The first Valentine Day ever (for me) came on February 14, 1942. I don’t have a memory of any celebrations or card exchanges in all of our family before that time. Only with the start of school did the excitement of making valentines and giving them to classmates and family begin.
I remember how surprised and happy my mom and dad were when I presented them with a bit lopsided, but colorful heart, featuring a lace background made by folding a white sheet of paper over and over and cutting little holes and diamonds in it, until it was more holes than paper. We would have put Hallmark out of business in those days.
The image of the carefully decorated box with a slit in the top through which we’d mail our valentines at school until party day still comes to my mind, (if I take a moment or so to carefully search the old memory banks). Usually a couple of mothers would bring some heart shaped sugar cookies and bottles of chocolate milk to give a festive feeling to the day. That was also probably the first time I was exposed to doing anything by ‘vote’. We nominated a couple of classmates to play ‘postman’ (post person, now) and then we were given a chance to vote on a slip of paper and deposit in a bowl on the teacher’s desk. Since we were just six months into school, Mrs. Randal, the teacher, block printed the three names on the board, telling us who each one was. Quite the learning process…reading, printing and civics….all for a holiday!
Further along in school, third through sixth grades, we began to use the commercial valentines, those little things that came fifty assorted to a bag. How can I ever forget laying each one out, picking the best for that favorite boy and special good friends, and wondering if I should give any at all to some not so good friends. Of course, I’d quickly remember how bad it would be not to get any valentines, so I’d reluctantly write out one to everybody. It was at that time that we began to be social animals. We discovered that if we planned the parties, including the refreshments, they would be a bit more elaborate…thus more time off from studying! That’s just what we did. We contributed some cash toward decorations and a big sheet cake from the bakery. Parents would bring finger sandwiches and the ice cream and we went for Kool-Aid, served in a punch bowl, instead of milk. What fun!!
Naturally, junior high and high school brought significant others that meant fancy cards, candy and sometimes a ‘date’. There was always a Valentine Dance in the gym and we all took turns at decorating through the different years. It didn’t matter if you went stag, and girls danced with girls very easily then. Of course, girls were the best dancers! They practiced more, never lacking a partner. The boys…well, we’ll skip that. However, there was always that ‘special’ valentine, that ‘special’ dance partner, that very ‘special’ boy who grew to be my friend, my husband....
MY FOREVER VALENTINE
WE MET IN SCHOOL—
HE WAS MY FRIEND,
CUTE LITTLE VALENTINES WE’D SEND,
(AND WE’D SMILE AND TELL EACH OTHER, “COOL!”)
THE END OF SCHOOL—
WE SOON WERE LOVERS,
A LOVE THAT’S BEEN OUR VALENTINE,
(AND WE SMILE AND TELL EACH OTHER, “COOL!”)
WELL HE’S MY FRIEND,
AND HE’S MY LOVER,
I WON’T EVER NEED ANOTHER,
HE’S MY FOREVER VALENTINE!
DON’T NEED FLOWERS,
I DON’T WANT CANDY,
I’VE GOT A LOVER AND HE'S JUST DANDY,
HE’S MY FOREVER VALENTINE!
SO MANY YEARS SINCE WE MET IN SCHOOL!
STILL WE ARE LOVERS AND WE ARE FRIENDS,
VALENTINES OF ENDLESS LOVE WE SEND,
(AND WE SMILE AND TELL EACH OTHER, “COOL!”)
THIS LIFE TOGETHER, SO RICH AND FULL—
WE'RE VALENTINES UNTIL THE END,
OUR LOVE IS THE DAILY GIFT WE SEND,
(AND WE SMILE AND TELL EACH OTHER, “COOL!”)
WELL HE’S MY FRIEND,
AND HE’S MY LOVER,
I WON’T EVER NEED ANOTHER,
HE’S MY FOREVER VALENTINE!
DON’T NEED FLOWERS,
I DON’T WANT CANDY,
I’VE GOT A LOVER AND HE'S JUST DANDY,
HE’S MY FOREVER VALENTINE!
YES, HE’S MY FRIEND,
AND HE’S MY LOVER,
I WON’T EVER NEED ANOTHER,
HE’S MY FOREVER VALENTINE!
