IN THE KITCHEN WITH: Deb McCarren

The smells of cooking remind her of home; Mental health counselor helps people make changes, By Laurie Gordon Though her last name, McCarren, is clearly Irish, Deborah McCarren — who lives in Wantage and works in Newton — is an Italian American married to an Irishman. Her maiden name is Mastrogiavoni, and she was born and raised in a little — mostly Italian — neighborhood in Jersey City. “Being Italian meant all your family lived within a six-block radius,” she said. This meant always being under the watchful eyes of family. School was Catholic, and for McCarren, that meant St. Aden’s grammar school and St. Al’s high school. “I almost went to St. Peter’s College but thankfully did not,” she added. Growing up, she spent several weeks at St. Vincent De Paul Camp which was run by nuns. “ It was a strict upbringing that was based on respect and honor, something we could use a little more of these days.” One of McCarren’s fondest memories of “the old neighborhood” was the smell of food cooking as she made her way home. “Someone always had a pot of ‘gravy’ (red sauce) on. Sometimes an aroma of garlic and peppers floated in the air or other times I could smell the distinct aroma of calamari or braciole cooking in the houses as I passed.” McCarren spent a great deal of her childhood with her grandfather and her Great Aunt Jenny who shared a home together. Her grandpa was divorced and Aunt Jenny never married. “I loved it there. There was always something wonderful cooking; the house was immaculate and my grandfather’s homegrown tomatoes were the best!” Keeping people healthy Professionally, McCarren has been a mental health counselor for many years. In 2004, after having worked for many agencies and hospitals, she decided she wanted to offer her own special take on counseling and opened Change Your Life Counseling Center in Hamburg. Last year, she partnered with long-time friend and philosophy compatriot Deborah Drumm, a psychiatric nurse practitioner. “We hold many of the same ideals and hopes for the population we serve and it made great sense to join our efforts,” said McCarren. The business is called Change Your Life Counseling Center, LLC, and is located at 93 Main Street, Newton. It offers clients an array of services from medication management to aromatherapy, hypnosis, marriage and couples counseling as well as the treatment of phobias, anxiety disorders and depression. “As a team, we are sensitive to the current economic environment,” McCarren said. Because of this, they use reduced fees and sliding scales when possible, in an effort to make their services available to as many individuals as they can. The team of Debs works with patients who are dealing with bereavement, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and mood disorders, sleep disorders, chronic pain, elder care, drug addiction and phobias. “I always tell my patients, ‘Change your life, you can do it, start today,’” McCarren said. For information about Change Your Life Counseling Center, visit www.Changeyourlife.com.

Pizza Gain
During Easter, McCarren said her great aunts would pool their money so they could buy the ingredients for “Easter Pie.” In Italian, it was called “Pizza Gain” and McCarren has heard it called “Pizza Rustica” by other Italian families. It was expensive and a timely undertaking, but when it was achieved, everyone in the neighborhood enjoyed it, and small squares were delivered to anyone who lived nearby with an Easter blessing. Here is her family’s recipe.
INGREDIENTS:
1 lb of mozzarella cheese (1 brick, whole milk, cubed)
I lb Italian cheese (fresh basket cheese or farmer’ cheese)
3 lbs ricotta cheese
1 stick pepperoni
2 tbs. parmesan cheese
15 eggs
4 lbs pizza dough
1/2 lb of ham (thick)
DIRECTIONS:
1. In a bowl, add ricotta, basket cheese, and 15 eggs, 3 heaping teaspoons of grated cheese, stir in cubed ham and mozzarella.
2. Brush pan with oil then melted butter. Roll out dough add mixture above, add top layer of dough and pinch ends tightly together.
3. Brush top with oil and egg, sprinkle with grated cheese. Make Easter Cross with large fork to vent. Bless with good wishes.
4. Bake in a 375-degree oven for 10 minutes and then lower the temperature to 350 and bake for 60 minutes. Then lower temperature to 325 and bake for 30 to 45 minutes.
5. Remove from oven, brush top with melted butter. Cool 2 to 3 hours. Turn upside down over night on large board, cover tightly with paper towel, foil and dish towel.
refrigerate, serve on Easter Sunday.