Ancestors

I have never done any Genealogy. (which I once pronounced geneology- boy! did my mother roar!!)
I have male cousins from both sides of my mother's family, who have done some research, and also a cousin from my mother's father's side, has done some research into the 'Aussie' branch of the family.

Apparently the Irishman who was originally deported to Australia, had committed the heinous crime of stealing 7 Guineas from a widow! He should have been flogged before they sent him, if that story is true!!

There are a lot of myths about, & one nameless cousin earned my mother's wrath by immediately misquoting all the information she had given him, even down to paper proof. Frustrating indeed I suppose.

When I was younger, I never paid much attention to the history of the family. My mother would get very frustrated with me, and now, of course, I really regret my bad memory for such things, as she has gone, & I can never ask her 'stupid' questions again. My brother has a much more reliable memory than I do, & he does very well.

And my Dear Old Aunt of 85, has a better memory than either of us- though she is the 'other side' of our family.
There are hilarious stories from both sides, & we have many laughs at our past history.

And as time passes, I expect the stories will be embroidered upon even more. And stories will come to be told about us, & some or our 'idiot capers'. My brother & I used to infuriate our mother, almost to the point of tears. We have always had the same sort of offbeat sense of humour, & can reduce each other to hysteria, at times just by a glance or reading each other's thoughts. My GOM fails to understand this, as does the SIL. They seem to have far more conventional senses of humour. They can be seen glaring at us, as if we are a couple of misbehaving children. Much as our small mother would do, although as we grew older, we could reduce her to tears of laughter too.

We feel lucky because we have knowledge or our ancestory to a degree, & I feel sorry for my Almost Adult Granddaughter, who would have liked to know more about her Italian Grandfather, & also her English-born Grandmother. And of course, her Australian-born father.

She & I are very fond of Pasta dishes, & we laugh about the fact that her love of pasta comes from her Italian heritage, but where does mine come from?? (really, I know where mine comes from- I just love food!)
I think AAG is going to be a good cook. Her mother is a good cook, & I have been told I am. My Mum & Grandmother were also good cooks, so I guess it is in the family.

I made a Mushroom & Bacon Pasta Sauce for my daughter's birthday, & even GOM had some, & he is not generally a lover of Pasta. He is more your steak & chips man, though I have managed to get him eating a lot more over the years.

I am not a very precise cook, I tend to make things up as I go along & have difficulty writing my recipes down.
Here is the recipe for the Mushroom & Bacon Pasta Sauce.

4 Large flat mushrooms
3 Lean slices of bacon
2 cloves of garlic- this is optional, -we like garlic!
Olive oil- about 1-2 tablespoons
about a cup of white wine- I used a Chablis
Approx a cup of cream
ground black pepper to taste- we rather like a lot.

Method.
Heat the oil in a saucepan, & fry the crushed garlic
Add the mushrooms,& the black pepper & cook gently.
Add the chopped bacon & mix through, keeping the mix cooking.
Add the wine, & simmer a little till the mushrooms look cooked.
Add the cream slowly, adding more as you like.
I usually thicken it with a little cornflour mixed with wine to a smooth consistancy. If you like a thin sauce just add more wine or cream to taste.
We usually like ours to be a bit on the thick side.
Our preferred Pasta is Fettucine, but any pasta works well. If it to be a buffet, probably shells or Penne are better- easier to eat, & not so likely to end up being worn, or spattered over your face!
I also prefer the flat mushrooms, because they have more flavour than the button mushrooms. As you can tell it is a very flexible 'recipe', & can be varied to feed one to many.
Sorry, no pics- it all got gobbled up!

I did try to pose a pic of a little sewing box that my daughter made me, but Blogger just lied & told me it was posted!NOT.