I’m trying to set the words to music with the help of one of our sons. If it works I’ll bring it here, if it doesn’t, it will always be a song in my heart.
Now on to more wonders of Valentine Days and Love.8-)
From the first year that My Forever Valentine and I were married, back in 1955, Rich always gave me a huge valentine, flowers or jewelry, and a great evening out. He’s always been my best valentine, the one with all the love built right in.
Later when we had the Little Italy Restaurant, Valentine Day was an especially busy evening and Rich and I were needed to keep things running smoothly. One year in the early seventies, when the dinner hour had died down and we could take a quiet booth back in the lounge, we celebrated with a special dinner of our own. It was a wonderful moment of candlelight, handholding, excellent service and of course, fantastic aromas and tastes.
I slipped off my heels under the table and Rich loosened his tie. We gave each other a sigh, a smile and a peck, happy with the way the day had gone, and began the meal I’d discussed earlier with Catherine our cook, by sipping a nice cold Reunite White and nibbling on a basket of the garlic toast for which we were famous. In a short time, two frigid shrimp cocktails with fiery red centers of sauce were placed in front of us by our favorite waitress, Carolyn, who knew the order of the day was ’slow and easy’ service. She set a plate of crackers and bread sticks between us, topped off the wine glasses and quietly went away.
When the cocktails were gone and water glasses low (I said the sauce was firey!), Carolyn appeared with a cup of steaming wedding soup for each of us. She filled the water glasses, checked the wine and went on her way. We enjoyed the soup, while remembering the story from which it got it’s name; it was the first course served at the big old-fashioned Italian wedding dinners in the days of yore. My mother never tired of telling us that her wedding dinner was the biggest, most extravagant one, our hometown had ever seen and everyone was invited!
Suddenly, there was Carolyn again, replacing the soup cups with chilled salad plates and forks. In the center of the table she placed an antipasto salad for two. A bed of mixed head lettuce, greens and sweet onions was crowned with pepperoni, salami, Italian ham, provolone cheese, 2 rolled anchovies with capers, some pepperonicini and drizzled all over with our own Italian dressing and a generous dusting of Parmesan cheese. A basket of crusty, warm Italian bread accompanied the luscious looking antipasto. Our bottle of Reunite White being finished, we switched to a basket bottle of Ruffino Chianti. Glasses filled, we carefully attacked the salad, making sure we both got some of each of the goodies.
When the salad was gone, Carolyn brought out two tiny liqueur glasses with a melon ball scoop of rainbow sherbet in each. Time to clear the palate and rest a bit until the next course.
About five or six minutes later, we could hear the hissing of a sizzle platter, see the steam rising and catch a hearty aroma of beef cooking, as Carolyn came carrying a huge tray, which she set on the tray stand near our table. On it were two sizzle platters with thick N.Y. strip steaks jumping with the heat. There were also two side orders of spaghetti, dripping with tomato sauce and bowl of fried greens, wafting garlic and crushed pepper aromas into the air. She placed the steaks and pasta in front of us and the greens between us, whipped out another basket of hot bread and topped off the wine glasses. Zip ~ she was gone! I told you she was good. What wonderful steaks! Red, juicy but warm in the middle and crispy on the outside, so tender you could use a butter knife if you needed to. The pasta and greens were a colorful and fragrant red and green salute to the day, and were just delicious! Not to be daunted, we toasted each other with the Chianti and enjoyed every bite of our main course.
Later--much later, Carolyn came by to remove the ravaged plates. She brought us demitasse of Café Sambuco to encourage digestion and we relaxed with little demented smiles on our faces.
On, No! We weren’t done yet! Out of the kitchen marched Carolyn and Bobby, each carrying a flaming mug of brandied strawberry ice cream. Everyone in the place ooo-ed and aaaahhhh-ed as the flames sparked in the dimly lit lounge. What a fitting end to a beautiful Valentine Dinner.
By now it was getting near to closing time and Catherine appeared out of the kitchen to say, “Go on home, you two. We’ll get it done just fine. Happy Valentines Day!” How sweet they all were, we had a goooood group of associates and friends there. Rich and I looked at each other, tipped everyone generously for their wonderful gift and went out into the crispy, snow-blown night to our cozy home and an even bigger celebration for lovers----(Rated R).
