Happy Thanksgiving! A Vintage Photo

Little girl with a big turkey – circa 1958…

When I was a little girl my grandparents had a friend and neighbor, Gilbert Chestnut, who had a turkey farm – yes, that’s little me in this old photo.   Click on the photo to enlarge, but it’s faded just like the memories.  Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Swine Flu Go Away – We get “The Shot”

What line?

Despite the controversy around the H1N1 vaccine, our family decided we would be better off to get it.  There was a “first round” clinic at the high school last Sunday, and all of three of us being in one of the risk groups qualified for round one.

We heard that the previous week’s clinic went smoothly, with waits from 11 to 27 minutes, the longest wait times being in the morning.   Originally the county health department had limited the shots to residents of only one area in the county, but the response was so light compared to what they expected that they opened last Sunday’s clinic to all county residents falling into the initial risk categories.  So we decided to take a chance on late-morning (shots were given from 9:30 am to 7:30 pm).

As we drove into the parking lot outside the high school’s Fine Arts auditorium I was shocked – where were the lines of  honking cars, where were the lines of frantic people?  We found a close parking space.  At the door we were greeted by a volunteer and directed to the registration area.  Since we had downloaded and completed our registration forms ahead of time, we were given a number and directed to have a seat in the auditorium. 

It was about 1/4 full with a very cheery crowd of mostly adults and some very little children.  (School age children were vaccinated at their home schools.)  We were called to move to the “shot room” in groups of 25.  We waited about 10 minutes before our group was called.  There were two rooms- the planners had thankfully set aside a room for “strollers” which was a euphemism for “screamers.”  Andy looked a little worried as we waited our turn listening to the very loud protestations of a small child, but we were finally ushered into a quiet, calm room where EMT’s from local fire departments administered the shots.

Andy passed the time with his tunes

The funniest thing was Andy talking himself through it and the EMT responding.  Andy was saying, It’s OK, and the EMT would say, Yes, it’s OK,  Andy would say, Just hold on, and the EMT would say, Yes, I’m getting it ready.  Just before he was injected Andy said, Be careful now, and the the EMT said, Yes I’ll be careful – I about fell on the floor laughing, and the EMT was having a hard time holding it in! 

So we all did fine, got through in 15 minutes total, and are now protected.  The only side effect was Dana’s arm was sore for a while, I did not have any discomfort at all, and Andy didn’t report any problems.  Dana did not even get flu-like symptoms like he does with the regular flu shot. 

Kudos to the Lake County General Health District for the great way this was handled and to all the volunteers who helped!  

Now when can we get that vaccine for the common cold?

Thanks Giving

I have a little book where I record poems, prayers and promises.  I will share one with you.  This has been a hard year for many people, and the future may look grim, but this prayer calls us to pause and remember the most important things in life and to be thankful.  This prayer, by the Rev. Dr. Vienna Cobb Anderson, is from her book, Prayers of Our Hearts.

Prayer of Thanksgiving

God of all blessings
Source of all life
Giver of all grace:

We thank you for the gift of life:
For the breath that sustains life
For the food of this earth that nurtures life,
For the love of family and friends
Without which there would be no life.

We thank you for the mystery of creation:
For the beauty that the eye can see
For the joy that the ear may hear
For the unknown that we cannot behold filling
The universe with wonder,
For the expanse of space
That draws us beyond the definitions of ourselves.

We thank you for setting us in communities:
For families who nurture our becoming
For friends who love us by choice,
For companions at work who share our daily burdens
And daily tasks,
For strangers who welcome us into their midst
For people from other lands who call us to grow in understanding
For children
Who lighten our moments with delight
For the unborn
Who offer us hope for the future.

We thank you this day for life
And one more day to love
For opportunity
And one more day to work for justice and peace
For neighbors
And one more person to love
And by whom to be loved,

For your grace
And one more experience of your presence,
For your promise:
To be with us
To be our God
And to give salvation

For these and all blessings
We give you thanks
Eternal, loving God,
Through Jesus Christ we pray,

Amen

Hello Richard’s Maple Syrup – Goodbye Log Cabin

You may be asking, I know she cooks and bakes and so does her husband, so where is their Thanksgiving menu and recipes? 

