest girl in the world.  When we spent all the big money on ice cream we would host a lemonade stand to make some money back.  All morning we would make the lemonade and the signs.  We would gather big boxes or crates and set up shop in the front yard under the shady tree.  Since we were usually selling in the middle of the day, business was slow, but the people who did come by, were very generous with their giving.  We happily offered them a too sweet lukewarm Styrofoam cup of lemonade that we proudly announced was made especially for them.  They were thankful and smiled through puckered lips.  It was great.    I think starting a business like a lemonade stand was a jumping point for me.  It made me think big, a young entrepreneur, ready to take on the world.  Kristen and I started a babysitting business the next summer.  It was much more profitable and just as much fun.  I think she enjoyed being successful in those early years too, because she is now a Lawyer, a very good lawyer, I know, I used to fight with her all the time!  Ha ha   Love ya girl!  
Until next time, it’s always Original! 

Gina

Memorial day is quickly approaching.  I’m sure many of you have your grocery list prepared for the picnic in the park. Maybe you are getting the boat ready for the weekend at the lake. Maybe it’s early bird shopping for the latest white sale.  But maybe, just maybe, it’s a weekend of reflection for you.  It’s a weekend to remember why we can have picnic and go boating without worry.  It’s a weekend where you remember your fallen family members or those who lost their life for our freedom. My grandfather was a merchant marine in WWII. He was a short little Sicilian butcher, and SO proud of his job.  He was one of the most patriotic men I have ever known.  This weekend stirs many emotions for me. Obviously I remember my Nonno and his recollections of his service to this country.  On a more personal note, I remember standing on a dock waving goodbye with the cries and screams of the other navy wives in the background,  watching their men leave for a tour, not knowing if they would return. I want my kids to know what freedom is, and what it means and how we got it in the first place.  So this weekend, when you grill up your burgers, say a little prayer for those men and women still fighting in the never ending war, pray for their safety, their courage, their families they have left behind, and thank them for the safety in which you sit down with your family for a happy picnic in the park. 

Keepin’ it Original,

Gina

When I started thinking about traditions, lots of memories came to mind.  One of the most vivid memories I have is when my mom and I made a pact to celebrate Mothers Day together with dinner and a movie.  My mom raised me, just her and I, and I remember our times being so focused and special.  As a single mom, she had to work, but as soon as she picked me up from school, she was all mine.  We would race home, make a humungous bowl of Mac and cheese and peas, and watch Golden Girls.  I would tell her about my day, she would ask me what we wanted to do the next weekend. It was her and I, figuring out this whole thing called “life”.  She was so devoted and self-sacrificing.  As I grew up, she even wore MY hand-me-downs.  How’s that for generous. But it was the traditions that we created together that made my youth so wonderful.  Every Christmas we would don our aprons and bake spritz cookies.  She let me be in charge of which cookie press shape we would use and what color we would make the batter.  She didn’t shy away from red Christmas trees and green dogs.  Ha ha   I could always predict the series of events, they were traditions too.  After a morning of baking, we would venture to Nonno and Nonna’s house for the afternoon, food and gifts were sure to follow, but it was being with my family, playing Bingo that was my favorite thing to do.  After dinner, Nonno would nap in his favorite chair, the rest of us would clean the table and kitchen, getting ready for dessert, the guys would check out whatever was on TV, then about 2 hours after dinner, we would all belly up to the table for dessert and a penny game of Bingo, I loved being the caller.  For a long time we played with a really cheap plastic set that was hard to turn the numbers out, but one year I sprang for the deluxe set, complete with a huge metal spinning ball and wooden number pieces.   Pretty fancy!
The crazy thing about traditions and keeping them going is that they become second nature, they become a way of life, if they don’t happen in a certain way, things just don’t feel right. I recently returned home after a brief hiatus in another state, and spending the Holidays with my family again was so healing.  I never want to forget the wonderful way they made my youth so memorable.  Please let us know if you have any traditions in your family, I can’t wait to hear from you!  Keepin’ it Original!   Gina

The thought of saving our environment is a bit daunting when you think of all the things you have to do.  I was getting overwhelmed while reading a magazine about being “green”.  I thought,  “I can’t afford to put solar panels on my roof, or replace all our sheets with 100% organic, or stop driving my car!”  Then I thought about one thing I can control. I do my weekly grocery shopping at a number of places that put only one item in each plastic bag. I end up with 15 plastic bags per trip, many of which could have been easily consolidated.  I got to thinking about what all those bags do in the landfill after I’ve used them for 1 hour.  They likely sit there for years, adding nothing but pollution to the earth.  I thought about a fun easy way to eliminate many of those bags.  I found some stores that sell you reusable bags, which is great, but then I found some really fun canvas bags that the kids really loved.  We have made a commitment to bring the bags with us when we shop; it’s just our little way of helping ease the landfills of toxic ingredients that harm instead of help.
There are many places that give you wonderful ideas about easy ways to be green, just make sure that they are actually organic or recycled, instead of just mentioning that they may be good for the environment.  It’s easy to be sold a bill of goods, think you are helping, and get confused by all the controversy.
Also, get the kids involved.  This is their earth and we are passing it down to them more damaged then when we got here.  It’s my goal to do all I can to ease our footprint of waste in the environment.  Let’s make that commitment together.
Until next time, I’ll be keepin’ it Original!  Gina

