Shaking my brain with Grandma, clams and an award

I'm researching. And writing. The thing is I'm supposed to be researching and writing The Grimms Brothers Unplugged which is slated for production at Lakeshore Players in July 2010. And I am. Sort of. I've read over 300 tales, made a cast list, did the opening, changed my mind as to how and why I would compile the tales. Changed the theme from growing up to the ways and means of enchantment. And then.... this....

Grandma Gresio. She has been gone since I was 11. She rarely spoke of Italy and I am shaking my brain every which way to figure her out. To figure me out. We found Grandpa Gresio's manifest through the Ellis Island site fifteen years ago. Why could we not find Grandma's? Then a discovery: her name was not Theresa - but Maria Theresa. I typed in her birthdate, her hometown of Stigliano and her name - and I was guided right to it.
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Of course there are the dissenters. "It can't be her," said one cousin. "It says she was twenty when she was landed. My mother always said she was nineteen." (Nevermind that my mother told me she was sixteen.)
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"Laviano is a very common name. It may not be her. And I don't think her name was Maria."
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Well, it's Maria on her marriage license. Do you know how hard those manifests are to read? It has her hometown, height, her destination (Uncle Francesco - her brother) and Francesco's correct address. Yes. I think it's her.
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There is the tale of Francesco never showing up. And Grandma (illiterate and speaking only Italian) wandering around downtown with the address (why they let her off Ellis Island, we'll never know) asking people to direct her. Many people made fun of her. That upsets my mother to this day. I can only imagine Grandma telling the story with humiliation which is why something that happened in 1907 strikes such an emotional chord with my mother today. I can also gather from my mother's emotion - that Grandma must have been a proud woman. Not arrogant - but self-respecting. Grandma must have told that story with tremors if it still upsets my mother. A woman from an impoverished town, peasant stock (Francesco's occupation was listed as "peasant."), who cannot read or write can still feel her worth.
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Fast forward nine hours later. I've been on the computer all day and calling my mother. The family will be home soon. I scour the fridge for leftovers. I think - I should make something nice for my family. Grandma revered family. It's too late. But it's not too late for an appetizer. I run to the store, pick up a pound of clams and act like I've been thinking of their welfare all day.

It was a nice surprise. No frowns occurred when I warmed Monday's soup. There were suspicions as to why I made something that I usually reserve for special occasions. But actually if you think about it - today was pretty special.

Clams with Garlic-Butter Sauce - serves 3-4 as an appetizer

1 lb clams

6 tbl butter (I used Earth Balance to offset the buttery Julia Child syndrome)

4 tsp minced garlic (I do confess to using the jarred - I was in a hurry)

6 tbl fresh sliced basil

Clams with Garlic-Butter Sauce Preparation
Soak clams for ten minutes in salted water to help get rid of impurities. Scrub them well. Melt your butter and garlic. When all is melted and garlic starts to cook, add the clams. Cover and simmer for 5-10 minutes (until the clams open). Discard any clams that don't open. Put clams on plate, pour butter-garlic sauce over them and scatter basil on top of sauce and clams. Serve with crusty bread to soak up this wonderful creamy, smooth briny sauce.

Cover and simmer.

Uncover and find sea-filled deliciousness.

A little basil never hurts anything.

My easy New Year's Eve appetizer allowed me to reheat soup for dinner.

And after dinner, I went on to my computer to find this from Gera at Sweets Foods.

If you do not know Gera' Sweets Foods Blog - you should. He brings a ton of research weekly - with gatherings of blogs and why they might interest you. And of course there are delectables - sweet and savory to tempt and entice you. Thank-you so much Gera for thinking of me.

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In keeping with the "sweet friendship," I am supposed to post the award (happily done), mention ten things that make me happy and pass this on to ten people who brighten my day.

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With gratitude, I can attest that there are many more than ten things that make me happy and many more than ten people who brighten my day. How lucky am I.

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10 Things:

family, friends, feeding people, writing, the first crocus, mornings (and I'm a night person! go figure), reading, my four-legged loved ones, my personal inner life, the ability to pay-it-forward.

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In keeping with paying-it-forward and love of feeding people - I want to give a big shout-out to the 20and 30-somethings out there who - because of social networking and texting, an unprecedented amount of money for Haiti was raised in a short amount of time. The idea of texting a donation through your cell phone to the Red Cross makes it so easy to give. And the main cell phone companies have waived all their fees and have pledged to give 100% of the donations to their intended charity. With the aftershocks, the need remains great and will continue. Food for thought. And love.

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Today, I shall pass the award to:

Stirring the Pot - for culinary obsessions and "throwdowns"

My Little Space - in honor of her 200th post and delectables

Five Star Foodie - for taking ingredients and creating art

The Ungourmet - whose name belies her scrumptious creations

Figtree Appetizers - whose recipes I cook again and again

I Love Flavour Me - I don't know what I love more - her adventures or her food! Both, I guess

My Food and Life Encounters - whose spirit of love shines through every post

Lynda's Recipe Box - for her combining of traditional beloved recipes with the new

Chow and Chatter - for delivering nourishment in a most delicious manner

Just Joyce - for doing all with heart and love

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I shall return to the ship's manifests. Call my mother yet again and wonder why I have been avidly searching for Grandma for many decades. To learn more about her? To learn more about me? To write? To acknowledge the debt? More food for thought.