The next morning as we were having coffee, I said that our Valentine Dinner for Lovers was so wonderful, I thought we should reproduce it for the customers as a price fixe‘, reservations only, affair. Rich agreed and we came up with a menu and placed an ad or two in our local newspaper. It wasn’t long before there were reservations for every booth in the lounge on the weekends and many during the week. In fact, we seated some folks who wanted to have a special day, though we were full up in the lounge, out in the main dining room, which brought ‘more’ reservations! We carried the special for many months and even after we discontinued it, calls for reservations came in for a long time.
400 Degree Oven
Italian or French Bread (day old)
Cookie Sheet Well Oiled with Olive Oil
Salt, Pepper, Garlic Granules, Oregano Flakes, Parsley Flakes, Basil Flakes, Romano Cheese
Slice bread about 1½” thick. Stack Slices and Cut Each Stack in Sixths
Put cut bread on oiled sheet, toss and turn with a spatula a bit. Sprinkle with all of the seasonings, generously. Toss and turn again. Place in preheated oven, bake about 5 minutes, turn again. Continue until well browned all over, but not burned; another 10 minutes or so, depending on how full the sheet is. If you stay close and turn the bread often, this can be done under a broiler, about 5 inches from the flame. Done in about 5 minutes.
Shrimp Cocktail with Fiery Sauce
2 Large Goblets Chilled in Freezer
2 Seafood or Salad Forks Chilled in Freezer
2 Cups Diced Head Lettuce Wash, Pat Dry and Chill at least one hour.
10 Jumbo Shrimp with tails (you can buy these already cleaned and cooked) Keep in bowl in iced water in refrigerator until needed
4 Wedges of Lemon
Fiery Sauce
1 C Catsup * 2 T Horseradish * 1 tsp Worcestershire
½ tsp Mustard * 2 T Lemon Juice * 1 tsp Tabasco (+/- to taste)
Mix all together very well. Cover & Refrigerate until needed.
TO SERVE: Drain very cold shrimp in colander.
Put one cup of lettuce into each chilled goblet. Make a well in the lettuce and spoon about 1/4C Sauce into it. Drape 5 shrimp around each goblet, tails down, top on lettuce. Slit the lemon wedges to slip on to the rim of the goblet. This can be done about 20 minutes before serving, if stored in refrigerator.
Antipasto For Two
1 Chilled Oblong Serving Platter
2 Chilled Salad Plates
2 Chilled Salad Forks
2 C Mixed head lettuce and greans, chopped, washed, pat dry & chilled one hour
2 Slices Sweet Onion Separated into Rings, soak in cold water & chilled one hour
4 Slices Pepperoni * 2 Slices Salami, Stripped * 2 Slices Provolone Stripped
2 Thin Slices Italian or Regular Ham, rolled * 2 Small Pepperoncini
2 Rolled Anchovies with Capers * 1 Hard Boiled Egg, Shelled and Halved
4 Extra Large Pitted Black Olives * 4 Large Spanish Olives
1 C Italian Dressing served on the side.
Place lettuce and greens on a large oblong platter. Apportion onion slices evenly over surface. Arrange Meat and Cheeses attractively on top, with Egg Halves in the middle and Olives, Anchovies and Pepperoncini around the egg halves. Sprinkle with Grated Parmesan or Romano Cheese. Serve with Tongs or Serving Spoon and Fork.
Italian Fried Greens
Skillet
3 T Olive Oil
1 Bag Frozen Spinach or Mustard Greens, Thawed and Squeezed Very Dry
(or use fresh “steamed” greens)
2 T Minced Garlic * 1T Salt * 1 T Crushed Hot Red Pepper Flakes
Heat Oil in Skillet. Add the Greens, stir and separate. Immediately add the Garlic, Salt and Crushed Pepper. Stir and fry over medium heat until greens and garlic are tender, glossy and aromatic. Taste and add salt and crushed pepper to your taste.
Serve in attractive bowl.
(Recipes for Wedding Soup and Italian Dressing can be found at Cooking Up Christmas Day Supper.)
Strawberry Ice Cream Flambe’
2 Heavy Beer Goblets (not mugs) frozen in freezer
2 Iced Teaspoons, chilled
Long Fireplace Match for Flaming
4 Medium Scoops of good grade Strawberry Ice Cream
4 Oz Brandy or any Liqueur preferred that will flame.
Heat brandy in small pan until quite warm.
