Favorite-Flower Reunion

Suburban Chicago, August 1965. Dad focuses on one of my favorites.

Kitchen-Sink Reunion

Suburban Chicago, about 1972. Bootsie waits for someone to turn on the faucet.

Cash!

Suburban Chicago, July 1963. Finding an envelope is much better than opening a box from Madigan's.

Easterscapes, in Three Takes

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Suburban Chicago, Spring 1965 or 1966. My Best Friend's Mom, Louise, decorated the house for every holiday.

Happy Halloween.

Suburban Chicago, October 31, 1967. I revisit my favorite costume.

My paternal Grandmother, Tatjana, sewed a white, trick-or-treating tote to match the costume. I dragged the tote through the puddles as my Best Friend and I walked around the neighborhood late in the afternoon that Halloween. When I got home, Tatjana and my Mom saw that the bag—and the candy I'd collected—had been soaked. They threw everything away. I only got the remnants of what we'd bought to pass out to trick-or-treaters. The splendid variety of my haul was gone, and I was left with one bag of Life Savers.

Babos Receptai (Part 13)

My paternal Grandmother, Tatjana, prepared simple, daily meals. The food usually was somewhat bland because Lithuanians avoid assertively seasoned dishes. We rarely, for example, had garlic in the house, and my family shunned green bell peppers because the adults found them "spicy." Mr. Irene and I sometimes joke that Lithuanians season their food with bacon and dill.

Sicilian immigrants populated the suburb in which we lived, and I grew to love Italian food. My Best Friend's father, Dolfo, was from Genoa, and he taught me to appreciate northern Italian preparations like pesto and Genoese pizza (foccacia). I often ate dinner at my Best Friend's house and then went home to pick at the dull plate Tatjana had prepared.

Tatjana sought to please my adventurous palate by preparing Spaghetti and Meatballs. I don't think she made the dish more than once each year.

Here is the recipe Tatjana used; she likely adapted it from the 1956 edition of Betty Crocker's Picture Cookbook:

Here is how I translated the recipe:

Meatballs (Italian)

To make the meatballs:

one pound mixed ground meats
a little bit of garlic
3 eggs
fine, dry breadcrumbs
parsley
Italian cheese

Fry the meatballs in a pan. When the meatballs brown, pour them into the sauce.

For the Sauce:

1 large can tomato puree
1 large can tomato paste
some bay leaves or a leaf of basil
parlsey
1/2 clove garlic
a pinch of allspice
1-1/2 cans water

Cook until the sauce thickens.

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There! You can see how bold this recipe was for our household: Tatjana used garlic and even suggested adding a basil leaf.

A Memorable House

Suburban Chicago, June 1961. This is my Best Friend's house; she lived in the Ashley model. The open window is in the home's kitchen. A serviceberry tree grew under that window. The berries made a mess on the patio pavement, but they attracted many birds.

The family living next door to this house had older, intimidating, boys. When the boys were teens, they organized a garage band. One June evening my Best Friend and I sat on their driveway and listened to the band play "Hanky Panky." We thought we were so cool: we sang along, "My baby doesn't hang a penny."

Dad took this photo from our yard. The pole on the left is the swingset support; on the right is one of the weeping willows.

Wait for one hour after you eat.

Suburban Chicago, June 1974. My Best Friend and I know it's safest to wait before we go swimming.

The Ashley

My Best Friend grew up in the "Ashley" model of homes in our subdivision.

My Best Friend and I once had a sale in that garage.

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"[G]rease proof asphalt tile." The tile in our kitchen—and in my Best Friend's kitchen—was pink.

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Hmm. I thought the upstairs bath had a double sink.

Thanks to my friend Mary for sending this document to me.

Santa Regatta

Santas grace the Grand Canal.

Thanks to my childhood Best Friend for catching that post.

Babos Receptai (Part 5)

It's time for a seasonal turn for "Babos Receptai." Lithuanians, like most Europeans, usually don't eat turkey.* A suckling pig, filled with liver stuffing, graces the Christmas table, and Lithuanians often eat roast veal at Easter. Lithuania does not observe Thanksgiving, although over the years, many people asked me what people eat in Lithuania during that holiday (pre-1991 answer: they don't eat to give thanks; they stand in line at the grocery store).

Our family adjusted to the Thanksgiving holiday, and we always served turkey. My paternal Grandmother, Tatjana, did not, however, stuff the turkey with the moist dressing familiar to the American table. Tatjana instead prepared that liver stuffing intended for the suckling pig. How I hated it as a child! The texture reminded me of a grainy paté,** and I gagged on the taste. I insisted on walking over to my Best Friend's house as soon as our "Thanksgiving meal" had ended so I could enjoy the real offerings of the holiday.

I've now been making Tatjana's liver stuffing for Thanksgiving since 1984. It's our twist on a traditional side dish. But it remains an acquired taste.

Here's Tatjana's recipe for the delicacy:

Here's how I modified and wrote up the recipe:

"A Very Good Stuffing for Chickens or Small Turkeys

(This proportion is enough for a 15-pound turkey.)"

