Papa’s Juicy Noodles, left, and No Toothpick Chicken. Photo by Nancy Jo Polito Sundays at 6 p.m.
, my family gathers for Sunday Night Dinner (I capitalize it because it’s that important to us! ) at my house. We started this tradition, gathering at my parent’s house every Sunday for dinner, when Angela and Adrianna, my two daughters, were very young. My father was an exceptional cook, who learned from his father, who owned the Napoli Restaurant, the first Italian restaurant in Portland (back in 1920!) on India Street.
My mother was also a wonderful baker. At a very young age, I took an interest in learning how to prepare great dishes and bake wonderful desserts. If you’d like to contribute to Home Plates, send a recipe and a story telling us how you came to cook it, who you cook it for and why it’s found a place in your life to pgrodinsky@pressherald.
com . Also, please tell us a little bit about your life as a home cook, include a photo of the dish, and yourself, possibly together, and let us know the source of the recipe. Every Sunday night dinner starts with an antipasto, is followed by the main course, and ends with a homemade dessert.
One of our family’s favorite meals is No-Toothpick Chicken. Papa’s Juicy Noodles and dessert are always a surprise. Chicken Cordon Bleu, which requires toothpicks to hold the stuffed and rolled chicken together while it’s cooking, used to be a family favorite.
The last time I prepared it, my daughter happened to ask me a questi.
