Italian | theclothesmakethegirl

Mar 1, 2013 Posted by Mel

Old School Italian Meat Sauce

In college, I had a 100% Italian-American boyfriend, and I was partially adopted by his very traditional family. His mom was about 4’10″ and a spitfire, and every week, she had a cooking schedule. A certain day of the week meant soup, another day was always a roast, and Sunday was spaghetti and meatballs. She’d make the sauce on Saturday afternoon so it could simmer until after mass on... read more

Oct 16, 2012 Posted by Mel

Slow-Cooker Italian Pork Roast

There was a cosmic convergence among five factors to bring this recipe post into your kitchens: 1. Nom Nom Paleo did a cooking demo of her incredibly, lusciously delicious Slow Cooker Kalua Pig at our paleo throwdown in Estes Park, Colorado — and her 3-ingredient recipe inspired me to think about how I could adapt her technique to some other flavors. 2. I’ve had to jettison spices this month while... read more

Sep 13, 2012 Posted by Mel

Weirdly-Awesome, Awesomely-Weird Dinner For One

When I was growing up, my whole family ate dinner together at 5:00 p.m. most nights. But every once in a while, when I was a little older, I’d find myself in the house by myself, and that’s when I’d make weird stuff for dinner. Like a whole box of Steak-Umms (liberally sprinkled with garlic salt and browned in a pan until crispy) and a few Eggo waffles, burnt and slathered with butter.... read more

Apr 17, 2012 Posted by Mel

Beef Liver With Parsley-Onions & Lemon

I’m currently kickin’ it in Costa Rica, so most of my meals over the past few days have included fresh fish, avocado, lime juice, and mango. Look for a post later this week with some appropriately tropical meal ideas and maybe a new recipe or two. For now, here’s the result of my beef liver experiment from last week. Be open minded, and you’ll be rewarded. There was a lot of talk... read more

Jan 25, 2011 Posted by Mel

Tangy Goodness: Creamy Italian Dressing

When I was a kid, I hated sandwiches… especially ham & cheese – but I loved salads… especially with lots of creamy Italian dressing. My mom would pack my lunchtime salad in a Tupperware container, then put the bottled creamy Italian dressing in a plastic baggie. All I had to do was cut the corner off the bag and squeeze out the dressing. Pretty genius, right? Now I mostly dress our... read more

Oct 17, 2010 Posted by Mel

10-Minute Pizza Soup

I feel kinda funny calling this a recipe because it’s so dead easy. But I’ve made it three times, and every time, Dave exclaims about how delicious it is. Seems worth sharing. The first time I made it, we’d just returned from Prague, along with the head colds we picked up on the airplane. I really wanted soup, but thought I didn’t have anything in the house to make some. I walked... read more

Jul 27, 2010 Posted by Mel

Baked Eggplant F’armesan

For the last two weeks, my Farmhouse Delivery basket has included adorable eggplants, a big bunch of basil, and gorgeous yellow and red tomatoes. But here’s a sad little secret: I don’t like raw tomatoes. No matter how hard I try, I can’t make myself enjoy them. Happily, Fortune intervened, in the form of a New York Times blog post about eggplant parmesan made with eggs in the tomato... read more

May 25, 2010 Posted by Mel

Back Squats & Bell Peppers

Oh, friends. It’s been far too long since I did back squats of the barbell kind (as opposed to the emotional kind). When I’m following my preferred routine, Monday is some-kind-of-squat day, and Friday is deadlift day. This is how I like it. Sorta. So yesterday, I ignored the little voice telling me to lie in bed and finish my book, and I took myself to the gym to say hello to the barbell and... read more

Feb 16, 2010 Posted by Mel

Dinner and a Movie™: Meatza Pie and the Vancouver Olympics

Dave and I, after much painful trial and error, have declared Sundays “socializing-free zones,” which means that except for major occasions – like Valentine’s Day’s Austin Marathon cheer zone – we don’t make plans with other humans on Sundays. It’s our day to sleep late, do laundry, cook for the week, read books, make plans to conquer the world, … or scrap all... read more

Aug 5, 2009 Posted by Mel

Presto… Pesto

When you think of pesto, you probably envision the traditional pesto alla genovese: mashed basil leaves with tons of olive oil, pine nuts, and parmesan cheese… which probably means you’re not eating much of it these days, what with dairy being fooda non grata (yes, I made that up!) on our dino-chow menus. I’ve got good news: There are lots of tasty ways to make pesto varieties that... read more

Aug 5, 2008 Posted by Mel

Italian Sauté

I was craving Italian food last night, specifically, a big ol’ pile of pasta. But grains are out of my life. Turns out, it’s not the noodles I want, but those wonderful Italian spices. Italian “Sausage” Sauté[Makes a 3-block Zone dinner; approx. 7 points for the whole meal, including dessert] You need: 1-lb. ground turkey, chicken, or lean beef Penzeys Italian Sausage... read more

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The Redbreast: A Harry Hole Novel
I'm about two-thirds of the way through this detective thriller, and I'm hooked. It's set in modern Norway with flashbacks to WWII (catnip for me!) and features a somewhat grim hero that engenders empathy. I can't help pulling for the guy as I watch him struggle with his case and his life. The cast of characters is a realistic but motley crew, and it reminds me of other favorites set in cold, snowy climes: the Millenium Trilogy and Smila's Sense of Snow.
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The Lost: A Search for Six of Six Million
I picked up this book after reading an interview with Lee Child (author of the Jack Reacher thrillers). He referred to The Lost as "the book of the century" and since I devour as much as I can about the Holocaust to try to make sense of it all, I decided I needed to read it immediately. Part memoir, part detective tale, this book was thoroughly engrossing. It's intelligent, annoying, moving, frustrating, and ultimately, rewarding and beautifully written. It challenged me in ways I didn't expect, and I was sad when it was finished.