^{by A. Gagliardi}

    Chop the tomatoes into a big soup pot. Dice an onion and add to the tomatoes. Stir in red pepper flakes. Chop garlic. Find the oregano and parsley. Stir these into the pot. Take the sauce tasting spoon away from your oldest child. Shred carrots and Zucchini. Add all these to sauce and begin simmering. Say, “No you can’t have more cookies. It’s too close to supper,” to your youngest child. Make a phone call. Choose the wine. Write out your grocery list. Stir the pot. Skim Better Homes & Garden. Take out the trash. Stir the pot. Chop more garlic and some fennel. Find the mushrooms and chop them up. Add them all to the sauce. Take the sauce tasting spoon away from your third child. Take the meats from the frig: hamburger, sausage, & veal. Mix the meats with crackers, oatmeal and eggs. Say, “No you can’t have more cookies. It’s too close to supper,” to your youngest child.

    Open the wine and add some to the sauce. Taste the wine while stirring the pot. Take the sauce tasting spoon away from your second child. Make silver dollar sized meatballs and fry in a small amount of Olive oil until golden brown and crispy. Stir the pot. Set meatballs aside. Say, “Don’t eat those meatballs. They are for supper.” to your youngest child. Call your mother. Taste the wine. Update your calendar. Take the sauce tasting spoon away from your husband. Chop roasted red peppers and add to the sauce. Stir the pot. Fold a batch of clothes. Say, “No you can’t have more cookies. It’s too close to supper” to your oldest child. Sweep the kitchen floor. Feed the dog. Stir the pot. Say, “Don’t eat those meatballs. They are for supper.” to your second child. Put your Dutch oven filled with water on the stove to boil. Stir the pot.

    Set the table. Make the salad. Say, “Don’t eat those meatballs. They are for supper.” to your husband.  Add the meatballs. Stir the pot. Add angel hair spaghetti to the boiling water.  Stir that pot. Stir the other pot. Say, “Don’t eat those meatballs. They are for supper” to your husband again. Slice the bread and put it on the table.  Taste the wine. Call the family to come for supper. Remember the cheese and grate some for the table. Call your husband to supper. Place the cold water and milk on the table.  Call your children to quit playing and come to supper. Ask your husband to turn off the TV and come to the table. Taste the wine. Place the salad and pasta on the table. Stir the pot. Yell at your kids to come to supper. Bring an extra chair to the table.  Give your husband the look and remind him that his job was turning off the TV. Ladle the sauce into your grandmother’s iron stone bowl. Insert the antique serving spoon into the sauce. Carry the steaming bowl of sauce to the table.

Sit.
Pray.
Taste the wine.

** with a nod to Don Albergott