BKD Bookclub......Mangiamo Italiano

It's time again for  Jo Tracey's BKD (Brookford Kitchen Diaries) Cookbook Club. I've followed Jo for awhile and have read several of her books, including one of her most recent which features a group of ladies who have a cookbook club. If you haven't read any of Jo's books, you should.

This saying is above my sink and it's a favorite. My moms parents are both Italian, born to Italian-American parents. Her dads parents came from Italy and her moms parents already lived here. Sadly, what wasn't passed down was the language (I'm currently learning it on Duoling0). Many recipes have been passed down, but like many immigrants, they desired to come to America and become American, whether by choice, or pressure to fit in. That also makes me a bit sad, but I'm glad for what traditions have been passed down. 

This photo is of my paternal grandfathers family, plus my maternal grandma (his wife). His mother is the one holding the pan, and one of his brothers is holding the ladle. My grandmother is in the dark dress in the background. I love this photo and want to get it printed out and put in my kitchen.

The Italian culture holds a special fascination for me, moreso as I get older, wanting to know more about our family. While I was visiting my aunts in Ohio I took several pictures of pictures they had. My dads family is Slovak and they weren't very close so I don't know much about them and their history. 

Let's get on with the cookbooks. 

I checked out these three books. I had one more on hold but it didn't come in time. I ended up going with Cooking with Nonna. The other two books were beautiful and I know I could have found did find several recipes in each that I could have made, I opted for the Nonna's. I would totally own the other two. The Pasta Queen was strictly pasta, whereas Giada's had a variety. All of them had gorgeous photos and stories. I love stories.

What I loved about Cooking with Nonna  were the stories and the variety of recipes. Each Nonna has a page where she shares her story. Some were immigrants, a few were born in the states to immigrant parents. All of their stories were fascinating. 

In a quote by one of them it says:

"Come me, non c'e nessuno! Io sono unica al mondo!"

Like me, there is no one. I am unique in the world!

I just loved that! 

The following photos are from the cookbook. 

I just loved the family photos. It reminded me of photos I have and have seen in my family's collections. 

I really wanted to try this, but decided to do that another time. We are trying to lose some weight here...haha. 

I chuckled when the recipe I chose to make was made by someone with the last name D'Angelo. While probably no one they knew, my moms family often talked about friends with the name D'Angelo. I love what she says at the beginning of her page.

"Make sure you ask your questions, because time goes on and people pass away, and you'll never know some things"

I opted to make Stuffed Mushrooms. I had limited time. It was hard to decide, but these were a hit. If I made them again, I'd add more cheese...of course I think part of authentic Italian cooking is simplicity. 

See the recipe below. This came together well and is perfect as an appetizer, or even a side dish. Originally I was going to make it as a side but we ended up just having them as an appetizer with a few other things I made. I didn't have the energy to type it all out...it's been a long day that started at 3:00 a.m.

The end result...simple but tasty. The recipe did call for mint in the sauce but I wasn't so sure about that flavor profile so I didn't put much in. 

Next month we're going to cook from a cookbook by an author from our country, so for me, that will be the USA..maybe I'll narrow it down and find one by a PNW author. See you on the 13th.

With Joy Unquenchable,

Kirstin