Homemaking 101

Casalinga: (Italian) Housewife.

I've been making a home for 25 years. I love my job. I wouldn't want to do anything else. I have no aspirations of building a great career, making lots of money or being powerful. I just really like being home, cooking, cleaning, decorating, spending time with my husband and kids, creating, sewing, entertaining and all those stereotypical things a housewife does. It has afforded me and my family incredible flexibility in terms of travel, education, life experiences, and myriad other things related to raising children. I've had the supreme privilege of spending a little over two years practicing this art in Italy, thus the title of the blog. Now those casalingas know how to make a house a home.

I really do count this life as a privileged one. I know not everyone could do this. And I know not everyone wants to. But I make no apology for it, and I thank God often for the opportunity to do so. Although I hold a bachelor's degree in education and worked as a teacher for a while, my husband and I decided to live on just one income early in our marriage. This has come in handy with my 'career' choice as cooking and cleaning for the family doesn't pay well.

I will try to post something weekly. I want to share some of the trade secrets I've gleaned from others along the way: no one is truly self-made; we all got it from someone else.

Today's topic: Sharing your Passions with the Next Generation

Two weeks ago, I initiated cooking night. It felt a little ostentatious to call it a cooking 'school' so for now, it's just something I'm doing on Monday nights. I invited a few of the young women in my life, friends of my daughters, and we whipped up an amazing meal together. I was taught to "never assume knowledge" when teaching children, so I told them I would treat them the same way as we discussed meal planning and portions.

Menu: Grilled Portobellos, Bruschetti, Arugula Salad,

Tortellini Alfredo, and a Chocolate Chess Pie

I wanted to teach them some easy basic dishes that have some "wow" factor. Tortellini Alfredo is one of the American things that sounds Italian. Oh yes, the Italians do eat tortellini, just not slathered in fat and cream and bacon...I call it "a heart-attack on a plate."



Grilled Portobellos
Sliced portobello mushrooms
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Gorgonzola cheese crumbles
S & P




Heat the oil and brown mushrooms briefly, just a few minutes on each side. While still hot, drizzle with a good balsamic vinegar, sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper and place on a warm dish. Liberally sprinkle with cheese crumbles and keep warm. They will ooze yumminess. And don't be scared of stinky cheese. Gorgonzola is delightful, especially slightly melted on a portobello.



We've been reading a book called The Confident Woman, by Indgrid Trobisch. I thought it would be an easy discussion starter; it's ended up being an intense discussion of all things woman. We were supposed to talk about the chapter on being confident with men, but we got really caught up in all the food!

A Lesson in Romance

Ahh...February 14th...what young husband doesn't stress over what to do on this special day? What are the expectations? As a young wife, we want to be pampered, remembered and celebrated, but truthfully girls - we sometimes expect our man to be Mr. Perfect on this day. I can remember many times as a young wife, being unreasonably disappointed because Mr. Metty didn't read my mind! We've been married 25 years, and there have been some amazing Valentine's Days and some not so great.

So, my dear hubby had this stroke of genius: why don't we combine our passion for cooking (especially the romantic Italian variety), use our spacious great room and convert our home into a romantic Italian candlelit restaurant. We'll invite six young couples, only tell the husbands, and let them build up the excitement of a surprise evening out. They were instructed to take care of everything from childcare, to helping their wives find a suitable black or red dress, to talking it up for two weeks beforehand. Our part was the cooking, serving and creating an environment conducive to building a lasting memory that will be a chapter in their love story.

So Mama Metty is married to Papa Metty, who has a thing or two to share with the next generation of great husbands. We learned a long time ago that the anticipation of an event is sometimes as fun or more fun than the actual event. So ladies (since it's probably only ladies reading this), take note: you'd do well to gently tell your man how much you appreciate him keeping a little secret now and then, and giving you hints until it's time to reveal. Kirk used to keep a little list going at his office of great ideas for dates. He'd try to get me to guess what he was cooking up, and everything I guessed went right on that list! Pretty clever!

So, did I get anything romantic out of this Valentine's Day? Absolutely. Every time Kirk sent a note out to the husbands, he practiced what he was preaching and I was the beneficiary of love notes, chocolates, and flowers in the days preceding February 14th. And we had such a great time working on this little project together. We cooked together, he hung out with me in the kitchen while I mixed things up, he told me how great I was. It was a pretty memorable weekend for us, too.

Menu
Grilled Portobellos with Gorgonzola, Bruschetti, Assorted Olives
Caprese Salad
Homemade Fettucine, Lasagne Bolognese, Ravioli
Sfogliatelle and Chocolate dipped Strawberries
Red and White Wines, Cappucino