Mother’s Day Meal

We had Mom and Dad over for Mother’s Day yesterday. One of the best things about living in your family’s home territory is being able to personally treat your own parents to dinner on occasions like these.

Mom likes beef, so this seemed like a good opportunity to try making rouladen, which I’ve never eaten before, much less cooked. So not only were Mom and Dad our honored guests; they were our guinea pigs as well!

It turned out well; I think I’m getting the hang of this cooking stuff. The dinner consisted of the rinderrouladen (beef rolls flavored with mustard, bacon, and pickle), plain boiled potatoes, schnittled carrots, steamed asparagus, and rye bread. Dessert was brownies topped with ice cream and garnished with strawberries. We found a brownie box mix that has caramel on the top. (Mom loves caramel.)

We ate out on the screened porch, off of the nice dishes; we had a lovely pair of peonies as the centerpiece. The kitties were banned from the room. I got everything served while it was still hot. I love it when everything turns out fairly perfectly.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh.

So in preparation, because I had already peeled and schnittled all the veggies and stuff—just needed to cook them—I even had time to relax for about a half hour before my folks arrived. I sat in the living room with my bare feet up, listening to a Nilla Pizzi LP—Rendezvous with Nilla—that we found for cheap at a junktiques store in extreme southern Missouri a few weeks ago.

From the back of the LP: “Italy’s contribution to the popular singing field, Nilla Pizzi offers her third straight smash-hit album. . . . The throaty songbird[’s] . . . initial success came during World War II when she entertained at soldier shows in Italy. She later toured Europe and the Middle East and scored heavily with her audiences. . . . Those of you who have heard Nilla won’t want to miss this album. If you haven’t, prepare yourself for a real listening treat.” The LP came out in 1957 (I gather).

Have you heard of Nilla Pizzi? I hadn’t. Her voice is resonant, expressive, and perfectly controlled. Regarding style, Sue’s first comment on hearing the first track was “Is she the ‘Italian Doris Day’?”

Here are some YouTube hits for the chanteuse. Perfect music for those satisfying moments between the preparation and the performance.

Next is how to make rinderrouladen. Soon. I promise.