NOVEMBER 2020

 

President’s Message

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I hope this letter finds everyone well after our recent Hurricane.

Since many of you were disappointed that we had to cancel our live October general meeting, we are scheduling our November meeting live at St. Joseph’s Hall.

The meeting will be on the second Thursday of the month, November 12, 2020. We will serve dinner at 6 pm and will begin the meeting virtually via Zoom and at the parish center at 7 pm. St Joseph’s hall is large enough for us to social distance. Please bring drinks only. The food will be provided.

Please let’s have a good turnout for our first live meeting since March. Let’s keep moving forward and be safe at the same time.

Thanks to ALL our Brothers and Sisters for your continued support in making Buona Fortuna great. With your help, we will make our meetings fun and successful! See you on November 12.

Hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving!

Cordialmente

President Patricia Russo

Buona Fortuna Lodge

Membership Information

Our next General Membership Meeting will be on Thursday, November 12, 2020, at 6 pm at St. Joseph’s Parish Hall, 140 W. Government St. Pensacola and at 7 pm at the parish center and through video conferencing with the Zoom program. The access link will be emailed to members the day before the meeting. Dinner will be provided by Buona Fortuna at the meeting but please bring your own drinks and cups. No sharing.

Yearly membership dues are $45 and are due every year by January1.  Checks should be made out to Buona Fortuna Lodge #2835. You may mail your check to Buona Fortuna Lodge #2835. P.O. Box 12351, Pensacola, FL 32591.  

Newsletter Ad subscription cost is $36.00. See below under Newsletter Ads for more information.

Council Meetings

Grand Lodge

The Grand Lodge’s website: https://osiaflorida.org/

Here is the link to the Grand Lodge’s Quarterly Newsletter. Click on the name The Floridian. 

Charities

If you have a charity that you would like supported by Buona Fortuna, please contact the charity chairperson, Giovanni Mirra, john.mirra@att.net  

The 2020 Charity donations will be announced at the October General membership meeting.

Lodge Committees

The current list of committees is located on the Buona Fortuna Officers page on our website. Here is the link: 

https://soibuonafortuna.org/home/buona-fortuna-officers/

Buona Fortuna needs your participation. If you would like to join a committee, please contact President Russo.

Our Italian American Heritage

 

Putting The ‘Italian’ In America’s Thanksgiving

Restraint” is definitely not the word one would use to describe an Italian-American Thanksgiving. Before the turkey and side dishes even appear on the table, an entire Italian feast is served, stuffing guests to near capacity with classic foods such as deli meats and cheeses, pasta, salads, and more.

It all begins with antipasti. There are cured meats with a charcuterie board filled with prosciutto, capicola, mortadella, soppressata, and other forms of dried Italian sausage. These meats are typically paired with a variety of Italian cheeses, such as Parmigiano-Reggiano, pecorino, gorgonzola, fresh mozzarella, taleggio, along with many other possibilities.

Surrounding food items often include olives; pickled vegetables, artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms; cold seafood salad; anchovies in olive oil; and more crusty Italian bread than you’d ever think to have on hand at one time.

Some Italian families also include a soup course—like Italian wedding soup or tortellini en brodo. This is followed by a baked, cheesy pasta.

Secondo Piatto- the main event-a roasted turkey with sausage stuffing, mashed potatoes, roasted sweet potatoes, broccoli drizzled with lemon, and olive oil.

Dolce. Italian pastries and a bowl of mixed roasted nuts and fresh fruit.

Every Italian American home has a Thanksgiving specialty. Here is mine:

Italian Bread & Sausage Stuffing

Yields enough to fill a 12- to 14- pound turkey and a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.

Directions

14 cups Italian bread, like ciabatta, cut into 1/2- to 3/4-inch cubes (about 3 loaves)
1/3 cup olive oil
2 lb sweet Italian fennel sausage (casings removed)
2 large yellow onions, cut into 1/4-inch dice
5 large ribs celery, cut into 1/4-inch dice
8 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (or 1-1/2 teaspoons dried)
1 tablespoon dried sage
1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup chicken broth, plus extra for the baking dish

Directions

Pile the bread cubes into a very large bowl and set aside. Place a large sauté pan over medium heat and add the olive oil and sausage. Cook, breaking up the sausage with a wooden spoon or spatula into 1-inch pieces, until light brown, about 5 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage to the bowl with the cubed bread.

