Showing posts with label memories. Show all posts
Showing posts with label memories. Show all posts

Monday, August 8, 2016

South City Mosaic - Life on Alaska - Glenn Sartori



Cinnamon Nut Cookies
(A favorite of Glen Sartoi's)

Ingredients:

1 cup shortening, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 beaten egg yolk
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 egg white
½ cup chopped pecans

Cream the shortening with brown sugar.  Add vanilla and egg yolk.  Sift and measure flour with salt and cinnamon.  Place half of flour mixture in a heap on board.  Place butter-sugar mixture on top, cover with rest of flour.  Work together lightly until it sticks together.  Pat out the mixture ¼ inch thick in buttered jellyroll pan. 
Score into squares with a knife.  Spread top with slightly beaten egg white.  Sprinkle with chopped pecans. Bake at 275 degrees for 30 minutes.

Cool and break into squares and start sneaking a few when no one is looking.

South City Mosaic - Life on Alaska - Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat; Think With Your Taste Buds; A Book and A Dish

I was born in 1949 making me just a little younger than this author so when I saw that his book contains memories of his childhood, I had to read it.  Through these memories he has not only restored my own memories but has also given me a few laughs along the way.  If you're anywhere within this age group, see how many of these items you too remember.  If you're not in this age group, read the book to see what they were and how much fun they gave us all.

Do you remember:
A 4 bladed push mower - no motor!
Two 2 x 2 wooden posts cemented in the ground (if you're lucky) with a wire strung between them - yep, the clothes line!
Black pieces of coal - no not charcoal like used for BBQ.  These went into the furnace, with a fire, and heated your home!
The cards that you sometimes clipped to your bike wheels to make noise - You got it, Baseball Cards that you would give your eye teeth to have now!
Penny candy - sometimes you could even get 2 pieces for a penny - those days are gone forever!

These are just a few of those memories many of us still cherish.  There are many more that I had buried and were brought back to me by this author.  Just a few are - the scouts, dinner at the table as a family, mom's home remedies, and a real oldie - the 1st kiss.

As I said, if you aren't a baby boomer that grew up in these times, you'll still get a kick out of what your parents and grandparents did when they were kids.  To the author I say "Thanks for the Memories."

Monday, February 11, 2013

'Til the Streetligh​ts Came On - Daniel J. Porter, Author

 
Meatloaf
(A Daniel J. Porter Special)

2 lbs. ground round steak
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups bread crumbs
Spice blend
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup milk
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce

Spice blend:
2 tsp. dried mustard
2 tsp. paprika
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 1/2 tsp. basil
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix thoroughly in order given. Top with tomato sauce. Place in 9 x 5 loaf pan. Bake for 60 minutes. Serves 6.
 
 
‘Til the Streetlights Came On – Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat; Think With Your Taste Buds; A Book and A Dish
 
6:30 a.m.: The thud of the paper on the front porch – two hours until ‘game time.’ (It took until 8:30 for the morning commute traffic to clear our streets, which would then remain virtually car-free until 4:30 that afternoon.)
7:00 a.m.: The gurgle of your family’s coffee pot churning out its black gold – ninety minutes until game time.
7:30 a.m.: The roar of Mr. Pruschetti’s Plymouth wagon… T-Minus sixty minutes and counting.
 
Cued by this melliferous morning melee, we headed down for a bowl of frosted something-or-others and listened for a signal from which we drew further indications of what the day held in store. Our communication network was closer to the beating of tribal drums than today’s web of technology. We moved to the sounds of our world with sublime synchronicity. Noises that seemed inconsequential to others were Morse code to our awaiting ears. We simply listened to the world around us – and we knew what to do.
 
Now those were the days! If you were a kid growing up from the 1950s to the 1980s, you can very possibly relate to this. This was the time when we had no cell phones, no texting, and no computer games. This was the time when we actually ‘played.’ There were organized sports for those lucky enough to live in an area that offered them or if you family could afford to pay for you to participate but for those who couldn’t, your games were organized by those who played. Sometimes it even became the one who had the ball or bat or glove. As to where you played, a lot of times it was in the road or if you were lucky, the vacant lot. Those were the days of not only having real, honest fun but also the days of self teaching and learning lessons that would follow you through the rest of your life.
 
As Author Daniel J. Porter spreads out his childhood stories, I can’t help but think about the kids of today. As we expand more and more each day into the computer world I can’t help but feel that today’s kids are missing out on so much. Other than technology, what are today’s kids learning? Can a computer game teach them team work? Can a computer game teach them respect for others? Can a computer game teach them to share? Sadly I fell the answer to these questions have to be answered with a no. Yes there are organized sports and events that kids can participate in but the accomplishment of organizing, bring the players together, setting up the rules of fairness and most of all, making those friendships and memories that will last a lifetime can’t be found in a computer game.
 
As I read ‘Til the Streetlights Came On I took a wonderful walk down memory lane. It also made me feel sorry for the kids of today. They are missing out on so much. Maybe, just maybe, this book will help wake us up and get the kids outside where the real fun begins. It’s a book I recommend be read, especially by young parents.

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Can We Come In & Laugh, Too? - Rosetta Schwartz, Author


SLOW-COOKER CHICKEN AND VEGETABLE SOUP
(A dish created for Rosetta's daughter Morgan by Morgan's husband)
 
An excellent way to use up leftover roast or grilled chicken. Remove the skin and bones and chop chicken finely with a large knife, or use cooked skinless, boneless chicken breasts.
 