2 cups water, boiling hot

1 ounce dried Porcini mushrooms

1/4 cup (1/2 stick or 4 tablespoons) butter

2 large onions, chopped (2 cups)

2 medium ribs celery, chopped (2 cups)

3/4 cup Italian (flat-leaf) parsley, minced

1 teaspoon dried marjoram

3/4 teaspoon dried rosemary

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1-1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

8 ounces bacon, diced

8 ounces veal calf's livers (or turkey livers)

8 ounces chicken livers

8 ounces ground veal

1 pound unseasoned bread cubes (part rye bread, if desired)

1/2 cup liquid reserved from soaking mushrooms

2 eggs, beaten to blend

1 cup chicken broth 

1 cup Italian (flat-leaf) parsley, minced

Combine 2 cups boiling water and the dried mushrooms; let stand for about 30 minutes, or until the mushrooms are softened. Drain through a coffee filter, reserving the liquid. Squeeze the mushrooms dry and chop coarsely.

In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onions and celery. Cook, stirring often, until the onions are very tender and translucent, about 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer the vegetables from the skillet to a very large bowl using a slotted spoon. Leave any remaining butter in the skillet. To the bowl, stir in the mushrooms, the 1/2 cup parsley, dried marjoram, dried rosemary, dried thyme, salt, and freshly ground black pepper.

In the same skillet, in any remaining butter, sauté the bacon. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and add to the vegetable mixture, leaving about 4 tablespoons of the fat in the pan. Add the veal and chicken livers to the pan and sauté until the livers are almost cooked through. Add the ground veal and sauté for about 3 minutes. Cool.

Transfer the liver mixture to the workbowl of a food processor and process, using the metal blade, until the meats are just ground.  Stir the meats into the vegetable mixture. Mix the bread cubes into the vegetable mixture. (Can be prepared one day ahead to this point. Cover the mixture and refrigerate. Cover and chill the mushroom liquid separately.)

Mix together the beaten eggs and 1/2 cup reserved mushroom liquid; add to the stuffing. Stir in enough chicken broth to moisten.

Generously butter a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Transfer the stuffing to the slow cooker.  Cover and cook on "High" setting for 2 hours. Reduce heat to "Low" and cook until heated through, about 2 to 3 hours.

Just before serving, moisten the stuffing with some of the turkey drippings and stir in the remaining 1 cup minced parsley. The slow cooker, turned off, will keep the stuffing at serving temperature for up to 3 hours. 

*A group of American students and ex-pats invited me to a Thanksgiving celebration when I first arrived in Venice in 1983. It was my job to find the turkey. My Italian language skills still were elementary, and I had forgotten my dictionary when I visited the butcher shop. When I arrived at the counter, I tried to explain what I was trying to buy. Exasperated, I said, in Italian, "a big bird!" The butcher nearly laughed me out of the shop.

**The liver stuffing, and a paté, were among the specialties Tatjana prepared when the family lived in Lithuania. The housekeeper was territorial about her kitchen work, and she resented times when Tatjana decided to cook. As family and guests gathered around a holiday table one year, the housekeeper brought the paté—the only dish Tatjana had prepared—to the table. A guest said, "Oh! Paté!" The housekeeper replied, "This isn't paté; it's shit."

Lunch al Fresco

Suburban Chicago, June 1974. My childhood Best Friend and I enjoy a meal poolside at the home of my Godmother.

Exchanging Portraits (Part 37)

Atlantic Ocean, Summer 1955. My Best Friend's Mother, Louise, poses with her oldest daughter during their ocean crossing aboard the Andrea Doria.

Thanks to my Best Friend for making this photo available to us.

Moving Fast

Suburban Chicago, September 1959. I understand why my Parents installed a backyard fence.

We're all together again.

Chicago, Illinois, Summer 1952. My Best Friend's Parents, Louise and Dolfo, join Dolfo's family.

Thanks to my Best Friend for making this photo available to us.

Birthday Girl

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Suburban Chicago, July 1961 or 1962. It's my childhood Best Friend's birthday. Happy Birthday!

(I was a guest at this party, but I didn't make it into these snapshots.)

Thanks to my Best Friend for sharing these photographs with us.

The newlyweds will reside in Chicago.

Chicago, Illinois, Summer 1952. My Best Friend's Parents, Louis and Dolfo, move to the States.

Thanks to my Best Friend for making this photo available to us.

Setting Sail

Atlantic Ocean, Summer 1955. Here's another image of my Best Friend's Dad, Dolfo, and her sister as they prepare to sail from Genoa to the United States aboard the Andrea Doria.

Thanks to my Best Friend for making this photo available to us.

On the Deck

Atlantic Ocean, Summer 1955. My Best Friend's Parents, Dolfo and Louise, are ready to sail back to the States.

Thanks to my Best Friend for making this photo available to us.

Happy Travels

Atlantic Ocean, Summer 1955. My Best Friend's sister sets sail aboard the Andrea Doria.

Thanks to my Best Friend for making this photo available to us.