You gotta have friends. and family. Family are usually the best friends to have, as they have been with you since the beginning. My sisters Diana and Juliette and I were the closest, as Little Mo, was, well, little. My good friends from the block, and sorority sisters remained good friends for many years after high school. We used to have dinner parties at each other homes, with a lot of fun and laughter, and yes, of course food. Diana was married to Joey S, and lived in Woodhaven. When they moved out of their apartment in Forest Hills, Al and I took over the lease and moved in, by which time I was pregnant again. Diana was also pregnant with her second child, at that time.
One of every one's favorite dishes I made at our dinner parties was Veal Parmigiana, so, I will share that with you now:
Veal ( or Chicken)) Parmigiana
Ingredients 2 pounds veal cutlets ( or chicken )
½ cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs
2 to 3 cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs, as needed
Kosher salt, as needed
Black pepper, as needed
Olive oil, for frying
5 cups Simple Tomato Sauce or 1 Jar of good Tomato Sauce
1 cup finely grated Parmesan, preferably Parmigiano-Reggiano
½ pound mozzarella, torn into bite-sized pieces, shredded or sliced
1 tsp Oregano
Preparation
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place cutlets between two pieces of parchment or plastic wrap. Using a kitchen mallet or rolling pin, pound meat to even 1/4-inch-thick slices. Place bread crumbs and eggs into two wide, shallow bowls. Beat the eggs.
Season meat with salt and pepper. Dip a piece into the eggs, then coat with bread crumbs. Repeat until all the meat is coated. Fill a large skillet with 1/2-inch oil. Place over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, fry cutlets in batches, turning halfway through, until golden brown.
Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Spoon a thin layer of sauce over the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Sprinkle one-third of the Parmesan over sauce. Place half of the cutlets over the Parmesan and top with half the mozzarella pieces. Top with half the remaining sauce, sprinkle with another third of the Parmesan, and repeat layering, ending with a final layer of sauce and Parmesan. Sprinkle the oregano on top.
Transfer pan to oven and bake until cheese is golden and casserole is bubbling, about 20-30 minutes. Let cool a few minutes before serving. Serve over spaghetti, or rice, with a salad and some good
Italian Bread.
A few months after Brian was born, I asked my friends, " Shouldn't I have had a period by now, after having the baby?" Yes, we think so. Well, yes, this time I did not have to fake being married, as the doctor confirmed I was indeed pregnant. Remember that guy that left with his wife and baby from the hospital, that said to us as they left, " See you all next year!", and my thinking oh HELL NO you won't! I was there, but, saw no sign of that guy or his wife! One day during the pregnancy, Diana and I went to the movies with my parents. We both laughed as we were wearing the same maternity blouses.
Al was not " sick" during this period of time, as he was already working regularly with the USPS, in the town he grew up in, and his parents still lived there. I went about my business being a wife and mother, and the pregnancy was easy. We lived over a bakery, and the streets were full of stores.
One day, as I was very pregnant, and ironing two of Al's dress shirts that were cotton, I started getting annoyed, as the part that had just been ironed, would start wrinkling as it dangled. I finally took both shirts, and wrapped them up with the iron, marched ( or waddled) to my apartment door, opened it and went to the incinerator chute ( where the trash would drop to the bins in the bottom floor of this building) , and dropped the shirts and iron into it, and listened to the satisfying bam, bam, bang! they made on their way down the 5 flights to the trash bins. Smiling to myself, I walked back into my apartment, and sat down. Of course, some time later, Al asked about his shirts, when I replied as to their demise, and to never purchase all cotton shirts again. He never did.
When I got angry, and sometimes I did, I would throw objects at him. My aim is terrible. I rarely hit him, especially if he was in motion, which when he knew what was coming, he WAS moving. I realized after a while, that this was not a good thing, and I was breaking some stuff I liked. I think the last time I threw something at him, was, near the end of that pregnancy, when I asked him to go to the bakery, and bring back some fresh Kaiser rolls, to make egg and bacon sandwiches for breakfast. That is all I asked.. the bakery was across the street. Did he bring back rolls from the bakery, while I made those eggs, and bacon? Well, no, dear, there was a line, so, I went a block up the road, and got these day old, in a plastic bag rolls from the grocery store. Seriously? Up into my hand, went the entire platter of freshly made eggs and bacon, and hurled into the space between us, where, of course he bobbed and weaved, and the platter hit the wall behind him, and all the contents slid into the fish tank we had in front of that wall, making the Jack Dempsey's and catfish extremely happy for a few minutes.
Guess who went to the bakery now? Yes, yes, he did, and he stood in line. Do NOT mess with a pregnant woman when she wants a specific thing. just do it. " Yes Dear, Honey, Sweetheart, Darling, Love, I will be right back!" When you do come back, you had better have IT!
We used to go upstate NY to a place called Ball to go apple picking, when my 2 sons were young, and when I was pregnant for the 3rd time, I said, " Gee, I sure wish I had some of the donuts we got when up by the orchard.. you know, the fresh ones that were still warm at that little hole in the wall place?" Mind you, we lived in Valley Stream, at that time, but... he said.. or close to it, " Yes Dear, Honey, Sweetheart, Darling, Love, I will be right back!" ( He was right back too, 6 hours later, and with the donuts, which were not warm anymore.. uh oh...) I was a bit more mellow at that time, and as I said, I was not into throwing stuff at that time. I think I ate one, and when he was not looking, I threw the rest out when he was not looking. It is the thought that counts, right? ( or is it fear of flying objects, and my aim getting better?)
