Baked Macaroni with Mary

The very first place we learn about how to treat other people is our family of origin, and I am very fortunate to have a beautiful and loving family. This week on the podcast, we hear from my Grandma Mary. This is my mom’s mom and I have been told that she, my mother, and I have similar sounding voices - what do you think? Grandma Mary was a Depression-era baby, and her parents were Italian immigrants. This means two things: 1. She can make a killer baked macaroni and 2. She knows how to scrimp and save every penny and crumb to make a delicious meal. This week she talked with me about the importance of using fresh, organic ingredients, something she was doing long before it was cool. We talked about her parents, who were from Rivisondoli, a small mountain town in the Abruzzo region (remember what Shari told us about that?). Grandma has fond memories of delicious food, singing Italian songs, and the integral role of the church in her community. We talked through some of her classic recipes, and the joy that sharing a meal with friends and family brings. “A good meal with good friends - it’s almost a sacred thing, really.” Grandma was raised in northeast Ohio in the “Italian Ghetto” as she calls it. She was married at 19, and she had to grow up fast because she went on to have four children. Grandma is an incredibly talented artist, and she is also extremely intuitive when it comes to relationships with people. She is also tough as nails. In thi episode she shared advice about growing one’s own food, cooking meals with simple ingredients (including her delectable meatballs and sauce), and the importance of getting back to the basics of home and family during COVID.