[WolfyOne]

Originally Posted by Sun

Wolfy Welcome to the thread! or Welcome to the House of Delicious.

We have some talented foodies in here huh? They are blowing me away every day. The way that you learned to cook was the same for me. Even if I look at a recipe its just an idea and then I do my own thing. Describing what to throw together really works when others cook in the same style. Try it sometime in here.

Today a Chef friend messaged me asking for a recipe for Alfredo for a special occasion meal for her girlfriend. When she saw that the recipe was so simple I think she was worried..lol. Like, that's it?? Easy, rich, high fat comfort food. Her girlfriend will love it.

One of the dishes that my family requests is my Nana's spaghetti. The sauce is very simple. The key is just to get the most flavorful tomatoes and garlic possible and take it from there. Oh then the cheese..when I was a kid we made this pilgrimage to a special store to get the "good cheese". When I left for college and could not find the "good cheese" anywhere I was in a panic and had to have it shipped to me in a care package. Those were the days. My Nana died when I was 21 and never got to see me become a Chef. Now when I make her pasta for anyone, I am continuing her legacy and sharing a family tradition that we all loved so much growing up. No matter what is offered to me I want simple home cooked meals, made with love.

And I still go out of my way for the "good cheese".

I love how many of you have shared your stories of family recipes that you keep cooking. I hope that in the future, the next generation in my family will do the same.

I learned at a young age to make a pot of red gravy (some say sauce, depending on what part of Italy your family was from) from my in laws. It's made with pork neck bones, hot Italian sausage and ground beef. The first night you're only allowed sausage sandwiches because the spices have to get a chance to soak into the gravy overnight even after simmering for hours. The next night you're good to go and can use the gravy for any Italian dish you can concoct.

Being a transplant from Chicago, I miss the food from there. Not only restaurant food because of the diversity, but ethnic food that I can't get here or at least can't get anything I deem decent. I used to make road trips to Chicago once a year just to bring back meats I think suck here. I really miss Chicago pizza, Vienna hotdogs and Italian Beefs, good giardinara, sport peppers on hotdogs when I have them. I miss the Carniceras there even though we have them here, just not the same. I haven't even found a decent Chinese restaurant to eat at here....missing Chinatown in Chicago BIG time.