Domestic Tips Learned from "The Godfather"

I know right?  Who Knew! But it's true.  There are domestic things one can glean from watching this movie.   It's not only, as Tom Hanks puts it in "You've Got Mail" the "Movie equivalent of the I Ching--the epitome of wisdom.  If anyone has a problem the answer can be found in "The Godfather"".  Yes ladies "The Godfather" is not just for guys.

So what can you learn from "The Godfather"?  Well let me tell you!

1)  How to make an awesome Italian Pasta sauce to feed a crowd.  I got this recipe from The Food Network.  The comments in parenthesis are my own.



"Come here kid and learn something.  you might have to cook for 20 guys someday"


Clemenza's Spaghetti Sauce


2 Tbs Olive Oil
2-4 cloves of garlic chopped (I would go for 4 cause I like garlic.  Keeps vampires and people away)
2 Large cans of Tomatoes
Tomato Paste (I would use a 12 oz can, but you may want to start with a 6 oz can and see if it is as thick as you like)
3-4 Italian Sausage links grilled and chopped
1 lb Cooked Meat balls.
1/4 cup Sugar
Red Wine (this is for cooking unless you've had a very trying day and then....well....)

To Make:

Heat the olive oil over med heat.  Add the chopped garlic and saute a few minutes making sure not to burn the garlic.  Add the tomatoes and tomato paste and stir well until a smooth consistency.  Add the sausages and  meatballs.  Stir to cover the meats well.  Add a splash of red wine (I said splash not glug) and the sugar to taste.  Turn down the heat and let simmer at least 20 minutes.  If you must salt, do so to taste.  Serve over noodles (Duh)


2) Never, never, never attempt to have a conversation on the phone with a crying baby in your arms.  Now I have to state that I valiantly, valiantly searched long and hard for a photo image depicting this scene, but to no avail.  Those of you who have seen "The Godfather" will remember the phone call in which Sonny finds out his sister has been beat up yet again by her husband.  This scene is the set up for Sonny's eventual demise and so I am shocked, SHOCKED there is no image anywhere on the net.  Anyway, the call comes in and Carmela Corleone (The Corleone Matriarch) answers the phone with a screaming baby in her arms.  She then states "I can't hear you the baby is crying" and hands the phone off to Sonny.  What cracks me up is she attempts to hear what the caller is saying through the screams of the baby.  Now disappointed as I am at the lack of image, my point is still made so...moving on.

3)  A Gardening tip!  How to protect tomatoes from Sun Scald!

I'm actually trying it this year.  I have had to cut  back some of my tomato plants.  All of the dead branches have been cut away, leaving only what has new growth.  The problem with doing this is that it leaves what tomatoes left on the vine exposed to the direct sunlight.  To mitigate this problem, I have placed a white cloth covering over my plants such as you see here.  We will see if this really works for them.  I hope so.  I really did get the idea of doing this from this movie.  This is one of DH favorite movies so I've seen it a lot.  Well I have to admit I like it too; the first two anyway.

I do have to admit I like these movies.  I like the era they are depicted in, the cinematography, just everything.  Well except the graphic violence.  It is a classic though, but now we can look at it from a totally new perspective; Home Economics.  Oh and we can't forget the most important tip we can learn from this movie.

4)  The importance of bringing home after work what your wife asked you to pick up.  Please!