Pasta, Angels, Family & Grandma Gina.

Cooking With Grandma Gina.

The Dude of Food grew up as an only child with a working mom who disliked cooking. Her 3 motto’s in life were:

‘where there’s smoke, there’s dinner’
‘you can never be too rich or too thin’
‘go play on the freeway’

The refrigerator to me was something to go look in at someone else’s house. That is how I learned about food, by looking in other peoples fridges and lunch boxes to see what they ate like. It took me years to get over just casually opening and looking inside of someones fridge. Sometimes I still do.

On special Saturday mornings as a kid I used to make a can of Spaghettios or Franco American Macaroni with cheese sauce as a treat.

One of the places I would wander over to visit was the house of the Italian family down the street. They had 3 older girls and a boy my age and they always had food on the stove. Their kitchen was the best. Homemade pastas, sauces, pizzas, rapini and as we got older their mother made everything with red onions so our lungs would stay healthier. This Italian mother even made liver taste good. She used thin slices of liver and loads of onions.

When we would go back east to visit their Italian relatives I would be blown away that every Italian kitchen was the same, warm and full of food. We couldn’t go anywhere without eating a plate of food and sipping some homemade wine. By the third or fourth visit you’d be pretty full but the hosts would get offended if you didn’t eat their food and thought you liked the other family better so you had to eat, drink and be merry. It was great and nothing but love.

When I went to visit the youthful home of my Italian buddies father in Italy I was blown away at the genuine love, hospitality and meals shared with me.

I am forever grateful and extremely thankful. This love of family and sharing food has never left me. Recently I began preparing homemade pasta noodles after lessons from my friends uncle’s wife, Aunt Mary, whom I’ve known since I was in 5th grade. I’m now 56 years old. In researching how to make a better noodle I was directed to YouTube and discovered the next best thing since beer was created. The name of this Youtube Angel is Grandma Gina Petitti.

Grandma Gina is precious and I instantly fell in love with her. She speaks just like everyone in my buddies family and reminds me of the best of my childhood. If you are still reading this then you must go to visit Gina https://www.youtube.com/c/BuonAPetitti/videos and see for yourself.

Watch and learn to make noodles, ravioli or any other quality Italian dish you might be interested in preparing. You will learn to cook properly and have your heart warmed at the same time. She’s awesome.

You can also purchase Gina’s cookbook online as well. It’s titled, ‘Cooking With Grandma Gina’.

Grazie Nonna Gina. May the Lord God continue to bless you.

According to Buzzfeed Pasta Facts, https://www.buzzfeed.com/jesseszewczyk/pasta-facts , the average Italian eats 60 pounds of pasta a year while Americans average eating just 26 pounds per year.

Jan 4 – National Spaghetti Day
Feb 9 – World Pizza Day
Oct 25 – World Pasta Day

“Now I’ma gunna maykeh a pasta carbonarra.” the Dude of Food.

Mexican lager beer and micheladas.

Above you see pictured a variety of a few of Mexico’s famous lager beers. Not pictured are Estrelle Jalisco, Corona Familiar, Montejo and Victoria.

It’s interesting because my German friends who visit the states choose Mexican lagers when they are here as they resemble Munich Helles beer a little bit.

Another similarity about Mexican lagers when compared to Munich Helles is the ABV content. Both share a roughly 5% count, German beer a touch over and Mexican beer a touch under. Following are the ABV levels of Mexico’s most popular lagers.

Bohemia Lt 5.3 %
Carte Blanca 4 %
Corona Extra 4.6 %
Corona Familiar 4.8%
Dos Equis Green 4.2 %
Estrelle Jalisco 4.5 %
Modelo Especial 4.5 %
Modelo Negro 5.4 %
Montejo 4.5 %
Pacifico 4.5 %
Sol 4.5 %
Tecate 3.9 %
Victoria 4 %

Now you see why folks can drink so many beers while trying to hit the pinata.

In Munich three major breweries are Augustiner, Hacker – Schorr and Lowenbrau. There are many more.

Augustiner Helles 5.2 %
Hacker-Schorr 5.5 %
Lowenbrau 5.2 %

Germans don’t put anything in their beers and have a law dating back to 1516 called Reinheitsgebot. In Mexico they make an awesome drink called a Michelada which is like a bloody Mary except with beer instead of vodka. Now the Dude of Food enjoys making micheladas.

2 great michelada mixes. Both on Instagram

Next Sunday try making some of these delicious day starters while planning what to BBQ.