2 (14 oz.) cans of chopped tomatoes, including the juice
2 cups chicken broth or stock
1 cup frozen sweet corn
2 stalks celery
½ cup short-grain rice (not instant)
4 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon Worchestershire sauce
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 cups cooked lean chicken shredded
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil
 
Combine all of the ingredients except the chicken in a slow cooker. Stir well and cook on low until the rice and vegetables are tender – about 6-8 hours. One hour before the cooking time is complete, stir in the chicken. Sprinkle with the basil just before service. Serves 6-8.
 


Can We Come In and Laugh, Too? – Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat; Think With Your Taste Buds, A Book and A Dish
 
‘When I was very young the only transportation was street cars. There were o buses, elevated systems, or cars. Henry Ford was still working on his Model T. As for airplanes, I believe the Wright Brothers invented their first model in 1914. Also the only form of home entertainment was the Victrola. I remember that after my parents saved enough to buy a Victrola, every couple of weeks my brothers purchased new recordings and played them while dancing around the living room. As for radios, it was many years later when the first crystal set was invented. It wasn’t until around 1946 when my daughter Morgan was seven, and Phyllice was around two, that radios became very popular. We bought a very good radio set, encased in a lovely big mahogany cabinet, and after that we listened to many good programs. Don’t ask me why everyone clustered around that radio cabinet staring at it as thought there was something to see, but that’s what everyone did back then.’
 
Rose Schwartz was born November 18, 1909. She was the youngest of ten children born to her fun-loving Latvian immigrant family. She later became Rosetta after one of her sisters decided Rose just wasn’t classy enough so when she registered her for school she told them her name was Rosetta and that’s what she was known as from then on. Rosetta married All Shifrin in the 1930s and later Max Lachman. She passed on in 2006 just a few months short of her 97th birthday. In 1988 her daughter Morgan was able to convince her to write her memoirs so the rest of the world could share a laugh from the life of this beautifully, happy woman.

 
Rosetta lived through both WWI and WWI and gives us a few stories about the hard times created by war. She tells of the time she sold Al’s extra shoes only to find out that shoes were being rationed just a few weeks later. There were the blackouts that were mandatory in hopes that if the enemy flew over they wouldn’t be able to see Chicago in the dark. She tells us about her move to Florida and later to California where many of her brothers and sisters also ended up moving to. Her stories are all warm hearted yet cheerful. Whenever there was a problem, she looked at the bright side not the dark and always found humor in even the worse circumstances. She was truly a woman that anyone would love to know and call their friend.

 
At the end of Rosetta’s writings her children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews all expressed their own feelings about this lovely lady. They added to the warmth by giving their memories of the woman that was never negative, always loving and always forgave whatever one might have done wrong. This is a very uplifting story about a very special woman. I personally wish I could have asked the question ‘Can We Come In and Laugh, Too?’

Saturday, February 4, 2012

Another Bad-Dog Book - Joni B. Cole, Author

 
(A Joni Cole Special)

2 cups shredded natural Swiss cheese (8 ounces)
2 cups shredded Gruyere cheese (8 ounces)
2 tablespoons flour
1 clove garlic cut in half
1 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons kirsch, dry sherry or brandy
Dunkers: French or sourdough bread, cut into 1-inch cubes; small red potatoes; pieces of broccoli, cauliflower, or mushrooms
Chopped fresh chives

Place cheese and flour in resealable plastic bag. Shake until cheese is coated. Rub garlic on bottom and side of fondue pot; discard garlic. Add wine. Heat over simmer setting just until bubbles rise to surface (do not boil).l Stir in lemon juice.

Gradually add cheese mixture, about ½ cup at a time, stirring constantly with wooden spoon over low heat, until cheeses are melted. Stir in kirsch. Sprinkle with chives.

Keep warm over simmer setting. Spear Dunkers with fondue forks; dip and swirl in fondue with stirring motion. 21 servings (2 tablespoons each).

Another Bad-Dog Book – Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of A Book and A Dish, Stir, Laugh, Repeat and Think With Your Taste Buds
 
‘I had found myself up, thinking about all the ways my husband and I weren’t best friends:  how we had nothing in common (children don’t count), and how we were going to end up in just a few short years like so many other empty nesters who look at each other across the middle cushion of their corduroy couch and think, Wow.  What now?  Why am I with this person?  I hate corduroy.
 
‘my eight-year-old daughter...asked me if she could have an end-of-summer party…  “I want it to be a water party,” my daughter said… Over the next couple weeks, my daughter winnowed down her guest list to six best friends and we loaded up on squirt guns and other water-party supplies.  The morning of the event, she came downstairs already dressed in her bikini, and handed me a piece of a paper.  At the top she’d printed – Mommy’s Dos and Don’ts.  “What’s this?” I asked.  It’s a list,” she explained, “so you know how to act at the party.”
 
These are just two of the many fears and ‘crises’ faced by the author as she, as well as her family, move on into the world of ‘getting older.’  While reading I couldn’t help but remember some of these very incidents in my own life.  The story ‘The Boy of Summer’ reminded me of the boy who occupied, maybe not my time but my mind during my summer at age 13. Joni's story ‘A Few Minutes of My Time’ reminded me that I’m computer blonde so when people talk to me about anything technical I have to ask that they speak English and not ‘computerish.”  And believe it or not but we all go through ‘Identity Theft.’   It happens every year on December 31st when we make our New Year’s resolutions.  We spot someone and decide we want to look, act and be that person.  So we proceed to try our best to steal their identity for ourselves.
 
The stories included in Another Bad-Dog Book bring the reader both laughter and recognition.  I have to recommend this book for both women and men.  If you’re a woman I feel you will be able to relate to most of the events and feelings that take place as the author goes through her ‘midlife crisis.’  If you’re a man, this book can be a great tool in helping you understand why the women in your life have taken on a personality that is totally different from the one you fell in love with.  Believe me, male or female, you can’t help but love this book.

 

 
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