Actually, my aim never got better. I can catch though. One time a fly was flying in front of me, and I reached out and snatched him out of the air as he flew. That surprised the heck out of me, I can tell you, but, I bet the fly was like WTF??? He lived. I let him go out of the house, since he was lucky enough not to be squished when I caught him, I figured his time was not up.
We had a cat named Leopard, due to his spots, and we called him Leo. He was a cool cat, well loved, and smart. My brother in Law, had told me during my gall bladder recovery, that cats could NOT be trained. I was determined to prove that Know It All a thing or two. I had time on my hands, and I trained Leo to fetch, sit, lay down, give me his paw, but, the coolest thing he did, was teach himself to play " soccer". I would make an aluminum foil ball, and toss it to him. He would start to bat it with his paws, and then hit it against the stairs, for a few minutes, then bring it to me to toss again. Clever, right?
Then the lil scoundrel, would drop it just a bit further away from me each time, so that I had to get up to throw it again. If I did not get up, because I realized he was now " training me to do a trick", he would get it and drop it at my feet. Smart.
After I gave birth to my twins, I sat on the couch to introduce them to the C.A.T, and Leo sat between myself and Al, each holding one of the girls. He suddenly got all squinty eyed, and mean looking, and slowly he raised his paw to smack one of the babies on her head. I hollered, " Leo! Don't you dare! Never hurt these babies, Never!" He lowered his paw, and put it to his mouth and licked himself, as if to say that was his intention all along. Hah!
He never did hurt those babies. The girls would crawl along and lay on him to make him stay put, or they would reach for him under the bed, and pull him by the tail to drag him out, but, he never hurt those babies. My son, Brian, on the other hand did nothing to disturb Leo, but, the cat would sit on a dresser near the doorway, and poor Brian would walk by and that cat would smack him on the back of the head as he passed. Brian would say, " What did I do? " I would tell him, nothing, you must be the payback for what the girls do."""
Well, going back to Labor Day, with my second child, we had another boy, 10 pounds, 11 ounces we named Michael Adam. The labor room nurse gave me an anesthesia mask to use when the pain was unbearable. She said to take a small breath, and she would then move it away from me. I had 3 puffs, when I grabbed her hand, and the mask over my face, I let her know very clearly, that, " If you move that mask one more time, you will be laying on the table next to me." She let go, and I sucked in that gas. Remember the dude who told me last year, he would see me next year? He wasn't there, but, I sure was. I brought Michael home on Brian's first birthday, and while they became and still are the best of friends, Brian did not like his present that day.
Michael was given Al's dad's middle name, as Brian was given mine, especially since Al's dad was Aloysius Adam, and there was no way I was calling my son Aloysius. Nope. He was a healthy big baby, and the nurse's from the nursery came to see me the first day, and said." We just wanted to see the woman that gave birth to the only baby in the nursery who is already raising his head above the bassinet and looking around. He was big, and that boy was hungry.
I nursed him until the day he got his first tooth, about 6 months old. That child bit me, and oooh that hurt! So, I gently told him not to bite mommy again ( because he was already so smart, he got that..), and then he bit me again, and I swear.. he smiled. Um, no more breast feeding for you! A few days later, I was eating a hamburger, with him in my lap, and he reached over and took a bite. I was like whoa!!! Yes, he was ready for some real food, lol.
Speaking of real food, tonight for dinner I made Country Fried Cube Steaks:
Ingredients:
- 2-3 lbs cube steak ( I made 4, and did not season 1, as after I cooked it, I cut it up for the dog, mixed with her Nutrish Simply 6)
- garlic powder
- minced onion
- salt and pepper
- season all salt
- cayenne pepper (optional) ( I opted)
- flour
- 2 eggs
- whatever oil you prefer to cook with
- 2 tbsp butter
Lay out your cube steaks on a tray( I used the tray they came in) and season them well on both sides Seasoned salt and pepper.
In one large shallow bowl whisk two eggs with 1/2cup of milk. In another large shallow bowl/container mix about 1 1/2 cups of flour with some more pepper, minced onion, and (cayenne pepper optional)
Dip a piece of cube steak and dip it in the egg mixture, making sure to fully coat the entire piece, then
dip the steak in the flour mixture, making sure to fully coat it, then repeat these 2 steps, and set aside.Heat up enough cooking oil to cover the large frying pan to about 1/4 inch depth. When oil is hot, carefully put in each cubed steak, without crowding the pan. Cook for about 2-3 mins on each side, checking to see if they are getting a nice brown on the down side, and then flip and cook for another 2-3 mins, checking the down side for doneness. Remove to a paper towel lined plate.
Carefully remove all but 2 tbsps of the drippings from the pan, and add either one of these:
2 tbs of butter, stir in the drippings, scraping up the brown bits in pan, then add 1/3 cup of flour, and stir in to make a roux ( thick paste). Carefully add in while whisking /mixing 2 cups of milk, stirring, or whisking constantly to incorporate without lumps. Continue heating and stirring, until you have a very creamy gravy, that is golden brown. OR
Mix a batch of Pepper Gravy Mix, White Gravy mix, Country Gravy mix, etc. I use this from GFS:
Mixed with cold water, then added to the fat and brown bits in the pan, stir until blended over low heat, and then
Magic perfect gravy.
Serve with mashed potatoes. I used red skin potatoes, cooked in salted water in the microwave for about 20-25 minutes, Mashed with a few tbs of butter, a 1/4 milk, salt and pepper, and 
Add a veggie, or salad, top with your gravy.
Husband, kids, and dog approved.. right Daffy?
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