INTRODUCTION
Just Like Mother’s Cookbook
When Mother makes cookies,
she makes kisses
Sprinkled with nuts,
dates and best wishes.
When she makes salads,
she makes dreams,
Laden with oranges,
coconut and cream.
Even the hotdogs are
rarely just plain,
She adds spicy sauce and
gives them a name.
The fruits of her
conserves, jams, and jellies
Touch our hearts, as
well as our bellies.
Her spirit is in
everything we cook,
And to preserve this
recipe, we write this book.
This collection of
treasured recipes is dedicated to our loving mother Jane Cartano, without whom
we would never have learned the wonders of home-cooked meals. Now our brother, David Cartano, who refuses
to eat anything pre-made, can make his own home-cooked meals “just like
Mother’s.”
Dinners at the Cartano
family home on
Many of our memories
revolve around these raucous meals. As
children, Dad taught us manners. As we
graduated to young adolescents, we unlearned most of those manners. Following Bob and David’s lead, we did our
best to stir the pot of controversy, and some may even say we succeeded. But despite the efforts of those suffering
from the “junior high attitude,” as we called it, one element was a constant in
our lives—the delicious flavors and smells coming out of Mother’s kitchen.
Mother never prepared
just one vegetable or an ordinary salad; every tidbit was pleasantly
perfect. She was always experimenting
with delicious, albeit economical, meals for the ordinary sitting of ten.
In this dramatic story, which you hear James tell,
Bethlehem Steel, builders of ships for victory, brings you a message, which we
cannot afford to forget.
He was always a great sports fan. He loved baseball, football and basketball,
and played a darn good game of golf and tennis.
His dad loved these games, too, and they played a lot together, all this
was back in their hometown of
The U.S.S. John Penn, a transport cargo ship, was
just off
Nearby lying off
It appeared obvious that there was little chance
of saving anyone. The danger of getting
anywhere near that exploding inferno was great.
But Lt. Cartano and his small craft was already proceeding at full speed
toward the quickly sinking cargo ship.
The USS Penn went down twenty minutes after the torpedo struck. The sea around the sinking ship was aflame
with burning oil. But Lt. Cartano
brought his small craft in as close as he dared and began the job of picking up
survivors. He realized he would have to
work fast. Some of the men in the water
had on life jackets, but others, and among them were many wounded, had none.
Lt. Cartano got search, rescue, and first aid
parties into action immediately. He and
his men worked hard, and they worked fast, and later when they counted the
survivors, they found Lt. Cartano’s little patrol craft had pulled out 33
men. The USS Penn’s Capt. Roberts
suffering from a bad shoulder and burns turned up among the survivors, too. The rescued were given pajamas and coveralls
for something to wear, and as they lined up on the beach for roll call to check
the missing, another alarm sounded. The
Jap planes were coming again and Lt. Cartano’s rescue had been effective just
in time.
For his courageous action and splendid initiative,
Lt. Cartano was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal. Yes, it’s men like Lt. Cartano who are
showing what courage and initiative can accomplish in the conduct of this war,
but without ships this war would be impossible.
Ships of all kinds are urgently needed to carry a live cargo and to
fight the enemy. Men are needed now with or without shipyard experience at the
Hobocan Yard of Bethlehem Steel Company to repair recondition and convert ships
required for war service. Here is your
chance to get directly behind our boys.
Men not in essential industry, also veterans or those classified as 4F
or otherwise draft deferred, can learn a technical trade that pays while
learning..”
This collection of treasured recipes is dedicated
to our loving mother Jane Cartano, without whom we would never have learned the
wonders of home-cooked meals. Now our
brother, David Cartano, who refuses to eat anything pre-made, can make his own
home-cooked meals “just like Mother’s.”
FOREWORD
Dinners at the Cartano
family home on
Many of our memories
revolve around these raucous meals. As
children, Dad taught us manners. As we
graduated to young adolescents, we unlearned most of those manners. Following Bob and David’s lead, we did our
best to stir the pot of controversy, and some may even say we succeeded. But despite the efforts of those suffering
from the “junior high attitude,” as we called it, one element was a constant in
our lives—the delicious flavors and smells coming out of Mother’s kitchen.
Mother never prepared
just one vegetable or an ordinary salad; every tidbit was pleasantly
perfect. She was always experimenting
with delicious, albeit economical, meals for the ordinary sitting of ten. Memories of zucchini casserole and scalloped
potatoes make us cringe at the thought of canned vegetables or TV dinners. Even dessert was rarely a neglected
item. We savored delicious sliced
peaches on meringue shells, cantaloupe halves filled with vanilla ice cream,
warm baked apples and cobblers seemingly made in heaven.
In those days, many of
us did not fully appreciate the many courses Mother prepared for the family or
the delicious salads with sugared almonds and orange slices that were standard
fare. We hope, however, that we will
relive those memories through this cookbook, and that generations to come will
experience sweetness of our childhood meals.
The following recipes include some of Mother’s
favorite recipes, as well as favored recipes by the sisters, Julie Rourke, Anna
Gascoigne, Helene Marcelia, Margaret Hewes, Joan Savard, and our sister-in-law
Maureen Cartano, as well as a few from our nieces and mother-in-laws. We hope
you enjoy a homemade meal every day hereafter!na
~Margaret Cartano Hewes
Christmas, 2003
DAD’S GRACE
Dear God,
Thank you for all the
love and beauty in our home,
Thank you for all our
blessings
Help us to keep this
home a happy home
Guide us all of our
lives
Help us to be good to
one another
And may we help other
people
~John D. Cartano
DAVID’S GRACE
Bless this food
Bless this meat
Thank you God
Now let’s eat
A WORD FROM THE NEXT GENERATION
It seems like every time
my friends come over, my mom is cooking.
My friends call my mom Mama Martha Stewart. It is funny my friends call her that name
considering every one of my aunts is also an Auntie Martha Stewart. Whenever my friends comment on my mom’s
cooking, I think how lucky I am to have the pleasure of delicious homemade
meals every night. Being a Cartano means
to me not only eating good food, but also sharing delicious, homemade, family
meals that are meant to be enjoyed together.
~Julie Hewes