Pomato Revival

My dad is a man of few words. He enjoys—truly savors—going to work, coming home, cooking with my mom, and taking it easy. His signature dishes are always full of personality, even if he’s cooking them quietly: Rabbit with capers; pasta with sardines, breadcrumbs, and olives; baked clams with paprika and garlic. Those are just […]

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  I know, I can’t stop talking about my grandfather’s garden. For one thing, ’tis the season. And, well, there’s just so much to talk about. All quirkiness aside, his garden has all the gems one comes to expect from a Sicilian grandfather’s garden–fennel, basil, tomatoes, figs, eggplants, garlic. It’s our family’s most coveted source for […]

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I’ve been working on my emergency dough skills lately. It’s one of those critical talents I worried I’d never get around to mastering, like sewing. I’m still worried about sewing. I think of our moms and grandmothers who could throw together anything by hand, without a recipe or pattern, and make it perfectly the first […]

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As American kids living in an immigrant household, we were always straddling two cultures. There was the culture our parents brought with them and raised us in, with all its comforts, traditions, and things that (we thought) would never make sense outside our house. Then there was the outside world–that place we tried so desperately […]

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My grandparents bring a certain magic with them wherever they go. It’s the kind of magic that comes with 85 years of living, an impeccable memory, and so many stories to tell that they jump at you before they can even walk through the door. One minute you’re talking about traffic on the Verrazano bridge, […]

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    Oh, hi! Notice something different around here? No, I didn’t cut my hair. And yes, this is a new dress, but that’s not what I mean. Pomato Revival has a new look! As much as I’ve loved Blogger this last year, I decided it was time for a change, so here we are […]

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I’m always working on polishing my secret weapons. You know, the things you whip up with whatever’s in the cupboard when a houseful of people pop in. That comforting something that takes fifteen minutes to make from scratch and keeps your kitchen smelling like butter and home all night. Even though they’re not in my […]

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I was sitting at work this week, a little uninspired, when I realized my problem. I don’t have ice cream. I’ve been dying for a chocolate ice cream cone for days. It’s what I see when I’m drifting off to sleep at night. As I try to get work done, thoughts of chocolate and cream […]

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It’s been nearly three months since I posted my list of (almost) 100 things I want to do this year. I have to say, I nearly forgot about it for a few weeks (it’s been a distracting month) until it hit me that I was doing things on the list without even meaning to. I’d […]

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I swear I’m not one to gush over things like autographs and celebrities. I don’t (usually) care about where so-and-so’s house is, or that whatshisname once made sandwiches at this particular deli before making it big. Hard to believe, I know, considering my last post. So when we took a detour to the Smithsonian on […]

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