Italian Food – Chronicles of a Blogaholic

“Food is a lot of people’s therapy
– when we say comfort food,
we really mean that. It’s releasing
dopamine and serotonin in your brain
that makes you feel good.”
Brett Hoebel

Comfort Food

The past few days my husband was in the hospital with an infection. He must have dropped ten pounds in those few days. He just couldn’t eat the food they presented to him at the hospital. Why is hospital food so awful?

When I picked him up at the hospital, the first thing he told me is that he hadn’t eaten a good meal in days. He also told me he missed me and would I please cook his favorite Italian dinner.

It just so happened that I had all the ingredients to cook up an Italian gravy made with fresh Italian sausage, onions, tomatoes, Anaheim and Jalapeño peppers simmered slowly. The house smelled like one of our favorite Italian bistros.

Nothing warms one’s heart and makes you feel better than good old-fashioned comfort food.

Shine On

Life is really simple,
but we insist on
making it complicated.”
Confucius

There’s a little Italian restaurant/deli that my husband discovered a few years back. It’s located in Anaheim, California, just a few miles from Disneyland. It was founded in 1963 by Italian brothers Tony and Victor Cortina.

Cortina’s is famous to all Italians living in Southern California. They have created from special recipes handed down from generation to generation, a menu that runs the full gamut of Italian classics. Well known for using the finest and freshest ingredients combined to create Italian dishes worthy of a five-star restaurant.

This past holiday we bought their breads and pastas for our holiday dinners. For Thanksgiving we preordered the bread, and we were glad we did. However, for Christmas we didn’t have the forethought to preorder. Upon arriving at Cortina’s at 9:00 a.m two days before Christmas, we found the customer line out the door. After taking number 86 to be served, and seeing they had just served up number 34, I figured we’d be there all day.

Boy was I wrong. I was pleasantly surprised how quickly and efficiently the customer’s were moved through the long lines. We also met some pretty cool people waiting in line with us. One gentleman had been coming to Cortina’s since 1974; another woman had been a customer since 1967. That says a lot now a days when there is little loyalty among friends let a lone where you eat.

Cortina’s serves up great food, great customer service and is consistent every time. In this day of fast food, a fast buck, and fast turn-around, it’s refreshing to find such a great place with such a rich history.

Cortina’s, it’s simply the best.

Shine On