The Sauce

No one ever said life is easy, but I believe by giving yourself permission you will find you have more control over your life than you realize. I'm Julie. I hope you will join me by taking responsibility for yourself, by only controlling the things you can and letting go of the things that you can't. By doing this, you will have discovered the secret to having happy, healthy and more fulfilling relationships. This is Nearest and Dearest Podcast. I'm Julie Rogers and you are listening to Season 2, episode 14, The Sauce.

Woody and I spent the whole day with Joe and Sharri recently. Joe was ready to share with me my grandmother Mary's tomato sauce recipe. I have never made homemade sauce before. The closest to homemade I would do is to add a little Italian herbs and garlic to my old plain tomato sauce just to make it more to my liking. Because food is always part of our quality time together, having this moment with Joe was very special to me.

The cooking lesson was in Joe and Sharri's kitchen. Our day started with a sausage, egg and cheese breakfast casserole that I made. Woody made stone ground yellow grits. He wanted to share a little of his southern roots. After we all enjoyed our breakfast, we put on our aprons and so began the learning. Sharri has a very organized recipe book that she has put together over the years with all of her favorites. She found the sauce recipe that she preserved, which includes the meatball recipe. Both her and Joe respect each other's cooking, and so she was able to relax and enjoy a glass of wine, or maybe two. Whenever we get together at their home, we listen to music from the 50s and 60s. I too will put music on whenever I'm in the kitchen putting together a meal. It just adds a nice touch to the mood. It was a sunny day, so the natural light beamed through the kitchen window and doorway that leads to their deck. Roxy, their Jack Russell, would come in and out of the kitchen with her little nose in the air, smelling all the wonderful aromatic scents that flowed throughout.

I took photos of everything we used, saving those memories. We didn't use fresh tomatoes, but canned tomatoes that came directly from Italy. The cool part was using the Italian-made tomato press. It was another first. This press removes the skins and stems. My grandmother, Mary, would use fresh, ripe tomatoes from her garden in her sauce. That process is a whole other journey that someday, I will attempt.

Every Italian family has their own secret sauce recipe. The Storino's are no different. The value of such a gem is the ability to pass it down from generation to generation. Without doing so, the recipe can get lost, never again cherished. I'm looking forward to first, executing this recipe on my own, then hoping to share it with Ashley and Sean and my grandchildren. Sharri wasn't the only one enjoying a glass or two of wine. Joe, Woody and I did as well! Woody wanted to learn the recipe with me. He dove right in listening to Joe's instructions. Along with making the sauce and meatballs, the conversation naturally turned to hearing more memories about my grandparents.

My grandfather, Pasquale, worked for New York Central Railroad when he was 15. From 1941 to 1944, he worked on a crew building railroad tracks through Pine Camp, which is now known as Fort Drum, home to the 10th Mountain Army Division. He returned to New York Central as a train operator, worked for Penn Central and retired from Conrail as a crane operator in October of 1974. He also was a self-taught musician. He played the alto horn when he was eight and the mandolin at age 10. He played with many bands and formed his own band, the Storino's.

My grandmother, Mary, whose maiden name was Cirillo, also a native to New York, was an accomplished seamstress. She enjoyed crocheting and embroidery. She played the piano with her father,Jo seph, at wedding receptions in her younger years. She also was a baker at Mercy Hospital in Watertown, New York for many years until her retirement. She was an avid gardener, canning many of the fruits and vegetables that she grew. Both of my grandparents delivered their homegrown vegetables door to door by horse and buggy and later by truck until 1991. She enjoyed cooking and baking for her family and friends. She was also an artist and enjoyed drawing and sketching. My grandfather lived until he was 86 and my grandmother until she was 96. They were married for 63 years.

I wish I could have known them, but by Joe sharing Mary's recipe with me, he has created a bond that includes my grandparents, memories that I will always cherish. I have numerous family photos that include some given to me of my grandparents that Joe gave me. I have added them to my corkboard to be part of my own family collection in my studio. Photos of my mom, maternal grandparents, my siblings, Joe and Sharri, Woody, my kids and grandchildren. I love having all of them surrounding me. I value my Italian and English heritage that together have made me who I am. How lucky and blessed am I to learn more about the family roots that I was born into.

The moment we all were waiting for! Sharri uses cloth placemats and napkins whenever she sets the table. I love that! Beautiful cut blue hydrangeas were in the center. A thoughtful gift from their good friend, Becky. She pulled out a set of pretty Italian made pasta bowls for this special occasion. She made a fresh salad with a light, delicious extra virgin olive oil and white balsamic vinegar. Joe always dresses the salad. His go-to phrase is, "I only use the good stuff. A pasta meal would not be perfect without the best Italian bread ever from Alteri's Bakery in Watertown. Woody sliced it and Joe, as usual, picked up an extra fresh loaf for us to take home.

We enjoyed authentic Italian linguine, pork that was used in the sauce, the special homemade meatballs, Basilio Buda medium Italian sausage links, freshly graded Parmigiano and Romano cheeses. It was so delicious! I had made chocolate peanut butter no-bake cookies for dessert. We split up all the fruits of our labor. I did leave the cookies for Joe. Sharri gave us a package of Italian made angel hair pasta to be enjoyed with the sauce. I can't express enough in words how grateful I am for this wonderful experience! Before we left, we gave hugs and kisses. The genuine love that was felt was shared between the four of us.

I added the recipe to my collection, which is small, to be honest. I have my mom's peanut butter fudge recipe framed on my kitchen counter. It's in her handwriting. Now I have the first one from my Italian heritage, that will be the nearest and dearest to my heart. The views and opinions expressed by Nearest And Dearest Podcast are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Nearest And Dearest Podcast. Any content provided by Julie Rogers or any other authors are of their opinion. They are not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, organization, company, individual or anyone or anything. Thank you.