Truth is, we have rarely celebrated Thanksgiving in our own home once since we have been married, including the year I was pregnant with Andy.   We were afraid to leave home since he was due right around that date.  We have cooked turkeys at other times of the year including deep frying, but that story can be found on Dana’s blog.

No, we usually go “over the river and thru the woods” to one of our parental homes in Southern Ohio.  We don’t even take any food with us, so while I can’t give you a rundown of any delicious dishes we will be baking, I can tell you where to buy something really yummy that will add a sweet beginning to your day.

When we lived in Southern Ohio we rarely had real maple syrup.  When we moved to Northeastern Ohio we found we lived right next door to Geauga County where some of the finest maple syrup in the world is made.  Our explorations led us to Richard’s Maple Syrup in Chardon, Ohio, and we have been loyal customers every since.

It takes approximately 45 gallons of the maple sap to make one gallon of high quality maple syrup. Because of the ideal soil and climate conditions, the syrup made from the sugar maples in Geauga County, Ohio is considered to be the very best, and has become famous around the world.  If you have ever had real maple syrup you know that the grocery store “syrup” products cannot compare. 

There are different grades of maple syrup:

• GRADE A LIGHT AMBER is a light golden syrup, with a delicate flavor and smooth texture. 
• GRADE A MEDIUM AMBER has the characteristic “maple” flavor. It is  “a medium bodied golden syrup with a lingering maple flavor.”
• GRADE A DARK AMBER is a robust maple syrup. Of course, as the name implies, it is the darkest of the grades.

We have tried all three, all are delicious but we usually buy medium or dark amber for the stronger flavor.  Light amber is what is usually served in restaurants and B & B’s.  All can  be used in cooking.

Richard’s carries other maple products such as maple candies, maple butter and maple sugar, along with local jams and jellies and honeys.  They ship all over the world, and quickly I might add.  We are lucky to live close enough to run down every once in a while and stock up.  The only problem with going to their store is there are so many good things on their shelves – they make delicious maple popcorn too, with and without nuts! 

My mother has a new waffle maker just in time for our Thanksgiving family reunion so we sent her a 1/2 gallon of medium amber as part of our contribution to the feast.  On Thanksgiving morning think of us enjoying our homemade waffles with rich, dark Geauga County maple syrup from Richard’s!

To order some for yourself, visit their web site at www.richardsmapleproducts.com.  If in the area, visit Richard’s at:

Richard’s Maple Products

545 Water Street

Chardon, Ohio  44024

440-286-4160

For more interesting facts about the maple syrup industry in Ohio visit the  Ohio Maple Producers Association web site at   http://www.ohiomapleproducers.com/

Hello, it’s not Christmas yet!

Chocolate Hippos/Bakers Candies, Cleveland, Ohio

“Oh I want a hippopotamus for Christmas, only a hippopotamus will do…..” (click for music)

Ayeeeeee!  A station in our market started playing Christmas music already and now I have this song stuck in my head - I graciously pass it on to you!  Couldn’t we wait until after Thankgsiving?

Nestle Baking expects shortage of canned Libby’s Pumpkin – Just Cook Your Own Pumpkin – It’s Easy!

Due to heavy rains during the harvest of pumpkins in Illinois, Nestle said growers have been prevented from picking the entire crop.  As a result, less pumpkin has been harvested and canned to be sold for pie-making.  This may lead to a shortage of Libby’s Canned Pumpkin.

But don’t despair if your store is out- you can cook your own pumpkin for Thanksgiving pies!  And it’s so easy.  Here in Ohio at least, there was a huge crop of pumpkins that are still being sold in farmer’s markets and grocery stores.  Note that these cooking  methods work for any variety of pumpkin or winter squash.  Cooking times may be adjusted for the size of your pumpkin/squash.  For pumpkin, be sure to use the smaller pie pumpkins instead of the large Jack-O-Lantern size.

