Fun, Fun, Fun!

I grew up in an Italian-American family. My dad had two brothers; they had a combined 15 kids (my generation) and we 15 produced LOTS of kids who are now producing LOADS more kids. Our grandmother was the proud matriarch of the Cozzolino clan; we all revered her. Gram was made of love, and she gave and received it with equal potency. Back in the early 70's, we began gathering in honor of Gram every autumn for her birthday, all 60-80 of us. Of course there was a feast! How could you even ask?!? Though she died in the mid-80's, we continue to gather every November in honor of her.

It is a raucous and joyful gathering. Let me tell you, so many Cozzolinos in one space is a sight (and sound!) to behold. I have little in common with many in my extended family. But what we DO have in common is Gram's love; it is the thread that weaves us together in an enduring fabric. I usually only see my cousins and their kids once a year. Yet I know that I could call up any one of them if ever I needed anything and they would be here in a heartbeat, just as I would for them. Abiding loyalty.

You may remember that I offered a cooking class a few weeks ago on making Fresh Pasta. When one of my Connecticut cousins called to inquire about several of them attending the class, I sadly had to inform her that it was full. But wait! Why not a "private" family class? YES! This past Saturday, 3 of my cousins, 2 of their spouses, and one of their nephews arrived (in the snow) to spend the afternoon and evening in the kitchen with me. Yes, I had a blast; no...way more than a blast. Love-filled fun, as if Gram was in the room with us, pumping our hearts full of her goodness.

I felt like we were not only honoring our Italian heritage, but honoring Gram herself. We mixed and kneaded, rolled and cut, filled & folded until every scrap of the ELEVEN batches of dough we made was transformed. We made four pans of two types of lasagne, mountains of fettuccine and cappellini, and many dozens of three types of ravioli to eat with 5 types of sauces. But wait...there was still some dough left...how about tortellini. I went into turbo speed, mixed up some filling, and gave the briefest of instructions (I was busy cooking all these piles of pasta!).

Several dozen tortellini later, we gathered around the dining table, energized and joyful. Amy joined us for a feast of great proportions. We opened a couple bottles of wine (Italian, of course), toasted, shared a blessing, and we reveled in pasta, family, and love. Mamma mia...such blessings.

We still have two spots left in the next cooking class. Channel your inner-Italian. We are diving into the world of PIZZA! This will be another very hands-on technique class. We'll cover making the dough, sauces, a few toppings, and finally rolling the crust and cooking the pizza. We'll be using Connie Talbot's High Hollow Pottery flameware comales to cook thin-crust, crispy, and quick pizzas and we'll make some oven-baked pies. Connie's pizza stones will be available for purchase if you fall in love with them.
The PIZZA class will be on Saturday, May 11, from 2:30-6:30, with dinner from 6:30-7:30. This class is limited to 8 people, so register early. The price is $55 plus a $10 foods cost fee, for a total of $65. Arrive at 2:15 or so for a 2:30 start. To pre-register, reply to this email or call Alice at 413-634-5659.

Community Supported Foods Members AND A La Carte Customers:
click here for this week's menu

For Carly's Cupboard click here for this week's offering

Amy's Nursery, Wing & A Prayer, is closed for the season . Here is a partial 2018 list of plants. All of Amy's plants have been chosen for their usefulness to bees, butterflies, and other pollinators.

Please visit our website at www.aliceskitchenathoneyhill.com. It is a joy to provide delicious, nourishing, and beautiful foods, prepared with care and love, for our community.