At The Table With Maria Silvestrini Bruno
Maria Bruno and I met at a holiday party several years back. We connected and became friends on and off Facebook. I kept thinking she looked familiar. I realized that I remembered her from the patient registration desk at the former Montgomery Hospital in Norristown. In 1994, she started at the old facility, moving up the ranks in the medical field. Montgomery Hospital became Einstein Medical Center Montgomery with a new hospital in East Norriton.
Today, she is a medical scribe in administration with Einstein Orthopedic Montgomery for Dr. Bruce Menkowitz. A scribe is like a shadow, recording information for appointments between health providers and patients so the provider can focus on the patient and not taking their own notes. Each day she has appointment notes ready to go. It was good thing that she has always been a good speller. Can you image having to know how to spell all those medical terms?
Maria was born and spent her early years in Norristown. When she was 9 or so, the Silvestrini family moved to Barbara Drive in East Norriton. She has three older and one younger brothers.
She and Frank Bruno met through her brother, John. They have been married for 34 years.
Since her two sons recently married and are gone, she has more time to enjoy what she likes to do most, which is shopping. In store and online, she embraces it all. Many times, she doesn’t buy anything, but she enjoys the hunt.
She has a passion for music with a very large collection of CDs from Frank Sinatra to Bruno Mars. She even likes elevator music.
Maria and Frank love to dance. They are continually looking for places to check out.
She and her friend Donna share a birthday outing each year. They trek off to the Atlantic City area for several days. Maria loves the shore, especially in South Jersey. One year, they went on a cruise to Bermuda instead. They always have a great time no matter where they celebrate.
Maria and Frank look forward to a trip to Italy in the near future. Frank is in human resources, and for Maria, she will keep shopping or at lease hunting — when her busy schedule allows.
Italian Cheese Cake
1½ lbs. ricotta cheese 6 eggs
1 lb. cream cheese 6 Tbsp. flour
1½ cups granulated sugar 1 tsp. vanilla
1 pint sour cream
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
Have all ingredients at room temperature. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix ricotta cheese and cream cheese together. Add sugar and sour cream. Add eggs, one at a time. Add flour, vanilla and lemon juice. Grease and flour a 9-by-13-inch pan or spring form pan. Pour mixture in pan and bake in a 350-degree oven for one hour. Turn off oven, and let cake stay for another hour. Do not open the door. When ready to serve, you can top with cherry topping or any other filling that you like.
Enjoy!