Carmela Soprano's Spaghetti Puttanesca - Whore's Style Spaghetti

Tomorrow's my birthday.

I'm still a little rattled by the Jay Leno turning 63 kerfuffle.

I could do with a heavy dose of carbs.

it's time to visit the shrink, Dr. Jennifer Melfi, M.D., M.A., M.F.T.

I know she is nowhere near 63.

But she always tries to help, no matter how old her client is.



Bingo!!

Jennifer's chapter Rage, Guilt, Loneliness, and Food in Artie's The Sopranos Family

Carmela Soprano's Chicken Scarpariello - Chicken and Sausage Casserole

Sunday dinner with the family.

You just know somebody is going to complain.

It's best to have a sort of 'surf and turf' main course.

Something for everybody.  More or less...





There's a something for everybody main course in Artie's chapter Mia Cucina 

in The Sopranos Family Cookbook: Chicken Scarpariello.

Maybe Artie and Charmaine had invited a few relatives to dinner.

Some wanted

Anna Sultana's Qaqocc Mimli - Stuffed Artichokes, Maltese Style

I recently posted Paulie Walnuts' recipe, Stuffed Artichokes - Carciofi Ripieni.

It's okay, but I mentioned I prefer my Ma's recipe.



When I started posting Carmela's and Ma's recipes, I wasn't too exact.

I had posted Ma's recipe for stuffed vegetables, more or less.

Okay… way less.  I'm sorry.

So, of course, I got some e mails.





Maltese recipes, except for cakes and pastries, are often

I'm Turning 63 by Margaret Ullrich

Tomorrow is Full Moon number four for 2013.

It's also my last Full Moon before I hit 63.

Next week is my birthday.

So it goes.



Recently NBC announced that Jimmy Fallon will be hosting The Tonight Show. 

They said that Jay Leno was ready to retire.

As further explanation, they mentioned that Leno was in his mid 60s.



Excuse me?

Jay Leno was born on April 28, 1950.

He is three days

Carmela Soprano's Carciofi Ripieni (Stuffed Artichokes) l Vegetable Stuffing Recipe

Today is Earth Day.

I'm old enough to say I've seen them all.

Okay, it's not like being able to say "I've seen every Christmas".

But still, it makes me feel like I've been part of an era.

Yeah, it doesn't take much.





When the first Earth Day was held in 1970 I was a student at Pratt Institute.

Classes were cancelled for the day.

We had a big inflated balloon on campus.

We entered it,

Carmela Soprano's Tortellini in Brodo - Tortellini in Broth l Broth Recipe

Junior's Pasta Fagioli (Pasta and Beans) is a basic staple.

As are most of the recipes on his chapter.



Then there is Artie's chapter Mia Cucina in The Sopranos Family Cookbook.

Don't get me wrong.

The recipes are good.

They are just, well, not always regular people friendly.



Tortellini in Brodo - Tortellini in  Broth - is an example of this.

A great recipe from the sound of it.

It's

Carmela Soprano's Pasta Fagioli - Pasta and Beans l Preparing Dried Beans

April… Taxes… Oy!!

Stlll, a person has to eat.

Maybe not so high off the hog.

Not after filling out those tax forms.

But that doesn't mean you can't eat something delicious.



As I've said before, Junior's recipes in his chapter The Soprano Family Tradition in 

Artie's The Sopranos Family Cookbook are really basic, right off the boat recipes.

Here's a classic: Pasta Fagioli - Pasta and

Anna Sultana's Pizza, Maltese Style

While I was growing up, pizza was a regular meal.

Not the round pizza in the frozen food section or the pizza we see in commercials

for take out or delivery vendors.

Just a simple, homemade pizza.

Easier, and maybe healthier, than Carmela Soprano's Pizza.



I couldn't say how many this would feed.

Sometimes it was the main course.

Sometimes it just added a bit of heft to a soup dinner.

Carmela Soprano's Baba au Rhum - Rum Cake

Years ago, when Eaton's was still in business, I bought a tin of Baba au Rhum.

We quite enjoyed them.

It was a nice surprise to find the recipe in Bobby Bacala's chapter

If I Couldn't Eat, I'd F**king Die in Artie Bucco's The Sopranos Family Cookbook.



Baba au Rhum sounds rather exotic and difficult.

If you've made monkey bread, you've made a G-rated Baba au Rhum.

Now it's time to make

Carmela Soprano's Polipetti in Salsa di Pomodoro - Baby Octopus in Tomato Sauce l Preparing Octopus and Friselle

A few days ago I was posting 'I'll never make that' recipes for relaxation.

Well, here's another one.

Unless baby octopus is a common item in your neighbourhood.





The librarian, Natalie Del Greco, had written an interesting chapter called

Cooking the Neapolitan Way for Artie's The Sopranos Family Cookbook.

Octopus is a common food in Mediterranean and Portuguese cuisine.

So I guess

Carmela Soprano's Pizza - Ah Beetz'

There's a new moon tonight.

Sometimes a new moon means it's the perfect time to do something new.

And sometimes it's the perfect time to enjoy an old favourite.



Charmaine Bucco's chapter Cooking for the Whole Famiglia in Artie's

The Sopranos Family Cookbook has some nice realistic recipes.

No Penne alla Vodka for Charmaine.

Gather your family and friends and enjoy some Pizza.



Hint:

An

Our Forty-first Wedding Anniversary by Margaret Ullrich

Time….

On Good Friday there was a Harry Potter marathon.

Oh, they were so little when the series started!



Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is the third in the Harry Potter series.

In it Harry and Hermione time travel using Hermione's time-turning device.

She got it so she could take two classes at the same time.

Yeah, Hermione would want to do that.



They went back in time to

Carmela Soprano's Scungilli in Hot Tomato Sauce l Preparing Conch and Friselle

The turkey leftovers are getting on everyone's nerves.

And the sugar and caffeine from the chocolate isn't helping either.

Time to visit the shrink, Dr. Jennifer Melfi, M.D., M.A., M.F.T.



Jennifer's chapter Rage, Guilt, Loneliness, and Food in Artie's The Sopranos Family Cookbook has a recipe for conch.

The recipe is simple enough.

It's just a bit of a hassle to find scungilli.

Especially

Carmela Soprano's Baccala Pizzaiola - Salt Cod Pizzamaker's Style

Tomorrow is Friday.

Lent is over.

And there's still turkey to finish off.



Junior's recipe for Baccala Pizzaiola - Salt Cod Pizzamaker's Style - in his chapter 

The Soprano Family Tradition in Artie's The Sopranos Family Cookbook

is another of the 'I'll never make that' recipes.



The recipe itself isn't hard.

But, salt cod is pretty much a distant memory.

Junior would have remembered

Carmela Soprano's Mille Foglie - Napoleons / Pastry Cream Filling

There is a ton of Easter leftovers in the fridge.

And another ton of chocolate bunnies, eggs and assorted shapes on the counter.

No need to do any baking now.

Perfect time to sit down and read an 'I'll never make that' recipe for relaxation.



And where better to find a recipe like that than in Bobby Bacala's chapter

If I Couldn't Eat, I'd F**king Die in Artie Bucco's The Sopranos Family