Samantha's first blog

Posted By pamelamyers on November 23, 2014

This year we decided to get together to make the Christmas raviolis. We didn’t make them last year with Sandi being so sick so this year, with her not with us, it seemed especially important to carry on the tradition. We have Mark’s Grandmom Mancini’s brass ravioli cutters, and use them every year, despite the fact that we have so many others. Frankly, they work better than all the new ones, even though they are probably 50 years old. It is special knowing that these same cutters were used in her hands to make food for her family, just as we are now.

Sam was actually pretty excited about the whole thing, which is a switch from previous years when she hangs out for about a minute then leaves. She asked me if she could help and I put her to work with the job one usually has first when learning the craft of ravioli making — crimper. An easy job, but a very important one because if the edges aren’t crimped tight when the raviolis are boiled, water gets in and they taste horrible.

Sam dove right in and learned her task. I was impressed at how great a job she did, and how seriously she took the task. I checked them all before putting them on the tray but there were very few raviolis that needed an extra crimp when Sam was done. Oh, yeah, that is her Halloween costume. She and Maddox were in dress up mode earlier that day.

She loved her little job and being part of our crew.

Maddox didn’t have much interest in crimping, or ravioli making per se, but he wanted a job too and couldn’t wait to grab a roller just like his dad and Uncle Mark. He worked so hard at rolling the dough flat. Eventually, we had to try to convince him it was flat enough so we could actually use it, but he was reluctant to give it up!

When we were almost done, Sam wanted to try her hand at making ravioli herself. I gave her a small piece of dough and she asked me to scoop the meat mixture in. When I did, and tried to help her, she pushed me aside and told me she knew how to do it. Fold, then cut, cut, cut. She did know. She knew exactly what to do. When her raviolis were done, she crimped them shut, and we put them on the tray with the others. Later, Sam sort of quietly asked me if we were going to keep and eat her raviolis. I think she was afraid they were not good enough, or we were just letting her play around. I told her that, yes, we were definitely keeping them, and eating them, because she did a great job and they were perfect. Truthfully, they were.

Ryder wasn’t too much help, but he was ready to dive right in and try! (That’s one of Grandmom Mancini’s famous cutters.) 🙂

Ok, so maybe not cutting, but rolling maybe?

Break time, which means a photo op for the little guy, and his mom. Ryder is wearing the shirt Sandi had made for Maddox (and Sam) the first year they were born. Ryder gets to proudly wear it now too. Look out, Ryder, there will be many more ravioli days to come, and you will be expected to pitch in!

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