Happy Thanksgiving

wishes you a …

I am a big Thanksgiving fan because I love having a special day to pause, reflect, and say thanks with our friends and families. Though I am grateful for many things, I must first say that I am thankful for 2018, since this was the year that I turned 80!! While I’m certainly fortunate to be a healthy, working 80 with a good life…I want to especially share my thanks for being able to celebrate my 80^th all year…and many times. I had 3 main birthday celebrations and more good wishes and little parties than I can count! And the year isn’t over!!

My first celebration was in July, when Roger and I treated our family to a week at a Culinary Villa just north of Rome, which I described in my July 4th Musing. The second party was also just for family; at my sister’s Judy’s home in southern CA. As most of you know, I grew up in a small Mississippi Delta town named Shelby. Believe it or not, Shelby’s second most common language was Italian; due to the large Sicilian population. In fact, my childhood next-door neighbors, Bob and Mary Bob Campanova, were Sicilian. Every Xmas eve, Mary Bob would prepare her famous spaghetti and meatballs as a present to our family. Since we grew up eating primarily Chinese food, homemade Italian was about the best gift we could receive! My childhood holiday memories always begin with Mary Bob’s meatballs and spaghetti on Xmas eve. In fact, I loved them so much that I asked my family for Mary Bob’s meatball and spaghetti for my 80^thbirthday present. My sister Thelma agreed to search out the recipe. Once found, my brother Wallace agreed to experiment a few times…to make sure the meatballs and sauce were both authentic “Mary Bob’s.” The results were a little mixed…the meatballs were great and close to Mary Bob’s. The sauce was not; though it was still pretty tasty. Anyway, my brother has vowed that he will perfect the sauce by the end of the year. In his support, Thelma has reached out to friends in Shelby to determine any ingredient modifications that should be made after 70+ years. Hopefully by Xmas, we will be able to replicate the real Mary Bob’s spaghetti sauce!

Mary Bob's Spaghetti and Meatballs

Regardless of the recipe, we all had great fun reliving our youth while commenting on the food. Of course, being the oldest, I had more stories to tell. I especially enjoyed explaining why Mary was called Mary Bob…due to the fact there were so many Mary’s and her husband was Bob! In additional to the pasta, Judy’s husband, Bill, made a Tiramisu birthday cake using a recipe from our lessons at the culinary villa. Most delicious birthday cake ever! Let me know if you want the recipe and Bill’s tip on making a delicious tiramisu. I know you will thank me!

Tiramisu and Baker Bill

The last party was a surprise dinner at the Forge in Miami Beach with many of my Raymond James family….honestly, I felt like the queen for the evening.