Place 2 Scoops of Ice Cream one on top of another into each Goblet.
(Can be done earlier and stored in freezer)
AT TABLE: Carefully Light Brandy in pan with the long handled match.
Let Brandy flame about 5 seconds. Carefully Pour flaming brandy in equal amounts over ice cream in the goblets. Serve.
Café Sambuco
Demitasse Cups
Pot of Espresso Coffee
Sambuco Liqueur
Espresso Coffee Beans if available (or any coffee bean)
Fill Cups ¾ full of Espresso Coffee
Add a Healthy Splash of SAMBUCO (or OUZO or ANNISETTE)
Serve Coffee Beans on the side to chew while sipping CAFÉ.
Repeat as needed!
Firstly, I want to thank all you folks for your comments and congratulations while I've been away with the 'cold fingers' annoyance. It's still too cold for me here, and the gloves are on, but some days I just have to get at and suffer through it, if I want to get done what my mission is here on this blog. heheheh
Anyway, Reba asked if there were any suggestions to help her 'bland' beef stew, and since I've never made anything that I could classify as 'bland' in my life--[I ALWAYS taste and season as I go, even following a recipe, and bland is not my favorite taste. 8-)], I thought I'd put up all the recipes I've got for any of my readers who are 'IN A STEW'! ENJOY!
BEEF STEW
1 LB STEWING BEEF OR CHUCK CUT IN CUBES
1/2 C FLOUR * 1 TSP PAPRIKA * 1 TSP SALT * 1/2 TSP BLACK PEPPER
PUT ALL OF ABOVE IN A BAG AND SHAKE UNTIL BEEF IS WELL COATED RESERVE REMAINING FLOUR IN BAG
BROWN BEEF IN A STEW POT IN 1/4 C OIL UNTIL LIGHTLY BROWNED
SPRINKLE REST OF FLOUR OVER BEEF AND CONTINUE BROWNING, STIRRING UNTIL FLOUR IS WELL ABSORBED
SLOWLY ADD 2 QTS WATER STIRRING CONSTANTLY AND SCRAPING PAN WELL
ADD 2 T BEEF BASE OR BOULLION CUBES * 1 BAY LEAF * 1 T GARLIC GRANULES * 1 LARGE ONION, CHOPPED
SIMMER AT LEAST ONE HOUR AND UNTIL BEEF IS TENDER
ADD 2 CARROTS SLICED 1/2 INCH DIAGONALLY * 3 MEDIUM POTATOES, CUBED * 2 STALKS CELERY SLICED 1/2 INCH DIAGONALLY
SIMMER UNTIL CARROTS AND POTATOES ARE JUST TENDER
ADD 1 CAN OF PEAS OR 1 BOX FROZEN PEAS
SIMMER UNTIL HEATED THROUGH
BISQUICK DUMPLINGS MAY BE COOKED ON TOP AT THIS TIME.....OR
POUR STEW INTO CASSEROLE, PLACE IN OVEN WITH BISCUITS ON STEW TO BAKE
(STEW CAN ALSO BE SERVED WITH CRUSTY BREAD INSTEAD OF THE ABOVE)
SLICED ONIONS SPRINKLED WITH SALT ARE EXCELLENT ON THE SIDE OR A TOSSED SALAD WITH OIL & VINEGAR DRESSING
ITALIAN BEEF STEW
1 LB STEWING BEEF OR CHUCK CUT IN CUBES
1/2 C FLOUR * 1 TSP PAPRIKA * 1 TSP SALT * 1/2 TSP BLACK PEPPER
PUT ALL OF ABOVE IN A BAG AND SHAKE UNTIL BEEF IS WELL COATED RESERVE REMAINING FLOUR IN BAG
BROWN BEEF IN A STEW POT IN 1/4 C OIL UNTIL LIGHTLY BROWNED
SPRINKLE REST OF FLOUR OVER BEEF AND CONTINUE BROWNING, STIRRING UNTIL FLOUR IS WELL ABSORBED
SLOWLY ADD 1 QT WATER STIRRING CONSTANTLY AND SCRAPING PAN WELL
