February 7, 2019 (Thursday)
National Fettuccine Alfredo Day is observed annually on February 7th.
Alfredo di Lelio, an Italian restaurateur, created Fettuccine Alfredo in 1908. After his wife had given birth to their first son that year, she did not have an appetite. To help encourage her to eat, he created a dish of noodles, cheese and butter. She liked the dish so much that she thought he should put it on the menu at his small restaurant in Rome. Everyone around the world has been enjoying this dish ever since. Today it is one of the most popular pasta dishes in America.
I’m very thankful for the kind we can buy from the grocer’s shelves. It is so easy to heat water, add margarine and milk, bring to a boil (being very careful not to let it all boil over), add the contents of a package, and in 8-10 minutes, turn off the burner, let stand for two minutes and serve.
Wanda and I were married for more than 48 years when she passed away. She insisted that she be the one to buy groceries, and that was fine with me. She was big on cooking from “scratch,” and bought little or no items that were in any way pre-cooked or already prepared for cooking. It was a big surprise for me when I saw what was being offered in the grocery stores. There are so many things that are already partially prepared or even fully cooked. Fettuccine Alfredo is one of those items and I have the choice of brands.
I like to add bite-size chicken breast meat to the mix. That’s another thing I buy: packages of chicken breasts, frozen or fresh. Wanda never bought chicken pieces unless they were being offered at bargain prices. She always bought a whole chicken, which she cut into pieces and then fried, boiled, or added to other dishes, etc. For many years we had a gas range that featured an electric rotisserie and she cooked many a whole chicken on it. It tasted great.
She saved our family a great amount of money through her ability to bypass prepared mixes. It is so much cheaper to cook from “scratch.”
She saved a small fortune by sewing the children’s clothes, and most of her own dresses. Every once in a while I was the fortunate recipient of her talents with a new shirt. That’s something else I had to learn after she passed: I had to learn how to buy clothing. She was always with me when I bought suits or everyday garments, etc. Her decision was the important one. She had good taste and instinctively matched colors, etc.
I have learned how to explain what I’m wearing by pointing out my advanced age that has its privileges. Youth thinks about styles; age considers only covering the body. I’m sure I speak only for myself when I say stuff like that.
Anyway, back to the subject at hand, observe Fettuccini Alfredo day today. Have some.