Category Archives: Italian American

The Audition

Posted on November 22, 2020 by Loretta Giacoletto

Night School, Chicago’s most innovative brothel. 1931 at the height of The Great Depression Up close, he looked younger than from the short distance Paris Mallory had observed him two nights before. She figured Matt Pagano to be around her … Continue reading →

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Don’t Get Me Started

Posted on April 23, 2020 by Loretta Giacoletto

Oops too late. Last Sunday when I went downstairs to get some ravioli from our upright freezer, I discovered the dial was turned to off (must’ve been those damn faeries). Bummer! Everything inside the freezer had defrosted. I’m talking soups, … Continue reading →

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Remembering Italy. A timely repeat of a blog from three years ago …

Posted on April 6, 2020 by Loretta Giacoletto

It’s Me—Giuseppe! One of my fondest memories of visiting the Piemonte family villages in Northern Italy is the year Uncle J and my brother K went with Hubby D and me. The last time Uncle J had been in that … Continue reading →

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Lincoln Zoo, Chicago 1931

Posted on January 17, 2020 by Loretta Giacoletto

An afternoon at Lincoln Zoo with two kids he barely knew was not Matt Pagano’s idea of utilizing time to his advantage although he had to admit these kids were kind of cute. Instead of the drab clothes of the … Continue reading →

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Pure Gold in the Eye of the Beholder

Posted on November 12, 2019 by Loretta Giacoletto

A good friend and colleague of Offspring #4 stopped by yesterday with a promised gift of hen-of-the-woods mushrooms, otherwise known as quarin in the Piemontese dialect of Italian-Americans in our Illinois town and barbison or quarin in Colleretto and the … Continue reading →

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Another Excerpt from The Headmistress’s Son: A Sequel to Chicago’s Headmistress

Posted on August 4, 2019 by Loretta Giacoletto

Chicago 1931, at the height of The Great Depression … “Rent’s due,” Pooch said while counting out three singles, his half of the weekly rent that included someone else dealing with their dirty laundry. “What with you and me practically … Continue reading →

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Normandy, France, D-Day Plus One

Posted on June 7, 2019 by Loretta Giacoletto

Photo by Yucel Moran on Upsplash An excerpt from The Family Angel …  Dear God, any place but here. Not that PFC Frank Roselli had any choice as to where he would be fighting his first battle—in this case, Omaha … Continue reading →

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Priorities and Then Some, as in Chicken Stock

Posted on May 30, 2019 by Loretta Giacoletto

Life has been more than hectic these past two months, what with Hubby D’s open-heart surgery and his subsequent ahead-of-schedule recovery. Our from-the-heart thanks goes to the amazing cardiothoracic team of physicians, nurses, and staff at Washington University School of … Continue reading →

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Antipasto, Family Recipe

Posted on February 26, 2019 by Loretta Giacoletto

Every region of Italy has its own version of antipasto, depending on local products that are readily available, and if the desired end result is a quick first course to a meal or if it’s preserving a huge batch to … Continue reading →

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What’s for Dinner?

Posted on January 20, 2019 by Loretta Giacoletto

How about bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin served alongside prune and walnut filled ravioli? That’s right–prune, p-r-u-n-e. And no screwing up of faces please. Don’t knock what you’ve never tasted. Trust me. Two or three of these Italian agnolotti will give you a … Continue reading →

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