ADD 2 T BEEF BASE OR BOULLION CUBES * 1 BAY LEAF * 1 T GARLIC GRANULES * 1 LARGE ONION, CHOPPED * 1 T CRUSHED BASIL * 1 T PARSLEY FLAKES *
1 15OZ CAN TOMATO SAUCE
STIR WELL, COVER AND SIMMER AT LEAST ONE HOUR AND UNTIL BEEF IS TENDER
ADD 2 CARROTS SLICED 1/2 INCH DIAGONALLY * 3 MEDIUM POTATOES, CUBED * 2 STALKS CELERY SLICED 1/2 INCH DIAGONALLY
SIMMER UNTIL CARROTS AND POTATOES ARE JUST TENDER
ADD 1 CAN OF PEAS OR 1 BOX FROZEN PEAS * 1 CAN YELLOW WAX BEANS(DRAINED)
SIMMER UNTIL HEATED THROUGH
CRUSTY BREAD AND SLICED ONIONS SPRINKLED WITH SALT ARE EXCELLENT ON THE SIDE OR A TOSSED SALAD WITH OIL & VINEGAR DRESSING
VEAL STEW
1 LB STEWING VEAL OR BONED VEAL LEG CUT IN CUBES
1/2 C FLOUR * 2 T PAPRIKA * 1 TSP SALT * 1/2 TSP BLACK PEPPER
PUT ALL OF ABOVE IN A BAG AND SHAKE UNTIL BEEF IS WELL COATED RESERVE REMAINING FLOUR IN BAG
BROWN VEAL IN A STEW POT IN 1/4 C OIL UNTIL LIGHTLY BROWNED
SPRINKLE REST OF FLOUR OVER VEAL AND CONTINUE BROWNING, STIRRING UNTIL FLOUR IS WELL ABSORBED
SLOWLY ADD 2 QTS WATER STIRRING CONSTANTLY AND SCRAPING PAN WELL
ADD 2 T CHICKEN BASE OR BOULLION CUBES * 1 BAY LEAF * 1 T GARLIC GRANULES * 1 LARGE ONION, CHOPPED
SIMMER AT LEAST ONE HOUR AND UNTIL VEAL IS TENDER AND BROTH IS THICK
ADD 2 CARROTS SLICED 1/2 INCH DIAGONALLY * 3 MEDIUM POTATOES, CUBED * 2 STALKS CELERY SLICED 1/2 INCH DIAGONALLY
SIMMER UNTIL CARROTS AND POTATOES ARE JUST TENDER
ADD 1 CAN OF PEAS OR 1 BOX FROZEN PEAS
SIMMER UNTIL HEATED THROUGH
THIS STEW IS NOT A DARK BROWN, BUT A VERY LIGHT COLOR GRAVY
CRUSTY BREAD AND SALTY SLICED ONIONS ARE AGAIN IN ORDER
LAMB STEW
(LIGHT BROWN GRAVY)
PREPARE AS THE VEAL STEW ABOVE, USING 1 LB LAMB STEW MEAT CUBED
THIS IS ALSO A LIGHT GRAVY STEW.
LAMB BREAST STEW
(TOMATO GRAVY)
PREPARE AS THE ITALIAN BEEF STEW ABOVE, USING 2 LBS LEAN LAMB BREAST CUT INTO THREE INCH PIECES AND USING CHICKEN BASE OR BOULLION CUBES INSTEAD OF BEEF WHERE INDICATED.
IRISH STEW
PREPARE AS VEAL STEW ABOVE, USING 1/2 LB. VEAL STEW MEAT AND 1/2 LB LAMB STEW MEAT CUT IN CUBES. GRAVY SHOULD BE LIGHT AND THICK WHEN DONE.
SOMETIMES I ADD MORE PAPRIKA AND 1 C SOUR CREAM TO THIS AT THE END AND HEAT TO STEAMING. IT COMES OUT LIKE A RICH PAPRIKASH TO SERVE OVER THICK NOODLES. YUM! YUM!
So, hurry up and cook these now, while it is still the chill of winter. They are wonderful 'comfort food' for the tummy and the heart! Dinty Moore never had it so good! 8-)
I wrote this piece five years ago, on February 5, 2002 (a super bowl Sunday--when we could call it "Super Bowl Sunday". We had traveled to Mission Viejo, CA to join in the celebration of my aunt Elizabeth's (Lizzie) 90th birthday. There was a large crowd of relatives at the dinner reception and we all enjoyed the hours, even with the men folks taking turns to go out to the bar to check the game score! My cousins had asked me if I would write and read a little something about Aunt Lizzie, and I was pleased and happy to do so.
