The Vagnino Recipes

Last night, I went to see "Julie & Julia" and while I found Julie Powell as a character to be incredibly annoying, Meryl Streep's performance definitely redeemed the $12.50 spent on the ticket. Yes, movies in NYC are that expensive.

The movie inspired me to cook and write about it -- after all, maybe if this were a food blog, I'd have Amanda Hesser coming over for dinner and a book deal just like Julie P.!

So for this entry only, pretend this is a food blog. I do love to cook and would honestly rank my skills at slightly-above-average. I still need to basically follow recipes, but the food I prepare is almost always tasty. And boy, can I ever zest the crap out of a lemon.

For a brief second, I contemplated posting my father's secret recipe for the "famous" Vagnino family spaghetti and meals. But then I decided that getting disinherited would be unwise, so instead I'll post a recipe from my aunt's humorous cookbook, How to Eat Like a Republican.

How do Republicans eat? Well, think heartland, think homestyle, think somewhat Southern. Many of the recipes in the book call for Tabasco and/or bacon and/or a shit-ton of butter. It's how we folks raised in the country's middle like to eat, regardless of the effects on our own middles.

This particular recipe was actually contributed by one of my aunt's Democrat friends -- it's called Zorba the Shrimp.

Serves 8

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons of olive oil
4 cups chopped onions
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
2 tablespoons finely chopped dill
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon sugar
5 cups canned whole tomates (liquid reserved)
2 and 1/2 cups feta cheese, crumbled
3 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined

Preheat the oven to 425.

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan or deep skillet. Add the onions and cook until golden. Add the garlic, parsley, and dill, the stir in the mustard and sugar. Add the tomatoes, 1 cup of the reserved tomato liquid and half of the feta. Simmer for 30 minutes, adjusting the consistency of the sauce with the remaining tomato liquid; it should not be too thick.


Add the shrimp, cook for one minute more, then pour the mixture into a heavy casserole. Sprinke with the rest of the feta and bake, uncovered, for 10-15 minutes, until the shrimp are just done (bright pink, no gray left) and the feta melts.

Serve immediately over orzo or rice and great crunchy bread. Bon appetit!

Let the rejection commence!

Yesterday marked a minor milestone in my creative writing career: I sent out my first submissions to literary journals and magazines. Which means in about three months, I should be receiving my first wave of rejections.

I'm not afraid of rejection -- it's part of the artistic process. Since joining the editorial staff of Redivider, Emerson's graduate literary journal, I have gained some insight into the process of getting published. And I'm not gonna lie; it's a little bit of a crapshoot. I mean, my job is to screen the slush, i.e. the unsolicited submissions. So I know that someone just like me is reading my stuff and making a judgment call which may or may not have to do with the quality of the work. I try to be objective, but at the end of the day, it's just my opinion. One person's opinion. And what do I know? I'm just a wannabe published poet myself.

The most amusing part of the process of submitting is researching which publications would be a good fit for my style/voice. Some of the guidelines are pretty narrow--consider, for instance, what kind of poetry a journal called The Bathyspheric Review is seeking:

The Bathyspheric Review is an electronic journal carrying fine poetry devoted to oceanic themes and imagery. Founded on a deep desire to celebrate the world's oceans, waves and beaches through poetry, we do not restrict our content to naturalism, but only request that it explores the imagery of the shore, the tidal zone, the impact zone, the surface, the mid-water, the deep.

Sadly, none of my poems really grapple with the tidal zone. I do have a couple of poems that deal with the ocean, but on more of a metaphorical level. I don't know if that counts.

Most lit mag guidelines can be summarized thus: Send us stuff that doesn't suck and hasn't been published already.

Sounds simple, right? We'll see.

Gene Kelly might not be human

Whenever I watch old movies, it strikes me how much more talented you had to be back in the day to make it in Hollywood. Yesterday, walking through the East Village in the pouring rain, my boyfriend and I stumbled upon a movie theater playing, appropriately, "Singin' in the Rain," starring Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, and Donald O'Connor. My boyfriend made the mistake of admitting that he'd never seen it. So of course, I dragged him in.

I love "Singin' in the Rain"-- it's funny, clever, and the dancing is spectacular. The three leads are all triple threats. Nowadays, you can be a "star" just by looking pretty. I mean, is there a Shia Labeouf equivalent in the golden age of filmmaking? Is what Gene Kelly does on camera at all related to what Jennifer Love Hewitt does?

I'm posting a video with a clip not from "Singin' in the Rain," but from a lesser-known Gene Kelly flick, "It's Always Fair Weather." In it, Gene Kelly tap dances. ON ROLLER SKATES.

Point/Counterpoint: Am I a New Yorker?

Point: I am a New Yorker

Supporting evidence:

1. I have lived in five different apartments in New York, in three different boroughs. I even spent a summer living in an NYU dorm in Kip's Bay, an area many native New Yorkers have never even heard of.

2. When riding in a cab, I turn off Taxi-TV.

3. I have been mugged (in 2003, on 15th St. between 8th and 9th Aves.)

4. I have never eaten at Bubba Gump Shrimp, the Hawaiian Tropic Restaurant, Planet Hollywood or the Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square.

5. I was an aspiring actress/singer for several years and have performed at the Mercury Lounge, La Mama's, and St. Ann's Warehouse.

6. I have no idea what gasoline costs nowadays.

7. I have never seen Mary Poppins or The Little Mermaid on Broadway; I have, however, seen The Toxic Avenger off-Broadway.

8. I am obsessed with bagels, especially the ones at Absolute Bagels.

9. I have traveled to Coney Island to see the Nathan's Hotdog Eating Championship.

10. I love New York.


Counterpoint: I am not a New Yorker

Supporting evidence:

1. I currently live in Boston.

2. I like it when strangers smile or say "hi" on the street.

3. I refuse to wait more than 10 minutes for a table at brunch.

4. I have never eaten a slice of Ray's Pizza.

5. I don't know anyone with a house in the Hamptons.

6. I require a dishwasher and a garbage disposal.

7. Other than Long, I've never been to any of the islands (Ellis, Roosevelt, Governor's, Staten).

8. I've never been to a bar/bat mitzvah.

9. I root for the Red Sox.

10. I hate New York.