Butternut Squash, Long Island Cheese Pumpkin, Ghost Pumpkin

1.  Oven Method – Wash pumpkin, cut in half and remove seeds and strings.  Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Place pumpkin cut side down on baking sheet for 60 – 90 minutes depending on size of pumpkin.  To test for doneness, stick a fork in it.  It should be very soft.   Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly so you can handle it.  When cool, scrape flesh off rind and process flesh until smooth in a food processor or blender.  Use as you would in any recipe, 2 cups of pumpkin = 1 can Libby’s in their standard recipe.  This is my favorite method when I have time because it gives a drier result.

2.  Microwave Method – Cooking a  pumpkin or squash whole  is the easy way if your microwave is big enough.  Just cut off the stem, poke a few holes in it with a fork and put a dish under it to catch the liquid.  For a small microwave, cut in pieces and put in microwave safe dish for cooking.  For a small pumpkin or pieces, cook for 15 minutes and test for doneness, again it will be very soft, probably falling in on itself.  Let it cool and scrape out the seeds and strings.  (For pieces remove the seeds and strings first.)  Then scrape out the flesh and process until smooth.  Depending on your variety of pumpkin, you may have to let it drain a little bit - just line a collander with coffee filters or a thin cotton dish cloth, dump in the puree and drain until it stops dripping.  Again, use in any recipe.

Pie from Long Island Cheese Pumpkin

Click here to read my story about cooking a pie using a Long Island Cheese Pumpkin. 

There’s nothing wrong with using canned pumpkin, and I think Libby’s is the best, but if you can’t find it try cooking your own, it makes a delicious dish!

Fun Photography – Mushrooms

Sometimes when walking in the woods I come across some weird stuff and mushrooms definitely fall into that category.    These photos were taken in various spots in Northeast Ohio.  I tried to ID some of them using my handy National Audobon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms (don’t laugh, I really own a copy), but I am no expert so help me ID them if you can.

I have no idea what this is, some kind of shelf fungi? Growing on a tree in Holden Arboretum

Morel, but what kind I'm not sure. Found growing right outside my back door under a rhododendron. My only regret was it was too old to eat when I found it.

Found near a stream in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park

Growing in bark mulch in a local park

Found in local park in the woods

Found in my neighbor's yard

Inky caps - these are growing in my yard under a tulip poplar and a sugar maple - don't touch them without gloves, they turn to liquid in your hands and will stain!

Dancing with the Stars – UPDATE – Who will win?

UPDATE:   Down to the Final 3 – So happy it’s Donny, Kelly and Mya!

I love this show, I don’t care who knows.  When the theme song comes on it’s like the party has started!   It so surprises me that these stars, musicians and athletes who are or have been at the top of their respective fields mostly take this so seriously.  A review of the four  three who are left:

Kelly Osbourne:  I was rooting for Kelly from the beginning though I thought she might be one of the slackers.  Through the season she has really buckled down and is so much fun to watch. 

Donny Osmond:   What can I say about Donny Osmond – he’s Donny!  I’m so happy he’s in the top 3.   He is a great entertainer.  He’s got a grueling schedule but he has powered through.

Mya:  I did not know who Mya was at the start, but she has grown on me and I think she has the best chance to win if she has the fan support. 

Joanna:  I didn’t think she had what it takes but she became a front runner right away.  Personally, I don’t like her “look”. 

All  have worked their butts off (literally!) to get in the finals.  So, who do you think will win?  Vote on the top 3 in my poll.   Leave a comment to say why if you like  And don’t forget to vote online or by phone to help your favorite win!

**Note:  your vote here is just for fun and has no effect on the TV vote. 

Friday Feature: Folk Alley – All Folk All the Time

It’s a beautiful sunny day here on the North Coast – things are pretty quiet.  The birds are singing in my backyard, leaves gently falling.  A great day to listen to Folk Alley, Listener Supported Radio. I found Folk Alley a few years ago when I was working in a building that blocked radio signals and started looking for on-line listening opportunities. 