Time has flown, in the way that time has of doing, and Monday, Aunt Lizzie will be 95, may she be BLESSED! I can't make it there this year, but I will sing her Happy Birthday over the phone, and I hope her birthday card reaches her today. However, she is still fairly alert, and physically well. She knows everybody, but still forgets the little short term memory things. She is mobil without use of a cane or walker, and still likes a beer with her dinner, and a 'sweet' after it. In other words, she is still what has us all.....
Copyright
February 5, 2002
LOVING LIZZIE
Ninety Years! Some would say it is so old! Yet at 65 I know it passes as the blinking of an eye. The wonder is not to have lived to ninety; the wonder is to have reached ninety and be so beloved. That is what we are doing here today. Celebrating the ninety years of love that have enfolded our dear sister, mother, grandmother, aunt, cousin and friend, Elizabeth Falvo Argenziano, known to me affectionately as Aunt Lizzie. Today I want to share some memories that I carry, just to show you why it is so easy, Loving Lizzie.
From a family of eleven children born to Ralph and Mildred Falvo, five girls and 3 boys survived into adulthood. Lizzie’s capacity for love started very early. I have heard the story of her beloved little sister Stella many times. Aunt Liz took her on as a special little one, caring for her like a mother, even though she was a child still herself. Stella died from diphtheria and some say the bungling of a neighborhood midwife, when she was quite young. Each time the tale was told, tears welled up in Aunt Lizzie’s eyes for the loss of that child.
Uncle Mike could tell us about the special relationship he had with Aunt Lizzie. She coddled him and bought him clothes with money she earned from working in a clothing store in downtown Sharon. If he were here today, Uncle Al could repeat how many times he sat at her kitchen table on Seventh St., eating the goodies she’d make especially because she knew he liked them.
I remember when Aunt Liz lived on Milliken Avenue. I would head up Church St. after Catechism on Tuesday afternoons, and always ended up having dinner at their house and playing with Joanne until Uncle Joe drove me back down to Main St. in the evening. Everyone on Milliken knew her. She was always a better neighbor than I have ever been, much like my mother.
Aunt Lizzie was especially close to my mother, Mary. We lived from the time I was 10, right next door to each other on Seventh St. -- 334 and 328 to be exact. Those homes were built when it was so difficult to get material after World War II. I remember both families driving to Franklin to hook up with a man who sold hardwood flooring and brick. And what battles we had with Mr. Johnson to stay sober long enough to finish our stone fireplaces! We all had gardens, and passed veggies back and forth as the season went on. Anything Aunt Lizzie baked, we got some. Anything mom cooked, they got some. It was almost like having a family compound, those growing up years on Seventh St. You know of course, that the family that eats together, meets together?
I probably wouldn’t be here today, reading this tale, if it weren’t for Aunt Lizzie. I was always interested in cooking, from a very early age. The only problem was that my mom wouldn’t let me near the stove. Right after we’d all moved up on the hill, mom went to work for Ambriola’s and I was left home alone on a Saturday afternoon. Hmmmm, what better time to bake a cake? So, I went over to the gas stove, turned on the oven and put the match down into the hole to light it, and then proceeded to mix up the chocolate cake that’s on the Hershey Cocoa box (my favorite, even until today).
A few minutes into the mixing, I could see Aunt Lizzie walking down the steps from their lot to ours, proceeding to our house. All I could think of was "Uh Oh, busted!"
She came in and asked what I was doing. What else? "Baking a cake."
"Did you light the oven?" and she sniffed suspiciously.
"Surrrre I did!"
She went over to the oven, and of course, it wasn’t lit. But, the gas WAS on! She didn’t yell, though, just turned off the oven and waited a few minutes while I kept mixing the cake. Then she lit the oven and waited to get the cake out for me. I don’t know if she ever told my mother. I’d like to think not. But, when I got older and realized what could have happened, because you KNOW I would have tried to relight that oven...that’s why I’ve been partial to electric stoves ever since.
