Meals from Moms

With Mother's Day quickly approaching I wanted to make two of my most favorite dishes that my mom and my MIL are famous (at least to MY tummy) for. My MIL's outstanding Spaghetti Con Aglio Olio and my mom's famous Icebox Cake (seriously this cake has created world peace in my family on more than one occasion).

I am the baby in my family and there is no other time in my life that this point is made clearer than when I am in my mother's kitchen. I have to confess, I didn't actually cook a single thing this evening. I delegated while my older sister and mother took over. I tried to help. Really.

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I love cooking with family (or watching them cook my meals). There's always (in this order) laughing, teasing, fighting, threatening, laughing, eating, gossiping, laughing, eating, teasing, fighting, laughing and then break. By the time my husband leaves my parents' house with me I'm revved up while he's taking an Advil with a Pepcid chaser. My in-laws are a bit more subdued...then again I'm still new.

I love visiting my parents-in-law because it never feels as if I'm just an in-law to them. From day one they always felt like family. My MIL still brings out her best china whenever I come over to eat and it always makes me feel so loved and special. My absolute favorite meal that she makes for us is her Spaghetti Con Aglio Olio. She made this when she and my FIL returned from their trip to Italy and brought back the most amazing dried pasta I had ever tasted in my life. She gave me her recipe as part of my bridal shower gift...it remains as one of my most treasured posessions!

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My mom's Icebox cake is seriously legendary. I don't care how cold it is outside or how busy one of my siblings may be, all it takes is a phone call from somebody saying "Mom made Icebox Cake" and we rush over to scoop out a huge hunk and devour it before somebody else snags it. It's such a simple recipe (just three flavors of pudding separated by layers of graham crackers) and yet none of us make it, I guess because how special is Icebox Cake, really, if Mom isn't making it?  One time, my mom made Icebox Cake "for no reason" other than she just "felt like it". Of course none of us believed her and we were all asking what the big occasion was. Was my brother getting married? Did my sister get a job? Did my other brother finally find his back issues of Conan comics that my mom was suspected to have thrown away? Was I pregnant?

The answer to all of these questions was, of course, no. My mom was simply finding an excuse to have all of her kids together eating at her kitchen table laughing, teasing, fighting, eating...you know the drill.

Mama Bellano's Spaghetti Con Aglio Olio

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Ingredients

1 lb spaghetti

1/2 c. olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 small can anchovies

1/2 c. grated parmesan

1 pinch red pepper flakes

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Bring a medium-sized pasta pot to boil and add spaghetti. While spaghetti cooks, heat up oil in a deep sautee pan. Add garlic and sautee for about 2 minutes. Add anchovies and crush with a fork until mostly dissolved. Add chopped parsley. Add cooked pasta and toss with tongs, adding a generous amount (about 1/2-3/4 c. of parmesan cheese). Top with red pepper flakes and fresh parsley.

*Tip: Don't tell anyone there's anchovies in this. They'll get finicky and miss out on a truly great dish. The fish provides a lovely nutty flavor that will not be detected by even the pickiest kid or grown-up!

Mama Petetti's Icebox Cake

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Ingredients

1 package each of chocolate, butterscotch and vanilla pudding

3 c. per package of milk (so 9 cups all together...just buy a gallon!)

graham crackers

pineapple chunks or banana slices

Directions

My mom and I found it to be a LOT faster and easier to prepare each of the puddings according to the manufacturer's microwave directions. It just takes about 10 minutes for each pudding to cook up (stirring every two). This makes a nice, thick pudding (which I prefer) but if you like a thinner pudding (as my mom does) add a bit more milk to your liking.

Once all the puddings are cooked, you will begin my pouring in the chocolate layer. Let cool a bit and then top with a solid layer of graham crackers. Then, add your cooled butterscotch pudding. Again, top with a solid layer of graham crackers. Then top with cooled vanilla pudding and this time you will crush the graham cracker and sprinkle them lightly over the top. You can top your cake with either pineapple chunks or banana slices.

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Enjoy!