by Karen Creamer | Feb 28, 2023 | (it's all about the) food, Comfort, Connection, family, italian
With the supply of pastina at an all time low, I’ve been thinking about other staples in my diet that have been around since childhood.
Spaghetti is one of them.
I usually buy DeCecco Angel Hair Spaghetti (cooks in 2 to 3 minutes!) but they didn’t have any at the supermarket, so when I was looking for the Prince Pastina (and striking out again), I saw the Prince Spaghetti and thought I’d by a box for old times’ sake. This also reminded me of the commercial from back in the day, of Anthony running through the streets of the North End in Boston to make it home on time for supper. Keep reading
by Karen Creamer | Feb 14, 2023 | (it's all about the) food, Connection, italian
We were looking for new places to try for Italian food.
After doing a search of nearby restaurants, I came up with Calzolaio Pasta Company in Wilton, Maine
Eggplant Fries
Wait. What? Eggplant fries?
In the spirit of adventure, my husband agreed to try them. I love eggplant but he does not.
These things were amazing! They were a little crispy but light and the gravy that came with them for dipping was almost as good as my own. I would have bought some if they sold jars of it.
Everything else was excellent as well. The bread. The Angry Meat Pizza. The Chicken Parmigiana. To me, the mark of a great restaurant is that there are so many things that sound so great that you want to try them all. Keep reading
by Karen Creamer | Feb 7, 2023 | (it's all about the) food
The Air Fryer!
I have a small kitchen with not much counter space, so the last thing that I am ever thinking is, “Hey, maybe I need more small appliances!”
And then one day I was chatting with my friend Annette who told me how much she loved hers.
Also, my daughter wanted one. It was right before Christmas (as I recall; there is always the chance that she might dispute this) so we decided to get her one. We got a small version, because if history predicts the future, this small appliance would be relegated to the shelves in my basement where old small appliances that are never used go to die, Keep reading
by Karen Creamer | Jan 24, 2023 | (it's all about the) food, Clarity, health
“I’d like a side of lead and cadmium with my dark chocolate”–
said nobody, ever.
I was paging through the February 2023 issue of Consumer Reports and discovered that these heavy metals are apparently exactly what I have been unknowingly getting. You know, in dark chocolate? The kind that is supposed to be “better for you” (p. 34)?
I think of the couple of bars of Green & Black’s that I have sitting in my desk drawer that are now going into the trash instead of my body. Before throwing them out, I looked at the Nutrition Facts label. Shockingly, lead and cadmium are missing from the list! I looked at the list of ingredients and once again, lead and cadmium are omitted. I wonder what other foods and products contain toxic ingredients that somehow never made it on the packages ingredients list. Keep reading
by Karen Creamer | Jan 8, 2023 | (it's all about the) food, Comfort, Connection, family, italian, recipes
I have been making Pastina for decades, since my children were babies. Back then, they called it “Stini”, and sometimes I still do. It was a quick, easy, comforting thing to eat and they loved it.
Making Pastina was also a tradition, because my mother and my grandmother made it for me when I was a baby and for all the years after that.
Over the past several months, I have been having trouble finding Pastina at the grocery store. I had quite a stash so I didn’t worry too much about this at first. I preferred Prince Pastina but decided that Barilla or Ronzoni would also be fine. Keep reading
by Karen Creamer | Jun 6, 2022 | (it's all about the) food, #getoutside, Connection, family, health
Have you ever eaten dandelions?
When I was little, my grandmother would send me out to the yard to pick dandelion leaves. After I brought them in, we’d put them in a large bowl and soak them in salt water, rinse, and then soak them again, and then soak them again (because third time is the charm), and then rinse well, making sure to get all the grit out.
When foraging outside, it’s important to pay attention to where the greens are located. For example: are they close to the road where car exhaust could adversely affect them? This time, I only had to venture to the back porch because this year, my husband made a planter with dandelions for me. Keep reading
Karen Creamer
