Happy Friday! Admittedly, August is a hard month for me, mostly because I lost both my grandparents and my father in this month. That being said, what better way to close out the month and remember them by posting a few recipes I grew up with and continue to make.
I was adopted at 8 months into a wonderful Sicilian-German-American family and feel blessed every day. While I don’t look like a typical Italian, I grew up with Italian sausages and sweet peppers on the grill, bread and red sauce for dipping on the side. Being from Chicago, the first thing I eat when I go back isn’t the pizza, it’s an Italian beef sandwich that’s dipped with sweet and hot. (If you ever have one that’s how you want to get it.) I remember my grandma making her sauce for days and the homemade raviolis every year at Thanksgiving. My aunts would lay them out to dry for three days on foil. It was certainly a project.
I can’t make the sauce the way she could. No one really can! My aunt to this day says grandma held out on her, and I believe it. Grandmas cook with love, not necessarily by the tablespoon. “A little bit of this,” as she would say. She just knew what do to, and as everyone knows Grandmas do it better.
Onto the recipes. As Carlo and Jenny (my grandparents) would say: “Keep it Simple.” They came over in the 1920s during the depression, so these are designed to feed your belly in a wonderful and mostly cost-effective way. I miss them every day. Thanks for continuing to look down from above and watch out for me. Good luck on the cooking!
Chicken Wings – Grandma Style
-(1) can frozen orange juice (no pulp)
-(1) egg
-(1) container of breadcrumbs
-(1) 2.5 lb standard bag of chicken wings
-Lots of butter
-Standard Casserole Pan
-(Double up if making more)
-Sidenote: Green bean casserole is a great side dish for this
Directions
-Preheat oven to 350
-Butter casserole pan generously (remember Grandma didn’t have specific amounts)
-Make sure chicken wings and frozen orange juice are thawed (juice can still be cold)
-Mix egg and 1/2 of orange juice in bowl
-Dip chicken wings in egg mixture, then roll in bread crumbs until covered and place in pan
-45 minutes total cook time, flip halfway through
Pasta with Peas
-(1) box of Ditalini pasta
-(1) can of Italian stewed tomatoes
-(1) can of sweet peas
Directions
-Mix peas and tomatoes and heat
-Boil pasta – once done mixed
(If you screw this up I strongly recommend delivery for the rest of your life!)
Ben Maggio is the Sports Business Development Manager for Nevada Sports Net and occasionally writes for the website. You contact him at bemaggio@sbgtv.com.
Dining and Cooking