In the fat left in the pan, sauté the onions, celery, and garlic until the vegetables are tender, 8 to 10 minutes Stir in the thyme, sage, salt, and pepper, cook for 1 minute and then add the mixture to the cubed bread. Add the broth to the bread mixture; stir until well combined.

Put some of the stuffing in the turkey just before roasting. Pack the stuffing loosely, leaving enough room to fit your whole extended hand into the bird’s cavity. Cook the stuffing in the turkey in a 325 degree F oven to 165ºF, checking with an instant-read thermometer.

Place the remaining stuffing in a casserole dish or large baking pan, pour a cup or two of extra stock over the stuffing to replace the juices the stuffing would have absorbed from the turkey. Bake it covered until heated through, 45 minutes to 1 hour. For a crunchy top, uncover it for the last 15 minutes of baking.

Felice Ringraziamento

Did You Know This?

Samuel J. Porcello (1935–2012) was an Italian American food scientist who worked at Nabisco for 34 years. He is particularly noted for his work on the modern Oreo cookie. Porcello held five patents directly related to the Oreo. His work earned him the nickname, “Mr. Oreo.”

Porcello was a member of Nabisco’s research and development department, which develops new lines of snack foods. He was considered one of the world’s leading experts on cocoa, which is used to make chocolate. He was given the title, “principal scientist,” during his career at Nabisco. The Oreo cookie has been sold since 1912 (450 billion Oreos have been sold since their introduction), but it was Porcello who invented the modern creme-filling for Oreos and Double Stuffed Oreos, which has an extra filling.

Porcello held five patents related to his work on the Oreo cookie. He also developed a product line of Oreos covered in white chocolate and dark chocolate. Porcello found the particular type of chocolate which he used for chocolate-covered Oreos while attending a food industry trade show in Europe.

Aside from his work with Oreo, Porcello developed other Nabisco snack products, including SnackWells. His position required him to travel extensively in search of new potential products and ingredients according to his son, Curtis, Porcello often brought new snacks home with him to see how his family liked or disliked the potential new products.

Buona Fortuna 2835 Lodge Officers

Guard Shirley Cotita

Mistress of Ceremonies Liberia Reid

Master of Ceremonies Andy Fricano

Corresponding Secretary Jovina Coughlin

Past Presidents Gene Valentino, Mark De Nunzio, Pete Resedean, Joyce Russo Bollenbacher

Herald  Tod Wilson

Public Relations/Webmaster/Newsletter Editor: Jovina Coughlin

Lodge Chaplain  Giovanni Mirra

Lodge Photographers: Thomas Cacciatore/Shirley Cotita

State & National Officers

Lodge Contact Information:

Sons & Daughters of Italy in America – Buona Fortuna Lodge #2835. P.O. Box 12351, Pensacola, FL 32591.

Corresponding Secretary/Webmaster/Editor – Jovina Coughlin.  jovinacoughlin@gmail.com

Website Address: https://soibuonafortuna.org/

Visit Us on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/sonsofitalybuonafortuna 

Remember Those Who Are Ill

• Vera Fricano
• Gunther Hascher
• Al Lombardi
• Joyce Bollenbacher
• Lucy Smith

Birthdays

Joseph Del Signore
Brooke Hardy
Dan Kaestle
Frank Patti
Mary Resedean
Paul Stanley

Italian Cookbook For Sale

Preserving Our Italian Heritage. Cost per book $15.00. Great gift for Birthdays, Weddings, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Easter, and Christmas. 

Grand Lodge 2020 Calendar For Sale

Calendars are available to purchase and the program is part of the Cash Three-Evening Florida Lottery Program. Prizes range from $100.00 to Special Holiday prizes for up to $1000.00.  You may purchase a calendar at the General Membership Meeting. Checks should be made out to the Grand Lodge of Florida for $25 for the remainder of this year.

Newsletter Article Deadline

The newsletter is published monthly on the first day of the month. The deadline to submit information is the 30th of the previous month. Submit all information to Editor:  jovinacoughlin@gmail.com

Newsletter Ads

Members’ Personal Ads for Selling Consumer Goods cost $3.00 per month. Business Ads cost $36.00 for 12 months and are payable each January. Email a copy of your business card information or your personal ad information and a photo of the item you are selling to  jovinacoughlin@gmail.com . Please make the check payable to Buona Fortuna Lodge and mail it to Buona Fortuna Lodge #2835. P.O. Box 12351, Pensacola, FL 32591.

Community Business Ads