Generations Of Good Food

By Eleanor Gaccetta

Generations of Good Food is a compilation of recipes that spans six generations. This is a collection of straightforward recipes and heartfelt stories of Italian life that brought families together around the table. This book will raise your interest whether you are a novice in the kitchen, a home cook, or a professionally trained coo

• Language: English
• Publisher: ReadersMagnet LLC
• Release date: Feb 26, 2021
• ISBN: 9781953616982

Eleanor Gaccetta

Eleanor is a Colorado native who grew up in a small farming community outside Denver. Her career spanned almost 40 years working for the State of Colorado, the City and County of Broomfield and ultimately as a private contractor. While working full-time she earned both a Bachelor and Master's degree in business from Regis University. She retired to provide full-time care to her mother after she broke her hip at age 93. Armed with faith, humor and love she navigated being a sole caregiver until her mother's death at age 102 in 2017. One Caregiver's Journey, a memoir of her caregiving experiences, was published in 2019. In 2021 she published Generations of Good Food which spans six generations of family recipes and honors her mother who was a wonderful cook and masterful baker. Today she lives in a western suburb of Denver and enjoys an active lifestyle that includes baking, cooking, health and fitness routines and spending time with family and friends.

Book preview

Cover.jpg

Generations Of Good Food

Copyright © 2021 by Eleanor Gaccetta

Published in the United States of America

ISBN Paperback: 978-1-953616-97-5

ISBN eBook: 978-1-953616-98-2

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any way by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the author except as provided by USA copyright law.

ReadersMagnet, LLC

10620 Treena Street, Suite 230 | San Diego, California, 92131 USA

1.619.354.2643 | www.readersmagnet.com

Book design copyright © 2021 by ReadersMagnet, LLC. All rights reserved.

Cover design by Ericka Obando

Interior design by Shemaryl Tampus

This book is a collection of recipes spanning several generations of my mother’s family, our friends, and relatives. These home cooks could easily have rivaled a professional chef or baker.

I published my book, One Caregiver’s Journey, in March of 2018. It is a memoir about the 9 ½ years I spent providing 24/7 care for my mother. She died in May of 2017. This book was conceived during the winter of 2017 when a couple of weeks of cold temperatures and harsh weather conditions in Colorado required me to hunker down and stay indoors. I compiled my late mother’s cookbooks and favorite recipes and assembled them into a cookbook for her granddaughters, young family members, and close friends. The book is the fruit of my labor. I hope you enjoy preparing and eating the many family recipes contained in Generations of Good Food. Visit www.onecaregiversjourney.com for more information about my caregiving book.

Like One Caregiver’s Journey, this book is dedicated to my family and especially to my brother, Don. The support and love I have received for my caregiving efforts and for the writing and publishing of my book, are immeasurable. The world would be void without them.

It is with humble gratitude that I also dedicate this book to my Filipino family. Without their support to market and promote One Caregiver’s Journey and their friendships after meeting in Miami, the endeavor to publish this personal cookbook might not have occurred. Even though they are half a world away, I will always cherish their friendship.

Forward

At one time cooking and baking were skills necessary for survival. Today cooking a meal or baking a dessert from scratch is considered an art. My mother, Marianne, was the eldest daughter of six children. She did not work the family farm like her three sisters. She stayed behind with her grandmother to help clean the house and by extension to learn how to cook and bake. They cooked three meals a day for the family and all the workers who supported their farm. They did not break out breakfast bars, make smoothies, or toss a box of cereal and milk on the table. There was no fast food or Uber-eats for delivery. The kitchens had no modern appliances like a microwave or food processor, and they faced stacks of dishes to wash by hand after each meal. My great-grandmother taught my grandmother and my mother to cook and bake; they in turn taught all their daughters and granddaughters. Thus, the title of this book, Generations of Good Food. My mother was a masterful cook and baker. How fortunate we were to have had such an amazing influence in our lives.

