I never use sugar when making gravy/sauce from scratch. I grate up a couple of carrots real fine and cook them in, it adds a little bit of sweetness and since they are orange and cook down to nothing no one ever guesses/knows that they are in there. Except now you folks, so sshhhhh!

Odd double post, that's a bit FReepish!

Quote: Frank Cannon wrote in post #17

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Quote: sneakypete wrote in post #11

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China's Outlet Mall is NOT a "American Corporation". It is a GLOBALIST Corporations,with globalist goals and influence. I buy nothing there if I have any other options.

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LOL. Yeah. Because everyone else is selling Made In America/Look for the Union Label stuff. K-Mart, Kohls, Target.

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Quote: Weird Tolkienish Figure wrote in post #21

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Quote: ThirstyMan wrote in post #16

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Quote: sneakypete wrote in post #15

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Quote: ThirstyMan wrote in post #13

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Quote: sneakypete wrote in post #11

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China's Outlet Mall is NOT a "American Corporation". It is a GLOBALIST Corporations,with globalist goals and influence. I buy nothing there if I have any other options.

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And I hope you drive a Ford, not some imported globalist piece of crap.

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Why? Are you so delusional that you think Fords are made in America?

How much Wal-Mart stock do you own?

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Oh, I didn't notice your answer.....

But my answer to your question is: Zero stock. I don't buy into the "Walmart is the devil" crowd either.

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I hate to post from a progressive site but read this before you declare your love for Wally World:

http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0207-34.htm

I still shop there, but shop target when I can.

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Quote: Frank Cannon wrote in post #22

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Quote: FP123 wrote in post #20

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(And if anyone wonders why I still wear clothes 20+ years old there are a few factors:
1. They used to be very high quality materials
2. I am a very good launderer, line-air dry almost everything and just air fluff in the dryer to soften up a bit.
3. I am neat and clean, rarely spill food or drink on myself, and rarely get stained even while working.

Now watch, I probably spill red gravy on myself later!)

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I hear you. All my work clothes come from Ebay and estate sales because the crap is cheap and the old stuff is way better. My work boots come from Duluth Trading Co because they still make the old style mock toe boots...made in the USA. They last forever and you can keep cobbling them after that.



(I won't say anything about my dress clothing. It's all high end Italian designer stuff. That might set of Sneaky for not buying American.)

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My father was born in Sicily and came here when he was 9. To be honest, I dont recall what he called it..since my mother called it gravy. Growing up, 95% of my friends were Italian..they all called it gravy. I still call it that..so do my kids, other relatives and even my sons wife..who is half sicilian and half napolitano, like myself. I only call it sauce from time to time, which began when I worked in a restaurant. Oh..and my mom was born here, her father immigrated in 1901. As americanized as this grandfather became..I guess the "gravy" lived on..lol

I use the italian pronunciation for mozzarella, calamari, manicotti, ricotta, etc. So do 2 of my children and most of my relatives and their children..it seems my middle child became a full american and says these things the american way. Haha and the rest of us make fun of her. I am not fluent in the italian language..but there is a lot of it, mixed into my english...and both my children and grandchildren understand those words, like they are english. And lets not forget about the bad words...lol Somehow, it sounds so much nicer to curse someone out in italian, than it does in english.

Quote: Just Ducky wrote in post #59

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W-girl..I never saw cannoli with yellow cream.

Many years ago, I tried using sugar. I didnt notice much of a difference..so I stopped. All I put in my sauce is garlic (which I brown with the meat), romano cheese and basil. I grow fresh basil, but I prefer to dry it before using it as the flavor is more intense. When I dont have my own basil, I use the regular basil from the store. For meat, I use meatballs, which I brown using high heat, because this forms a crust. My daughter and granddaughter are vegetarians..and while they will eat the sauce, they wont if there are pieces of meatball floating around..so they have to have that crust so they dont break apart. I also use hot sausage..and occasionally a piece of pork..sometimes beef. On very rare occasions, I make bracciole. (the no egg method, just seasonings). And, I only cook my sauce about an hour and a half to 2 hours. You dont need to cook it more than that.

About the tomato brands. Where I grew up, (one step from the bronx), we were still getting Italian immigrants in the 50s. My best friend was born in Italy. It was she..who told me to keep away from the imports and use the red pack brand and hunts. Her sauce was #2 in line, right after the mother in law...and..their families both came from the same province in Italy.

As I said in my last post, the pasta machine was very easy to use. It came with several..um..thingies to make different shapes. You can put the pasta right from the machine..into the boiling water. My kids liked the spaghetti and linguini..but, Like I said...they would no longer eat the kind in the box..lol..and the thing is a royal pain in the neck to clean...so, pasta making=fast and easy, cleaning=ugh.

There was only one place that I ever ate the food, that tasted just like home cooking. About 10 years ago, a place opened by me that did catering. At that time, we had several parties coming up in the family, so I got one of their menus. Their prices were very reasonable and they loaned you the stands to put the food in and gave you the sternos. So..we ordered, several trays of different italian food. This stuff was so good, that several people asked me if I did the cooking. I had to call these guys the next day to ask whose grandmother they had in their kitchen there..the food was that good. Needless to say, these guys stayed in business only a few years...what a loss. I really think someones mom or grandma gave their recipes to these guys..with no shortcuts or ingredient cuts.