I have been blessed in my life to be surrounded by good food. And not just good food, good people to share it with too!  I was raised by my mom’s side of the family, that included her parents, my Nonna and Nonno (may he rest in peace), her sister and brother, my aunt Jan, my uncle Johnny (may he rest in peace too), and a spattering of “uncles and aunts” a mile long.  It never failed, whenever there were two or more gathered together, there was always a ton of food.  My Nonna (You all know her as Momma) had a special way of making even strangers feel welcome at her table, and I was lucky enough to experience many a meal with someone who just needed an adoptive family to help them through.  When it was just us, no matter what else was going on, Nonna made a batch of her special, never-fail, good- for-the-everything, Chicken soup with Pastina.  I have come to regard those times as the most precious to me because as I grew up, moved away, came home for visits, called when I was sick, anytime I needed Nonna, I knew she would be waiting for me with soup.  It was so comforting.  She knew how to make me feel at home.  Recently, I arrived at her house, it was late and I had a van full of tired kids, I was worn out and needed Nonna.  She greeted us, set the table and ladled into bowls that rich wonderful gold medicine for the soul that I have grown to need like air.   It’s not just the soup; it’s what the soup stands for:  Unconditional love, acceptance, home, safety, comfort, and belonging.  I know that sounds crazy, but since I’ve grown up loving people through food, it makes sense to feel loved through that wonderful broth.  My kids are keeping up the tradition of cooking, and loving to see people happy with the things they have made for them.  I hope that sense of home never ends. I hope you can start traditions that will last a lifetime. Let me know if you have. Thanks for spending a moment with me, until next time I’ll be keepin’ it Original!    Gina

Chicken Soup

1 whole chicken, washed and cut up
1 turkey leg, neck or thigh
3 large sweet onions, chopped
¼ cup olive oil
6 medium carrots,
6 celery stalks
2 leeks
3-4 chicken bouillon cubes or soup base
6 quarts of water
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:

In a Dutch oven or large pot, heat oil and sauté two chopped onions and chicken parts until onion and chicken are browned, about 15-20 minutes. (Important: The longer the onion cooks in the chicken, the better the flavor.)  Add water, remaining onion, turkey, carrots, celery, leeks, salt and pepper.  Bring to boil, then simmer for about 2-3 hours, occasionally skimming off foam. When cooked, strain the stock into a container and discard solids, or cut solids up into pieces and add back to soup. Cool stock and skim the fat. Add pasta if desired. Serve with fresh-grated Parmesan or Romano cheese.

Another fun version of this gold goodness is…
Chicken Stock

Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a large stockpot. Add one onion, diced small.
Sauté about 3-4 pounds of hacked up chicken wings, back, necks and legs in the onion just until the chicken turns pale, about 5 minutes. (Hack the chicken in about 2-inch pieces with a cleaver or chef’s knife.)
Add two quarts of water and bring to a boil. Add your favorite vegetables: 2-3 each of carrots, celery and onions.  Simmer for about one hour. Strain the stock, cool it down and skim off the fat. Freeze the stock, or simmer up a big pot with your favorite soup pasta, like Orzo Pastina or Acini De Pepe. May it fill your body and your soul with the liquid gold of life!

Ingredients:
3 medium onion cut into medium dice
1 leek chopped
1 carrot cut in medium dice
4 celery stalks cut in medium dice
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 whole chicken cut into pieces

2   quarts water

Directions

Heat the oil in a large skillet and saute the chicken pieces and onion together until the chicken loses its color. Cover the pan and cook over low heat until the the flavorful juices are released, about 20 minutes. At this point add the water celery, carrot and leek and simmer for another 20 minutes.
Strain the stock into a container and discard the solids. Cool stock and skim the fat. (The stock can be covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for several months.)