When my mother married my father in 1937, they lived with his family consisting of his parents, two married brothers, their children, and two single brothers. One of my aunts always said it was a great day for the Irish when my mother joined that family–even though they were all Italian. My grandfather learned quickly that my mother knew how to cook and bake. He gave her free reign to use as much butter and eggs as necessary to ensure the family had sweet treats for their daily afternoon coffee break. Mom often recounted how each week she would bake a 5 gallon can of spritz cookies along with assorted cakes and pies. How many cookies would it take to fill a 5 gallon can? She and my grandmother also baked 16 loaves of bread each week in an outdoor oven for family meals. They often said that there wasn’t a single vegetable in the garden that couldn’t be sautéed with garlic and olive oil or served with pasta. Today households don’t have 15 to 20 people; but they do eat.

Can you cook and bake? Or do you rely on store-bought prepared foods? Only a handful of my generation still enjoys the art of cooking and baking like my mother and grandmother did. Today households are busy and hectic. Meal planning is whatever is easiest and quickest. My hope is that you will take the time to find a recipe that stimulates your taste buds and motivates you to step back in time and cook or bake like in the old days.

Some recipes are easy, others are not. But one thing is for sure: they have all been made with love to be enjoyed by those who are loved. Food is love, so dive in and enjoy.

Contents

MAIN DISHES AND MISCELLANEOUS

Alfredo Sauce for Pasta

Auntie Ann’s Pretzel

Avocado, Grapefruit and Romain Salad

Avocado Toast

Baked Shrimp

Barbeque Ribs

Basic Pizza Dough

Basil Roasted Chicken with Garlic Sauce

Boccalino’s Caesar Salad

Braciole

Homemade Quick Breakfast

Canning Dill Pickles

Canning Sweet Pickles

Caponata

Cheese Pineapple Salad

Crab Bisque Soup

Crab Cakes

Easy Sunday Pot Roast

Mrs. Olquin’s Enchiladas

Crusty Fish Sticks from Fresh Fish

Grandma Spano’s Eggplant

True Southern Fried Chicken

Garlic Jam

Quick American Green Chile

Homemade Chicken Soup

Italian Breading for Beef, or Lamb

Italian Chicken Fingers

Italian Pork Rolls

Linguine with Clam Sauce

Mandarin Salad

Omaha White Chile

Panzanella Salad

Homemade Pasta

Pasta with Cheese and Pepper

Pasta Fisherman Style

Pasta with Lentils

Pasta with Olive Oil and Garlic

Pasta Salad

Pasta with Peas and Hamburger

Basil Pesto

Polenta

Italian Potato Salad

American Potato Salad

Party Punch

Quiche Lorraine

Red Chile

Homemade Ricotta Cheese

Ricotta Gnocchi

Creamy Ricotta Pasta with Spinach

Roasted Red Pepper Dip

St. Lucy Day Rice Balls

Spicy Glazed Pecans

Italian Spinach – Side Dish

Spinach Sausage Quiche

Steamed Dumplings

Stuffed Artichokes

Sautéed Mushrooms and Stuffed Mushrooms

Tomato, Artichoke and Basil Pasta

Turkey Tetrazzini

Tuscan White Bean Chicken Soup

Whole Baked Chicken

Vegetarian Sandwich for One

Yummy Roasted Potatoes

BREADS AND DESSERTS

Aunt Mella’s Banana Bread

Banana Muffins

Refrigerated Banana Split Dessert

Bran Muffins

Homemade Breadsticks

Cinnamon Rolls

Cream Puffs

Basic Crepes

Glorified Rice Salad

Grebbles

Ice Box Dessert

Italian Ricotta Cheese Pie

Peachy Marmalade

Poticia

Peanut Butter Pie

Sweet Easter Bread

Sweet Muffins

Sweet Cheese Muffins

Fruit Pie

Meringue for Pies

Sandy’s Pie Crust

Super Pie Crust

CAKES

Make Your Own Vanilla Extract

Homemade Frosting

Apple Loaf Cake

Apple Upside Down Cake

Better than Sex Cake

Carrot Cake

Semi-Homemade Carrot Cake

Cheesecake

Chocolate Almond Cheesecake

Chiffon Cake

Chocolate Cake from Scratch

Chocolate Cherry Cake

Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Cake

Dirt Cake

Old Fashioned Donuts

Dump Cake

Perfect Fudge Brownies

Fudge Frosting

German Chocolate Cake

Coconut Frosting

Milky Way Cake

Homemade Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Bunny Cakes for Easter

