Legacy

Heaven is a gourmet kitchen. Or, more likely, it's a string of gourmet kitchens. Each one is packed with the best kitchen tools and appliances. The counter space is infinite. And, everything comes in multiples. Double oven? Ha! There's 12 ovens in all Heaven's kitchens. (12 is a very important number in heaven, you know.) Already dirtied one giant stainless steel bowl? No problem. Here's another one. Your chef's knife has raw chicken on it? No need to wash it to chop those onions - here's a clean one. Would it be easier to chop those veggies in a Cuisinart? Here you go! And, when you're done making whatever masterpiece you've created, guess who does the dishes? All the scumbags in Hell, of course! That's right. And their kitchens have no dishwashers , very small sinks, and weak faucets. Sorry, Bernie Madoff - you should have been a better man.


So, where am I going with all this? Anyone that knows me also knows how much I really enjoy cooking. I like it almost as much as I enjoy eating. Almost - let's not get crazy. I think most people enjoy eating meals that others have prepared and that they did not have to work for, and I guess I do, too. But I think I almost get more enjoyment out of eating when I know I created it myself. If you ask Will, he'd probably tell you I get a little too emotional when it comes to cooking and eating. But I just can't help it. Food is the legacy I was left by my mom and grandma, and I hope that food, and enjoyment for it, is the legacy I leave my children as well.

Today, I made the happy mistake of watching a cooking show while hungry. We don't have cable, which means no Food Network. My cooking shows, then, are on PBS. I really enjoy watching Rick Bayless - Mexico One Plate at a Time, Simply Ming, Daisy Cooks, Lidia's Italy. This afternoon, I caught an episode of Lidia's Italy. She was making tagliatelle: a long, flat, wide noodle. She made her dough in her Cuisinart. Then, she had a segment where she was visiting a homemade pasta "fast food" shop in Bologna. These women make everything from scratch, and if you want an order of tortellini for Christmas, you need to order in June! They were adorable, and I was immediately jealous of the difference in food culture between Italians (and, let's face it - the rest of the world) and Americans. The majority of Americans want things quick and easy, which often translates to bad for you and full of preservatives. But that's a topic of another post one day.


What I loved about this little pasta shop was that they were making dough the same way I grew up watching my mom and grandma make dough and the same way I make it today - with a flour volcano filled with eggs. No food processor needed! Just the hands God gave you. The show wasn't over before I knew that we were not having the lemon chicken meal I had planned for tonight. We were having homemade tagliatelle with the while bolognese sauce Lidia was about to make. And that's just what we ate!


I started right when Eleanor went down for a nap and Ethan came home from a trip to the Children's Museum. He wanted to help, which made the process longer, but also more memorable. I love that Ethan, even at only three years old, is not only interested in food but also how it gets to our plates. What better way to get your children to try new foods than to involve them in the making of it? Ethan's always been a pretty decent eater, but he continues to get even better, willing to try many new items. We have a rule that he has to try at least everything on his plate once. If it's something a bit different and he doesn't like it, that's fine, but he has to try it. Often, he tries it and discovers he likes it.


Well, both kids really enjoyed tonight's meal, as did the parents. I had to make a few changes to the bolognese recipe since I only had ground beef and I did not have whole milk or tomato paste. I'm not sure what Lidia's tasted like, but Michelle's was delightful. The recipe for the bolognese is here if you'd like to try it:


http://www.lidiasitaly.com/recipes/detail/944


And you don't need a pasta rolling machine to make the tagliatelle, either. Just a rolling pin and a knife.


I documented the making of it again, just like the ravioli, because I know my in-laws, and my own mom and grandma, enjoyed seeing that post. Ethan's involvement, and both kids' enjoyment of the meal, were added bonuses.


The first few pictures here are of an afternoon this week when we made a couch fort and had a living room picnic with stuffed animals. It had been a long day, and I had to get creative to help the day move along. We all had a blast in the cave and at the picnic.

Eleanor's got a pear.

And now she's passing out cookies to our guests.

Hot cocoa - mmmmm.

Back in the cave.

She has no problem crawling on hardwood anymore, which means I have to be even more diligent about keeping the kitchen floor clean. No easy task these days!

Future Michael Phelps?

Ethan's wearing the apron my mom got for Eleanor in Italy. I didn't tell him it's for a girl. It says "Cooking with Grandma" on it.

Ethan the "helper."

The pasta sheets.

Then you simply roll them up...

...cut them...
...and unroll them. I left them in little piles Lidia called nests. In the top right, there's a pile of the pieces of dough Ethan cut.

The finished product.

No joke, she ate four piles of the pasta. She could not get it in her mouth fast enough, and I had a hard time keeping up.

Ethan's Review

Eleanor's Review