If you love fish then you will certainly love adding these mixes into your favorite ceviches. I add the spicier, LA Pinche Mezcla, to mine and it is the best! Guaranteed satisfaction. It’ll make you wanna say Odele!

The Dude of Food enjoyed Habana Cafe, ROME

One of the things that happens to the Dude of Food when he walks all over Rome is he begins to work up an appetite.

On my way to the Pantheon I stopped at the Habana Cafe and had a delicious and very affordable lunch.

Located on Via del Pastini 120, around the corner from the Pantheon, you can get a great lunch, served by a cool staff for less than $15 euros. I sat outside and enjoyed the historical ambiance as I ate anti pasta, spaghetti carbonara and sipped a beer.

www.habanaroma.com

There are other options in the immediate area but this place is certainly worth checking. Bon Appetit. Grazie Habana Roma.

Try Aldo Restaurant – Vatican City, Italy

The first place to eat that the Dude of Food came across after exiting the Vatican City museum is this sidewalk cafe called ALDO.

After much walking, I was ready to sit down and have some nutritious authentic Italian lunch and the Aldo Restaurant provided it for me. The thoughtful staff, cool service and really good food left me feeling blessed and content and the meal was very reasonably priced. It was awesome to sit under the shadow of the Vatican and enjoy the grace of the Lord and be blessed with a deliciously preparred meal.

“I would eat here all the time, if I was the Pope” exclaimed the Dude of Food.

Motto grazie Aldo.

The Dude of Food presents- Alfredo

So when I craved pasta with alfredo sauce I just took a half pound of bacon and pan fried it. After draining the pan I added some onions and finely chopped garlic. Fresh broccoli was added and then the frozen peas. Later I added a jar of alfredo and a small container of another brand of alfredo sauce and some milk. Add a dash of salt, some pepper, some basil or mint or whatever you like and bring to a simmer.

Add penne noodles and enjoy.

Top with cheese as preferred.

Follow the Dude of Food on Yelp.

http://www.yelp.com/user_details?userid=SuyAXMdTsqwIrFH1S3qk8w

Soup of the Day – SANGRIA

Vegetable pasta. Spaghetti squash. Miss Paris!

From what the Dude of Food understands, you can purchase a thing that you stick vegetables in and when you turn the handle it magically turns the veggies into, voila!, spaghetti! This is a kitchen item that I need to add to my kitchen toolbox.

Right now the Dude of Food is sitting down with coffee at home, pretending to be served by Miss Paris in my amber room overlooking the river. I ask her to dip her finger in my coffee to sweeten it just right and sip my delicious cup of brew while relaxing in bed watching the boats on the river. I’m imagining a zucchini pasta with assorted mushrooms smothered in a cheesy white wine glaze served with a side of warmed buttery green beans and 3 poached eggs on sourdough toast is about to arrive next pushed in on a cart by 2 of Germany’s Next Top Models. A breakfast of champions in bed is a great way for the Dude of Food to greet the day.

See what happens to you if you purchase one of these Paderno Spiralizer from Williams-Sonoma.

Bon Appetite.

The Dude of Food’s cool cookbook review

The Dude of Food knows wine and cooking enthusiasts will immediately realize that they have uncorked something truly magical with Karen MacNeil’s food book “Wine, Food & Friends”. This book sizzles with the culinary expertise of cooking light with the wine connoisseurship of Karen MacNeil. Award-winning author, lecturer, and television personality, Karen is a champion when it comes to knowledge of food and wine. Pair her zeal for the art of wine with more than 150 cooking light recipes and you have all the notes you need to reach new levels of gastronomical glory.

“I like the simplicity and knowledge this food book retains” says the Dude of Food

The Dude of Food likes IN-N-OUT

The Dude of Food is a big fan of In-n-Out burger. Ever wonder why they are so good? Is the quality of the meat? Is it the consistency in quality? Is the care they take in customer service? Is it the fresh iced tea and clean bathrooms?

Whatever it is, these employees learn at the IN-N-OUT University in Baldwin Park.

Around the corner is a replica of one of the originals, seen below. Instead of millions served they advertise ‘NO DELAY’. My how times have changed.

The Dude of Food shares Micheladas

The first photo shows how they serve Micheladas in the streets of San Miguel de Allende.

A liter styrofoam cup filled with all the fixings of a great refreshing drink for 50 pesos.

They have this stick in them that has some red picante stuff stuck to it that you use to mix your drink.

The second photo shows the ingredients.

For best results use fresh limes and skip the bottled lime juice.

I use Red Rooster or Pete’s hot sauce and not put too much ice.

Make-a-Michelada