Marshmallow Frosting

Rhubarb Cake

Bicardi Rum Cake

Royal Coconut Cake

Walnut Glory Cake

Zeppole (Italian Donuts)

COOKIES

Almond Lace Cookies

Basic Shortbread

Baklava Puffs

Berry Shortbread Dreams

Biscotti (Almond Bars)

Cake Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Home Run Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate Ricotta Cookies

Cinnamon-Sugar Spirals

Coconut Macaroons

Coconut Macaroons

Cracked Chocolate Cookies

Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cowboy Cookies

Cucidata Italian Filled Cookies

Hello Dollies

Honey Cookies

Honey Sand Balls

John’s Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

Italian Knots

Lemon Cookies

Lemon Ricotta Cookies

Malted Milk Shortbread Cookies

Mocha Logs

(Naked) Ricotta Cookies

Aunt Jennie’s Oatmeal Cookies

Regular Oatmeal Cookies

Pecan Cutout Cookies

Pecan Fingers

Pecan Sandie Cookies

Pizzelles

Pumpkin Cookies

Shortbread Cookie Bars with Salted Caramel

Pioneer Woman Sugar Cookies

Rosettes

Rum Balls

Scrupeds

Sesame Seed Cookies

Snickerdoodles

Spritz Cookies

Sweet Butter Cookies

Sweet Butter Cookie Alternatives

Sour Cream Twists

Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies

Walnut Horn Cookies

Whipped Spritz Cookies

Wine Cookies

CANDY

Angel Kisses

Cherry Cream Cheese Candy

Chocolate Peanut Clusters

Cream Cheese Candies

Coconut Joys

Date Balls

Easy Fudge

Liz’s Fudge

Mrs. See’s Fudge

Peanut Butter Snowballs

Potato Chip Clusters

Three Chocolate Fudge

Tiger Butter

Main Dishes and Miscellaneous

This section is dedicated to pasta dishes, salads, and other recipes. I hope you can make and enjoy some of them.

Generation 1

Great Grandmother Anna Petrucci-Spano – mom second from left Photo 1920

Generation 2

Sam and Antoinette Spano Family Mom’s family –mom is the eldest daughter (Photo 1924)

Alfredo Sauce for Pasta

Cook the pasta of your choice in salted boiling water according to instructions. While the pan is heating to a boil make the sauce:

Sauce:

In a saucepan on low heat combine:

1 cup ricotta cheese

1 cube softened butter

1 ½ Tablespoons Romano cheese

2 Tablespoons fresh parsley chopped

Salt and Pepper to taste

Stir constantly to incorporate all ingredients into a smooth sauce. Turn the stove off, leave the pan on the burner to remain warm.

Pour small amount of pasta water in your serving dish and drain pasta. Add pasta to the serving dish and pour sauce over and toss to incorporate the liquid.

Auntie Ann’s Pretzel

Preheat oven to 450⁰

Step 1:

1 ½ cups warm water

1 ½ packages rapid rise yeast

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

1 1/8 teaspoon salt

4 cups all-purpose flour.

Sprinkle yeast in lukewarm water in a mixing bowl. Stir to dissolve. Add sugar and salt. Using dough hook on mixer, add flour and mix to a smooth, elastic dough. Put in a warm please to rise 1 ½ hours.

Step 2:

2 cups warm water

2 Tablespoons baking soda

While dough is rising mix water and baking soda in a