FolkAlley.com went online in September 2003, offering live-streaming music over the Internet 24 hours a day. The hosted stream is produced by WKSU-FM in Kent, OH, which also built and maintains the web site. The Folk Alley playlist is created by senior host, Jim Blum, and Folk Alley Music Director Linda Fahey and features a distinctive blend of the best of singer/songwriter, Celtic, acoustic, Americana, traditional, and world sounds.

I grew up listening to folk music – Peter, Paul and Mary, The Weavers, Pete Seeger, Burl Ives, Donovan, Joan Baez.  This was in the 50’s and 60’s when folk music was really big – often these artists appeared on TV variety shows.  I remember we were so excited when any of these artists appeared on shows like The Ed Sullivan Show.  This music was seen as “wholesome” - as we know it grew into the protest songs of the late 60’s, 70’s, and my generation followed along.

Current artists I like are Ani Difranco, Gillian Welch, Nanci Griffith, and Dar Williams, to name a few.    Today on Folk Alley I’ve heard If I Had a Hammer  by Peter, Paul and Mary, songs such as The Water is Wide and Jennifer Juniper.  I’m always finding new favorites, but the old songs and singers take me back, and on a day like today, with the sun shining on the lake, the blue sky above, it’s pleasant to reflect on old singers and old songs.   It’s like old friends come to visit for a spell.  Sing me a story ….

Do you have a favorite folk singer/song, old or new?

Key West Grill – Myrtle Beach SC

Heard enough about my vacation?  I didn’t think so!  How about a restaurant review…

After my beautiful day on the beach, the whole gang headed back to the condo to freshen up.  Earlier in the week my husband and I went out for a night alone and ended up at the Key West Grill at Broadway on the Beach for late night dessert.  When we told my mother about it, she had to try it too so we decided that would be where we would celebrate our birthdays, in style.  (Her’s being October 24, mine the 29th, and neither of us are giving out birth years!)

What a beautiful place!  Since it was the off-season, we were seated right away, at a table right by the deck (too cool for outside dining that night, unfortunately).  We had a nice view of the lagoon and the Dragon’s Lair Fantasy Golf Course, which shot flames into the air every so often, to the amusement of my son, Andy.  Broadway was so pretty, all lit up for the night, they use LOTS of neon.  Choices of seating included large tables like ours, booths for 2 and 4, and of course bar seating.  It was all marble and leather look, luxurious without being heavy.   There was a live parrot sitting on a cage right inside the door.

After the hostess seated us, our waiter appeared promptly to tell us of the daily specials and take our drink orders.  Brad was an Aussie fellow, very friendly without being overbearing.  I ordered the Key West Cosmo, a lovely concoction.  Drinks were served and we started on the difficult task of choosing our dinner entrees.

They have a huge menu, heavy on seafood but there are also steaks, pasta and chicken dishes, along with pizza.  Our choices:

Andy loves his pizza!

My Dad's fried oysters

My mother had fried flounder

Dana chose a daily special - Ahi Tuna Steak with a crab alfredo sauce over angel hair pasta

My birthday dinner - crab stuffed shrimp, Cuban coleslaw, fried plaintains

Looking at these photos, looks like we went a little heavy on the fried food, but hey, we were on vacation right?  Everyone knows vacation calories don’t count!

Anyway it was all delicious, the fried plaintains were interesting, I had never had them before.  I would like to try them grilled the next time.  But, we’re not done yet.  This is a birthday dinner remember?  We must have dessert!  Only two choices were made:

Tiramisu, divine!

Must have, Key Lime Pie

Both were very yummy (that’s a technical term you know).    The tiramisu was light and full flavored, the Key Lime Pie authentic with just the right amount of tang combined with sweet.

If you are in Myrtle Beach and you want a special night out, stop by the Key West Grill.  You will be treated to a delicious meal in a beautiful setting.

Key West Grill

Broadway at the Beach

1213 Celebrity Circle

Myrtle Beach, SC  29577