Welcome to the Family, Artie

The whole way home I couldn't stop thinking about that juiced up, layered grilled cheese.  There was a much fancier name for it in the book, but I don't remember what it was, and I didn't have time to google what the words meant.  So in the meantime, I was sticking with grilled cheese su steroids.

I finally had a cookbook that left my mouth watering.  I figured I should read the beginning of the book, so I could get a little history on this restaurant called Carmine's.  I grabbed a drink, closed my bedroom door, climbed up on my bed, and opened the book to the first page.

Fifteen pages.  That's all it took.  In just 15 pages everything had changed.  I was no longer thinking about the food.  Sandwich? What sandwich?   I laid my head back, held the book up to my chest, and closed my eyes.  I pictured my family through Artie Cutler's eyes.  Cooking the recipes in this book was no longer just about having a great meal for dinner, it was about inviting Artie and his vision into my home.

This little adventure of mine had taken on a whole new meaning.  I grabbed my laptop and sent the following letter to the women I had met just hours before:

Kelly and Jill -

I just finished reading the introduction in the cookbook and I wanted to tell you how these 15 pages are probably the most important 15 pages I have read in a very long time.

I've toyed with the idea of cooking every recipe in a cookbook for awhile now.  I've actually bought a couple of different books and looked through them, but none of them seemed right.  I know it might sound a little cheesy - but none of them got me excited about the journey of cooking every recipe - regardless of the simplicity or complexity of what it would entail.  Until now.  Until I read the history of Carmine's.  I was fascinated as I read about how the Italian immigrants started a new life here and how they made big family meals that were delicious, creative, and yet simple in using basic ingredients they had on hand.  When they ran out of some ingredients, they found other ways to make a meal the family could look forward to.  It's easy to picture the children running around with their cousins and friends as the smells of a home cooked meal filled the air around them and then everyone coming in, to sit together as a family, and eat.  This was a time they could let the cares of the world fall away while they passed the food around.  As stories were told and laughter filled the air, the burdens of the day drifted away.

As I pictured this, I realized this is what I had been looking for.  This is what is missing in my home.  More often than not, meals are thrown together quickly in order to eat as fast as possible and get out the door.  Conversation during dinner time?  Forget about it.  No one has time for that anymore - there are emails to be checked, texts to return, social media to check up on.  Dinner is now a time where adults and children alike can sit with a fork in one hand and their phone in the other.  The idea that a good home cooked meal can bring a family closer together has long been forgotten.  But Artie Cutler didn't forget.  He saw the importance of people coming together over good food and a sense of belonging.  His vision recognized the need people have to take a moment away from the chaos the world throws at them.  A need to return to a time when life's problems could be solved over hot pasta and family love.

I want this for my family.  I want this for my three children.  Too often I'm throwing together "breakfast" for dinner because I have nothing planned or ran out of time.  Nothing says, "I love you. How was school?" like a fresh bowl of cereal or leftover pancakes.  Don't get me wrong - I'm sure those days will still happen, but I have fallen in love with the idea of bringing Artie's vision into my own home.  I want my children to look forward to dinner time.  To know this is a time they can let go of the stress of school, bullies, tough classes, and teenage drama. They can take a break from their day to day worries and know dinner time is for them to enjoy a home cooked meal they'll actually LOVE to eat and sit with family that loves and supports them.  I love the idea of my teenage son asking me if a bunch of his friends can stay for dinner and knowing I can grab my book and make an amazing meal that will do more than just feed five teenagers - it will make a memory as they sit around the table and laugh about their day and make plans for their futures.

I had no idea Artie's story would ring so true to me, but it did.  I can only hope I make him proud.  I imagine my dad tracking him down in heaven and asking why he couldn't have published this book 20 years ago when they were both alive so I could make him "stuffed pork fillet with broccoli rabe fontina and pine nuts with creamy polenta."

I'm going to NY this weekend with a friend of mine to have a girls weekend away.  I'm going to go and find the bench that Alice purchased on Broadway and 90th and take a picture of me in "Artie's first office" as I start this journey.  And when I finish, I'm going back to that bench and I'm going to tell Artie all about my experience and how through every recipe I made, my family grew that much stronger.

Thank you again for giving a girl a book that started her adventure.

Love,

Brenda Walker

So there you have it.  My plan is to cook a different recipe, every Sunday, until I've cooked my way through the book.

Here goes nothing...