My Grandparents

Tony and Madeline Camplese.  Both were immigrants.  He from Italy, she from Portugal.  They were wonderful people and this time of year I can't tell you how thick my memories of them are.  We used to go to their house in Wheeling, WV when I was little around Thanksgiving and Christmas.  The food is what I remember ... but not tasting it, just smelling it.  To this day my favorite Holiday meal is Madeline's Portuguese Stuffing.  It is an amazingly spicy twist on the traditionally boring American variety.  My wife has made it for us for years and she makes it so well.  We have a handwritten recipe from her still in the family and it is a precious artifact of our family history.  My little girl is named after her and my wife's Grandmother, Grace.

An interesting little side story is that Tony had a degree from the University of Chicago that he received via a distance in the old correspondent model ... the precursor to the space that I've spent so much time working to innovate in, distance learning.  No one messed with Tony. This picture makes me smile and reminds me of how proud I am of my status as a second generation American.

Comments

[Christopher P. Long]

Great story, Cole.

Where is the picture of the hand written recipe? Will Cuizoo be featuring it anytime soon?

I should locate my grandmother's recipe for corn fritters. Man, they were great! We used to go to York, PA in the summer to have them. It is the smell for me too that brings it all flooding back.

[Jamie Oberdick]

Very nice, Cole. One thing I always found cool was how ethnic foods from home countries find their way onto American Thanksgiving tables. In York, at ours, we had PA Dutch things such as baked dried corn, which is wonderful.

As for grandparents, no, they weren't PA Dutch. My grandparents were much different as far as arrival in America - my mom's side got here in the late 1700s, and my father's mother was here for thousands of years, being an Eastern Band Cherokee. She gave me a different perspective on Thanksgiving than many have - namely enjoy the holiday, but don't for one moment buy into any of the myths. As you might imagine, that aspect made Thanksgiving quite bittersweet for her.

That is pretty cool the connection between your grandfather and your career. Interesting how that works.

[Cole Camplese]

Thanks Chris and Jamie. Not sure what made me think to post this picture tonight. I guess it was the start of the Holidays and all that comes with it. Chris, I will post a scan of the original recipe and I wish Cuizoo would do a feature on it ... it is truly some amazing stuff. Jamie, Grandmother's perspective must have been amazing! We need to keep those memories alive and I can't think of a better way than writing about them.

Thanks to both of you for the comments!

[Pat Besong]

That reminds me that my dad got a correspondence degree in accounting. He worked as an accountant for about 30 years in the J&L steel mill in Aliquippa after WWII. I completely forgot about that. We found his books in the attic one time. Distance education in the 1950s!

[Mary]

Thank you for sharing your memories of your grandparents. I guess it's obvious from the fact that I have a whole blog devoted to family history that I love finding out how our family past/cultural heritage makes us tick. Since I just spent the last half of September in Italy, I'd be curious to know which region your grandfather came from. What a beautiful country, to put it mildly.

I'll be connecting with my cousins/aunt on my German side of the family in the Bethlehem/Doylestown area this Thanksgiving. My grandma was part of the gathering until she died 10 years ago. She was the one who always reminded us to keep stirring the gravy so it wouldn't be lumpy.

[dave]

Wonderful photo, Cole. I can taste a nice Portuguese inspired stuffing now. Cornbread maybe? Spicy sausage? Paprika and garlic? Lots of pepper... you will share the recipe now that you've teased everyone?

[slouchy]

That's a beautiful photo!

[Cole Camplese]

Dave, I will bring the recipe -- but only if you promise to make and try it! It has a ton of vinegar in it ... that is what gives it such a unique taste.

[Kay Camplese]

Cole: Picked up the picture and your comment this a.m. Dad and I both got tears when we saw the picture and read your comment. I am so glad I was able to get my mother in law to write that recipe down in her own words. As you may recall, I always placed it on the kitchen counter at Thanksgiving and Christmas a.m. in her memory. (Still do even though it is faded: so glad I copied it word for word). Took a couple of years before you and your little sister took to the taste; I guess the smell just overtook your better judgement at the time and you tried it! HOOKED was the word. Thanks to your wife, Kristin, who has helped keep our tradition and memories vivid in our hearts. I know even though we are separated at Thanksgiving we will share our love and memories with the smell and taste of the stuffing. Mother