My mother, Filomena, fed eleven people every night from one gas ring in Naples. She never once measured anything, never wrote anything down, and never had to — because she'd watched her own mother do it first.
I'm ninety-one now. I'm the last one who remembers most of this. So I wrote it down — not one book, but two, because cooking and cleaning were always two different kinds of knowledge to me.
This listing includes two ebooks. Choose one, or get both together at a discount:
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The Nonna's Notebook (63 pages) — a recipe collection organized into five kitchens: Stovetop & Sunday Hands, Hard-Times & Make-Do, The Pantry, Sunday & Feast Days, and The Garden & Wild Greens. Every recipe includes a story, a heritage note, and a make-do substitution, plus three bonus companion guides.
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Nonna's Clean Casa (112 pages) — a complete whole-home cleaning system in seven parts: The Kitchen, The Bathroom, The Laundry, The Living Spaces, The Rhythms (the daily and seasonal routines that keep it all from piling up), The Sunday Table, and Special Problems (pets, moving day, and more). The old Italian way to a spotless home for under $40 a year.
What's inside The Nonna's Notebook:
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Stovetop & Sunday Hands — the everyday techniques and simple dishes that built everything else
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Hard-Times & Make-Do — how we ate well through years with almost nothing
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The Pantry — a full year of preserving, done safely, the way it should be taught
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Sunday, Feast Days & the Table Together — the cooking that brought the whole family to one table
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The Garden, the Hillside & Wild Greens — foraging honestly, including what's worth the effort and what isn't
Also included at no extra cost: The First Pan & Pantry Starter, The Putting-Up Almanac, and Measure & Make-Do, a full conversion and substitution index.
What's inside Nonna's Clean Casa:
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Part One, The Kitchen — everyday order, the sink, the oven and stovetop, silver, copper & the good dishes
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Part Two, The Bathroom — the shower and tub, the showerhead nobody looks at, the toilet and tile, mirrors, grout & small corners
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Part Three, The Laundry — the machine itself, stains old and new, whites, colors & drying the old way
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Part Four, The Living Spaces — dust, air & light, upholstery, floors, windows & glass
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Part Five, The Rhythms — fifteen minutes a day, the weekly walk-through, and the seasonal turn, so nothing becomes a Saturday marathon
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Part Six, The Sunday Table — setting it right, and the one-hour emergency clean for when guests are already on their way
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Part Seven, Special Problems — pets in the house, moving day, and the things nobody wrote down until now
Recipe cards run throughout: an all-purpose spray, a drain reset, an overnight grease paste, and more, most costing under 25 cents a batch, built around a short list of staples — vinegar, baking soda, castile soap, and salt. Attenzione boxes flag what never to mix and why it matters.
Neither book asks for anything exotic. They're built to be used on a Tuesday. Nothing here requires equipment you don't already own or ingredients you can't find at a normal grocery store. What they ask for is what my mother had in place of money: attention, and a little patience.
Format: Instant PDF download for each book, formatted for reading on any device or printing at home.
If you've ever watched someone cook — or clean — without writing anything down, and felt that small worry that it might not outlive them, these books are for you. It's not too late. It just wasn't written down yet.
— Nonna Rosalia