They say variety is the spice of life. And in my case, they are right. Every week we get new recipes coming across our desk and they are as varied as they can be. Sometimes, we get one that really makes a mark on our lives. It’s just what we were looking for, just the right flavors, a great story attached, fun to make, all the ingredients for a great time in the kitchen. The fun really happens when we can involve the kids and that is just the case with my favorite recipe. It’s a little of this, and a little of that, all added in to make baking fun and educational. My Daughter Olivia, (5), absolutely LOVES to bake. I can’t pull out the mixer without her pulling up a chair. She drags her heavy wooden chair up to the counter and fights with her little sister about who can add this ingredient, and who gets to crack the eggs. There is no loss for jobs in the recipe, and no loss for a lesson either. The recipe is BLACK PEPPER COOKIES and they are the best things since sliced bread! They are packed full of spices, cloves, ginger, pepper, salt, and Olivia’s first and second favorite spices, vanilla and cinnamon. Teaching the girls the differences that spices make, how much to add, when to add and why you add, are very fun and important lessons that I love teaching them. One day, Olivia dragged her chair up to the counter and started opening all the spice lids. She systematically took off each lid, smelled it, stuck her little pinky in and tasted and then reacted about the differences. She loved nutmeg, was interested by oregano and thyme and did not like pepper all by itself. She loves learning and I love watching her explore the kitchen and what goes into making a recipe fabulous. So, please keep sending us your recipes, you are teaching the next generation that food doesn’t just come in a box and gets cooked in the microwave! We are bringing real food back to the kitchen. Until next time, I’ll be keepin’ it original!

Black Pepper Cookies

(Taste like a wonderfully chewy and soft ginger snap!)
Ingredients:

Mix Together Until Creamy:

2 cups sugar
1 ½ cups shortening (Crisco)

Add:

2 eggs
½ cup molasses (regular)

Sift Together:

4 cups sifted flour
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons cloves
2 teaspoons ginger
2 teaspoons cinnamon
4 teaspoons baking soda ADD AFTER ALL MIXED TOGETHER WELL
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Add flour mixture into wet ingredients and mix well. Add baking soda last!
Roll dough into golf ball size balls and roll in sugar.
Bake on greased cookie sheet (do not press down) at 350 for 8 minutes.
Cookies will rise and when they begin to crack on top, they’re ready to come out.
Do not overcook. To keep cookies moist and chewy, place in plastic container or zip lock bag while they are still warm. Recipe makes about 36 cookies.

Jan’s Cook Notes: We made a few batches before we got the timing down pat. We would take them out just a little too late and they would end up a bit too overcooked and crispy. The real beauty of these gems is that they’re chewy and soft! Anyone can buy a hard ginger snap, right? A lot depends on your oven and whether or not you use convection or conventional bake. The good news is, they’re tasty even when they’re a little bit overcooked. But they’re magnificent if you can get the timing just right—and take them out

Since Easter just passed, I couldn’t help but share with you one of my favorite memories, ages ago, but embossed in my memory forever.

I can remember, clear as it was yesterday, my favorite holiday with my favorite person. I was about 9 and I had shown my Nonno a trick. At school I had learned to put a circle or “button” on the back of my hand and write, “push”. When they push the button you open your arms and dance and say “Hey Chicky Baby”!  He loved it and since it made him smile so much, I did the dance for everyone that day, and the name stuck.  I’ve been Chicky Baby ever since.

I think I remember that day so well for a number of reasons.  First, I loved my Nonno and he loved Easter. So I think that is how I came to love Easter. I love everything about it.  The time of year, the weather, the pretty dresses, the hunts, the egg preparation, the time with family, and going to church to learn about Jesus’ resurrection.

Easter was always a very special time for my family.  We would decorate eggs until our fingers were rainbows, we would hide them in easy to find places especially if they were hard-boiled, we didn’t want them spoiling all summer! We would sit outside in the patio under the grape vines and dine on a cornucopia of amazing homemade Italian food, telling jokes and stories and laughing until our bellies hurt.

My Nonno was the best joke teller in the world; no one could deliver a punch line like him.  I have such amazing memories of holidays from my youth, my family was always around, and we would live in the kitchen, cook together, laugh together, eat till we felt like sleeping and then eat some more.

My goal in life is to create amazing memories for my girls, so they can grow up and know they are loved and that they loved growing up. It’s getting harder and harder in today’s world to stop and take time to be with your family, but my girls are very lucky, they get to spend time with their great-grandmother. How many people do you know who get to do that on a daily basis, or even a yearly basis?  I am so blessed to have been raised by the village of my maternal family.  And now, my kids get that luxury.

Nonno has passed, but I still think of him everyday, I know he is watching over us from heaven keeping tabs on all our successes and beaming with pride.  I hope that you will all join me on my quest to share our memories and create new ones and have fun in the process.  Thanks so much for checking in with us and we look forward to hearing about your memories, too!
Keepin’ it Original!

I’m Gina D’Atri! I’m the one you’ll find chasing four little girls around all day!

But the more hectic life gets, the more I’m determined to create ways to spend fun time with them and create lasting memories. Whether it’s baking, having a car picnic or just playing on the floor and getting the giggles going, my goal each day is to help them thrive. Some days are better then others, they don’t all go as planned, but, hey, if we can get through the tough stuff together…we’ll all be better for the wear, right?

So keep checking back for ideas that may help simplify your life. — a great sweetheart cake recipe, the best cookies ever, fun Easter eggs you can make together, teaching kids about spices—or you can write me with your great family success stories, or concerns. I would love to hear them!

So, until next time, I’m sure to be Keepin’ it Original!