Time marched on. We had family picnics at the Buhl Park, while the first ever BBQ grill in our whole family was bought by Uncle Joe, and we barbequed at Aunt Liz’s. Will we ever forget those first chicken breasts, burned on the outside, pink on the inside? But it got better. We all learned that it was STEAK that was supposed to be charred on the outside, pink on the inside!
When they put a piano in their garage for my cousin, Joanne, Aunt Lizzie tolerated me going over and banging on it for hours as I taught myself to read and play.
She made little finger sandwiches every time ‘Little’ Joanne, Carol Pancioni and I performed our musical ‘shows’ in Pancioni’s garage. Isn’t it funny? I directed and acted and the three of us practiced our hearts out, while dressing room stars danced in our heads. Who gets on the real world stage? CARMEN, who only wanted to eat something with a fork.
We had parties for about every occasion in the cellar of her house or ours. She and my mom cooked and baked themselves sick for those occasions. Maybe that’s why we all ended up in the restaurant business…making money doing what we knew and liked to do best, feeding the multitudes. And it wasn’t just fishes and loaves! Still the amount of food that we produced was miraculous.
You had to be there to appreciate going to the drive-in movies with Aunt Lizzie and family. I did a couple of times and it was like a picnic in a car. The refreshment stand didn’t get any business from us! Various bags & boxes came along, sporting pepperoni, crusty bread, olives, cheese and plenty of drinks. Now rumor has it that she did it for movies at the Columbia and Nuluna Theaters, also, but I’ll never tell! It must have been addictive, because when Aunt Lizzie comes to visit in Vegas, our favorite breakfast is pepperoni, olives, cheese and crusty bread!
I went to high school, graduated, got married. Aunt Lizzie & Uncle Joe were the folks who picked Rich & I up at Pittsburgh airport on Christmas Eve, 1956. We were coming home from an 18 month army stint in Honolulu. I was about a month pregnant with Lori. They were godparents to Lori and also to Philip. And I believe they were godparents to half the Shenango Valley. Every time I make Bunny Scenari’s two hour nut roll, I chuckle remembering what a big family they had and how many of their kids were Aunt Lizzie’s godchildren. My memory may be a bit hazy on this, but I believe it was the Alcaro family that accounted for another bunch of godchildren.
Rich and I rented the upstairs apartment of Aunt Liz’s house for about a year. She was there for support in a very rough emotional time for me, keeping an eye on me during the day when Rich & my mom had to work. I don’t know if she remembers that, but I do when I think about Loving Lizzie.
She worked with us at Little Italy in the Plaza for a time and then worked most of the night shifts at the Middlesex Diner which they owned for a lot of years. While there, she fed many hungry stragglers and family members off the cuff. She is a firm believer in what goes around, comes around, building many friends and much love in the process.
Through the years since I moved to Las Vegas, we’ve played slots together at the Cortez, eaten prime rib in Roberta’s Café, made chamels, exchanged squid sauce recipes, put jigsaw puzzles together, played cards and just reminisced in her visits there. There isn’t a couple of weeks that go by without phone calls between Las Vegas and Mission Viejo, just to keep touch and to give Lizzie my love.
What a gift for Aunt Lizzie to have two young, bright little grandsons around her in her later years. I know she loves all of her children and grandchildren, but there is some quirk in the Falvo family that makes their eyes light up for the boys, especially so for Aunt Liz. (And she thought I didn’t notice!) I know a daughter is a daughter for all of your life, but there is something about the boys, even after they take a wife, that none of us daughters can explain. So we live with it. It is a truism, therefore, that Joey & Tony are a veritable life force for Aunt Lizzie, as has been Pete in all these years. Of course there is no question that she loves the sweetness of Lilibet and Mia. How could she not, for to be Lizzie is to love.
The years have continued moving on and by cracky, I’ve gotten older. I find myself, on occasion, standing in the middle of the kitchen and wondering why the heck I’m there! It doesn’t surprise me, therefore, that at 90 Aunt Lizzie, although feisty and loving life, has trouble remembering what she had for breakfast. I figure my day is coming also, should I make it beyond 66. That’s why I’ve written all of this down. To have as a base in the forgetful years, enabling us to remember that we were here and why we were here, Loving Lizzie today in celebration of her 90th year among us.
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