Happy Mother's Day to all who have given a piece of themselves to raising children.  It's a selfless
act that needs to be given attention on every day, especially on Mother's Day, which in the U.S.
is celebrated on the Second Sunday of May.  Coming as it does when Spring is in full bloom, it's a
colorful and happy day, and for those whose time with their mothers is over, a day to remember
all those good things she did for you.  Like cook.  See, every AFOODOBSESSION post will alway
contain something to nibble on...At the risk of sounding cliche' and like every chef/foodie/cook
bio, my mother was the first inspiration for my cooking.  She was quasi-gourmet, within our
blue collar family budget, she was old school Italian, she was International and loved to try something
new and different, she was as American as Apple Pie with many of her dishes..a typical housewife
from 1843 until she passed away in 1999.  As she got older, unfortunately, the doctors scared her into
cooking with less of the traditional products and more of the "lighter" ones...her turkey meatballs were
awful..she'd make them the same way she would make the beef, pork, and veal ones we all loved, but,
(come on foodie police, let's debate this one)..the turkey ones turned out as hard as a super ball, some-
what chewy, no give..my nieces and nephews would always ask if they were going to be Grandma's
real meatballs, which we all loved, or the health conscious turkey ones...ughhh.  So, before I'm jumped
by those who think I'm saying turkey as an alternative to lots of beef and pork, let's get this straight, there
is no way those meatballs will ever be similiar..why?  Poultry meat and Beef/Pork are very very different in their make up and texture.  The look, feel, and taste different.  Whatever is in beef or pork (it's the fat
content) that makes meatballs sing, is not present in chicken or turkey.  Poor Mom, she thought we liked
them...we didn't.  BTW, i have made decent turkey meatballs, BUT, the proportions and ingredients are
completely tweeked...no, they are not the same as a beef/pork one, but with a little tweekingthey are
passable.  If I'm looking to cut back, I'll just not make meatballs, and do the things that chicken and
turkey are much better at, like grill, roast, pan saute' and fry. etc.  Sorry Mom...I knew your heart was in
the right place, but....
     I realize and am grateful everyday for the family I was given.  Mom, both Grandmothers, and my
Grandfather all valued food as something that should always be special, whether it be a snack or
a meal. I learned much from my paternal Grandmother, there was never enough she could give you, she
always gave that PLUS more...especially when it came to food she prepared.  Her ticket into heaven was
surely the weekly meals and desserts she'd send three doors up from her house, to St.Michael's R.C.
Church, Mariner's Harbor, SI, where the priests there must have felt very fortunate to have Mrs. Josephine
(Giuseppa) Battaglia living so close.
Born in Sicily she made a sweet sauce for her macaroni with potato and peas in it..Everything was
cooked in her black iron skillet, from Pancakes to Sausage and Peppers to Veal Cutlets.  A great
big Mother's Day thank you for your love and cooking Grandma!
And, while my Mother is up there as primary reason for my passion for cooking...I will have to nod
just a little higher to my maternal grandparents, Maria Adelina Melito and Innocenzo Scaramuzzi,
from Avellino and Basilicata in the deep South of Italy.  At their hands I learned most of the technique
and seasoning which most of my Italian cooking, and other cuisines, that I use today.  Watching
Grandpa on a Saturday morning was a cooking class that no money can buy.  At the time I had no
idea I would morph into AFOODOBESSION, I was enthralled by whatever he and Grandma cooked.


So on this Mother's Day, I'm reflecting on certain things I learned from the Mother's of my youth...from Mom,
pretty much everything..especially adding a little water or milk to the meatball mixture to lighten it up, from
Mom and Grandma Scaramuzzi, always garlic in a tomato sauce with no meat, and only onion in a sauce
that contains meat, from Grandma Battaglia, always add lots of sugar and orange to a pitcher of cold
espresso, then lots of ice for the best Iced Coffee, ever..Sicilian style.  There is so much more to list, but,
in every one of my posts, they are all there..in a pinch of this, a glug of that...It's Mother's Day every day in
our kitchen, as their ways find a home in our cooking, as I share it with the best mother of all, the mother of
my children, thanks Deb, and Happy Mother's Day!