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Quote: Just Ducky wrote in post #66

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My father was born in Sicily and came here when he was 9. To be honest, I dont recall what he called it..since my mother called it gravy. Growing up, 95% of my friends were Italian..they all called it gravy. I still call it that..so do my kids, other relatives and even my sons wife..who is half sicilian and half napolitano, like myself. I only call it sauce from time to time, which began when I worked in a restaurant. Oh..and my mom was born here, her father immigrated in 1901. As americanized as this grandfather became..I guess the "gravy" lived on..lol

I use the italian pronunciation for mozzarella, calamari, manicotti, ricotta, etc. So do 2 of my children and most of my relatives and their children..it seems my middle child became a full american and says these things the american way. Haha and the rest of us make fun of her. I am not fluent in the italian language..but there is a lot of it, mixed into my english...and both my children and grandchildren understand those words, like they are english. And lets not forget about the bad words...lol Somehow, it sounds so much nicer to curse someone out in italian, than it does in english.

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Loved reading this thread! Why not? Born and raised in the south, my gravy is made with milk and roux...poured over a hot biscuit or potatoes.
Nothing Italian in my family...
But....my "gravy" for meatloaf is called sauce. Go figure....

I also had that type relationship with my grandmother. I would spend summers with her, in the Bronx...because she spoiled me terribly. She would talk a mix of Italian and broken english. I understood the simple Italian she used, but I would answer her in english. I remember, as a kid, my mom would give us PB&J for lunch..or cold cuts. Not grandma..she cooked a dinner..lol..which half the time, I wanted no part of.

I also would have liked to learn italian. Our parents really should have taught us. I think my mother didnt, so she could talk to her sister, without us understanding. But, I picked up a lot of words and phrases...not enough to really converse, tho. In later years, I tried to learn more..but you dont retain it. The most Italian I learned was from when I was a child..and I added a little more, plus the ability to somewhat read it, when I did (and am still doing) my genealogy. Of course, the Italian records are written in Italian. The date is written long hand with words and not numbers...like 1890 would be written out as one big word. The first time I saw a document, I blinked. I had to cover the word and move the card over to the right a little at a time. Now, I read those years like they are english. While I cant read every word on a document, I can read what I need to, to get the information I need. I have seen thousands and thousands of these Italian civil records.

By the way..if anyone is interested in tracing their family (I am back to the 1700s), there are a lot of records for these Italian towns..some on ancestry where you have to pay and others on family search, which is run by the mormon church..the biggest collectors of records from around the world. Theirs are free. They just got my mothers town, which I have been waiting 20 years for. This kind of research is very time consuming, but very, very rewarding. If anyone is interested, I would be happy to explain what you need to do.

Quote: Just Ducky wrote in post #71

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I also had that type relationship with my grandmother. I would spend summers with her, in the Bronx...because she spoiled me terribly. She would talk a mix of Italian and broken english. I understood the simple Italian she used, but I would answer her in english. I remember, as a kid, my mom would give us PB&J for lunch..or cold cuts. Not grandma..she cooked a dinner..lol..which half the time, I wanted no part of.

I also would have liked to learn italian. Our parents really should have taught us. I think my mother didnt, so she could talk to her sister, without us understanding. But, I picked up a lot of words and phrases...not enough to really converse, tho. In later years, I tried to learn more..but you dont retain it. The most Italian I learned was from when I was a child..and I added a little more, plus the ability to somewhat read it, when I did (and am still doing) my genealogy. Of course, the Italian records are written in Italian. The date is written long hand with words and not numbers...like 1890 would be written out as one big word. The first time I saw a document, I blinked. I had to cover the word and move the card over to the right a little at a time. Now, I read those years like they are english. While I cant read every word on a document, I can read what I need to, to get the information I need. I have seen thousands and thousands of these Italian civil records.

By the way..if anyone is interested in tracing their family (I am back to the 1700s), there are a lot of records for these Italian towns..some on ancestry where you have to pay and others on family search, which is run by the mormon church..the biggest collectors of records from around the world. Theirs are free. They just got my mothers town, which I have been waiting 20 years for. This kind of research is very time consuming, but very, very rewarding. If anyone is interested, I would be happy to explain what you need to do.

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What was thrilling for me, was to see the signatures of my two grandparents who died before I was born.

I found that doing my genealogy, was one of the most rewarding and exciting things I have ever done. I know it sounds stupid, but, just by searching and finding these documents, you get a good idea of what life must have been like for some of these people...and also how lucky we are to be here, since maybe 3 out of 7 babies lived. You find a child for a couple, next thing you know, you find the death. It seems more didnt make it, than did.

Some mysteries you never solve. A few years back, thru census and ship records, I found that my grandmother, went back to Italy with her first 3 children for at least a year, while my grandfather lived with a married sister. I thought, perhaps, someone was sick and dying, for her to go back. Knowing Italian men, I couldnt imagine my grandfather breaking up his home, just for her to go on some joy trip. Well, when I found these records online, recently..nobody died during the time that I was sure she was there in Italy. I did find her signature on the birth of her brothers child..but other than that..everyone seemed to be alive and well. I guess I will never know..what she was doing there with 3 children under 4 years old.